O and P-class destroyer

HMS Oribi in 1946
Class overview
NameO and P class
Operators
Preceded byL and M class
Succeeded byQ and R class
Subclasses4 inch O, 4.7 inch O, P
Completed16
Lost4
Retired12
General characteristics P class[1]
TypeDestroyer
Displacement
Length345 ft (105 m) o/a
Beam35 ft (10.7 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion2 x Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp on 2 shafts
Speed36.75 kt
Range3,850 nmi at 20 kt
Armament
General characteristics (4.7 inch O class)
Displacement
  • 1,610 tons (1,636 tonnes)
  • 2,270 tons (2,306 tonnes) full load
Complement176 (217 in leader)
Armament
NotesOther characteristics as per P class
General characteristics (4 inch O class)
Displacement
  • 1,540 tons (1,564 tonnes)
  • 2,220 tons (2,255 tonnes) full load
Armament
NotesOther characteristics as per P class

The O and P class was a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy. Ordered in 1939, they were the first ships in the War Emergency Programme, also known as the 1st and 2nd Emergency Flotilla, respectively. They served as convoy escorts in World War II, and some were subsequently converted to fast second-rate anti-submarine frigates in the 1950s.

  1. ^ British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, H. T. Lenton, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-277-7