The 'Excessive' British Destroyers That Lost 12 of 16 But Proved The Admiralty Right скачать в хорошем качестве

The 'Excessive' British Destroyers That Lost 12 of 16 But Proved The Admiralty Right

May 1942. HMS Somali, North of Norway. Eight 4.7-inch guns trained on the horizon. Most destroyers carried 4-5 main guns. Tribal-class carried 8. The Admiralty called it "excessive." German intelligence called it "wasteful." Then combat started. By May 1942, 12 of 16 Tribal-class destroyers were gone—75% loss rate. Naval analysts called it catastrophic. Yet those 8 guns achieved what conventional destroyers couldn't. They fought above their weight, won against superior forces, and proved British destroyer doctrine correct. Post-war, heavy gun armament became the standard. The "excessive" design that lost 12 of 16 became the model for every British destroyer after. SUBSCRIBE for more British naval engineering. THE PROBLEM: German destroyers: 5× 5.9-inch guns (500-pound broadside) British destroyers: 4-5× 4.7-inch guns (200-250-pound broadside) Kriegsmarine outgunned Royal Navy in surface combat. THE SOLUTION - TRIBAL CLASS: 8× 4.7-inch guns in 4 twin mountings 400-pound broadside (matched German firepower) Sacrificed torpedoes (10 tubes → 4 tubes) Doctrine: destroyers fight primarily with guns THE COST: 16 Tribal-class built (1938-1939) 12 lost in combat (75% loss rate) Lost in every theater: Norway, Mediterranean, Atlantic, Arctic Naval analysts: "catastrophic" losses WHY THEY KEPT FIGHTING: Script: "The Admiralty sent them where the fighting was heaviest because their gun armament made them capable of winning." High losses = proof of value (best ships sent to hardest fights) COMBAT RECORD: Drove off Italian cruisers (Second Battle of Sirte) Outgunned German destroyers consistently Sank more enemies per ship than any other British destroyer class Provided gunfire support for amphibious operations Fought in every major naval theater SPECS: Displacement: 2,500 tons full load Main armament: 8× 4.7-inch guns Speed: 31-36 knots Range: 5,700 miles at 15 knots Crew: 190 SHIPS LOST: Afridi, Gurkha, Mohawk, Mashona, Cossack, Sikh, Matabele, Punjabi, Bedouin, Somali, Maori, Zulu (12 total) SURVIVORS: Ashanti, Eskimo, Nubian, Tartar (4 survived to 1949+) THE VINDICATION: Post-war British destroyers adopted heavy gun doctrine: Battle-class: 4× 4.5-inch guns (twin mountings) Daring-class: 6× 4.5-inch guns Tribal philosophy: "destroyers fight primarily with guns" became permanent doctrine COMPARISON: German Type 1936: 5× 5.9-inch guns, 2,400 tons British Tribal: 8× 4.7-inch guns, 2,500 tons American Fletcher: 5× 5-inch guns, 2,700 tons (different theater/doctrine) THE LESSON: Admiralty called 8 guns "excessive." Germans called it "wasteful." Then combat proved heavy guns win destroyer battles. 12 ships died proving it. Post-war doctrine adopted it permanently. Ships that work get sent to danger. Tribal losses reflect how valuable they were—sent to every critical operation because their firepower could win. THE PARADOX: 75% loss rate sounds catastrophic. But those 12 ships accomplished more before sinking than most destroyers achieved while surviving. The 4 survivors fought until no enemies remained. Not luck. Doctrine validated through sacrifice. British destroyer design proven correct by the ships that died fighting above their weight. Sources: Royal Navy Records, Tribal-Class Combat Reports, Post-War Destroyer Design Documentation #TribalClass #BritishDestroyers #RoyalNavy #WWII #DestroyerCombat #NavalWarfare #WorldWarII #Kriegsmarine #DestroyerGuns #NavalHistory #MilitaryHistory #BritishNavy #WWIINavy #DestroyerDesign #NavalDoctrine © Royal Navy records. How "excessive" 8-gun destroyers lost 75% but became the post-war standard.