Quote:
Originally Posted by pj67coll
My father served on board HMS Redoubt, an R class destroyer during WWII, though not in the Arctic. I remember his stories about her well. In particular I remember his comment about how invulnerable he felt on the ship. It was a warship with its own guns to fire back with if attacked. He said it was the best place to be in a war. However I have visited HMS Cavalier at the dockyard at Chatham in England. She was one of the destroyers who took part in the Arctic convoys. Seems like an impressive warship until you actually get aboard and then you realize just how small it is and how vulnerable you would be on one in a serious battle.
No doubt the feeling of security has much to do with the young age of the crews and the comradeship of a well trained crew in wartime, but really looking at one of these ships on it's own stripped of the context it really does provide a different perspective.
The merchant crews were of course in a far worse position than the navy crews. I would truly have hated to have been on one of those vessels.
- Peter.
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I have been on a destroyer and I can see where they got the nickname "tin can Navy".
Compared to the South Dakota class or the Iowa class they seem awfully thinly armed, and small.
In Iceland I'd want to be on something harder to sink. I don't think the Germans had anything in the north that could really put to much of a dent into a battle wagon. They certainly could absorb torpedo hits better than a merchant ship.