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HMS Jackal (F22)

December 02, 2023

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Jackal.

HMS Jackal was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Completed in 1939, Jackal served in the Norwegian campaign and the Dunkirk evacuation before being deployed to the Mediterranean in 1941. Jackal took part in the Battle of Crete, and was scuttled after being heavily damaged by German bombers on 12 May 1942.

HMS Jackal in May 1939
History
United Kingdom
NameJackal
BuilderJohn Brown & Company, Clydebank
Laid down24 September 1937
Launched25 October 1938
Commissioned13 April 1939
IdentificationPennant number: F22[1]
FateDamaged by the Luftwaffe's Lehrgeschwader 1 and scuttled at 36°30′N 26°30′E / 36.500°N 26.500°E / 36.500; 26.500
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeJ-class destroyer
Displacement
Length356 ft 6 in (108.66 m) o/a
Beam35 ft 9 in (10.90 m)
Draught12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) (deep)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement183 (218 for flotilla leaders)
Sensors and
processing systems		ASDIC
Armament

Construction and design edit

HMS Jackal was ordered, along with the rest of the J class, on 25 May 1937,[2] and was laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 24 September 1937, launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 13 April 1939,[3] the first of the J class to be completed.[1]

As completed, Jackal had a main gun armament of six 4.7 in (120 mm) QF Mark XII guns in three twin mountings, two forward and one aft. These guns could only elevate to an angle of 40 degrees, and so were of limited use in the anti-aircraft role, while the aft mount was arranged so that it could fire forwards over the ship's superstructure to maximise the forward firing firepower, but was therefore incapable of firing directly aft. A short range anti-aircraft armament of a four-barrelled 2 pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft mount and eight .50 in machine guns in two quadruple mounts was fitted, while torpedo armament consisted of ten 21 inches (533 mm) torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts.[4]

In an attempt to strengthen its anti-aircraft armament, one of Jackal's banks of torpedo tubes was removed in favour of a single 4 inch Mk V anti-aircraft gun, while four Oerlikon 20 mm cannon replaced the .50 in machine guns.[2]

Operational history edit

Home Fleet edit

After commissioning and workup, Jackal joined the 7th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. On the outbreak of the Second World War, the 7th Flotilla moved to the Humber,[5] Duties included carrying out anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort missions in the North Sea, English Channel and the Western Approaches.[1] On 6 September 1939, Jackal and sister ships Janus and Juno escorted the Norwegian steamer SS Batavia, carrying the staff of the British embassy in Berlin across the North Sea from Rotterdam to the Tongue lightship in the Thames estuary.[5] Jackal collided with Janus at Kirkwall in the Orkneys on 14 October 1939, and after repair operated off the east coast of Britain for the next few months.[5] On 28 February 1940, Jackal was badly damaged in a collision with the Swedish merchant ship Storfors (which was sunk), and was under repair at Blyth Shipbuilding Company, Northumberland until April 1940.[1][5]

When repaired, Jackal was deployed in support of Allied forces in the Norwegian campaign, escorting troopships and carrying out shore bombardments, before being transferred to Harwich, as part of the Nore Command, carrying out convoy escort and patrol operations.[1] In July 1940, Jackal took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, patrolling to protect the evacuation ships.[6] Following Dunkirk, Jackal returned to the routine of convoy escort and patrols. On 11 October Jackal, together with the battleship HMS Revenge and the destroyers Javelin, Jaguar, Jupiter, Kelvin, Kipling and Kashmir, shelled Cherbourg harbour.[7] On 29 November 1940, Jackal, Javelin, Jupiter, Jersey and Kashmir were deployed to try to intercept a sortie by the German destroyers Karl Galster, Hans Lody and Richard Beitzen that resulted in Jackal's sister ship Javelin, commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, being torpedoed and badly damaged.[1][8]

Mediterranean Fleet edit

In April 1941, Jackal was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet. In May 1941 Jackal formed part of the escort for Operation Tiger, a convoy carrying tanks from Gibraltar to Alexandria, before being detached to shell Benghazi together with Kelly, Kelvin, Kashmir and Kipling on the night of 10/11 May,[9] with Jackal being near missed (at a distance of 20 yd (18 m)) by a bomb that failed to explode on 11 May.[5] On 20 May, Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete, and Jackal sailed the next day for the region to intercept German attempts to carry out landings by sea. On 23 May, Jackal, Kelly, Kelvin, Kashmir and Kipling were deployed to search for and attack German invasion forces, but were attacked by German dive bombers, with Kelly and Kashmir being sunk. Jackal evacuated troops from Heraklion and Sphakia on 28 and 31 May, with Allied forces on Crete surrendering on 1 July.[1][10]

Jackal was next deployed in support of Operation Exporter, the Allied invasion of Vichy French controlled Syria and Lebanon. On 9 June, Jackal and Janus engaged the Vichy French destroyers Valmy and Guépard when the French ships attacked Australian ground forces. Both Jackal and Janus were hit by shells from the French ships, with Janus sustaining serious damage although Jackal sustained no casualties, before the French ships retired to port.[1][11] On 4 July Jackal took part in bombardment operations off the coast of Syria.[12]

In August 1941, the Royal Navy was tasked with the replacement of Australian and Indian troops in besieged Tobruk with fresh troops, with the operation being carried out on moonless nights by destroyers and fast minelayers. On the evening of 21 August, Jackal, Kandahar and Griffin were carrying out a run when their fighter cover of Curtiss Tomahawks of No. 2 Squadron SAAF and Hawker Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron SAAF were attacked by German Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters, with one of each side's aircraft being shot down and the pilot of the shot down Tomahawk being picked up by one of the destroyers.[13] Jackal formed part of the escort of the battleship HMS Barham when the German submarine U-331 torpedoed and sank Barham on 25 November 1941, with Jackal helping to rescue survivors and unsuccessfully attempting to attack U-331.[12][14] On 1 December 1941, Jackal, Jervis, Jaguar and Kipling were ordered to intercept three Italian destroyers that were reported to be off Derna, Libya. The British destroyers failed to locate the Italian ships, and were attacked by three Italian SM.79 torpedo bombers. Jackal was hit on the stern by a torpedo, and was badly damaged, with her steering gear wrecked and her judder jammed. Two of the torpedo bombers were damaged by defensive fire from the destroyers, with one having to force land.[12][15][16] and was under repair at Alexandria until April 1942.[12]

Loss edit

On 10 May 1942, the 14th Destroyer Flotilla, consisting of Jackal, Jervis, Kipling and Lively set out from Alexandria to intercept an Italian convoy sailing from Italy to Benghazi.[17] The flotilla was sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft on the afternoon of 11 May, and in accordance with orders, as surprise had been lost, the destroyer flotilla abandoned the attack and reversed course. A first wave of German bombers, eight Junkers Ju 88s of I/Lehrgeschwader 1 (I/LG 1) based at Heraklion on Crete, arrived at about 16:31 hrs, sinking HMS Lively with 3 direct hits.[18] A second wave of nine Ju 88s and four Heinkel He 111s of II/LG 1 from Eleusis, Greece, attacked between 18:09 and 18:33, but caused no damage. A third wave, consisting of ten Ju 88s from I/LG 1, attacked at about 20:00 hrs. Kipling was quickly sunk by the attacks,[19] while Jackal was severely damaged by the bomber flown by Gerhard Brenner,[20] with one direct hit and three near misses. Jackal was taken under tow by Jervis, but was suffering from an extensive fire and progressive flooding, and the ship was abandoned on the morning of 12 May and scuttled by Jervis by torpedoing. Nine officers and men from Jackal were killed, while total losses from the three destroyers were 77 killed.[21]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mason, Geoffrey B. (19 November 2011). "HMS JACKAL (F 22) – J-class Destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. naval-history.net. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b Whitley 2000, p. 118.
  3. ^ Whitley 2000, p. 117.
  4. ^ Whitley 2000, p. 117–118.
  5. ^ a b c d e English 2001, p. 72.
  6. ^ Winser 1999, p. 112
  7. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 38.
  8. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 44.
  9. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 61–62.
  10. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 64–65.
  11. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, pp. 66–67.
  12. ^ a b c d English 2001, p. 73
  13. ^ Shores, Massimello and Guest 2012, pp. 246–250.
  14. ^ Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 101.
  15. ^ Shores, Massimello and Guest 2012, p. 518.
  16. ^ Whitley 2000, p. 120.
  17. ^ Smith 1971, pp. 155–156.
  18. ^ Smith 1971, p. 159.
  19. ^ Smith 1971, p. 161.
  20. ^ Schumann 2007, p. 35.
  21. ^ Smith 1971, p. 163.

References edit

  • Bragadin, Marc'Antonio (2011). La Marina Italiana 1940–1945. Bologna: Odoya. ISBN 978-8862881104.
  • English, John (2001). Afridi to Nizam: British Fleet Destroyers 1937–43. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society. OCLC 537904081.
  • Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers and Frigates, the Second World War and After. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1861761376.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0851771467.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–45. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1557501059.
  • Schumann, Ralf (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3866190139.
  • Shores, Christopher; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell (2012). A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940–1945: Volume One: North Africa: June 1940 – January 1942. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1908117076.
  • Smith, Peter C. (30 June 1971). "A Needless Tragedy: A Tragic Loss to the Royal Navy". Warship International. VIII (2): 154–169.
  • Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell. ISBN 1854095218.
  • Winser, John de S. (1999). B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617916.

External links edit

  • HMS Jackal F22:The Wreck
  • HMS Jackal

32°38′N 26°20′E / 32.633°N 26.333°E / 32.633; 26.333

December 02, 2023
jackal, other, ships, with, same, name, jackal, jackal, class, destroyer, royal, navy, completed, 1939, jackal, served, norwegian, campaign, dunkirk, evacuation, before, being, deployed, mediterranean, 1941, jackal, took, part, battle, crete, scuttled, after, . For other ships with the same name see HMS Jackal HMS Jackal was a J class destroyer of the Royal Navy Completed in 1939 Jackal served in the Norwegian campaign and the Dunkirk evacuation before being deployed to the Mediterranean in 1941 Jackal took part in the Battle of Crete and was scuttled after being heavily damaged by German bombers on 12 May 1942 HMS Jackal in May 1939HistoryUnited KingdomNameJackalBuilderJohn Brown amp Company ClydebankLaid down24 September 1937Launched25 October 1938Commissioned13 April 1939IdentificationPennant number F22 1 FateDamaged by the Luftwaffe s Lehrgeschwader 1 and scuttled at 36 30 N 26 30 E 36 500 N 26 500 E 36 500 26 500General characteristics as built Class and typeJ class destroyerDisplacement1 690 long tons 1 720 t standard 2 330 long tons 2 370 t deep load Length356 ft 6 in 108 66 m o aBeam35 ft 9 in 10 90 m Draught12 ft 6 in 3 81 m deep Installed power44 000 shp 33 000 kW 2 Admiralty 3 drum boilersPropulsion2 shafts 2 geared steam turbinesSpeed36 knots 67 km h 41 mph Range5 500 nmi 10 200 km 6 300 mi at 15 knots 28 km h 17 mph Complement183 218 for flotilla leaders Sensors and processing systemsASDICArmament3 twin QF 4 7 inch 120 mm Mk XII guns 1 quadruple QF 2 pounder 40 mm anti aircraft guns 2 quadruple QF 0 5 inch 12 7 mm Mk III anti aircraft machineguns 2 quintuple 21 inch 533 mm torpedo tubes 20 depth charges 1 rack 2 throwers Contents 1 Construction and design 2 Operational history 2 1 Home Fleet 2 2 Mediterranean Fleet 2 3 Loss 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksConstruction and design editHMS Jackal was ordered along with the rest of the J class on 25 May 1937 2 and was laid down by John Brown and Company Limited at Clydebank in Scotland on 24 September 1937 launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 13 April 1939 3 the first of the J class to be completed 1 As completed Jackal had a main gun armament of six 4 7 in 120 mm QF Mark XII guns in three twin mountings two forward and one aft These guns could only elevate to an angle of 40 degrees and so were of limited use in the anti aircraft role while the aft mount was arranged so that it could fire forwards over the ship s superstructure to maximise the forward firing firepower but was therefore incapable of firing directly aft A short range anti aircraft armament of a four barrelled 2 pounder pom pom anti aircraft mount and eight 50 in machine guns in two quadruple mounts was fitted while torpedo armament consisted of ten 21 inches 533 mm torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts 4 In an attempt to strengthen its anti aircraft armament one of Jackal s banks of torpedo tubes was removed in favour of a single 4 inch Mk V anti aircraft gun while four Oerlikon 20 mm cannon replaced the 50 in machine guns 2 Operational history editHome Fleet edit After commissioning and workup Jackal joined the 7th Destroyer Flotilla part of the Royal Navy s Home Fleet On the outbreak of the Second World War the 7th Flotilla moved to the Humber 5 Duties included carrying out anti submarine patrols and convoy escort missions in the North Sea English Channel and the Western Approaches 1 On 6 September 1939 Jackal and sister ships Janus and Juno escorted the Norwegian steamer SS Batavia carrying the staff of the British embassy in Berlin across the North Sea from Rotterdam to the Tongue lightship in the Thames estuary 5 Jackal collided with Janus at Kirkwall in the Orkneys on 14 October 1939 and after repair operated off the east coast of Britain for the next few months 5 On 28 February 1940 Jackal was badly damaged in a collision with the Swedish merchant ship Storfors which was sunk and was under repair at Blyth Shipbuilding Company Northumberland until April 1940 1 5 When repaired Jackal was deployed in support of Allied forces in the Norwegian campaign escorting troopships and carrying out shore bombardments before being transferred to Harwich as part of the Nore Command carrying out convoy escort and patrol operations 1 In July 1940 Jackal took part in the Dunkirk evacuation patrolling to protect the evacuation ships 6 Following Dunkirk Jackal returned to the routine of convoy escort and patrols On 11 October Jackal together with the battleship HMS Revenge and the destroyers Javelin Jaguar Jupiter Kelvin Kipling and Kashmir shelled Cherbourg harbour 7 On 29 November 1940 Jackal Javelin Jupiter Jersey and Kashmir were deployed to try to intercept a sortie by the German destroyers Karl Galster Hans Lody and Richard Beitzen that resulted in Jackal s sister ship Javelin commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten being torpedoed and badly damaged 1 8 Mediterranean Fleet edit In April 1941 Jackal was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet In May 1941 Jackal formed part of the escort for Operation Tiger a convoy carrying tanks from Gibraltar to Alexandria before being detached to shell Benghazi together with Kelly Kelvin Kashmir and Kipling on the night of 10 11 May 9 with Jackal being near missed at a distance of 20 yd 18 m by a bomb that failed to explode on 11 May 5 On 20 May Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete and Jackal sailed the next day for the region to intercept German attempts to carry out landings by sea On 23 May Jackal Kelly Kelvin Kashmir and Kipling were deployed to search for and attack German invasion forces but were attacked by German dive bombers with Kelly and Kashmir being sunk Jackal evacuated troops from Heraklion and Sphakia on 28 and 31 May with Allied forces on Crete surrendering on 1 July 1 10 Jackal was next deployed in support of Operation Exporter the Allied invasion of Vichy French controlled Syria and Lebanon On 9 June Jackal and Janus engaged the Vichy French destroyers Valmy and Guepard when the French ships attacked Australian ground forces Both Jackal and Janus were hit by shells from the French ships with Janus sustaining serious damage although Jackal sustained no casualties before the French ships retired to port 1 11 On 4 July Jackal took part in bombardment operations off the coast of Syria 12 In August 1941 the Royal Navy was tasked with the replacement of Australian and Indian troops in besieged Tobruk with fresh troops with the operation being carried out on moonless nights by destroyers and fast minelayers On the evening of 21 August Jackal Kandahar and Griffin were carrying out a run when their fighter cover of Curtiss Tomahawks of No 2 Squadron SAAF and Hawker Hurricanes of No 1 Squadron SAAF were attacked by German Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters with one of each side s aircraft being shot down and the pilot of the shot down Tomahawk being picked up by one of the destroyers 13 Jackal formed part of the escort of the battleship HMS Barham when the German submarine U 331 torpedoed and sank Barham on 25 November 1941 with Jackal helping to rescue survivors and unsuccessfully attempting to attack U 331 12 14 On 1 December 1941 Jackal Jervis Jaguar and Kipling were ordered to intercept three Italian destroyers that were reported to be off Derna Libya The British destroyers failed to locate the Italian ships and were attacked by three Italian SM 79 torpedo bombers Jackal was hit on the stern by a torpedo and was badly damaged with her steering gear wrecked and her judder jammed Two of the torpedo bombers were damaged by defensive fire from the destroyers with one having to force land 12 15 16 and was under repair at Alexandria until April 1942 12 Loss edit On 10 May 1942 the 14th Destroyer Flotilla consisting of Jackal Jervis Kipling and Lively set out from Alexandria to intercept an Italian convoy sailing from Italy to Benghazi 17 The flotilla was sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft on the afternoon of 11 May and in accordance with orders as surprise had been lost the destroyer flotilla abandoned the attack and reversed course A first wave of German bombers eight Junkers Ju 88s of I Lehrgeschwader 1 I LG 1 based at Heraklion on Crete arrived at about 16 31 hrs sinking HMS Lively with 3 direct hits 18 A second wave of nine Ju 88s and four Heinkel He 111s of II LG 1 from Eleusis Greece attacked between 18 09 and 18 33 but caused no damage A third wave consisting of ten Ju 88s from I LG 1 attacked at about 20 00 hrs Kipling was quickly sunk by the attacks 19 while Jackal was severely damaged by the bomber flown by Gerhard Brenner 20 with one direct hit and three near misses Jackal was taken under tow by Jervis but was suffering from an extensive fire and progressive flooding and the ship was abandoned on the morning of 12 May and scuttled by Jervis by torpedoing Nine officers and men from Jackal were killed while total losses from the three destroyers were 77 killed 21 Notes edit a b c d e f g h Mason Geoffrey B 19 November 2011 HMS JACKAL F 22 J class Destroyer Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2 naval history net Retrieved 8 June 2012 a b Whitley 2000 p 118 Whitley 2000 p 117 Whitley 2000 p 117 118 a b c d e English 2001 p 72 Winser 1999 p 112 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 p 38 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 p 44 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 pp 61 62 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 pp 64 65 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 pp 66 67 a b c d English 2001 p 73 Shores Massimello and Guest 2012 pp 246 250 Rohwer and Hummelchen 1992 p 101 Shores Massimello and Guest 2012 p 518 Whitley 2000 p 120 Smith 1971 pp 155 156 Smith 1971 p 159 Smith 1971 p 161 Schumann 2007 p 35 Smith 1971 p 163 References editBragadin Marc Antonio 2011 La Marina Italiana 1940 1945 Bologna Odoya ISBN 978 8862881104 English John 2001 Afridi to Nizam British Fleet Destroyers 1937 43 Gravesend UK World Ship Society OCLC 537904081 Friedman Norman 2006 British Destroyers and Frigates the Second World War and After Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1861761376 Gardiner Robert Chesneau Roger 1980 Conway s All The World s Fighting Ships 1922 1946 London Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0851771467 Rohwer Jurgen Hummelchen Gerhard 1992 Chronology of the War at Sea 1939 45 London Greenhill Books ISBN 978 1557501059 Schumann Ralf 2007 Die Ritterkreuztrager 1939 1945 des LG 1 in German Zweibrucken Germany VDM Heinz Nickel ISBN 978 3866190139 Shores Christopher Massimello Giovanni Guest Russell 2012 A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940 1945 Volume One North Africa June 1940 January 1942 London Grub Street ISBN 978 1908117076 Smith Peter C 30 June 1971 A Needless Tragedy A Tragic Loss to the Royal Navy Warship International VIII 2 154 169 Whitley M J 2000 Destroyers of World War Two An International Encyclopedia London Cassell ISBN 1854095218 Winser John de S 1999 B E F Ships Before At and After Dunkirk Gravesend Kent World Ship Society ISBN 0905617916 External links editHMS Jackal F22 The Wreck HMS Jackal32 38 N 26 20 E 32 633 N 26 333 E 32 633 26 333 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMS Jackal F22 amp oldid 1124073167, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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