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Lot Essay
Named in honour of the first H.M.S. Serapis which fought but lost her celebrated engagement with John Paul Jones off Flamborough Head in September 1779, during the American War of Independence, the fifth and last Serapis in the Royal Navy was a product of the Second World War.
Built by Scott's at Greenock, the final Serapis was one of the eight 'Savage' or 'S' class destroyers ordered for the fleet in 1941. All four pairs, two vessels per yard, were laid down the year they were ordered -- Serapis being built alongside Shark on the Scott slipways -- and each was constructed to identical plans. Displacing 1,730 tons (1,801 light and 2,530 deep-loaded), the class measured 363 feet in length overall with a 35½ foot beam and a 20½ foot draught. With a main armament of four 4.7in. guns, they also carried two sets of quadruple torpedo tubes and four depth-charge throwers in addition to their anti-aircraft weaponry. Machinery was basically the same as the 1936 'J' class, namely two Parsons I.R. single reduction turbines generating 40,000shp. and fired from two Admiralty 3-drum boilers to produce a maximum speed of 36 knots. Bunker capacity was for 580 tons of fuel oil and range was calculated at 2,600 miles at 22 knots. Serapis herself achieved a splendid 32.80 knots on her trials, the highest of her class, with Shark the second fastest and none of the others breaking the 32 knot barrier.
Launched on 25th March 1943, Serapis was completed on 23rd December and entered service with pendant number G94 at the turn of the year. After a hectic six months, she was assigned to Force D (Rear-Admiral Patterson) to provide support off 'Sword' beach during 'Operation Overlord', the 'D-Day' Landings on 6th June 1944, and made her own contribution to the overwhelming success of this crucial turning-point in the War. Soon afterwards, she was sent into Norwegian waters for a series of operations against German convoy traffic and assisted with a vital air-mining sortie off Frohavet on 14-15th October as well as a similar mission on the 24th. Next, she found herself on convoy duty to the Arctic when, from 29th October to 6th November, she was one of the vessels escorting the special convoy JW.61A which consisted of two large transports carrying 11,000 liberated Russian prisoners-of-war home to Murmansk. Back off Norway during December, she returned to the Arctic with convoy JW.63 which left Loch Ewe on New Year's Eve and which arrived safely at Kola on 8th January (1945), before returning home with convoy RA.63. The next Arctic convoy, JW.64, proved a triumph for Serapis and the other escorts, as did the homeward-bound RA.64, and she managed to finish the War without significant damage.
One of the many destroyers found to be 'surplus to requirements' once peace came, Serapis was handed over to the depleted Dutch Navy in October 1945 and renamed Piet Hein. Remaining in service for a further sixteen years, she was finally scrapped at Bruges in June 1962.
Built by Scott's at Greenock, the final Serapis was one of the eight 'Savage' or 'S' class destroyers ordered for the fleet in 1941. All four pairs, two vessels per yard, were laid down the year they were ordered -- Serapis being built alongside Shark on the Scott slipways -- and each was constructed to identical plans. Displacing 1,730 tons (1,801 light and 2,530 deep-loaded), the class measured 363 feet in length overall with a 35½ foot beam and a 20½ foot draught. With a main armament of four 4.7in. guns, they also carried two sets of quadruple torpedo tubes and four depth-charge throwers in addition to their anti-aircraft weaponry. Machinery was basically the same as the 1936 'J' class, namely two Parsons I.R. single reduction turbines generating 40,000shp. and fired from two Admiralty 3-drum boilers to produce a maximum speed of 36 knots. Bunker capacity was for 580 tons of fuel oil and range was calculated at 2,600 miles at 22 knots. Serapis herself achieved a splendid 32.80 knots on her trials, the highest of her class, with Shark the second fastest and none of the others breaking the 32 knot barrier.
Launched on 25th March 1943, Serapis was completed on 23rd December and entered service with pendant number G94 at the turn of the year. After a hectic six months, she was assigned to Force D (Rear-Admiral Patterson) to provide support off 'Sword' beach during 'Operation Overlord', the 'D-Day' Landings on 6th June 1944, and made her own contribution to the overwhelming success of this crucial turning-point in the War. Soon afterwards, she was sent into Norwegian waters for a series of operations against German convoy traffic and assisted with a vital air-mining sortie off Frohavet on 14-15th October as well as a similar mission on the 24th. Next, she found herself on convoy duty to the Arctic when, from 29th October to 6th November, she was one of the vessels escorting the special convoy JW.61A which consisted of two large transports carrying 11,000 liberated Russian prisoners-of-war home to Murmansk. Back off Norway during December, she returned to the Arctic with convoy JW.63 which left Loch Ewe on New Year's Eve and which arrived safely at Kola on 8th January (1945), before returning home with convoy RA.63. The next Arctic convoy, JW.64, proved a triumph for Serapis and the other escorts, as did the homeward-bound RA.64, and she managed to finish the War without significant damage.
One of the many destroyers found to be 'surplus to requirements' once peace came, Serapis was handed over to the depleted Dutch Navy in October 1945 and renamed Piet Hein. Remaining in service for a further sixteen years, she was finally scrapped at Bruges in June 1962.