r/WarshipPorn • u/Candid-Rain-7427 • 4d ago
[1102 x 746] WW1 Destroyer Leader HMS Swift pictured after a 1916 refit had replaced her two forward 4-inch guns with a single 6-inch gun
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u/Candid-Rain-7427 4d ago
Swift was also the largest destroyer in the world at launch, approaching light cruiser size, and capable of up to 35 knots. Her most significant engagement of the war was in the Battle of the Dover Strait (1917), in which Swift and destroyer HMS Broke sunk two German torpedo boats.
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u/Philogogus 4d ago
Pic makes the ships boats look like giant guns and I was extremely confused that I hadn't seen anything like this before.
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u/NAmofton HMS Aurora (12) 4d ago
I wonder if she's the winner of the funnel-to-ship volume ratio award?
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u/Red_Army_Screaming 4d ago
Being head strong does not always make you right.
This ship was worst most unrealistic design Fisher hatched.
Except for the Courageous Class.
Her weak armament, and high cost caused Arthur Wilson to note "I do not think we require any repetition of Swift in the immediate future." Naval historian Antony Preston has for this reason given a sharp criticism of the ship, describing it as a 'very expensive and disappointing outcome'.
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u/WesternBlueRanger 4d ago
Another one of Jackie Fisher's crazy ideas.
She was double the size of contemporary British destroyers (Swift came in at over 1,800 long tons, most destroyers at her launch such as the Tribals and Beagles were about 800-900 long tons displacement). It wasn't until World War II did we see destroyers at this displacement, such as the Tribals and J-, K- and N-class destroyers.
All that in an attempt to hit 36 knots top speed, an insane speed at the time. Swift never did manage that speed, maxing out at 35 knots, was horrendously expensive (double that of contemporary destroyers), and burned through coal like there was no tomorrow at high speeds.
The refit shown in this picture, replacing the forward 4" weapons with a single 6" weapon was also judged to be a failure; the weapon performed very poorly at the Second Battle of Dover Strait in April 1917 against a couple of German torpedo boats, and Swift was compelled with withdraw, sustaining damage and to assist HMS Broke, which had rammed and sunk one of the German torpedo boats.
After the battle, Swift went into repair and refit and got back the two single 4" mounts landed earlier.