Dragonfly-class gunboat

The Dragonfly class was a class of twin shaft^[2] river gunboats of the Royal Navy. Six were planned and five were built: of those five, four were lost in the Second World War. One of the four was HMS Scorpion, a slightly upgunned and better powered version.

HMS Locust
Class overview
Name	Dragonfly class
Builders	Vosper Thornycroft, Yarrow Shipbuilders, J S White
Operators	Royal Navy
Subclasses	HMS Scorpion
Built	1937-1938
In commission	1938-1968
Planned	6
Completed	5
Cancelled	1
Lost	4
Retired	1
Scrapped	1
General characteristics [1]
Type	River gunboat
Displacement	585 long tons (594 t)
Length	197 ft (60 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draught	5 ft (1.5 m)
Installed power	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 3,800 shp (2,800 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement	74
Armament	2 × single 4 in (102 mm) guns 1 × single 3.7 in (94 mm) Mark V howitzer 8 × machine guns

Ships

Ship name	Laid down	Completed	Fate	Notes
Dragonfly	December 1937	June 1939	Lost in the Banka Strait, 14 February 1942.[1]
Grasshopper	December 1937	June 1939	Lost in the Banka Strait, 14 February 1942.[1]
Locust	November 1938	May 1940	Sold for scrap, 1968[1]	A quadruple 2-pound "pompom" gun was fitted instead of the 3.7 (94 mm) howitzer.[2] Later refitted with 3 20 mm guns and 20 depth charges. became a headquarters ship in 1944.
Mosquito	December 1938	April 1940	Lost off Dunkirk, 1 June 1940[1]	A quadruple 2-pound "pompom" gun was fitted instead of the 3.7 (94 mm) howitzer.[2]
Scorpion	1937	November 1938	Lost in the Banka Strait, 13 February 1942.[1]	Was an upgunned variant of the class
Bee	n/a	n/a	Cancelled, March 1940[1]