HMS Venus (R50)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Venus.

Venus in August 1943
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Venus
Ordered	1 September 1941
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Scotland
Laid down	12 January 1942
Launched	23 February 1943
Commissioned	28 August 1943
Identification	Pennant number:R50 Later F50
Honours and awards	Arctic 1943-44 Normandy 1944 Malaya 1945 Burma 1945
Fate	Sold for scrap in 1972
Badge	On a Field Blue, the symbol of the planet Venus Gold.
General characteristics V-class destroyer
Class and type	V-class destroyer
Displacement	1,777 long tons (1,806 t) standard 2,058 long tons (2,091 t) full load
Length	363 ft (111 m)
Beam	35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Draught	10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion	2 × Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers Geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp (29,828 kW) 2 shafts
Speed	37 knots (43 mph; 69 km/h)
Range	4,860 nmi (9,000 km) at 29 kn (54 km/h)
Complement	180 (225 in flotilla leader)
Armament	Original configuration : 4 × QF 4.7-inch (120-mm) Mk XII guns in single mountings CP Mk.XXII 2 × QF 40 mm Bofors guns in twin mount Mk.IV 6 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns; 2 × twin mounts Mk.V, 2 × single mounts Mk.III 2 × quadruple tubes for 21 in (533 mm) torpedo Mk.IX
General characteristics Type 15 frigate
Class and type	Type 15 frigate
Displacement	2,300 long tons (2,337 t) standard
Length	358 ft (109 m) o/a
Beam	37 ft 9 in (11.51 m)
Draught	14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Propulsion	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, steam turbines on 2 shafts, 40,000 shp
Speed	31 knots (36 mph; 57 km/h) (full load)
Complement	174
Sensors and processing systems	Radar Type 293Q target indication (later Type 993) Type 277Q surface search Type 974 navigation Type 262 fire control on director CRBF Type 1010 Cossor Mark 10 IFF Sonar: Type 174 search Type 162 target classification Type 170 attack
Armament	1 × twin 4 in gun Mark 19 1 × twin 40mm Bofors Mk.5; 2 × Squid A/S mortar or; 2 × Limbo Mark 10 A/S mortar

HMS Venus was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, of Govan, Scotland and launched on 23 February 1943.

Service history

Second World War service

She was part of the escorting destroyers of the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron involved in Operation Dracula from April to May 1945.

She participated in the Battle of the Malacca Strait with the destroyers Saumarez, Verulam, Vigilant, and Virago which culminated in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser Haguro on 16 May 1945.

Post war service

Between 1946 and 1949 Venus was part of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, based in the Mediterranean. This included work as part of the Royal Navy patrols preventing illegal Jewish immigration into Mandatory Palestine. In June 1946 she intercepted Josiah Wedgewood.

On 2 August 1946 the British oil tanker Empire Cross exploded, burned and sank in Haifa Roads, Palestine, killing 25 people. Virago and Venus took part in the rescue of survivors. Venus and Virago had been dropping depth charges in the area to deter Haganah frogmen from planting limpet mines.

Between 1949 and 1951 she was held in reserve at Devonport Dockyard. Between 1951 and 1952 she was converted at Devonport into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F50. Following conversion she became leader of the 6th Frigate Squadron. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955 she was refitted for work as part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron.

Decommissioning and disposal

In 1964 Venus went to reserve and in October 1969 was in use as a target to measure the effects of ship to ship use of the Sea Dart missile system. She was sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrapping and arrived at their Briton Ferry yard on 20 December 1972 to be broken up.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN 0-85680-010-4.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.