HMS Eridge was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1940 and served during the Second World War.

Eridge in July 1941
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Eridge
Builder	Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear
Laid down	21 November 1939
Launched	20 August 1940
Commissioned	28 February 1941
Reclassified	Base ship on 29 August 1942
Fate	Sold for scrap, 1946
General characteristics Type II
Class and type	Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement	1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) full load
Length	85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) o/a
Beam	9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	2.51 m (8 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Speed	27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h) 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) full
Range	3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)
Complement	164
Armament	6 × QF 4 in Mark XVI on twin mounts Mk. XIX 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III 110 depth charges, 2 throwers, 3 racks
Service record
Commanders:	Lt.Cdr. William Frank Niemann Gregory-Smith

Service history

On 29 August 1942, Eridge assisted the destroyers Hero and Hurworth in sinking the German submarine U-568.[1] At 04:15 on 29 August 1942, she began shelling Axis positions off El Daba, Egypt, at 31°7′N 28°26′E, together with the destroyers Croome and Hursley. At 05:00, she was permanently disabled by a 450mm torpedo fired by the Italian motor torpedo boat MTSM-228. The attack caused five fatalities on board Eridge.[2]

She was towed to Alexandria by the destroyer Aldenham,[3] where the destroyer was used as a base ship for the rest of the war and sold for scrapping in October 1946.

References

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• English, John (1987). The Hunts: a history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. England: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-44-4.

Further reading

• Smith, Gregory (2008). Red Tobruk: Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Commander. Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 1-84415-862-4.

External links

• HMS Eridge (L 68)
• Captain Frank Gregory-Smith - Daily Telegraph obituary

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