The destroyer "Burny" (1901) before being sent to Port Arthur. October 1902.
Destroyer(abbr. destroyer) - a class of multi-purpose combat high-speed maneuverable ships designed to combat submarines, aircraft (including missiles) and enemy ships, as well as for the protection and defense of formations of ships or convoys of ships when crossing the sea. Destroyers can also be used for reconnaissance and patrol services, artillery support during landings and for laying minefields.
origin of name
The Russian name “destroyer” comes from the fact that in pre-revolutionary Russia the torpedoes were called “self-propelled mines.” The designation “squadron” indicates the ability of ships of this class to operate as part of a squadron in the ocean and sea zone. This name came into Russian from French terminology of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. (torpilleur d'escadre). Abroad, including modern French, tracing paper with English name English Destroyer(“fighter”) - fr. destroyer, German Zerstorer, Polish niszczyciel, and so on. This term, in turn, was originally an abbreviation for Torpedo boat destroyer- “destroyer destroyer”, which is due to the fact that the original purpose of ships of this class was considered to be the interception of heavy ships of enemy destroyers approaching the squadron and their destruction by artillery fire (against a small ship moving at a speed of 30 knots or more, torpedoes of those years were not effective weapons). In the Russian fleet during the Russo-Japanese War, these ships were also called “fighters”. Unlike destroyers, “ordinary” destroyers remained a class of light ships that did not have powerful artillery weapons, often with relatively low seaworthiness and autonomy.
The world's first successful attack with two torpedoes was carried out on January 14, 1878 during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 by the mine boats Chesma and Sinop; During it, the Turkish patrol steamer Intibah was sunk.
Impressed, on the one hand, by the successful actions of Russian mine boats in operations against Turkish ships, and on the other - rapid growth capabilities of torpedo weapons, the concept of a “destroyer fleet” was born. Its author was the French Admiral Aubé, Minister of the Navy and head of the so-called “young school” of naval warfare theorists. According to this concept, for the defense of coastal waters it is necessary to have not battleships and gunboats, but many small fast destroyers. Attacking simultaneously from different directions, they will sink any squadron consisting of slow-moving and clumsy armored ships. The doctrine of the “young school” quickly gained many supporters, both in France and abroad, since it made it possible to abandon the expensive construction of an armored fleet in favor of a much cheaper “mosquito fleet”.
Although small, short-range destroyers could easily be destroyed in the daytime long before they came within effective torpedo attack range, at night they could conduct successful torpedo attacks on enemy ships, or act as part of a fleet of large ships while that fleet was near his base. This led to the need to install a large number of “mine-resistant” small-caliber artillery guns on large ships. The decade of the 1880s was marked by a kind of “destroyer” boom: the fleets of Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Germany and the USA, as well as the fleets of small European countries (Denmark, Sweden, etc.) began to be actively replenished with series of ships of the new class. By January 1, 1886, the top three in terms of the number of destroyers in their fleets were Great Britain (129 destroyers, including 26 seaworthy), Russia (119 destroyers, including 6 seaworthy) and France (77 destroyers, including including 23 seaworthy).
The emergence of the class of destroyers
Maritime countries realized the need to combat this danger and began to create a class of ships designed to destroy destroyers and smaller torpedo ships - mine boats and destroyers. These ships were supposed to be as fast as destroyers, and to have artillery in addition to torpedoes; they were supposed to create a barrier at some distance from the forces of the main fleet and prevent the destroyers from attacking range. However, even at that time it was clear that this concept had its problems. Although destroyers could destroy such ships, they themselves, operating far from their fleet, were practically defenseless against large warships. Another problem was that due to their small displacement, the destroyers had a small cruising range. “Destroyer fighters”, intended to protect the main fleet, had to have the same range as other ships in the fleet, so they usually had a much larger displacement than the boats and destroyers they were supposed to counter.
Prototypes of "destroyers"
English ram destroyer HMS Polyphemus (1881).
Almost immediately after the Japanese order at the end of 1885, the British company J&G Thompson, commissioned by Spain, began building a ship to combat destroyers, which was named “Destructor”. It was launched in 1886 and entered service in, but for various reasons it remained the property of the company until 1892, after which it was transferred to the customer. With a displacement of 386 tons and a speed of 22.7 knots, it was armed with one 65 mm (according to other sources - 90 mm) gun, four 57 mm and two 47 mm rapid-fire guns, as well as five 381 mm torpedo tubes; according to tradition, the “Destructor” had a removable three-masted sailing rig. In the Spanish Navy, Destructor was classified as a torpedo gunboat.
The first destroyers
The significant successes of French destroyers achieved in the early 1890s, which the famous English shipbuilder Alfred Yarrow managed to get acquainted with during a trip to France and visiting French shipyards, forced the latter to turn at the beginning of 1892 to the young man, who took up the post of Third Lord of the Admiralty on February 1, 1892 - Controller of the Fleet, Rear Admiral John Fisher with the project of a “super destroyer”, which was supposed to outshine the fast French ships of this class. The Yarrow initiative was supported by Fisher. When asked by Yarrow what the new ships would be called, the Third Lord of the Admiralty replied: "We'll call them fighters." destroyers), since their task is to destroy French destroyers." In documents, the ships of the new class were initially called “destroyers” (eng. torpedoboats destroyers), but later they began to be called simply “fighters”.
English destroyer HMS Daring (1893).
The first ships called “destroyer destroyers” were six ships of the so-called “26-knot” type, built for the British fleet in 1892, and launched in 1893. They were built (in pairs) by three private firms (Yarrow, Thornycroft and Laird): an order for the first two ( HMS Daring And HMS Decoy) was issued on June 27, 1892, for the next 2 ( HMS Havock And HMS Hornet) - July 2, and on the last 2 ( HMS Farret And HMS Linx) - January 6, 1893. Despite the external differences, they turned out to be very similar to each other. They had total displacement about 270-280 tons, speed 26 knots, armed with 1 12-pounder (76 mm) gun, 3 6-pounder (57 mm) guns, and 3 457 mm torpedo tubes. Due to fear of overloading, they were not considered as ships intended to be both “fighters” and “torpedo bombers”: depending on the situation, they had to solve either one or another task, for which these experimental “fighters” were designed for replacement weapons During the testing period and during further operation, it was found that the simultaneous installation of artillery and torpedo tubes does not in any way reduce their speed and maneuverability.
Experimental “destroyer destroyers” of the 26-knot type determined the features of the external appearance of British ships of this class for a decade to come: a smooth-deck hull, covering the bow of the hull with carapace (“turtle shell”), behind which there was a conning tower with a 76-mm gun platform installed above it ; On the sides of the wheelhouse there were breakwater fences that protected the 57 mm guns.
Destroyers 1894-1905
American destroyer USS Bainbridge (DD-1).
Development of destroyers at the beginning of the 20th century
| Growth in the number of destroyers in 1892-1918 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| date | |||||
| 1892 | 1900 | 1904 | 1914 | 1918 | |
| Great Britain | 0 | 75 | 131 | 243 | 433 |
| France | 0 | 2 | 31 | n/a | n/a |
| Germany | 0 | 1 | 47 | 210 | 311 |
| Russia | 0 | 1 | 60 | 75 | 105 |
| Italy | 0 | n/a | 15 | n/a | n/a |
| Japan | n/a | 8 | 19 | n/a | n/a |
| USA | n/a | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Theoretical considerations about the combat use of destroyers
The initial purpose of destroyers was to fight destroyers, but soon the navies of different countries realized that fast destroyers could be used more flexibly. English Vice Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker described the role of destroyers in the Royal Navy:
- Protecting the fleet from enemy torpedo ships
- Reconnaissance of enemy shores before the approach of your fleet
- Surveillance of enemy ports in order to harass their torpedo ships and prevent them from returning to port.
- Attack of the enemy fleet.
Russo-Japanese War
The first significant combat episode involving destroyers ( according to the Japanese classification - “fighter” or “destroyer”, in Russian - “destroyer”) occurred during the Russo-Japanese War. On the night of January 27, 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers carried out a night torpedo attack on the ships of the Russian squadron anchored in the Port Arthur roadstead. In just an hour, 16 torpedoes were fired, 3 of which reached the target and damaged the Russian battleships Tsesarevich, Retvizan and the cruiser Pallada.
During the war, destroyers received a new purpose - to protect the fleet from underwater attacks. Submarines, which were used extensively during the war, could approach stealthily and torpedo surface ships. World War I destroyers had sufficient speed and armament to attack submarines before they submerged, either with gunfire or ramming. Since the destroyers had a fairly shallow draft and high speed, it was difficult to torpedo them; torpedoes most often passed by or under the keel of the ship.
The desire to attack submarines underwater led to rapid changes in the design of destroyers; their hulls began to be strengthened for ramming, equipped with depth charges and hydrophones to detect underwater targets. The first case of a submarine being attacked by a destroyer was the ramming of a German submarine U.19 English destroyer Badger Badger) October 29 U.19 was only damaged, but the following month the destroyer "Garry" (eng. Garry) successfully sank the boat U.18. The first time a submarine was destroyed by a depth charge was on December 4, when UC.19 was sunk by the destroyer Llewellyn. Llewellyn).
The English HMS Swift (1907) is the first "destroyer leader" or "super destroyer".
The underwater threat resulted in many destroyers being assigned to hunt submarines; After Germany decided on unlimited submarine warfare in the summer, destroyers began to be assigned to convoys of merchant ships. After America entered the war, American destroyers joined the war effort. In the Mediterranean, even a division of Japanese destroyers operated on the side of the Entente. Convoy service turned out to be no less dangerous than combat: of the total losses of British destroyers (67 destroyers and 3 leaders were lost), 18 were lost in collisions and 12 sank.
During the war, the German Navy lost 68 destroyers and destroyers for various reasons.
By the end of the war, the British W-class was considered the highest achievement in destroyer construction.
In the middle of the First World War, a new subclass of destroyers appeared in Great Britain - “destroyer leader”, larger displacement, with a higher speed and with stronger artillery weapons than conventional destroyers. The ship was intended for artillery support, launching destroyers into attacks, fighting enemy destroyers, controlling groups of destroyers, and could serve as a reconnaissance officer for a squadron of large ships.
Interwar period
In the post-war period, the emerging trend towards increasing the size of destroyers and improving their weapons continued. During the war, a number of opportunities to attack ships of the enemy fleet were missed due to the fact that all torpedoes were fired in the first salvo. In British destroyer types V And W at the end of the war they tried to solve this problem by installing 6 torpedo tubes in two triple tubes, instead of 4 or 2 tubes in earlier models. This became standard for destroyers in the early 1920s.
The next major innovation in the construction of destroyers was the Japanese ships of the Fubuki class (Japanese: 吹雪). The lead ship was designed in and transferred to the fleet in the city. Their armament included 6 powerful five-inch guns and 3 three-tube torpedo tubes. The second group of ships of this type received guns with a higher elevation angle for use as anti-aircraft and 610-mm oxygen torpedoes of type 93 (American designation “Long Lance” in English). Long Lance- “Long spear”). In the later Ariaki-class destroyers of 1931, the Japanese further improved their torpedo weapons by placing spare torpedoes in the superstructure, thereby speeding up reloading of torpedo tubes to 15 minutes.
Other maritime countries began building similar large destroyers. The American destroyer of the Porter project borrowed twin five-inch guns, and in the destroyers of the Mahen project. Mahan) and "Gridley" (eng. Gridley) (1934) increased the number of torpedo tubes to 12 and 16, respectively.
From detection tools submarines there was a sonar, or “Asdik” (eng. ASDIC) . Weapons for fighting submarines have changed little since the First World War; bow bomb launchers, the need for which was shown by the Second World War, were not developed.
The Second World War
Destroyers were the most widely used surface ships of World War II and took part in almost all significant naval battles in all naval theaters of war, finding themselves in the position of “consumable material” of the fleet. Loss statistics can give some idea of the intensity of their use: the British fleet lost 144 out of 389 destroyers that participated in the war, the German fleet lost 25 out of 21 available at the beginning of the war and 19 built during the war, Japan lost 132 out of 168 destroyers, the USA lost about 80 destroyers , The USSR lost 34 destroyers. Some (in particular, German) destroyers of this period did not even have their own names, only side numbers.
Post-war time
In the late 1940s - early 1950s, based on the experience of the war, a number of destroyers with traditional weapons were built. They were significantly larger in size than World War II ships, armed with fully automated main guns, radar, sonar, and anti-submarine weapons such as the BMB-1 bombers in the USSR and Squid in the West. These projects include the Soviet destroyers of projects 30-bis (Skory) and Kotlin, the English project Daring. Daring), American project"Forrest Sherman" (eng. Forrest Sherman).
From 1990 to August 1992, the destroyer Timișoara underwent modernization: in order to increase the stability of the cruiser, a number of superstructures were cut off, the chimney and mast were shortened, and the heavy launchers for the P-21 Termit missiles were moved one deck lower. To do this, special cutouts had to be made in the sides and deck for the bow complexes, and in the aft part, part of the helicopter hangar area was sacrificed: the corners of the hangar were cut out for the aft launchers. After that, I never found information about basing more than one helicopter on board this ship.
Cutout in the hangar and upper deck for aft Termite launchers
At the same time, the RBU-1200 Hurricane rocket launchers were replaced by the RBU-6000 Smerch-2. ...
Dear readers! This series of publications can be considered a continuation of a series of articles dedicated to the fate of the Romanian destroyers of the Marasti class, since it contains information about the continuers of the traditions of the Romanian naval forces. Either fortunately or unfortunately, quite a lot of material has accumulated, and it is simply did not fit into the third part.
The story about the Romanian destroyers of the "Mărăşeşti" class, participants in the First and Second World Wars, would be incomplete without mentioning their successors and continuers of traditions. One of them is the frigate "Mărăşeşti" - the pearl of the Romanian Black Sea Fleet, as it is proudly called Romanians. This is the largest warship that was designed and built in Romania.
Military historians claim that the initiator of the construction of the ship was the “genius of the Carpathians” himself - Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party Nicolae Ceausescu. ...
Of all the ships of the 3rd generation of the USSR Navy, the destroyers of Project 956 suffered the greatest non-combat losses. Of those laid down in 1976-1992. 22 corps (50 were planned), 17 were transferred to the fleet, and up to today Only 10 survived in one condition or another. Of these ten, three are listed in the Navy’s combat personnel, two are in the technical reserve of the 2nd category, one is in frozen repair, and four are awaiting disposal.
Destroyer "Bystry" project 956 (diagram from Yu. Apalkov's book "Strike Ships", 2010;)
1. "Admiral Ushakov"
It is part of the permanent readiness forces of the Northern Fleet. The youngest of the destroyers Project 956 (21 years old) - transferred to the Navy on December 30, 1993 under the name "Fearless", the flag was raised on April 17, 1994, renamed on April 17, 2004 - on the day of its 10th anniversary. (It must be assumed that after the transfer of the name, the fate of the head TARKR pr...
In June 2011, the US Navy announced its plans for the future of US Navy destroyers. Promising Zumwalt-class destroyers turned out to be too expensive for mass production, so it was decided to leave the Arleigh Burk project as the main Navy destroyer. In addition, the fleet will be replenished with ships of the Orly Burke type until the early thirties of this century. During this time, American shipyards will assemble two dozen destroyers. Based on the usual service life of ships for the United States Navy, it can be assumed that the last ship of the Orly Burke class will be withdrawn from the fleet only in the seventies of this century. Apparently, the US Navy command has its own considerations that allow these destroyers to be included in such a distant future.
To ensure an advantage over the USSR Navy in the mid-70s, American sailors wished to receive destroyers of a new project. ...
Features of terminology In Japanese there are no special terms for destroyer and frigate. Both are called “型護衛艦”, that is, escort ship. Therefore, the existing classifications of Japanese ships are partly based on the letter codes of tactical numbers (DD - destroyer, DDH - helicopter destroyer, DDG - guided missile destroyer, DDK - anti-submarine destroyer), partly on the functions performed and features of the weapons. An additional difficulty is posed by the traditional rearmament of Japanese ships (more weapons with a smaller displacement). Therefore, a ship with a displacement of 3000 tons, which by European and American standards is considered a frigate or corvette, can appear in the category of destroyers in Japan. Additional difficulties for classification were created by the commissioned helicopter carrier Hyuga, which is classified as a helicopter destroyer so as not to excite the pacifist-minded public. ...
Yamagumo-class destroyers (Japanese: やまぐも型護衛艦 Yamagumo-kata-goeikan) are a series of Japanese destroyers. 6 units were built in the 1960s-1970s. Inherited names from destroyers of the Second World War, except for "Aokumo". Specialized anti-submarine ships with ASROC anti-submarine missile systems. They were built in two series of three ships, significantly spaced apart in time and therefore differing in performance characteristics. In the second series, the SQS-23 GAS was replaced by the OQS-3 and the towed SQS-35(J) VDS, the Mk.56 and Mk.63 fire control system by the FCS-1B, and the NOLR-1B RTR station by the NOLR-5. The crew increased to 220 people, and the displacement also increased slightly. In parallel with the first series, three ships of the Minegumo type were also built, on which, instead of the ASROC anti-submarine missile system, a hangar for the DASH anti-submarine UAV was located. ...
Hatsuyuki-class destroyers (Japanese: はつゆき型護衛艦 hatsuyuki-kata-goeikan) are a type of destroyers in service with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. The Hatsuyuki-class destroyers are a further development of the Yamagumo-class destroyers. The main task of ships of this type is anti-submarine defense. Features The classification of ships of this type as destroyers is somewhat incorrect. In terms of displacement and combat capabilities, it falls into the category of frigates. This type of ship was a fundamental step in the development of the post-war Japanese fleet due to the following features: Combined COGOG type installation These were the first fully gas turbine ships in the Japanese fleet warships. The propulsion system consists of two Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C economic stroke turbines and two Kawasaki-Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B full stroke turbines. ...
Enoki-class destroyers (Japanese: 榎型駆逐艦 Enokigata kuchikukan) are a type of Japanese destroyers. Like all Japanese class II destroyers of that time, they had “botanical” names. Six ships of this type were built. Construction Ordered in 1917, built at Maizuru, Sasebo, Kure and Yokosuka shipyards. Structurally, they repeated the previously built Momo-class destroyers, differing from them in a more powerful power plant (17,500 hp versus 16,700) and a slightly larger fuel supply. These ships became the last Japanese destroyers to receive obsolete 120 mm Armstrong guns with a 40-caliber barrel and 450 mm torpedo tubes. Weak armament caused the rapid obsolescence of ships of this type. Service history Destroyers of this type did not have time to take part in the First World War, quickly became morally obsolete and were soon forced out of combat personnel fleet with more modern ships. ...
Hatsuharu-class destroyers (Japanese: 初春型駆逐艦 Hatsuharugata kuchikukan) - type of destroyers Imperial Navy Japan. A total of 6 ships of this type were built. History of creation and design According to the agreement signed in London on April 22, 1930, the maximum displacement of destroyers was set at 1524 metric tons, which deprived Japan of the opportunity to continue building ships of the standard class. It was decided to create a destroyer project that would fit within the restrictions of the treaty and at the same time correspond as closely as possible to the combat qualities of its predecessors. To reduce the weight of the hull, the designers seriously reduced its length and made it significantly lighter through the use of more durable steel grades. The installation of structures was carried out with the active use of electric welding, which in those years had not yet been fully developed in Japan. ...
Harusame-class destroyers (春雨型駆逐艦 Harusamegata kuchikukan) are a type of Japanese destroyers. The first Japanese destroyers of their own construction. Construction Seven destroyers were built in Japan under the shipbuilding program of 1896, based on the design of the previous type developed by the English company Thornycroft. They differed from them in the use of three-drum thin-tube boilers "Kampon" Japanese made, a longer and wider body due to their large dimensions, as well as the presence of a boiler compartment casing. Due to poor quality construction and worse characteristics of Japanese boilers, the actual power of the power plant and, as a result, the speed turned out to be less than the design values, amounting to an average of 5250 hp. and 28.95 knots with the required 6000 hp. and 29 knots. ...
Urakaze-class destroyers (Japanese: 浦風型駆逐艦 Urakazegata kuchikukan) - a type of Japanese destroyers during the First World War. Construction Ordered by the British company "Yarrow" under the 1912 program ("8+8"), due to the very high cost and unsuccessful armament of Umikaze-class destroyers of its own construction. Thus, these were the last Japanese destroyers not built in Japan itself (aside from trophies). The ships used such advanced solutions for the Japanese fleet as pure oil heating boilers and Brown-Curtiss steam turbines with gear drives. It was also assumed that they would become the first Japanese destroyers with 533-mm torpedoes (due to the First World War, Isokaze-class destroyers of their own construction entered service earlier), and would also have diesel engines for economical propulsion (they were not installed due to their severe shortages in Britain after the outbreak of war). ...
Umikaze-class destroyers (Japanese: 海風型駆逐艦 Umikazegata Kuchikukan) are a type of Japanese destroyers. Two ships were built. The first Japanese large destroyers. Construction The first Japanese class I destroyers. Ordered according to the 1907 program. They were built at Japanese shipyards according to a design developed with the technical assistance of British specialists. British influence is noticeable in appearance and layout, strongly reminiscent of earlier British Tribal-class destroyers. The Japanese decided not to introduce an intermediate 102-mm caliber of artillery, but immediately installed 120-mm guns, using outdated Armstrong guns of the 1890 model with a barrel length of 40 calibers. One such gun stood on the forecastle, the second was located between the stern torpedo tube and the bridge, and had a limited field of fire. ...
Tachibana-class destroyers (橘型駆逐艦 Tachibanagata kuchikukan) are a type of Japanese destroyers. 14 ships of this type were built. History and design Seventy-seven ships of this type were ordered under the shipbuilding programs of 1942 (serial numbers from 5510 to 5522) and 1943-1944 (from 4801 to 4820). They were a simplified modification of the Matsu-class destroyers with an easier-to-manufacture single-bottom (instead of a double-bottom hull) hull made of mild steel and significantly simpler superstructures and masts in design. The armament was completely identical to the serial representatives of the Matsu type, and the only difference from the earlier ones was in the depth charge ammunition. ...
Two years later, eleven more more powerful destroyers were built for the British fleet, twelve for France, and one each for Austria-Hungary and Denmark.
Successful actions of Russian mine boats during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. and the development of torpedo weapons led to the creation of the concept of a destroyer fleet, according to which large, expensive battleships are not needed for the defense of coastal waters; this task can be solved by many small, high-speed destroyer boats with small displacement. In the eighties of the 19th century, a real “destroyer” boom began. Only the leading naval powers - Great Britain, Russia and France - had 325 destroyers in their fleets. The fleets of the USA, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy and other European countries were also replenished with such ships.
The same naval powers began around the same time to create ships to destroy destroyers and mine boats. These “destroyer destroyers” were supposed to be as fast, in addition to torpedoes, be armed with artillery and have the same range as other large ships of the main fleet.
The displacement of the “fighters” was already significantly greater than that of the destroyers.
The prototypes of destroyers are considered to be the British torpedo ram "Polyphemus" built in 1892, the disadvantage of which was weak artillery armament, the cruisers "Archer" and "Scout", gunboats of the "Dryad" ("Halcyon") and "Sharpshooter" and "Jason" types. Alarm"), a large destroyer "Swift" built in 1894 with interchangeable weapons sufficient to destroy enemy destroyers.
The British built for the Japanese an armored destroyer of the first class "Kotaka" of large displacement with a powerful power plant and good weapons, but with unsatisfactory seaworthiness, and after it a ship to combat destroyers "Destructor" commissioned by Spain, where it was classified as a torpedo
The first destroyers
In the eternal confrontation between the British and French navies, the British were the first to build six ships for themselves, which were somewhat different in appearance, but had similar performance characteristics and interchangeable weapons, in order to alternately solve the tasks of torpedo bombers or destroyer destroyers. Their displacement was about 270 tons, speed - 26 knots. These ships were armed with one 76 mm, three 57 mm guns and three torpedo tubes. Tests have shown that even the simultaneous installation of all weapons does not affect maneuverability and speed. The bow of the vessel was covered with karalas (“turtle shell”), which protected the conning tower and the main battery platform installed above it. Breakwater fences on the sides of the wheelhouse protected the remaining guns.
The first French destroyer was built in the last year of the 19th century, and the American one at the very beginning of the next century. In the United States, 16 destroyers were built in four years.
In Russia at the turn of the century, so-called numbered destroyers were built without names. With a displacement of 90-150 tons, they reached a speed of up to 25 knots, were armed with one fixed and two mobile torpedo tubes and a light cannon.
Destroyers became an independent class after the war of 1904-1905. with Japan.
Destroyers of the early 20th century
At the turn of the century, steam turbines were added to the power plant design of destroyers. This change allows you to dramatically increase the speed of ships. The first destroyer with the new power plant was able to reach a speed of 36 knots during testing.
Then England began to build destroyers powered by oil rather than coal. Following it, the fleets of other countries began to switch to liquid fuel. In Russia it was the Novik project, built in 1910.
Russo-Japanese War with the defense of Port Arthur and Battle of Tsushima, in which nine Russian and twenty-one Japanese destroyers met, showed the shortcomings of this type of ship and the weakness of their weapons.
By 1914, the displacement of destroyers had increased to 1000 tons. Their hulls were made of thin steel, fixed and single-tube movable torpedo tubes were replaced by multi-tube tubes on a rotating platform, with optical sights. Torpedoes became larger, their speed and range increased significantly.
The rest conditions of sailors and officers of the destroyer crew have changed. Officers were given separate cabins for the first time on the British destroyer HMS River in 1902.
During the war, destroyers with a displacement of up to one and a half thousand tons, a speed of 37 knots, steam boilers with oil nozzles, four three-pipe torpedo tubes and five 88 or 102 mm guns actively participated in patrolling, raiding operations, laying minefields, and transporting troops. More than 80 British and 60 German destroyers took part in the largest naval battle of this war - the Battle of Jutland.
In this war, destroyers began to perform another task - to protect the fleet from attacks by submarines, attacking them with artillery fire or ramming. This led to the strengthening of destroyer hulls, equipping them with hydrophones for detecting submarines and depth charges. The submarine was first sunk by the destroyer Llewellyn in December 1916.
Great Britain created a new subclass during the war - the “destroyer leader”, with greater characteristics and weapons than a conventional destroyer. It was intended for launching friendly destroyers into attack, fighting enemy destroyers, controlling groups of destroyers and reconnaissance for the squadron.
Destroyers between the wars
The experience of the First World War showed that the torpedo armament of destroyers was insufficient for combat operations. To increase the number of salvos, six pipes began to be installed in the built-in apparatus.
The Japanese Fubuki-class destroyers can be considered a new stage in the construction of this. Their armament included six powerful five-inch high-elevation guns that could be used as anti-aircraft guns, and three three-tube torpedo tubes with Type 93 Long Lance oxygen torpedoes. In subsequent Japanese destroyers, spare torpedoes began to be placed in the deck superstructure to speed up the reloading of the devices.
US destroyers of the Porter, Mahan and Gridley projects were equipped with twin five-inch guns, and then increased the number of torpedo tubes to 12 and 16, respectively.
French Jaguar-class destroyers already had a displacement of 2 thousand tons and a 130 mm gun.
The leader of the destroyers, Le Fantask, built in 1935, had a record speed of 45 knots for that time and was armed with five 138 mm guns and nine torpedo tubes. Italian destroyers were almost as fast.
In accordance with Hitler's rearmament program, Germany also built large destroyers; ships of the 1934 type had a displacement of 3 thousand tons, but weak weapons. Type 1936 destroyers were already armed with heavy 150 mm guns.
The Germans used a steam turbine unit with high pressure steam in destroyers. The solution was innovative, but it led to serious mechanical problems.
In contrast to the Japanese and German programs for the construction of large destroyers, the British and Americans began to create lighter, but more numerous ships. British destroyers of types A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H with a displacement of 1.4 thousand tons had eight torpedo tubes and four 120 mm guns. True, at the same time, Tribal-class destroyers with a displacement of more than 1.8 thousand tons were built with four gun turrets, in which eight twin 4.7-inch caliber guns were installed.
Then the J-type destroyers were launched with ten torpedo tubes and three turrets with six twin guns, and L, on which six twin new universal guns and eight torpedo tubes were installed.
US destroyers of the Benson type, with a displacement of 1.6 thousand tons, were armed with ten torpedo tubes and five 127 mm (5 inches) guns.
Before the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union built destroyers according to Project 7 and the modified 7u, in which the echeloned arrangement of the power plant made it possible to improve the survivability of ships. They developed a speed of 38 knots with a displacement of about 1.9 thousand tons.
According to Project 1/38, six destroyer leaders were built (the lead one was Leningrad) with a displacement of almost 3 thousand tons, a speed of 43 knots and a cruising range of 2.1 thousand miles.
In Italy for black sea fleet The leader of the destroyers “Tashkent” was built with a displacement of 4.2 thousand tons, with a maximum speed of 44 knots and a cruising range of more than 5 thousand miles at 25 knots of speed.
World War II experience
Aviation took an active part in World War II, including in combat operations at sea. Anti-aircraft guns and radars began to be quickly installed on destroyers. In the fight against already more advanced submarines, bombers began to be used.
Destroyers were “consumables” for the fleets of all warring countries. They were the most massive ships and participated in all battles in all theaters of military operations at sea. German destroyers of that period only had side numbers.
By the mid-20th century, some wartime destroyers, in order to avoid having to build expensive new ships, were modernized specifically for anti-submarine warfare.
A number of larger ships were also built, armed with automatic main-caliber guns, bomb throwers, radar, and sonar: Soviet destroyers of Project 30-bis and 56, English - "Daring" and American "Forrest Sherman".
Missile era of destroyers
Since the sixties of the last century, with the advent of surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, major naval powers began to build destroyers with guided missile weapons (Russian abbreviation - URO, English - DDG). These were Soviet ships of Project 61, English - of the "County" type, American - of the "Charles F. Adams" type.
By the end of the 20th century, the boundaries between destroyers themselves, heavily armed frigates and cruisers were blurring.
In the Soviet Union, since 1981, they began to build Project 956 destroyers (Sarych or Modern type). These are the only Soviet ships that were originally classified as destroyers. They were intended to combat surface forces and support landing forces, and then for anti-submarine and air defense.
The destroyer Nastoychivy, the current flagship of the Baltic Fleet, was also built according to Project 956. It was launched in January 1991.
Its total displacement is 8 thousand tons, length is 156.5 m, maximum speed is 33.4 knots, cruising range is 1.35 thousand miles at a speed of 33 knots and 3.9 thousand miles at 19 knots. Two boiler-turbine units provide a power of 100 thousand liters. With.
The destroyer is armed with Moskit anti-ship cruise missile launchers (two quadruple), Shtil anti-aircraft missile system (2 installations), six-barreled RBU-1000 bomb launchers (2 installations), two twin 130 mm gun mounts, six-barreled AK-630 (4 installations), two twin torpedo tubes with a caliber of 533 mm. There is a Ka-27 helicopter on board the ship.
Of those already built, until recently, the destroyers of the Indian Navy were the newest. Delhi-class ships are armed with anti-ship missiles with a range of 130 km, Shtil (Russia) and Barak (Israel) air defense systems for air defense, Russian RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers for anti-submarine defense and five torpedo guides for torpedoes caliber 533 mm. The helipad is designed for two Sea King helicopters. It is expected that these ships will soon be replaced by destroyers of the Kolkata project.
Today the destroyer DDG-1000 Zumwalt Navy The USA took the lead.
Destroyers in the 21st century
In all major fleets, general trends have emerged in the construction of new destroyers. The main one is the use of combat control systems similar to the American Aegis (AEGIS), which is designed to destroy not only aircraft, but also ship-to-ship and air-to-ship missiles.
When creating new ships, Stealth technology should be used: radio-absorbing materials and coatings should be used, special geometric shapes should be developed, such as, for example, the USS Zumwalt-class destroyer.
New destroyers should also increase their speed, thereby increasing their habitability and seaworthiness.
In modern ships high level automation, but it must also increase, and, therefore, the share of auxiliary power plants must increase.
It is clear that all these processes lead to an increase in the cost of building ships, so a qualitative increase in their capabilities should occur through a reduction in numbers.
Destroyers of the new century must surpass in size and displacement all ships of this type available until today. The new destroyer DDG-1000 Zumwalt is considered a record holder for displacement, it is 14 thousand tons. Ships of this type were planned to be introduced into the US Navy in 2016, the first of them has already entered sea trials.
By the way, domestic destroyers of Project 23560, which, as promised, will begin construction by 2020, will already have a displacement of 18 thousand tons.
Russian project of a new destroyer
According to project 23560, which, according to media reports, is in the preliminary design stage, it is planned to build 12 ships. The destroyer Leader, 200 m long and 23 m wide, must have an unlimited cruising range, operate autonomously for 90 days, and reach a maximum speed of 32 knots. A classic ship layout using Stealth technologies is assumed.
The promising destroyer of the Leader project (a surface ship in the ocean zone) will most likely be built with a nuclear power plant and should carry 60 or 70 stealth-launched cruise missiles. It is also planned to hide anti-aircraft guided missiles in the mines, of which there should be a total of 128, including the Poliment-Redoubt air defense system. Anti-submarine weapons should consist of 16-24 guided missiles (PLUR). The destroyers will receive a universal 130 mm caliber gun mount A-192 "Armat" and a landing pad for two multi-purpose helicopters.
All data is still speculative and may be updated in the future.
Representatives of the Navy believe that Leader-class destroyers will be universal ships, performing the functions of destroyers themselves, anti-submarine ships and, perhaps, Orlan-class missile cruisers.
Destroyer "Zamvolt"
The Zumwalt-class destroyers are a key element of the US Navy's 21st Century Surface Combatant SC-21 program.
A Russian Leader-class destroyer is a question, perhaps not far away, but of the future.
But the first destroyer of the new type, the DDG-1000 Zumwalt, has already been launched, and its factory tests began in early December 2015. The unique appearance of this destroyer is called futuristic; its hull and superstructure are covered with radio-absorbing materials almost three centimeters (1 inch) thick, and the number of protruding antennas is reduced to a minimum.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer series is limited to only 3 ships, two of which are still at various stages of construction.
Destroyers of the "Zamvolt" type with a length of 183 m, a displacement of up to 15 thousand tons and a combined main power power plant 106 thousand l. With. will be able to reach speeds of up to 30 knots. They have powerful radar potential and are capable of detecting not only low-flying missiles, but also terrorist boats at long distances.
The destroyers' armament consists of 20 vertical launchers MK 57 VLS, designed for 80 Tomahawk, ASROC or ESSM missiles, two fast-firing anti-aircraft guns Mk 110 57 mm caliber closed type, two 155 mm AGS guns with a firing range of 370 km, two tubular 324 mm torpedo tubes.
The ships can carry 2 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters or 3 MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Zamvolt" is a type of destroyer whose main task is to destroy enemy coastal targets. Also, ships of this type can effectively combat enemy surface, underwater and air targets and support their forces with artillery fire.
"Zamvolt" is the embodiment of the latest technologies; it is the latest destroyer launched today. The projects of India and Russia have not yet been implemented, and this type of ship, it seems, has not yet outlived its usefulness.
In a memorandum of the British Admiralty on August 8, 1892, the definition of “torpedo hunter” first appeared.
Then, at the turn of the century, the great naval powers proceeded primarily from the decisive importance of the battle fleet. The main battles at sea took place with the participation of battleships, which formed the core of the fleet. At the beginning of the 20th century, torpedoes appeared - weapons that posed an immediate danger to large ships. Mobile torpedo boats made surprise attacks, thus torpedo attacks posed a particular danger to all battleships. Small torpedo boats, inexpensive to produce, provided an opportunity for the fleets of small maritime states to demonstrate their strength at sea. The prospect of using small ships against a battlefleet became very real. However, when a new type of weapon appeared, countermeasures arose almost immediately. The same thing happened with the advent of destroyers.
A new class of ships appeared, which was superior to the torpedo boat in speed and armament, which could be used to protect heavy ships. Initially intended for operations against torpedo boats, the new class of ships became universal and multi-purpose, built in large quantities and actively used during combat operations.
Destroyers were used in all theaters of war. New class performed a lot of ships more tasks than any warship in the entire history of naval warfare. He operated against submarines, guarded convoys, protected battleships, laid mines and conducted patrols in coastal waters.
destroyer Z1 "Leberecht Maass"
To get a complete picture of the development of German destroyers during the First World War and until the end of the Second World War, it is necessary to consider the political situation provided by the Treaty of Versailles and the technical capabilities of that time that existed in naval strategy. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles, established by the victorious powers, required that the destroyer's displacement should not exceed 800 tons. Thus, Germany was deprived of the opportunity to create destroyers. After World War I, the Germans almost completely lost their navy. At first, its fleet consisted of several torpedo boats after military construction. Then a new type of torpedo boat was built. In terms of armament, they could not be considered destroyers, and also could not be compared with similar models from other countries.
Germany could no longer ensure the protection of its borders, which practically meant the absence of the defense capability of the navy. In October 1933, the fleet command decided to protect its interests and issued an order to build destroyers of the 1932 model. It was decided to take advantage of existing opportunities. The new destroyers had to be stable and have powerful artillery in order to achieve successful combat operations against large French and Polish destroyers. Some of them were equipped with 139 mm guns. Already in 1934, shipbuilding engineers were offered a high-pressure steam unit, which could well become the basis for a new engine. It provided significant weight and space savings compared to previous models. This in turn provided greater armor and speed of the ship. Therefore, the power plant was put into service almost without full comprehensive testing, which led to frequent breakdowns. The capabilities of such destroyers were severely limited, especially when hostilities began.
destroyer Z3 "Max Schultz"
destroyer Z4 "Richard Beitzen"
On April 7, 1934, the Kiel shipyard received an order for the construction of four Project 1934 destroyers with a displacement of 2,230 tons, the armament of which consisted of a 127 mm gun and four 37 mm anti-aircraft guns (Z1 Leberecht Maass, Z2 Georg Thiele, Z3 Max Schultz ", Z4 "Richard Beitzen"). The ship was also equipped with four torpedo tubes with a caliber of 537 mm. The speed of these wonderful ships reached 37 knots. Cruising range is 4400 miles at a cruising speed of 19 knots. All four destroyers were designed with straight stems.
Due to insufficient stability, all four destroyers had this disadvantage, and the following ships were modified, where the angle of inclination of the stem was increased and the height of the side was increased. With a constant displacement, seaworthiness improved, but stability remained a problem. According to tradition, the first samples of warships were named after officers who distinguished themselves during military operations. They died in battles with enemy ships.
destroyer Z6 "Theodor Riedel"
Since 1937, new designs of destroyers of the Mrva project have been proposed, with an increased displacement of up to 3800 tons. They were planned to be armed with 125 mm guns in dual or single mounts. In 1938, a project for the Atlantic destroyer Entwurf with a displacement of 4,000 tons, armed with five 125 mm guns located in three towers, appeared. However, the project was never implemented.
destroyer Z43 project 1936B
By the end of 1939, the sixth series of Project 1936B destroyers (Z35, Z36, Z43-Z45) was ordered. They were equipped with 127 mm guns. The increased weight, bow roll and slow rate of fire of the 155 mm guns were the reasons for this decision. The destroyers were armed with five 127 mm guns in single mounts. The standard displacement was 3519 tons. Stability and seaworthiness have improved significantly. The space of the ship was filled more rationally and the destroyers could carry an additional supply of fuel. They had the longest cruising range in the German fleet, 6,200 miles at a cruising speed of 19 knots. They became the most balanced destroyers built for the German fleet.
In 1942, an order was placed for the seventh series of Project 1936C destroyers (Z46 - Z50). Construction of the first two ships began in 1943, but due to shortages labor force work was suspended. The buildings were dismantled, and the next ones were not even laid down. In 1943, at the DeSchiMAG shipyard in Bremen, construction began on a Project 1942 destroyer with a diesel engine, displacing 2,041 tons, and armed with four 127 mm guns. The Z51 ship was launched in 1944, but was not completed. On March 21, 1945, during an air raid on Bremen, the destroyer Z51 was severely damaged by bomb explosions, so work had to be stopped. Later, the construction of other destroyers Z52 - Z56 was planned. In 1943, the DeSchiMAG shipyard began laying down these new Project 1942A ships, but a lack of material and bombing led to the cessation of work.
At the end of the war, the finished units were scrapped. The standard displacement of these diesel destroyers would be 2,818 tons. The range seemed to be an incredible 16,000 miles. The maximum speed would be 37.5 knots. It was planned to install six 128 mm semi-automatic multi-purpose guns located in two gun turrets. These Atlantic destroyers were intended to operate as part of strike formations and would become representatives of a new generation of ships.
The latest ship project, developed in 1945, largely repeated previous developments. The hull was shorter, the engine room weighed less, so there was about 12 percent left to increase the power of the guns. The standard displacement would be 2,700 tons. Absolutely new automatic multi-purpose 128 mm guns were adopted as weapons, providing more high tempo shooting. This completed the full cycle of design and construction of destroyers for the German fleet from 1932 to 1945.
All built destroyers were part of the German fleet and carried out their assigned tasks of patrolling areas, providing security for convoys and guarding battleships throughout almost the entire territory of Germany and were in the formed seven destroyer flotillas. On average it was six ships. Often in maritime jargon they were called boats, but this was not true, since on a military ship it was already part of command staff senior mate, and this was equivalent to a ship.
At the end of World War II, the German navy faced logistical problems. After rapid testing, projects changed each other at lightning speed and were intended to solve the most different tasks. The sixth series of destroyers Z35, Z36 and Z43, after seven years of development, led to the creation of the most modern destroyer, which was superior to similar ships in service with the navies of other countries. However, there were too few of them, and technical superiority did not ensure pre-war dominance. In World War II, the German Navy lacked a simple, standard ship that could be built quickly and in small numbers to perform a variety of destroyer missions. The Americans and British built simple destroyers, relying on quantity. In Germany, due to a lack of materials, technically advanced ships were produced in small series. An attempt to eliminate the shortage of materials by releasing Narvin-class destroyers with cruiser armament led to the fact that these ships were given inappropriate tasks. Operating against cruisers, German destroyers, not inferior to the enemy in artillery, could not fight them on equal terms due to poorer stability.
The few German destroyers that were in combat-ready condition confronted an enemy that was a hundred times superior to them. Sometimes there were only three fully operational destroyers in a long theater of war, so the role of German ships this class in World War II. The lack of funds led to the fact that improvisation remained, almost the only way conducting naval combat. Their role in the greatest rescue mission in human history will never be forgotten.