HMS Amazon was a prototype design of destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 ordered for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in 1924. She was designed and built by Thornycroft in response to an admiralty request for a new design of destroyer incorporating the lessons and technological advances of the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Their great rivals Yarrow

Yarrow Shipbuilders

Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...

 produced a similar, competitive design — that of .

Design and construction

Thornycroft evolved at least four separate designs for this ship, two being 310 ft (94.5 m) long (between perpendiculars) and two being 305 ft (93 m) long, with engine output varying from 28000 shp. Two final designs were offered to the Admiralty, who required prototypes for subsequent destroyer construction. Thornycroft's "A" design used the maximum length allowed (310 ft between perpendiculars). However, their "B" design—which was adopted—reduced the length by 5 ft (1.5 m), using only a single boiler room forward (as in their wartime Wishart).

Two different designs for the machinery were prepared, plus a third outline design. The "B" design was modified in November 1924 after building had begun, to take machinery capable of giving an extra 2 kn (2.4 mph; 3.9 km/h) speed; this required extra length. After the initial trials in 1926, the turbines were altered.

Amazon was easily recognisable by her slab-sided funnels, characteristic of Thornycroft vessels. Most differences were internal. Unlike earlier designs, which were designed for home fleet service, they were designed for colonial use, with higher freeboard, cruising turbines and better ventilation.

Armament was identical to that in the "V"- and "W"-class destroyer

V and W class destroyer

The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...

s built late during the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, and comprised four 4.7 in (119.4 mm) BL Mark I on CP Mk.VI** mountings. These weapons were based on an Army field piece and had separate bagged charges and no Quick Firing (QF) mechanism. The mountings had half shields and a maximum elevation of 30°.

Fire control was by a 9 ft (2.7 m) base rangefinder and the new "Destroyer Director Control Tower" (DCT). The latter would be fitted to all subsequent Royal Navy destroyer designs from the "C"-class

C and D class destroyer

The C and D class was a group of 14 destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. As in previous years, it was originally intended to order a complete flotilla comprising eight destroyers—plus a flotilla leader as the ninth unit—in each year. However, only four ships—plus a leader—were...

 up to the "U"-class

U and V class destroyer

The U and V class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1942–1943. They were constructed in two flotillas, each with names beginning with "U-" or "V-"...

 of 1942. Amazon reached only 34.5 kn (42 mph; 67.6 km/h) on her initial trials, and so was taken in hand for modifications. Her subsequent acceptance trials on 3 January 1927 resulted in a speed of 37.5 kn (45.7 mph; 73.5 km/h). In a later trial on the Skelmorlie

Skelmorlie

Skelmorlie is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland.Although it is the northernmost settlement in the council area of North Ayrshire it is contiguous with Wemyss Bay, which is in Inverclyde. The dividing line is the Kelly Burn, which flows into the Firth of Clyde just south of the Rothesay ferry...

 Mile in March 1927, she made 38.71 kn (47.1 mph; 75.9 km/h) on her fastest run and 37.34 kn (45.5 mph; 73.2 km/h) on the slowest, with an average engine output of 41559 shp. However, this was at nearly 300 LT (304.8 t) below her deep displacement. Her sea speed in load condition in service was only 31 kn (37.8 mph; 60.8 km/h). She was completed on 5 May 1927.

Such was the Navy's satisfaction with the design that they formed the basis of the next 77 subsequent destroyers, often known as the "interwar standard", up to (but not including) the "Tribal"-class

Tribal class destroyer (1936)

The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...

 of 1936.

Amazon was fitted out for service during the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 as a convoy escort. Her "A" and "Y" 4.7 in guns and after set of torpedo tubes were removed. A 12-pounder (3 in (76.2 mm)) Mk.V anti-aircraft gun

Anti-aircraft warfare

NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...

 was added in place of the torpedoes (to remedy the lack of a heavy anti-aircraft weapon), and a "Hedgehog"

Hedgehog (weapon)

The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...

 anti-submarine

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 projector was added on the forecastle

Forecastle

Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...

. Type 286P radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

 was added at the masthead, and the rangefinder and director on the bridge were replaced with a centimetric Type 271 for detecting surfaced submarines. The 2-pounder guns were replaced with 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannon

Autocannon

An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...

s, with a further pair added in the bridge wings. In 1943, the 12-pounder gun and the remaining torpedo tubes were removed to allow a 10-round depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

 pattern to be carried, and Type 291 radar replaced her Type 286P.

Service history

On 29 April 1940, Amazon assisted in the sinking of U-50 off of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. She spent most of the war up to 1942 escorting North Atlantic and Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n convoys, moving to the Mediterranean until returning to home waters in 1943 for the duration of the war. By 1944 she was reduced to acting as a target and was broken up by West of Scotland Shipbreaking at Troon

Troon

Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...

in 1949.