Description[]
HMS Swift was another child of Admiral Lord Fishers efforts to renew the Royal Navy. He sought to eliminate light cruisers from the fleet and opted for a smaller and faster vessel to take their role. The prototype for this new kind of vessel was to be HMS Swift, about twice the size of an average destroyer and fitted with a large oil-fired power plant to allow for 39 knots top speed. Unfortunately, the design proved to be flawed in many ways. Despite the shipyard claiming she had reached her contracted speed on trials, she was barely able to reach 35 knots. Her high-performance power plant severely limited her range and made her unsuitable for scouting duties, and due to her light build and armour protection, she proved to be a poor sea boat. Nevertheless, as the war dragged on, she was followed by other enlarged destroyers which were intended to be leader ships of destroyer flotillas and subsequently received this class description. As the only destroyer-sized vessel of the Royal Navy, she carries a 6" gun on the forecastle.
Ship data
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Relative combat value: 242
Basic damage control capacity: 57%
Dimensions
Displacement: 2170 tons
Length: 108 m
Width: 10 m
Draught: 4 m
Standard crew: 126
Performance
Maximum speed (undamaged): 35 knots
Endurance: 3150 km
Coal capacity: 282 tons
Armour protection
Conning tower armour: 0
Hull armour: 0
Main belt armour: 0
Deck armour: 0
Best armour type: None
Armament
1 x 6in BL Mk XII(PVII), centrally controlled. Ammo: 100 rounds
2 x 4in BL Mk VIII, centrally controlled. Ammo: 240 rounds
2 x 18in Mk VII Torpedoes, centrally controlled. Ammo: 2 torpedoes