HMS Kelvin
Contents
Description
The K-class, HMS Kelvin (F37), 1939 is a rank II British destroyer with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind".
HMS Kelvin is a member of the trio of J, K, and N classes of destroyers. She is modeled as she was when originally completed in 1939, while her relatives HMS Nepal and HMS Jervis are modeled with their wartime refits. Thus, the Kelvin has weaker anti-aircraft defences than her relatives, in exchange for a heavier torpedo broadside.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Kelvin has absolutely no armour protection other than the gun shields. The main guns have 3.2 mm-thick shields, which will protect against nothing more than light machine gun bullets, while the Vickers .50 cal machine guns have 12.7 mm shields. The hull is standard 16 mm steel, which is resistant to low calibre HE and machine guns, but not much more.
The bow main gun ammunition racks are located slightly below the waterline, but the ones in the stern, as well as the bow secondary ammunition storage, are exposed above the waterline. This makes the Kelvin very vulnerable to ammunition detonation from hits at the waterline, and caution should be taken.
The machinery of the Kelvin is also exposed above the waterline, and she is vulnerable to engine damage as well. In addition, the Kelvin has only one funnel, so if it is destroyed, her mobility will be substantially crippled.
The Kelvin has a crew of 208, which is unremarkable compared to most other destroyers, and substantially worse than the German destroyers, as well as some American ones.
Mobility
The Kelvin has a respectable top speed, and she will easily keep pace with most other destroyers. Her acceleration is good, and she will easily reach her top speed.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 85 | 31 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 69 | 25 | |
Modifications and economy
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Armament
Primary armament
The Kelvin's main armament consists of six QF 4.7-inch Mk. XII guns, four of them in dual-gun bow A and B turrets, with another two in a stern dual-gun X turret. The upper B and X turrets have unrestricted traverse, while the lower A turret is restricted to 145° to either side. Because of this, the Kelvin can bring all of its gun turrets to bear on a target ahead while showing very little broadside. This can make her harder to hit, especially at range and on the move. The maximum elevation is only 40°, which makes them of limited use against aircraft. The traverse speed of the turrets is also somewhat below average.
The guns have a rate-of-fire of 12 rounds/minute while the 30-round first-stage ammunition rack is not empty, dropping down to 10 rounds/minute when they are empty.
The 4.7-inch gun can fire HE, HE-TF, SAP, and HE-VT. HE-VT is flatly superior to HE and HE-TF, hence there is no point using the latter two once HE-VT has been unlocked. It is also very effective against aircraft, though the poor gun elevation means that the Kelvin will often not be able to engage attacking aircraft with the main guns. SAP is useful against armoured targets such as American destroyers with belt armour or light cruiser armour at closer ranges. Due to the smaller calibre, the shells of the 4.7-inch gun generally lack in explosive filler compared to contemporary guns such as the American 5"/38 or the German 12.8 cm guns.
Secondary armament
The secondary armament of the Kelvin consists of a quadruple 2-pounder 'pom-pom' mount. This weapon is mounted amidships, behind the funnel, and is primarily an anti-aircraft weapon. However, it can be very deadly against coastal craft due to its high rate-of-fire and relatively potent 40 mm rounds.
Anti-aircraft armament
In addition to the 'pom-pom' mount, the Kelvin carries two quadruple Vickers .50 cal heavy machine gun turrets. The heavy machine guns have a high rate-of-fire but a fairly long reload. It is effective against aircraft at close range, as well as against unarmoured coastal attack craft, but is mostly useless against armoured targets or other destroyers.
Additional armament
The Kelvin has two quintuple 21-inch torpedo tube mountings located amidships, allowing for a respectable torpedo salvo. Like all British destroyers, however, these mountings have very restricted fields-of-fire, requiring the target to be almost directly abeam of the ship. They also traverse quite slowly and are thus quite risky to use, unless the torpedoes are being fired while out of combat or against unaware opponents.
The 21-inch Mark IX torpedo itself is a rather respectable weapon, with a good range of 9.6 km and a large explosive warhead of 340 kg. It is considerably slower than the American 21-inch Mark 15 and German G7a torpedo, though it has almost double the range and a much larger warhead than the American weapon. This range can be extended further by installing the torpedo mode modification, if necessary.
The Kelvin also has two 'Y-gun' depth charge throwers located behind the aft torpedo tubes. These cannot be aimed, and are thus very rarely useful at all.
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).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 360° traverse on the B and X turrets.
- Main guns are concentrated forward.
- Large torpedo broadside, with long range, hard-hitting torpedoes.
- Access to HE-VT shells.
- Accurate main guns.
- Above average top speed and mobility.
Cons:
- Non-existent armour protection.
- Only one funnel.
- Above-waterline ammunition racks.
- Very restricted torpedo tube firing arcs.
- Below average anti-aircraft defences.
History
The K class, HMS Kelvin (F37) was a British destroyer of the K class, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Designed as a follow up to the preceding J class, the ship was designed as a Tribal-class destroyer with more focus on guns and less focus on torpedoes. HMS Kelvin was laid down in October of 1937 and commissioned by November of 1939. She saw some service during the Second World War, including the task of transporting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the English Channel after the D-Day invasion. HMS Kelvin survived the war, and was scrapped by 1949.
Design
The J, K and N class destroyers were a group of three classes of destroyers built as a follow up to the preceding Tribal class. At that point in time, the British Admiralty experienced a shift in destroyer doctrine which favoured guns over torpedoes - this trend was continued through the war until the introduction of the Battle class. HMS Kelvin was armed with a main armament of three twin 4.7 inch (119 mm) QF Mark XII dual-purpose main guns, with two fore and one aft. She also carried a secondary armament of a single quad pom-pom anti aircraft gun, along with two quadruple 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns. HMS Kelvin did not carry any torpedo tubes, but could carry depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. Powered by steam turbines delivering 44,000 shp, she could make 36 knots (67 km/h).
Operational History
The HMS Kelvin was commissioned by November of 1939 and entered service with the British Navy in the British 5th Destroyer Flotilla. She would later scuttle the destroyer HMS Ivanhoe after the latter struck a mine during the Texel disaster. She escorted the battleship HMS Revenge as she bombarded the port of Cherbourg, and was subsequently reassigned to the British Mediterranean fleet under Admiral James Somerville.
After arriving in the Mediterranean theatre, HMS Kelvin's first action was to bombard the town of Benghazi with her sister ships Kashmir, Kelly and Kipling. She survived this action with little loss of life, but needed repairs and was thus sent all the way to Bombay in India. By March 1942, she had returned to the Mediterranean, and took part in the Second Battle of Sirte, where her convoy was attacked by a formidable Italian force including the battleship Littorio.
Later in 1942, Kelvin contributed to the sinking of the Italian torpedo boat Lupo, alongside the J-class destroyers Jervis, Janus and Javelin. In January of 1943, she bombarded the port city of Zuwara which culminated in the Battle off Zuwara, where the destroyers sank an Italian convoy attempting to evacuate from Tripoli. She then left the Mediterranean theatre yet again, to be refitted back in the UK. In June of 1944, she transported the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, along with various other foreign leaders, across the English Channel to inspect the troops that had landed in the D-Day landings. She then returned to the Mediterranean theatre, where she would stay for the rest of the war. HMS Kelvin survived the war and was broken up for scrap in 1949; she earned eight battle stars for her service during the Second World War.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
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;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
References
- Mason, G. B. (2004). HMS Kelvin, Destroyer. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-39K-HMS_Kelvin.htm
- Helgason, G. (1995). HMS Kelvin (F37). Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4458.html
| Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers | |
| G-class | ORP Garland |
| K-class | HMS Kelvin |
| Battle-class | HMS Cadiz |
| Hunt-class | La Combattante* |
| Light Cruisers | |
| Town-class | HMS Liverpool |
| Heavy Cruisers | |
| County-class | HMS Norfolk |
| Battlecruisers | |
| Renown-class | HMS Renown |
| *HMS Haldon in French service | |
| Britain destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Town-class | HMS Churchill · HMS Montgomery |
| V-class | HMS Valhalla · HMS Vega · HMS Verdun |
| G-class | HMS Grafton · ORP Garland |
| Hunt-class | HMS Calpe · HMS Brissenden |
| Tribal-class | HMCS Haida · HMS Eskimo · HMS Mohawk |
| J-class | HMS Jervis |
| K-class | HMS Kelvin |
| N-class | HMAS Nepal |
| Battle-class | HMS Armada · HMS Cadiz · HMAS Tobruk |
| Daring-class | HMS Daring · HMS Diamond · HMS Diana |
