HMS Rocket (H92)
HMS Rocket was an [Q and Q and R-class destroyer|R-class destroyer|R-class] destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during Second World War. Built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock, Scotland, she was launched in October 1942 and commissioned in August 1943.
Design and construction
The British Admiralty ordered the eight destroyers of the R-class on 2 April 1940 as the 4th Emergency Flotilla. Work on the R-class was suspended on 28 May to concentrate effort on ships that could be completed quickly, owing to the risk of German invasion, with work resuming on 9 September 1940, after the worst of the invasion worries had subsided. The R-class were War Emergency Programme destroyers, intended for general duties, including use as anti-submarine escort, and were to be suitable for mass-production. They were based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J-class destroyers, but with a lighter armament in order to speed production.The R-class were long overall, at the waterline and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of mean and full load. Displacement was standard and full load. Two Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers supplied steam at and to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at giving a maximum speed of and at full load. 615 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of at.
The ship had a main gun armament of four 4.7-inch (120 mm) QF Mk. IX guns, capable of elevating to an angle of 40 degrees, giving a degree of anti-aircraft capability. The close-in anti-aircraft armament was one quadruple 2 pounder (40 mm) pom-pom and eight Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. Two quadruple mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes were fitted, while the ship had a depth charge outfit of four depth charge mortars and two racks, with a total of 70 charges carried. In 1945 the 4 single Oerlikon guns were replaced by 4 single Bofors 40 mm guns.
Rocket was fitted with a mast-mounted Type 290 air warning radar with a Type 285 gunnery radar mounted on the ship's high-angle fire control director. She was later fitted with a Type 272 surface search radar on a lattice mast between the two torpedo tube mounts. She had a crew of 176 officers and other ranks.
Rocket was laid down at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's Greenock shipyard on 14 March 1941, was launched on 28 October 1942 and commissioned on 4 August 1943. She was the eighth ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy.
Service
Second World War
After commissioning, Rocket worked up at Scapa Flow until 2 October 1943, when she joined Plymouth Command. Duties included operations against German shipping along the coast of Brittany, known as Operation Tunnel. Rocket replaced the destroyer on these operations, and took part in patrols on four consecutive nights between 14/15 October and 17/18 October with the hope of intercepting the German blockade runner, Münsterland. Rocket took part in another attempt to intercept Münsterland on the night of 22/23 October. This time, the British force encountered encountered German torpedo boats in the Battle of Sept-Îles. The cruiser and destroyer were torpedoed. Charybdis sank within 45 minutes, but Limbourne remained afloat, and the destroyer attempted to take Limbourne under tow, but the attempt failed, and the stricken destroyer was scuttled by Rocket and Talybont.On 29 November 1943 Rocket and the destroyer depth-charged and sank the German submarine U-86 east of the Azores in position. Rocket joined the 11th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Eastern Fleet, based at Trincomalee, Ceylon on 12 February 1944. On 22 July 1944, the Eastern Fleet left port to take part in Operation Crimson, an attack on Sabang. The force arrived off Sabang on 25 July, and after an airstrike launched from the carriers and, Rocket took part in a bombardment of Sabang by the battleships, cruisers and destroyers of the fleet, with the destroyers shelling a radar station. From 16 to 23 September 1944, Rocket took part in Operation Light, an airstrike launched from and Victorious against Sigli, Sumatra on 18 September.
On 21–25 February 1945, Rocket, together with sister ships, and carried out an anti-shipping sweep in the Andaman Sea, and while no shipping was found, the force shelled Great Coco Island on 24 February. The operation was repeated from 27 February, with three coasters being sunk off the coast of Burma on the night of 1/2 March, and on 3 March, the force shelled the harbour of Port Blair on South Andaman Island, sinking two sailing ships. On 14 May 1945, Rocket was escorting a troopship when she was ordered to leave her charge and join, and Roebuck in one of several groups searching for the Japanese heavy cruiser Haguro. Haguro was attacked and sunk by another one of the groups, consisting of,,,, and on the night of 15/16 May. Rocket was assigned to take part in Operation Zipper, amphibious landings near Port Swettenham and Port Dickson on the west coast of Malaya planned for 9 and 12 September 1945, but the surrender of Japan caused plans to be changed, and Rocket was diverted to Sebang.
Post-War
Rocket returned to Britain in October 1945, and in 1946, replaced the destroyer as an air target ship at Rosyth. She was reduced to reserve on 4 September 1957. In May 1949 she was moved to Portsmouth, while from November 1949 to July 1951 she was converted at Devonport Dockyard into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F193.On 18 May 1951 she was re-commissioned for the 3rd Training Squadron, based in Londonderry Port. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In September 1953, the ship was sabotaged, with leads to the port Telemotor of the steering gear cut. A stoker pleaded guilty to charges of damaging the ship under the Malicious Damage Act 1861 and was sentenced to four years imprisonment and dismissal from the navy with disgrace. In 1954 she returned to reserve at Rosyth, before being re-commissioned the following year. In November 1956 she returned to reserve at Chatham, then transferred to the reserve at Portsmouth the following year. On 28 October 1960 she was re-commissioned at Portsmouth and sailed to the Far East to join the 6th Frigate Squadron.