HMS Cassandra (R62)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Cassandra.

HMS Cassandra (R62)
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Cassandra
Ordered:	February 1942
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun
Laid down:	30 January 1943
Launched:	29 November 1943
Completed:	28 July 1944
Commissioned:	28 July 1944
Renamed:	Built as HMS Tourmaline Renamed HMS Cassandra in November 1942
Identification:	Pennant number: R62 initially, but changed to D10 in 1945
Motto:	Furiosior undis: 'More mad than the waves'
Honours and awards:	Arctic 1944
Fate:	Arrived at breaker's yard for scrapping on 28 April 1967
Badge:	On a Field Blue, a woman's head affronte with two snakes wreathed round her neck and poised about her ears all Proper.
General characteristics
Class & type:	C-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,710 tons (standard) 2,520 tons (full)
Length:	363 ft (111 m) o/a
Beam:	35.75 ft (10.90 m)
Draught:	10 ft (3.0 m) light, 14.5 ft (4.4 m) full
Propulsion:	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp, 2 shafts
Speed:	37 knots (69.45 km/h)
Range:	615 tons oil, 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km) at 32 knots (59 km/h)
Complement:	186
Armament:	3 x QF 4.5 in L/45 guns Mark IV on mounts CP Mk.V 2 x Bofors 40 mm L/60 guns on twin mount "Hazemeyer" Mk.IV, or; 4 x QF 2 pdr L/39 guns Mk.VIII on quad mount Mk.VII (Caprice only) 4 x anti-aircraft mountings; Bofors 40 mm, single mount Mk.III QF 2 -pdr Mk.VIII, single mount Mk.XVI Oerlikon 20 mm, single mount P Mk.III Oerlikon 20 mm, twin mount Mk.V 2 x pentuple (Ca) / quadruple (Ch, Co, Cr) tubes for 21 in torpedoes Mk.IX 4 throwers and 2 racks for 96 depth charges 4 x Seacat sea to air missiles 6 x Squid anti submarine launchers

HMS Cassandra was a C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, ordered in February 1942 from Yarrow Shipbuilders. She was originally to be named HMS Tourmaline but this was changed to Cassandra in November 1942 to fit her revised class name. She was laid down on 30 January 1943 and launched on 29 November 1943.

Wartime service

After her commissioning, she served primarily in Northern waters, escorting Russian convoys and was engaged in the search for the German battleship Tirpitz. On 11 December 1944, she was hit by a torpedo from the U-boat U-365 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Diether Todenhagen. 62 men died in the attack and she was towed, first by HMS Bahamas and then by a Soviet Navy tugboat to Kola inlet. U-365 was sunk with all hands two days later by a Fairey Swordfish launched from HMS Campania.

Post war service

After the war, her repairs were completed and she served in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Cassandra was modernised by Yarrow and Company and re-entered service in April 1960. She was placed in reserve until paying off in January 1966. She arrived at the breaker's yard for scrapping on 28 April 1967.