Difference between revisions of "HMS Spey"
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− | {{Specs-Card|code=uk_frigate_river}} | + | {{Specs-Card |
+ | |code=uk_frigate_river | ||
+ | |images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}} | ||
+ | |market=River class (K-246) (Britain) | ||
+ | }} | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
− | <!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot | + | <!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' --> |
− | + | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} British gunboat {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6293-special-operation-h-e-a-t-en|2019 Operation H.E.A.T]] event. | |
− | |||
− | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British gunboat {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced | ||
== General info == | == General info == | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
− | <!--''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} |
+ | <!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' --> | ||
− | + | The River class does not have much in the way of armour. The hull of the ship is made from 8 mm thick steel, with the superstructure being made of 4 mm thick steel. This is enough to repel damage from low calibre machine-guns, but does little against the cannons and autocannons commonly found at this battle rating. The only armour on the ship is around some gun shields. | |
− | + | ;Armour Layout | |
− | |||
* Ship Construction | * Ship Construction | ||
** Hull: 8 mm steel | ** Hull: 8 mm steel | ||
Line 23: | Line 25: | ||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
− | <!--''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} |
+ | <!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' --> | ||
− | The River class is not particularly fast | + | The River class is not particularly fast, with a top speed less than that of destroyers. However, it is relatively manoeuvrable for its size. Despite this, you must remember the River class is no small vessel. Because of your size, you're a prime target for torpedoes, and you need to be aware of your surroundings and the likely direction of enemy torpedoes if you wish to avoid them in time. |
+ | |||
+ | {{NavalMobility}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Modifications and economy === | ||
+ | {{Specs-Economy}} | ||
== Armament == | == Armament == | ||
+ | {{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}} | ||
=== Primary armament === | === Primary armament === | ||
− | <!--''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>.'' | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Primary}} |
+ | <!-- ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.'' --> | ||
+ | {{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}} | ||
− | + | The primary armament of the River class consists of two Mark XIX 102 mm cannons, located at the front and rear of the ship. These are powerful cannons at the River class's battle rating; the HE shells can cause devastating damage to torpedo boats and sometimes destroy them in a single salvo. Even against larger ships, the HE shells can cause significant damage, which coupled with the high rate of fire (3 - 3.9 second reload depending on the crew) allows you to kill enemy vessels very quickly. | |
− | |||
− | The | + | The semi-armour piecing shells have a fairly good penetration of 137 mm at 1 km, this is better than the SAP shells found on most British destroyers, however the explosive mass is 600 g of TNT, less than the 700 - 900 g usually found on British destroyer guns. |
;Primary Armament | ;Primary Armament | ||
+ | |||
* 1 x 102 mm Mark XIX cannon, forward turret, 200 rounds of ammo | * 1 x 102 mm Mark XIX cannon, forward turret, 200 rounds of ammo | ||
** Horizontal guidance: ±180° | ** Horizontal guidance: ±180° | ||
Line 47: | Line 58: | ||
** Horizontal targeting speed: 10°/s | ** Horizontal targeting speed: 10°/s | ||
** Vertical targeting speed: 8°/s | ** Vertical targeting speed: 8°/s | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{:4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)/Ammunition|4 inch HE, 4 inch SAP, 4 inch HE-TF, 4 inch HE-VT}} | ||
=== Secondary armament === | === Secondary armament === | ||
− | <!--''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}} |
− | + | <!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' --> | |
− | |||
{{main|QF Mark VII (40 mm)}} | {{main|QF Mark VII (40 mm)}} | ||
− | The River class has a very powerful secondary armament of two 40 mm QF Mark VII | + | The River class has a very powerful secondary armament of two 40 mm QF Mark VII autocannons. These are mounted in turrets on each side of the ship, just aft of the midpoint. The positioning of these turrets means they can both engage vessels on the same side, in an 80-degree arc from the front of the ship, this allows them to cause substantial damage to enemy ships within this area. |
− | The 40 mm QF Mark VII is an extremely potent weapon, with a good rate of fire, and a shell large enough to pierce most armour found at this tier it is capable of causing incredible amounts of damage to both enemy ships and aircraft. | + | The 40 mm QF Mark VII is an extremely potent weapon, with a good rate of fire, and a shell large enough to pierce most armour found at this tier, it is capable of causing incredible amounts of damage to both enemy ships and aircraft. |
;Secondary Armament | ;Secondary Armament | ||
− | * 2 x 40 mm QF Mark VII | + | |
+ | * 2 x 40 mm QF Mark VII autocannon, mid-ship turrets, 2,000 rounds of ammo each | ||
** Horizontal guidance: ±180° | ** Horizontal guidance: ±180° | ||
** Vertical guidance: -10° / +90° | ** Vertical guidance: -10° / +90° | ||
** Horizontal targeting speed: 40°/s | ** Horizontal targeting speed: 40°/s | ||
** Vertical targeting speed: 34°/s | ** Vertical targeting speed: 34°/s | ||
+ | |||
+ | * '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}} | ||
+ | * '''40 mm HE clips:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} | ||
+ | * '''40 mm AP clips:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{:QF Mark VII (40 mm)/Ammunition|HEFI-T, AP-T}} | ||
=== Anti-aircraft armament === | === Anti-aircraft armament === | ||
− | <!--''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air | + | {{Specs-Fleet-AA}} |
+ | <!-- ''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.'' --> | ||
+ | {{main|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}} | ||
− | + | In addition to its 40 mm secondary turrets, the River class also has a pair of single Oerlikon Mk.II 20 mm autocannons mounted on each side of the bridge for anti-aircraft use. The Oerlikon's have a decent rate of fire and damage and are more than capable of taking down most aircraft you will face with little issue. It is also possible to use them against lightly armoured enemy ships, however, their damage is fairly limited, and their mediocre gun depression coupled with high mounting location means they cannot effectively engage targets at less than about 200 m range. | |
− | |||
− | + | ;Anti-aircraft Armament | |
− | + | * 2 x 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon, either side of bridge, 2,400 rounds of ammo each | |
− | + | ** Horizontal guidance: ±180° | |
− | + | ** Vertical guidance: -5° / +65° | |
− | The River class can carry a truly staggering assortment of depth charges, of three different types. The first component consists of 34 Mk.VII depth charges which are dropped into the water from two dispensers on the stern of the ship (in the same manner as on the [[ | + | === Additional armament === |
+ | {{Specs-Fleet-Additional}} | ||
+ | <!-- ''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.'' --> | ||
+ | {{main|Mk.VII depth charge|Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar|Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | The River class can carry a truly staggering assortment of depth charges, of three different types. The first component consists of 34 Mk.VII depth charges, which are dropped into the water from two dispensers on the stern of the ship (in the same manner as on the [[HMCS Brantford|Flower class]]). The next component of the River class's depth charge armament consists of 48 Mk.VII depth charges, distributed evenly between 8 depth charge mortars (6 chargers per mortar). There are four mortars on each side located at the rear of the ship, two mortars on each side launch depth charges directly out the side of the ship, with the other two are angled, pointing rearwards at approximately 45°. The final component is a 24 shot Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar (with another 24 depth charges in stock to reload it). This mortar is mounted on the bow of the ship and is capable of rapidly shooting 24 depth charges covering an area between about 200 m and 400 m directly in front of the ship. | ||
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
− | <!--''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''--> | + | <!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' --> |
− | The | + | The HMS Spey spawns at the destroyer / large ships spawn, where you can play the HMS Spey frigate as a mini-destroyer and use your decent cannons to engage enemy ships at longer distances. However, its sluggish pace makes is a sitting duck for enemy destroyers in the open. |
− | When | + | When facing smaller ships, the HMS Spey can be used as somewhat of a brawler. You can use your large calibre guns to devastate smaller torpedo boats (if you can hit them) and use the secondary 40 mm cannons to consistently shred fast-moving targets. HMS Spey's large size, some armour, and fairly large crew means it can take a reasonable beating, however ships of powerful autocannons can still rapidly deplete your crew, and short-range torpedo attacks are always a major threat. |
− | A safer option can be to keep out of the immediate area of the main fight use your impressive armament to rain down destruction from a distance while being somewhat safer from enemy return fire and torpedoes. | + | A safer option can be to keep out of the immediate area of the main fight, to use your impressive armament to rain down destruction from a distance while being somewhat safer from enemy return fire and torpedoes. |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
− | <!--''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''--> | + | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> |
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
+ | |||
* Good primary armament | * Good primary armament | ||
− | * Lethal secondary armament | + | * Lethal secondary armament, effective against both ships and aircraft |
− | * Adequate | + | * Adequate anti-aircraft armament |
− | + | * Fairly manoeuvrable, considering its size | |
− | * Fairly manoeuvrable | + | * Can withstand a reasonable amount of damage |
+ | * The rear turret can point quite far forward, allowing you to engage most targets with both main guns | ||
+ | * All turrets can rotate a full 360°, so switching to a target on the opposite side of the ship is less challenging than on some other ships | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
+ | |||
* Fairly slow | * Fairly slow | ||
* Very large target | * Very large target | ||
− | * | + | * No armour protection over essential components |
− | * Turrets susceptible to damage, leaving you in precarious situations | + | * Turrets are susceptible to damage, leaving you in precarious situations |
+ | * Large engine and transmission assembly prone to frequent damage and fires | ||
+ | * Large number of depth charges makes it a tempting target, which, when detonated, can destroy the vessel | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
− | <!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''--> | + | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> |
− | The River-class frigates were developed in the early 1940s on the same premise as the preceding Flower-class corvettes; quick and cheap to build convoy escort vessels which would protect merchant shipping in the North Atlantic from the ever-growing axis submarine threat. Unlike the Flower-class corvettes, however, River-class frigates were larger, had a longer range and were overall more suitable for operations in the North Atlantic. | + | The [[River (Family)|River-class]] frigates were developed in the early 1940s on the same premise as the preceding Flower-class corvettes; quick and cheap to build convoy escort vessels which would protect merchant shipping in the North Atlantic from the ever-growing axis submarine threat. Unlike the Flower-class corvettes, however, River-class frigates were larger, had a longer range and were overall more suitable for operations in the North Atlantic. |
Production of the River-class frigates began in 1941, with the first vessels being completed in the following year. Overall, over 150 River-class frigates would be built throughout WW2, of which only 17 were lost in combat actions. | Production of the River-class frigates began in 1941, with the first vessels being completed in the following year. Overall, over 150 River-class frigates would be built throughout WW2, of which only 17 were lost in combat actions. | ||
Line 113: | Line 144: | ||
River-class frigates primarily served with the Royal Navy, but they also served with many other nations during WW2, such as Canada, Australia, the USA, France, Netherlands and South Africa. They remained popular even after the war, serving with Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, India, Portugal, Egypt, Argentina, Chile and many more nations! The last River-class frigates were decommissioned from military service during the 1970s. | River-class frigates primarily served with the Royal Navy, but they also served with many other nations during WW2, such as Canada, Australia, the USA, France, Netherlands and South Africa. They remained popular even after the war, serving with Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, India, Portugal, Egypt, Argentina, Chile and many more nations! The last River-class frigates were decommissioned from military service during the 1970s. | ||
− | ''- From [ | + | A River-class frigate, HMAS Diamantina is currently a museum ship in Brisbane, Australia. Diamantina was active from 1945 to 1946, was placed in reserve, then was recommissioned as a survey ship from 1959 until 1980. Going aboard shows how small and compact these warships are. |
+ | |||
+ | ''- From [[wt:en/news/6297-development-river-class-k-246-off-shore-defender-en/|Devblog]]'' | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
− | ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' | + | <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> |
+ | |||
+ | ;Skins | ||
+ | |||
+ | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_frigate_river Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
− | <!--''Links to | + | <!-- ''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' |
* ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | * ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | ||
− | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''--> | + | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> |
− | * [[ | + | * [[HMCS Brantford]] |
== External links == | == External links == | ||
− | <!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | + | <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' |
* ''topic on the official game forum;'' | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
− | + | * ''other literature.'' --> | |
− | * ''other literature.''--> | ||
− | |||
− | |||
+ | * [[wt:en/news/6297-development-river-class-k-246-off-shore-defender-en|[Development] River class (K-246): Off shore defender]] | ||
+ | {{ShipManufacturer Smiths Dock Company}} | ||
{{Britain boats}} | {{Britain boats}} | ||
+ | {{Britain premium ships}} |
Latest revision as of 15:04, 7 November 2024
Contents
Description
The River-class, HMS Spey (K-246) is a premium gift rank IV British gunboat with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy" as a reward for the 2019 Operation H.E.A.T event.
General info
Survivability and armour
The River class does not have much in the way of armour. The hull of the ship is made from 8 mm thick steel, with the superstructure being made of 4 mm thick steel. This is enough to repel damage from low calibre machine-guns, but does little against the cannons and autocannons commonly found at this battle rating. The only armour on the ship is around some gun shields.
- Armour Layout
- Ship Construction
- Hull: 8 mm steel
- Superstructure: 4 mm steel
- 5 mm Anti-fragmentation armour - Main calibre (102 mm) turrets gun shields
- 12.7 mm Hardened armour - AA (20 mm) turrets gun shields
Mobility
The River class is not particularly fast, with a top speed less than that of destroyers. However, it is relatively manoeuvrable for its size. Despite this, you must remember the River class is no small vessel. Because of your size, you're a prime target for torpedoes, and you need to be aware of your surroundings and the likely direction of enemy torpedoes if you wish to avoid them in time.
Mobility Characteristics | |||
---|---|---|---|
Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
Forward | Reverse | ||
AB | |||
Upgraded | 53 | 20 | |
RB/SB | |||
Upgraded | 38 | 14 |
Modifications and economy
Armament
Primary armament
The primary armament of the River class consists of two Mark XIX 102 mm cannons, located at the front and rear of the ship. These are powerful cannons at the River class's battle rating; the HE shells can cause devastating damage to torpedo boats and sometimes destroy them in a single salvo. Even against larger ships, the HE shells can cause significant damage, which coupled with the high rate of fire (3 - 3.9 second reload depending on the crew) allows you to kill enemy vessels very quickly.
The semi-armour piecing shells have a fairly good penetration of 137 mm at 1 km, this is better than the SAP shells found on most British destroyers, however the explosive mass is 600 g of TNT, less than the 700 - 900 g usually found on British destroyer guns.
- Primary Armament
- 1 x 102 mm Mark XIX cannon, forward turret, 200 rounds of ammo
- Horizontal guidance: ±180°
- Vertical guidance: -4° / +60°
- Horizontal targeting speed: 10°/s
- Vertical targeting speed: 10°/s
- 1 x 102 mm Mark XIX cannon, aft turret, 200 rounds of ammo
- Horizontal guidance: ±180°
- Vertical guidance: -3° / +60°
- Horizontal targeting speed: 10°/s
- Vertical targeting speed: 8°/s
Penetration statistics | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
4 inch HE | HE | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
4 inch SAP | SAP | 102 | 85 | 64 | 48 | 38 | 30 |
4 inch HE-TF | HE-TF | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
4 inch HE-VT | HE-VT | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Shell details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
4 inch HE | HE | 811 | 15.88 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,550 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
4 inch SAP | SAP | 811 | 17.35 | 0.015 | 5 | 600 | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
4 inch HE-TF | HE-TF | 811 | 15.88 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,550 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
4 inch HE-VT | HE-VT | 811 | 15.88 | 0 | 0.1 | 274 | 18 | 1,550 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Secondary armament
The River class has a very powerful secondary armament of two 40 mm QF Mark VII autocannons. These are mounted in turrets on each side of the ship, just aft of the midpoint. The positioning of these turrets means they can both engage vessels on the same side, in an 80-degree arc from the front of the ship, this allows them to cause substantial damage to enemy ships within this area.
The 40 mm QF Mark VII is an extremely potent weapon, with a good rate of fire, and a shell large enough to pierce most armour found at this tier, it is capable of causing incredible amounts of damage to both enemy ships and aircraft.
- Secondary Armament
- 2 x 40 mm QF Mark VII autocannon, mid-ship turrets, 2,000 rounds of ammo each
- Horizontal guidance: ±180°
- Vertical guidance: -10° / +90°
- Horizontal targeting speed: 40°/s
- Vertical targeting speed: 34°/s
- Universal: AP-T · HEFI-T
- 40 mm HE clips: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T · AP-T
- 40 mm AP clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEFI-T
Penetration statistics | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
HEFI-T | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
AP-T | 81 | 78 | 68 | 58 | 49 | 41 |
Shell details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
HEFI-T | 874 | 0.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 67.13 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
AP-T | 874 | 0.89 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° |
Anti-aircraft armament
In addition to its 40 mm secondary turrets, the River class also has a pair of single Oerlikon Mk.II 20 mm autocannons mounted on each side of the bridge for anti-aircraft use. The Oerlikon's have a decent rate of fire and damage and are more than capable of taking down most aircraft you will face with little issue. It is also possible to use them against lightly armoured enemy ships, however, their damage is fairly limited, and their mediocre gun depression coupled with high mounting location means they cannot effectively engage targets at less than about 200 m range.
- Anti-aircraft Armament
- 2 x 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon, either side of bridge, 2,400 rounds of ammo each
- Horizontal guidance: ±180°
- Vertical guidance: -5° / +65°
Additional armament
The River class can carry a truly staggering assortment of depth charges, of three different types. The first component consists of 34 Mk.VII depth charges, which are dropped into the water from two dispensers on the stern of the ship (in the same manner as on the Flower class). The next component of the River class's depth charge armament consists of 48 Mk.VII depth charges, distributed evenly between 8 depth charge mortars (6 chargers per mortar). There are four mortars on each side located at the rear of the ship, two mortars on each side launch depth charges directly out the side of the ship, with the other two are angled, pointing rearwards at approximately 45°. The final component is a 24 shot Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar (with another 24 depth charges in stock to reload it). This mortar is mounted on the bow of the ship and is capable of rapidly shooting 24 depth charges covering an area between about 200 m and 400 m directly in front of the ship.
Usage in battles
The HMS Spey spawns at the destroyer / large ships spawn, where you can play the HMS Spey frigate as a mini-destroyer and use your decent cannons to engage enemy ships at longer distances. However, its sluggish pace makes is a sitting duck for enemy destroyers in the open.
When facing smaller ships, the HMS Spey can be used as somewhat of a brawler. You can use your large calibre guns to devastate smaller torpedo boats (if you can hit them) and use the secondary 40 mm cannons to consistently shred fast-moving targets. HMS Spey's large size, some armour, and fairly large crew means it can take a reasonable beating, however ships of powerful autocannons can still rapidly deplete your crew, and short-range torpedo attacks are always a major threat.
A safer option can be to keep out of the immediate area of the main fight, to use your impressive armament to rain down destruction from a distance while being somewhat safer from enemy return fire and torpedoes.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good primary armament
- Lethal secondary armament, effective against both ships and aircraft
- Adequate anti-aircraft armament
- Fairly manoeuvrable, considering its size
- Can withstand a reasonable amount of damage
- The rear turret can point quite far forward, allowing you to engage most targets with both main guns
- All turrets can rotate a full 360°, so switching to a target on the opposite side of the ship is less challenging than on some other ships
Cons:
- Fairly slow
- Very large target
- No armour protection over essential components
- Turrets are susceptible to damage, leaving you in precarious situations
- Large engine and transmission assembly prone to frequent damage and fires
- Large number of depth charges makes it a tempting target, which, when detonated, can destroy the vessel
History
The River-class frigates were developed in the early 1940s on the same premise as the preceding Flower-class corvettes; quick and cheap to build convoy escort vessels which would protect merchant shipping in the North Atlantic from the ever-growing axis submarine threat. Unlike the Flower-class corvettes, however, River-class frigates were larger, had a longer range and were overall more suitable for operations in the North Atlantic.
Production of the River-class frigates began in 1941, with the first vessels being completed in the following year. Overall, over 150 River-class frigates would be built throughout WW2, of which only 17 were lost in combat actions.
River-class frigates primarily served with the Royal Navy, but they also served with many other nations during WW2, such as Canada, Australia, the USA, France, Netherlands and South Africa. They remained popular even after the war, serving with Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, India, Portugal, Egypt, Argentina, Chile and many more nations! The last River-class frigates were decommissioned from military service during the 1970s.
A River-class frigate, HMAS Diamantina is currently a museum ship in Brisbane, Australia. Diamantina was active from 1945 to 1946, was placed in reserve, then was recommissioned as a survey ship from 1959 until 1980. Going aboard shows how small and compact these warships are.
- From Devblog
Media
- Skins
See also
External links
Smith's Dock Company | |
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Frigates | |
River-class | HMS Spey |
Britain boats | |
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Motor torpedo boats | Brave Borderer · Dark Aggressor · Dark Aggressor TD · Fairmile D (617) · Fairmile D (697) · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer |
MTB-1(1) · MTB-1(2) · MTB Vosper · MTB Vosper(2) · MTB-422 | |
Motor gun boats | Dark Adventurer · Fairmile A (ML100) · Fairmile B (ML345) · Fairmile C (312) · Fairmile C (332) · Fairmile D (601) · Fairmile H LCS(L)(2) |
HMAS Arrow · HMAS Fremantle · MGB-61 · MGB-75 · ML 1383 · SGB Grey Fox · SGB Grey Goose | |
Gunboats | HMS Spey |
Britain premium ships | |
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Motor torpedo boats | MTB-1(2) · MTB-422 · Fairmile D (5001) · HMS Gay Archer |
Motor gun boats | MGB-75 · SGB Grey Goose |
Gunboats | HMS Spey |
Sub-chasers | LÉ Orla |
Frigates | HMS Whitby |
Destroyers | HMS Montgomery · HMS Valhalla · HMS Verdun · ORP Garland · HMS Jervis · HMCS Haida · HMS Mohawk · HMS Cadiz · HMS Diamond |
Light cruisers | HMS Belfast |
Battleships | HMS Iron Duke |