ahla AHLA: HMS Tartar (F43)

[Doomlock]

Hi guys! 

 

So as requested by @xX_Critical_ClopOut69_Xx, I am going over the history of HMS Tartar (F43) Tribal-class destroyer. One of only 4 British Tribal class destroyers to survive the war. My previous AHLA's and picture posts can be found in my sig. If you'd like to see more of my stuff feel free to follow me . Pictures found via google image search.

 

 

 

 

 

HMS Tartar (F43), one of the surviving British Tribals.

 

 

HMS Tartar (F43), Tribal-class destroyer, Royal Navy. Tartar, named for the Tartars a Turkic speaking people living in Asia and Europe, was commissioned on March 10, 1939, with a displacement of 2,560 tons fully loaded; had a length of 377 feet, a width of 36 feet 6 inches, a draft of 11 feet 3 inches, and had a top speed of 36 knots (41 mph/67 kph). She had a range of 5,700 nautical miles at 15 knots (17 mph/28 kph), powered by 3 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers powering 2 geared steam turbines turning 2 shafts producing 44,000 shaft horsepower; her complement 190 sailors and officers. Her armament consisted of 6 x 4.7 inch QF Mk XII DP guns in 3 dual mounts in an A, B, Y format with turret B superfiring. 2 x 4 inch QF Mk XVI DP guns in 1 dual mount. 12 x 20mm Oerlikon AA guns in 4 single and 4 dual mounts; and 4 x 21 inch torpedo tubes in 1 centerline quad launcher. She had 26 sisters, of note is HMCS Haida, the only Tribal left in existence.

 

 

 

 

Tartar from a port bow view.

 

 

 

At the outbreak of WWII, Tartar conducted many ops with her flotilla screening against blockade runners and commerce raiders, and joined with the rest of the Home Fleet hunting Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after they sunk an armed merchant ship. In March, 1940, she and her sister HMS Mohawk, escorted RMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden voyage through the Western Approaches. Throughout April and May she escorted convoys and allied ships in the Atlantic until the beginning of June where she escorted HMS Ark Royal and HMS Valiant, as well as escorting convoys and participating in yet another hunt for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after the sinking of HMS Glorious. 

 

In May of 1941, she was present at the sinking of Bismarck, recording very detailed reports after the action. She was returning to Scapa Flow with her sister Mashoa when they came under heavy air attack west of Ireland, and Tartar's after action report states, "...It is believed that all attacking aircraft were H.E. 111's. Occasionally a F.W. Condor was seen shadowing astern. It is estimated that about 50 aircraft took part in the attacks over a period of 13 hours...". Mashona was hit and badly damaged resulting in her capsizing, but in return Tartar shot down an He 111, as well as recovering 215 sailors and 14 officers. 

 

 

 

Tartar moored at a buoy.

 

 

Tartar returned to service with the Home Fleet in June 1941 and conducted convoy escort, warship escort, including HMS Prince of Wales carrying Winston Churchill. In January and February of 1942, were spent escorting convoys, including, PQ-7B, QP-5, PQ-12, PQ-13 and QP-9. On March 8, she screened Home Fleet ships conducting an unsuccessful search for the battleship Tirpitz. 

 

In August she was transferred to the Mediterranean and took part in Operation Pedestal as part of the escort. The convoy came under air and submarine attacks on August 11 after it was sighted by the Italian submarine Uarsciek. The next day Tartar carried out depth charge attacks to drive off the sub Granito, and together with the destroyer HMS Lookout drove off the sub Emo. After the destroyer HMS Foresight was damaged by aircraft, Tartar took her under tow and attempted to take her to Gibraltar, and after an unsuccessful attack by the submarine U-73, Foresight was considered a loss. Tartar took her crew off and scuttled her with torpedoes. 

 

In October she participated in Operation Torch. In April, 1943, she carried out attacks on S-Boats near Marrettimo, Algeria. On July 11 she rescued some 200 survivors from the hospital ship Talamba, which had been sunk by German air attack off the beachhead. On July 12 Tartar sank the ammunition ship Baarn, which was on fire after being damaged in air attacks. On 13 July she took the damaged destroyer HMS Eskimo in tow to Malta, after Eskimo had been damaged by air attacks. In August she supported the Allied invasion of Italy, by covering the landings at Calabria, and later the landings at Salerno. 

 

 

 

 

September 9, 1943. Tartar puts up an AA barrage with her 4.7-inch AA guns to protect the invasion force from attack by enemy aircraft during Operation Avalanche.

 

 

 

On June 9, 1944 she, and the destroyers of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla engaged German destroyers in the Battle of Ushant (Destroyers Haida and ORP Błyskawica were a part of this flotilla). The destroyers ZH1 and Z-32 were sunk, however Tartar was damaged by gunfire. Her galley and bridge were hit and set on fire; four men were killed and twelve wounded. Her foremast hung over the side and all of the radar and communications were dead. On July 7, she intercepted and engaged minesweepers of the 46th German Flotilla off the Channel Islands and sank the minesweepers M4601 and M4605. On August 6, HMS Bellona, Tartar, HMS Ashanti and the Canadian destroyers Haida and HMCS Iroquois attacked a convoy off Saint-Nazaire, France, sinking the minesweepers M263 and M486, the patrol boat V414 and a coastal launch together with four small ships.

 

For the rest of the war she escorted escort carriers, conducted sweeps with the Flotilla, conducted shore bombardment, and covered allied landings. She was present at the signing of the Japanese Surrender on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. She was then put into reserve in 1946, used as an Accommodation Ship for Reserve Fleet personnel before being sold for scrap on January 6, 1948. 

 

For her service she earned 12 battle honors. 

 

 

 

A proud souvenir, the torn Battle Ensign of Tartar, carried in her action with German destroyers in the Channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is all folks I hope you enjoyed! I have plenty of suggestions for my next AHLA so be keeping an eye out. Also my next Picture post will be sooner rather than later!

And as always: Fair winds and following seas captains! 

[Dunk_Master_Flex]

Very good write up, great job! 

 

Two little things though, Tartar was one of four Royal Navy Tribal's to survive the war. Only one of the four Canadian Tribal's was sunk during the war and all of the Australian ships survived as well. Tartar was also present at the final battle of Bismarck, seeing the entire action itself with the crews putting some of the most detailed accounts to paper, besides Rodney and KGV of course. 

[Doomlock]

10 minutes ago, xX_Critical_ClopOut69_Xx said:

Two little things though, Tartar was one of four Royal Navy Tribal's to survive the war. Only one of the four Canadian Tribal's was sunk during the war and all of the Australian ships survived as well. Tartar was also present at the final battle of Bismarck, seeing the entire action itself with the crews putting some of the most detailed accounts to paper, besides Rodney and KGV of course. 

Ah, I misread that then. I have fixed that, and added the bit on Bismarck.

[Kapitan_Wuff]

+1 Worth while read as always.

[giovybez]

Very nice Mike, great pictures as always. I appreciate the time you put into these.

[Umikami]

Nice job Doomlock; thanks!