DESTROYERS’ WAR

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 190, 8 May 1940, Page 9

DESTROYERS’ WAR

Losses By Air Attack

CAPTAIN VIAN AGAIN

By

S.D.W.)

The material price paid for the successful evacuation of Allied troops from southern Norway and the safe escort of the convoy in the face of fierce attacks by German aircraft was the loss of three destroyers —Afrida (British), Bison (French) and Grom (Polish). The bombing and sinking of the three ships is another stern reminder of the savage nature of the war at sea and of the great part played by the destroyer flotillas in the naval operations of the last eight months.

The Afridi was one of the Tribal class of 16 large destroyers, of which seven were delivered by their builders and accepted during the period April to December, 1938, and the remainder during the first half of last year. Their names are Afridi, Ashanti, Bedouin, Cossack, Eskimo, Ghurka, Maori, Matabele, Mashona, Mohawk, Nubian, Punjabi, Sikh, Somali, Tartar and Zulu. The Tribals are the largest destroyers in the Royal Navy. They have a displacement of 1870 tons, and are armed with eight 4.7 in. guns and two quadruple sets of torpedo-tubes. Their geared-turbine engines of 44,000 horsepower, give them a speed of 35 knots or more. The Afridi is the second ship of this class lost in the Norwegian operations, the Ghurka having been sunk by bombs about three weeks ago. The French destroyer Bison was one of the 32 vessels built between 1923 and 1937, which in size and armament were more like small light cruisers, the earlier vessels being of 2126 tons, and the latest of 2600 tons displacement. The Bison and her eight sister ships measures 416 ft. in length, and 36ft. in breadth, and their engines of 50,000 horse-power gave them a speed of 36 knots. They were heavily armed with five s.lin. guns and two 3in. anti-air-craft guns, and six torpedo-tubes. The personnel of the Bison numbered 2Go officers and ratings.

The Polisli destroyer Grom (Thunderbolt) and her sister-ship Blyskawica (Lightning) were built in England and completed in 1937. They were each of 2000 tons displacement and had a speed o£ 39 knots. They were armed with seven 4.7 in. and four antiaircraft guns, and six torpedo-tubes. Gallant Captain Vian.

An interesting disclosure in the Admiralty announcement of the loss of the Afridi is the fact that she was commanded by Captain Philip Louis Vian, D. 5.0., who was among those saved. This gallant officer has seen considerable service in Norwegian waters during the last few months. He was in command of H.M.S. Cossack when that ship, in February, entered a Norwegian fjord aud rescued some 300 British merchant seamen from the Nazi prison ship Altmark, which had acted as tender to the Admiral Graf Spec. Captain Vian was in the Cossack when, in company with H.M.S. Warspite, she led the British destroyers into Narvik waters and sank seven German destroyers.

Captain Vian has spent much of his 23 years’ service in the Royal Navy in destroyers. He entered Osborne College in May, 1907. During the Great War he served as sub-lieutenant in the cruiser Argonaut and the destroyer Morning Star, and as lieutenant in the destroyers Ossory and Sorceress till August, 1918, when he was selected to specialize in gunnery. After the war he served as gunnery officer in a number of ships, including the cruiser Kent, on the China Station and the battleship Royal Sovereign in the Mediterranean. As a commander he was in the Training and Staff Duties Division at the Admiralty from 1930 till 1933. Subsequently he commanded the destroyer Active as leader of the Fifth Division of the Third Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean. Promoted captain in December, 1934, he was appointed to the flotilla leader Douglas in 1935 as Captain (D) of the 19th Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean. In May, 1936, Captain Vian was appointed to the flotilla leader Keppel as Captain (D) of the First Destroyer Flotilla, also in the Mediterranean.

After attending a senior officers’ war course at Ihe Naval College al Greenwich. Captain Viau was appointed on March 26. 1937. Io H.M.S. Arethusa as llng-eaptain ami chief staff officer to Rear-Admiral Lionel V. Wells. C.l>., D. 5.0., commanding the Third Light Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Captain Vian left the Arethusa at the outbreak of the present war mi his appointment as Captain (D) of one of the new destroyer flotillas. The Afridi is the tenth British destroyer lost during the last eight months. At the beginning of the war there were 185 destroyers in commission. The other destroyers sunk were the Gipsy Blanche. Duchess (collision), Gren ville. Exmoiilh. Daring. Glowworm, lliuip’i* ami Ghiirka. The flotilla leader Hardy which ran ashore near Narvik during the first, action there, has since been refloated.