HMS Eridge (L68)

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

HMS Eridge (L68) was a Type II Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was ordered on 4 September 1939 under the 1939 War Emergency Programme and built by Swan Hunter at Wallsend. Eridge was laid down on 21 November 1939, launched on 20 August 1940, and commissioned on 28 February 1941.^[1]

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 (constructive total loss)
Fate	Sold for scrap, 1946
General characteristics Type II
Class & 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

The class were named after fox hunts; in Eridge case, this was the Southdown and Eridge Hunt, a fox-hunting pack based in the counties of Sussex and Kent.^[2][3]

Design

As a Type II Hunt-class destroyer, Eridge displaced 1,050 tons standard and 1,490 tons full load. She was 85.3 metres long, with a beam of 9.6 metres and a draught of 2.4 metres. Powered by two Admiralty 3-drum boilers and Parsons geared steam turbines producing 19,000 shp, she could reach a maximum speed of 27 knots. Her complement was approximately 168 officers and ratings.

Service history

After working up with the Home Fleet, Eridge was deployed in early 1941 to the Mediterranean theatre, escorting convoys between Gibraltar, Malta and Alexandria. She took part in convoy MG1 during Operation Vigorous in June 1942, and supported several operations against Axis supply lines in North Africa.^[4]

On 19 March 1942, while operating off the Libyan coast, Eridge assisted HMS Heythrop, which had been torpedoed by U-652. She took the damaged destroyer in tow under heavy air attack.^[5]

On 29 May 1942, Eridge, together with Hero and Hurworth engaged and sank the German submarine German submarine U-568 north-east of Tobruk.^[6]

In July 1942 she took part in shore bombardments near Mersa Matruh, targeting Axis coastal positions.^[7]

Loss

29 August 1942, Alexandria Harbour: torpedo damage to Eridge

At 04:15 on 29 August 1942, Eridge and the destroyers Croome and Hursley began shelling enemy positions near El Daba, while on station in the Nile Delta, at 31°07′N 28°26′E. At 05:00, Eridge was struck by a 450 mm torpedo fired by the Italian motor torpedo boat MTSM-228. The explosion caused serious structural damage, killed five crew members and permanently disabled the ship.^[8] Damage to the starboard side flooded machinery spaces, leaving the turbines and condenser beyond repair. Despite the severity of the hit, the ship remained afloat.

She was towed to Alexandria by Aldenham and declared a constructive total loss due to irreparable damage to her turbines, condenser and hull.^[9] Efforts to repair Eridge were abandoned, and she was subsequently decommissioned and scrapped.

Fate

Eridge remained at Alexandria as a base and accommodation ship for the rest of the war. She was sold for scrapping in October 1946.^[10]