HMS Intrepid was one of nine I-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s.

Description

The I-class ships were improved versions of the preceding H-class. They displaced 1370 LT at standard load and 1888 LT at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 323 ft, a beam of 33 ft and a draught of 12 ft. They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 34000 shp and were intended to give a maximum speed of 35.5 kn. Intrepid only reached a speed of 34.4 kn from 33827 shp during her sea trials. The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 5500 nmi at 15 kn. Their crew numbered 145 officers and ratings. The ships mounted four 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X' and 'Y' from bow to stern. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The I class was fitted with two above-water quintuple torpedo tube mounts for 21 in torpedoes. One depth charge rack and two throwers were fitted; 16 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began. Intrepid was one of the four I-class destroyers fitted with minelaying equipment in late 1938 – January 1939 at Malta. This consisted of mounts for rails on the deck on which to carry the mines and an electric winch to move the mines down the rails. A pair of sponsons were added to the stern to allow the mines to clear the propellers when dropped into the sea. 'A' and 'Y' guns and both sets of torpedo tubes were modified to allow them to be removed to compensate for the weight of the mines. The ships could carry a maximum of 72 mines. The I-class ships were fitted with the ASDIC sound detection system to locate submarines underwater.

Construction and career

In the Second World War, Intrepid attacked and sank the GERMAN SUBMARINE U-45 south-west of Ireland on 14 October 1939 in company with the destroyers HMS Ivanhoe (D16) and HMS Inglefield (D02). During naval manoeuvres on the 17 March 1940 Intrepid collided with the Leith-based fishing trawler MV Ocean Drift, sinking the smaller ship and killing two of her crew but rescuing the other eight Intrepid participated in the pursuit and destruction of the GERMAN BATTLESHIP Bismarck in May 1941, and in Operation Pedestal, the escorting of a convoy to Malta in August 1942. Intrepid was adopted by the town of Uxbridge in 1942 to raise funds for the ship's costs.

Sinking

Intrepid was attacked by German Ju 88 aircraft and sank in Leros harbour in the Aegean Sea on 26 September 1943.