HMS Hyperion (H97)

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HMS Hyperion was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), the ship served with the Mediterranean Fleet, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. In the early months of World War II, Hyperion patrolled the Atlantic Ocean in search of German commerce raiders and helped blockade German merchant ships in neutral ports before returning to the British Isles in early 1940.

The ship participated in the Norwegian Campaign, after which she was reassigned to the Mediterranean Fleet. In July 1940, Hyperion took part in both the Battle of Calabria and the Battle of Cape Spada while escorting larger fleet units. She later escorted several convoys to Malta. In December 1940, Hyperion struck a mine and was deliberately scuttled.

Description

Hyperion displaced 1,350 long tons (1,370 t) at standard load and 1,883 long tons (1,913 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), a beam of 33 feet (10.1 m), and a draught of 12 feet 5 inches (3.8 m).

She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines driving two shafts, which developed a total of 34,000 shaft horsepower (25,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h). Unlike other G- and H-class destroyers, which were fitted with three Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, Hyperion uniquely used a Johnson boiler in the aft position as a trial.Template:Sfnp<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This O-type boiler, with a single lower water drum and curved tubes, differed from the typical triangular arrangement with two drums. The initial design suffered from poor circulation, leading to the addition of external cold downcomers, which made the reworked boiler 10% heavier. However, it was well regarded in service, as it reduced reliance on the refractory firebrick commonly used at the base of the furnace.Template:Sfnp

Hyperion carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil, giving her a range of 5,530 nautical miles (10,240 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h). The ship's complement was 137 officers and men in peacetime,<ref name=w78>Whitley, p. 109</ref> increasing to 146 in wartime.<ref>English, pp. 89, 102</ref>

She was armed with four 45-calibre 4.7-inch Mk IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft defence, Hyperion had two quadruple Mark I mounts for 0.5 inch Vickers Mk III machine gun. She was also fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|Template:Convert]] torpedoes.One depth charge rail and two throwers were installed; the original load of 20 depth charges was increased to 35 shortly after the war began.The ship’s anti-aircraft armament was later augmented by replacing the rear set of torpedo tubes with a 12-pounder 12 cwt<ref group=Note>"cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.</ref> AA gun, although the exact timing of this modification is unclear.<ref>Whitley, p. 110</ref>

Career

Ordered on 13 December 1934, Hyperion was laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England, on 27 March 1935. She was launched on 8 April 1936 and completed on 3 December 1936. Excluding government-furnished equipment like the armament, the ship cost £251,466.<ref>English, pp. 102–03</ref><ref group=Note>Adjusted for inflation to 20Template:CURRENTYEARYY pounds, £Template:Inflation.</ref> She was assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet upon commissioning. Hyperion patrolled Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War enforcing the policies of the Non-Intervention Committee. The ship received an overhaul at Malta between 30 September and 30 October 1937 and resumed patrolling Spanish waters for the rest of the war. Hyperion was sent to Portsmouth for another refit in August 1939 that lasted from 16 to 27 August.<ref name=e3>English, p. 113</ref>

When World War II began on 3 September, the ship was en route to Freetown, Sierra Leone, to search for German commerce raiders. Hyperion was transferred to the North America and West Indies Station in late October where he blockaded various German merchant ships in American and Mexican harbours. She intercepted the German ocean liner Template:SS off Cape Hatteras on 19 December, but Columbus scuttled herself before she could be captured.<ref name=e3/> Hyperion was transferred to the British Isles in mid-January 1940 and began a refit at Portsmouth that lasted from 25 January to 6 March. The ship rejoined the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.<ref name=e3/>

On 5 April Hyperion escorted the battlecruiser Template:HMS as she covered the minelayers preparing to implement Operation Wilfred, an operation to lay mines in the Vestfjord to prevent the transport of Swedish iron ore from Narvik to Germany. The ship and her sister Template:HMS pretended to lay a minefield off Bud, Norway on 8 April and reported its location to the Norwegians.<ref>Haar 2009, pp. 65–66, 88–89</ref> Hyperion escorted the aircraft carriers Template:HMS and Template:HMS from 21 April as their aircraft attacked German targets in Norway. She remained with Ark Royal when Glorious returned to Scapa Flow to refuel on 27 April.<ref>Haarr 2010, pp. 143, 150</ref> In early May the ship escorted the light cruiser Template:HMS on an unsuccessful sweep of the North Sea looking for German ships.<ref>Rohwer, p. 23</ref>

Hyperion evacuated British personnel from the Hook of Holland from 8 to 12 May and was then ordered to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet at Malta on 16 May.<ref name=e3/> On 9 July she participated in the Battle of Calabria as an escort for the heavy ships of Force C and unsuccessfully engaged Italian destroyers and suffered no damage. During the Battle of Cape Spada on 19 July, the ship escorted Australian light cruiser Template:HMAS and rescued some of the 525 survivors from the Template:Ship together with the other escorting destroyers. Together with her sister Template:HMS and two other destroyers, she bombarded Italian positions around Sidi Barrani on 25 September. Hyperion escorted the carrier Template:HMS during the Battle of Taranto on the night of 11/12 November.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 32–33, 41, 47</ref> With Hereward, she sank the Italian submarine Naiade on 14 December 1940 near Bardia.<ref name=e3/>

Hyperion struck a mine on 22 December 1940 off Pantelleria as she escorted the battleship Template:HMS on passage from Alexandria to Gibraltar while covering a convoy to Malta. The destroyer Template:HMS attempted to tow Hyperion, but the tow cable broke twice and the destroyer Template:HMS was ordered to sink her after Ilex took off the crew. Only two members of the crew were not rescued and were presumed killed in the explosion.<ref name=e3/>

References

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