Forester's Official Description

HMS Forester (Pennant No. H74) was typical of British Fleet Destroyers built between the wars, most being of similar size and appearance. Built by J S White & Co. Ltd, Cowes, she was launched on 28 June 1934 and completed on 19 April 1935. One of the "FEARLESS" or “F” Class, Forester was 1,350 tons standard displacement, 329' 0'' long, 33' 3" wide and drew 13' 11"aft / 8' 6" mean. Two Parsons geared turbines of 36,000 SHP (built by White and Co.) gave Forester a top speed of 36.7 knots. The turbines were supplied with steam by three Admiralty 3-drum boilers working at 300 PSI and 200ºF superheat. 480 tons of oil fuel gave her an endurance of 6,250 miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots (though only 1,250 miles at full speed). Wartime crew complement was 145 and she cost £300,000 to build and £41,000 per year for maintenance, not much in today's money but a tidy sum in 1936!

Main armament when completed was four 4.7" QF (Quick Fire) guns and two 21" quadruple torpedo tubes for which she carried eight torpedoes. Anti-aircraft protection was provided by two Quadruple 0.5" machine guns while anti-submarine armament was a single rail between the destroyer sweeps on the quarterdeck and two throwers mounted just forward of the aft superstructure for the 30 depth charges carried. There were many changes to this as the war progressed.

The first change was to install two additional 20 mm Oerlikons in extensions to the bridge wings, while the aft set of torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with a 3" High Angle anti-aircraft gun mounted on a platform fitted in their place. The aft funnel was shortened and the mainmast removed to provide a better field of fire for the 3" HA gun and Oerlikons.

This is how Forester is shown in the photograph, taken on completion of the 1942 refit. The weathered and rust-streaked "Western Approaches" camouflage (white upper-works with white, sky-blue and green hull) is typical for escort vessels of the time.

The photo also shows the HF/DF (“Huff-Duff“) direction finding antenna that replaced the mainmast. HF Direction Finding was used to detect the range and bearing of U-boats transmitting on HF Radio as they trailed the convoys. Also visible is the diagonal cross of the aircraft detection radar antenna at the head of the foremast. Escort vessels also used ASDIC (nowadays called SONAR) to detect and follow underwater targets but as the detector was mounted in a retractable 'blister' mounted on the ships bottom, it is not externally visible. In 1943 the quad 0.5 inch machine guns in the 'Q' position between the funnels were replaced by 20mm oerlikons and two more 20mm Oerlikons were fitted in cupolas on each side of the aft conning tower, bringing the total to six.

For North Atlantic long range close escort duty, one set of boilers was removed to provide increased fuel capacity for longer range. Though this reduced top speed from 36 kts to 28 kts, combat efficiency was not significantly reduced as U-boats could only make around 20 kts on the surface and 8 kts submerged, while the ASDIC was ineffective above 15 knots due to water noise.

For improved anti-submarine capability, on the quarter deck, the original single depth charge rail was replaced by twin depth charge rails, "Y" gun, the farthest aft 4.7" QF, was removed and two additional depth charge throwers and storage for depth charges put in its place. At the same time, the 3” high angle gun was also removed to provide additional depth charge stowage; these changes raising the total from 30 to 125. Finally a pair of 12 round Split Hedgehog bomb throwers wer fitted on the forecastle,one each side beside the forward superstructure and just aft of 'A' gun.

The final change, made for operations in the Channel for D-Day, was to install a 'Bow Chaser' 20 pounder at the point of the bow for use in pursuit of E-Boats. Hence, armament at the end of the war was three 4.7" QF guns, six 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, a single quadruple 21" torpedo tube mounting (which could be armed with four 2,000 pound 21” depth charges instead of torpedoes) two depth charge rails, four depth charge throwers with 125 depth charges, a pair of Split Hedgehog multi-barrelled anti-submarine mortars and a 20 pounder Bow Chaser. These changes improved her anti-submarine and anti-aircraft capability, in keeping with naval wartime experience. The original Fleet destroyer concept, armed for gun and torpedo action against other surface vessels, had changed to a long range anti-submarine role with heavy anti-aircraft protection.