"V" Class Destroyer (1917)

A total of 25 destroyers of the "V" Class were completed in 1917-1918.

Overview of 25 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Vancouver	Beardmore		28 Dec, 1917		4 Mar, 1947
Vanessa	Beardmore		16 Mar, 1918
Vanity	Beardmore		3 May, 1918
Vanquisher	John Brown		18 Aug, 1917
Vanoc	John Brown		14 Jun, 1917
Vega	Doxford		1 Sep, 1917
Velox	Doxford		17 Nov, 1917
Vehement	Denny		6 Jul, 1917		Mined 1 Aug, 1918
Venturous	Denny		21 Sep, 1917
Vendetta	Fairfield		3 Sep, 1917
Venetia	Fairfield		29 Oct, 1917		Mined 19 Oct, 1940
Verdun	Hawthorn Leslie		21 Aug, 1917
Versatile	Hawthorn Leslie		31 Oct, 1917
Verulam	Hawthorn Leslie		3 Oct, 1917		Mined 4 Sep, 1919
Vesper	A. Stephen		15 Dec, 1917
Vidette	A. Stephen		28 Feb, 1918
Violent	Swan Hunter		1 Sep, 1917
Vimiera	Swan Hunter		22 Jun, 1917		Mined 9 Jan, 1942
Vittoria	Swan Hunter		29 Oct, 1917		Torpedoed 1 Sep, 1919
Vivacious	Yarrow		3 Nov, 1917
Vivien	Yarrow		16 Feb, 1918
Vortigern	J. S. White		15 Oct, 1917		Torpedoed 15 Mar, 1942
Vectis	J. S. White		4 Sep, 1917
Viceroy	Thornycroft		17 Nov, 1917		Jun, 1948
Viscount	Thornycroft		29 Dec, 1917		20 Mar, 1945

Design

The bridge replaced the conventional canvas screens with steel plates to better resist heavy seas. This required the dumaresq and Line of Sight Indicator to be duplicated to port and starboard pairs. The chart table jutted out from the bridge, and a director was fitted. A panel with torpedo control instruments was also sited on the bridge.

Performance

The ships' capacity for 365 tons of fuel, delivered the following endurance.

Knots	Tons / hour	Endurance (hours)	radius (nm)
14	1.7	206	2,884
16	2.0	175	2,800
18	2.5	140	2,520
20	3.6	97	1,940
22	4.5	80	1,760
24	5.5	63	1,512
26	6.8	50	1,300
28	8.5	40	1,120
30	10.5	33	990

Machinery

Generators

In 1916, it was stated that "new destroyers" have two 26.25 kw dynamos arranged in parallel. It is likely that this applied to this class.

Armament

4-in Guns

• Four 4-in Q.F. Mark V guns with 30 degree elevation and 120 rounds per gun. Range and deflection receivers were Barr and Stroud, and not F.T.P..

Other Guns

• One 3-in H.A. 20 cwt Mark III with 100 rounds.

Torpedoes

Two twin 21-in tubes on the centre line enjoying 50 degree arcs centered on the beam.

Torpedo Control

Torpedo Control Circuits

Alterations

A 9-foot rangefinder and two hydraulic releases for depth charges were added to the bridge at some point. After the war, the twin torpedo tubes were replaced with triple mounts as in the "W" class vessels.

By November 1918, those ships operating with the Twentieth Destroyer Flotilla (Vanoc, Vanquisher and Venturous) were fitted to carry 44 mines, apparently of the "H" and "M" variety. Those with the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla were also equipped, but with "M" type sinkers: Vivacious with 40 mines and Versatile, Vittoria, Vortigern and Vancouver with 74.

Venetia and Vesper serving with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla and Velox at Dover also could carry 74 "M" sinkers. The torpedo tubes and guns removed when the mines were shipped could be placed back aboard with enough notice.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Admiralty, Technical History Section (1920). The Technical History and Index: Alteration in Armaments of H.M. Ships during the War. Vol. 4, Part 34. C.B. 1515 (34) now O.U. 6171/20. At The National Archives, Kew, United Kingdom.
• March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892-1953. London: Seeley Service & Co. Limited. (on Bookfinder.com).
• Gray, Randal (editor) (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).