Difference between revisions of "HMS Eskimo"

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{{About
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{{Specs-Card
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| about = British Destroyer '''''HMS'' Eskimo'''
 
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|usage = other ships of her class
 
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|link = Tribal (Family)
 
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}}{{Specs-Card
 
 
|code=uk_destroyer_tribal
 
|code=uk_destroyer_tribal
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 
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== 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: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea"]] as part of the British fleet closed beta test.
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'''HMS Eskimo (F75)''' was a member of the [[Tribal (Family)|Tribal-class]] destroyers. Larger and more heavily armed than the previous I class, HMS Eskimo was designed to counter the large destroyers being built abroad and to increase the firepower of the destroyers already in service. Throughout World War II, HMS Eskimo saw action in Burma, the English Channel, Norway, and the Mediterranean. HMS Eskimo served as a hospital ship and a headquarters ship following the war. In 1949, it was finally used as a practice target before being scrapped.
  
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HMS Eskimo, pennant number F75, part of the Tribal class, was a fleet destroyer finished during December 1938. She was intended to provide counter-destroyer firepower and support the combat flotillas, she served in this role throughout the Second World War. 
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Introduced in [[Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea"]], HMS Eskimo excels best as a gunnery ship. Even at a great distance, HMS Eskimo can easily defeat other destroyers owing to the enormous calibre and accuracy of its main armament. Furthermore, the front of HMS Eskimo houses the majority of its main armament. This means that HMS Eskimo can inflict significant damage while maintaining a small profile. This, along with its quick speed and sufficient auxiliary armament, can make HMS Eskimo a great support/escort ship, even in high-ranked battles.
  
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Following an intermission from the escort destroyer role, the HMS Eskimo offers an offensive hit-and-run approach to the British destroyers; very comparable to the [[G-class (H89)]]. Mainly by the superior firepower of six 120 mm main guns, each one firing devastating 3 kg High Explosive shells in quickfire rate: initially of 12 rounds per minute!
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== General info ==
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Painted under a dark grey hull, and a black coloured stripe all around her waterline, the Eskimo's raised freeboard distance and raked bow can be easily highlighted from other latter destroyers. Despite using a fairly conventional main weaponry layout which will be seen in several other British destroyer classes, the Eskimo can be also differentiated by her turret located in the aftmost part of the ship.
  
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Of course, when regarding destroyers, is not all about firepower but also about the increased top speed; unachieved on the earlier escort destroyer. The now fairly average survivability and auxiliary armaments surely will assist captains in control of this well-balanced combat destroyer.
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The main downside to the Tribal is its vulnerability. Not only is it far from the smallest destroyer, making it a big target, but it's also built out of ammo racks.
  
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== General info ==
 
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
{{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.'' -->
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
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The Eskimo is lightly armoured overall. anti-fragmentation armour plates no thicker than 12.7 mm protect most of the gun emplacements. While the main turrets are protected by 3.2 mm of anti-fragmentation armour. As seen on the [[G-class (H89)|HMS Grafton]] and previous destroyers, this anti-fragmentation armour is mainly effective in protecting the gun breech versus HE shells. Any other type of shell is likely to go through this type of armour and disable the turret. 
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The Eskimo is lightly armoured overall. anti-fragmentation armour plates no thicker than 12.7 mm protect most of the gun emplacements. While the main turrets are protected by 3.2 mm of anti-fragmentation armour. As seen on the [[HMS Grafton]] and previous destroyers, this anti-fragmentation armour is mainly effective in protecting the gun breech versus HE shells. Any other type of shell is likely to go through this type of armour and disable the turret.
  
 
Regarding survivability, the Eskimo is packed with a lot of ammunition storages for the quick-firing high calibre main and secondary cannons. The most dangerous zones are the bow and the stern. There is no armour whether above or below the waterline; and the area is not even effectively protected by fuel tanks. This means an accurate enemy salvo is likely to cause ammunition damage or a catastrophic detonation of the ammo magazines. The ammunition storages are not limited within the hull, but as another drawback of the high rate of fire, there are large quantities of ready-use ammo racks near most of the high-calibre cannons. SAP and APCBC shells are likely to cause a lot of damage to all the ammo storages since they are only protected by steel boxes.
 
Regarding survivability, the Eskimo is packed with a lot of ammunition storages for the quick-firing high calibre main and secondary cannons. The most dangerous zones are the bow and the stern. There is no armour whether above or below the waterline; and the area is not even effectively protected by fuel tanks. This means an accurate enemy salvo is likely to cause ammunition damage or a catastrophic detonation of the ammo magazines. The ammunition storages are not limited within the hull, but as another drawback of the high rate of fire, there are large quantities of ready-use ammo racks near most of the high-calibre cannons. SAP and APCBC shells are likely to cause a lot of damage to all the ammo storages since they are only protected by steel boxes.
  
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Another aspect to consider is the constant loss of the ship's control. The transmission and engine rooms are located in an easily targetable area. There is no fuel tank or armour plates to protect none of them from enemy fire, unlike adversaries as the German destroyer [[Type 1936A]] or the Italian [[Corazziere]] which are decently protected with fuel tanks in those areas.
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Another aspect to consider is the constant loss of the ship's control. The transmission and engine rooms are located in an easily targetable area. There is no fuel tank or armour plates to protect none of them from enemy fire, unlike adversaries as the German destroyer [[Z25]] or the Italian [[RN Corazziere]] which are decently protected with fuel tanks in those areas.
  
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A complement of 260 members remains average amongst the majority of destroyers at the rank: average of 267. While it is significantly less than most of the German adversaries, with an average of 325 crew members in their destroyers at the same battle rating. ''This places the Tribal class at a tactical disadvantage when duelling with all German destroyers''.
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A complement of 260 members remains average amongst the majority of destroyers at the rank: average of 267. While it is significantly less than most of the German adversaries, with an average of 325 crew members in their destroyers at the same battle rating. This places the Tribal class at a tactical disadvantage when duelling with all German destroyers.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
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Eskimo's mobility should be deemed adequate but not perfect. The Tribal class was repurposed as fleet destroyers, and as such, the mobility performs fine enough to attend to the needs of flexible anti-air support for cruisers fleets or, while performing a flanking attack throughout naval engagements. The Tribal class were fitted with three Admiralty three-drum boilers that power two Parsons geared turbines generating 34,000hp which translates into 67 km/per hour, in about 28 seconds.
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<!-- ''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.'' -->
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{{NavalMobility}}
  
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The top speed is averagely on par or in few cases inferior against most German destroyers at the rank II and rank III. Thus is likely no real mobility advantage can be played over German counterparts. Versus similarly ranked Japanese or Italian destroyers, the opposite occurs. Though minimal in some instances, the Eskimo might have the upper hand in catching up with enemy destroyers such as [[IJN Yuudachi]], [[IJN Kiyoshimo]] and [[IJN Ayanami]]. 
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The Eskimo's mobility should be deemed adequate but not perfect. The Tribal class was repurposed as fleet destroyers, and as such, the mobility performs fine enough to attend to the needs of flexible anti-air support for cruisers fleets, or while performing a flanking attack throughout naval engagements. The Tribal class was fitted with three Admiralty three-drum boilers that powered two Parsons geared turbines generating 34,000 hp which translates into 67 km/h, reached in about 28 seconds.
  
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Do not forget about some other destroyers as the Japanese [[IJN Shimakaze]] and the Soviets, [[Tashkent (leader)|Tashkent]] and [[Moskva (leader)|Moskva]]; these feature outstanding top speed over 80 km/h. Thus is crucial to quickly assess these mobility disparities when gunnery leading a successful salvo on such swift enemies. {{NavalMobility}}
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The top speed is averagely on par or in few cases inferior against most German destroyers at ranks II and III. Thus it is likely no real mobility advantage can be played over German counterparts. Versus similarly ranked Japanese or Italian destroyers, the opposite occurs. Though minimal in some instances, the Eskimo might have the upper hand in catching up with enemy destroyers such as [[IJN Yuudachi]], [[IJN Kiyoshimo]] and [[IJN Ayanami]].
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Do not forget about some other destroyers as the Japanese [[IJN Shimakaze]] and the Soviet [[Tashkent]] and [[Moskva]]: these feature outstanding top speed over 80 km/h. Therefore, it is crucial to quickly assess these mobility disparities when gunnery is leading a successful salvo on such swift enemies.
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
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=== Primary armament ===
 
=== Primary armament ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
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<!-- ''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|4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII (120 mm)}}
 
{{main|4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII (120 mm)}}
  
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''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.''
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The Tribal class was the most modern, largest and heavily armed British destroyer class during the early stages of World War II. This is noticeable in the Eskimo's emphasis on absolute firepower. She is armed with 6 x 4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII cannons in 3 turrets, each one capable of firing 3 kg of explosives in a total broadside at effective distances of around 10 km. Because of the double cannon mountings, the salvo accuracy should be properly preserved under these large distances, despite the gun ballistics not having a nearly flat trajectory.
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The initial rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute is reasonably effective during the first moments of a battle, but once the ready-use ammo rack is spent, the fire rate decreases to 10 shots per minute, though this still remains an advantageous rate of fire versus most Japanese, Italian, Soviet and some German destroyers, with their guns firing at a fixed 8 rounds per minute. The Eskimo's firepower generally outmatches in quantity, flexibility, and explosive damage to the majority of German destroyers around her battle rating. But it severely falls back in the rate of fire, to ships such as the [[Type 1936 (Family)|German Type 1936 destroyers]] having an initial fire rate of 18 rounds per minute.
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Preferring a heavy calibre armament and anti-air defences over torpedoes, the Eskimo is capable of engaging most destroyers around her rank with HE shells. With some skills and tactics, it can even counter some early light cruisers as the [[IJN Isuzu]] and [[IJN Kuma]] with the correct use of SAP rounds, although extended duels against cruisers are not advised. Also, the 4-inch dual-mounted gun located towards the aft of the ship can be a nasty surprise for coastal vessels trying to get the jump on the Tribal.
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With the multipurpose CPXIX turret mountings, all 6 main guns can provide heavy anti-aircraft fire, when using either the HE-VT or the HE-TF. Yet the flaw of these turret mountings is the insufficient elevation angles of only 40°, an inherited drawback from the previous CPXVII mounting found on the [[HMS Grafton]].
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{{:4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII (120 mm)/Ammunition|4.7 inch HE Mk.VIIA, 4.7 inch SAP Mk.VA, 4.7 inch HE-TF Mk.VIIA, 4.7 inch HE-VT Mk.VIIA}}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
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<!-- ''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|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
 
{{main|4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)}}
  
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''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.''
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A single 4 inch/45 Mark XVI mounting is present in the auxiliary role.
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Although limited in quantity, the dual 102 mm turret is sure to provide a very respectable anti-air defence and supporting fire versus seaborne targets. The Mark XVI can be considered as one of the best support guns available for the British bluewater fleet. This is due to its great initial fire rate of 20 rounds per minute, nearly 90° elevation angles and various shell options; also very intimidating to any small boat because of the hullbreaking stopping power.
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The rather limited ammunition and the aftward location of the emplacement will be the weaknesses of this gun. Most of the time players will need to decide, based on their strategy, to load more anti-air shells or load HE and SAP for sea targets. Once researched, HE-VT is recommended for air coverage as it will explode more accurately near the targeted aircraft. The targeting is speed is fairly slow but this could be aided by the mobility of the vessel itself.
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{{:4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)/Ammunition|4 inch HE, 4 inch SAP, 4 inch HE-TF, 4 inch HE-VT}}
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
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<!-- ''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|2pdr QF Mk.IIc (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}
 
{{main|2pdr QF Mk.IIc (40 mm)|20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)|Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)}}
  
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''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.''
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The anti-air armament consists of a pair of single mounted 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannons, each one is located on either side of the bridge. Another 2 mountings of 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine guns are located amidship, in between the funnels. Lastly, a single mounting of a quadruple 40 mm 'pom-pom' gun is located just aftward the torpedo tubes, in a superstructure.
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These anti-aircraft guns will create what can be seen as the last layer of air defence for the Eskimo.
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Firstly, the 40 mm 'pom-pom' gun will outrange the 12.7 mm Vickers machine guns and 20 mm Oerlikon cannons when attacking air targets; with a range of 4 km. Also helping the auxiliary 102 mm gun when dealing with high altitude threats diving from the air coverage dead zone of the Eskimo. Since the main batteries will be unable to deal with dive bombers as the [[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87s]], the preservation of the ship will be relegated to this quadruple set of 2 pounder guns and the auxiliary gun.
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When it comes to range, the Oerlikon guns will be the second to open fire (about 2 km), their stopping power can be arguably good, depending on the armour of the aircraft attacking. The main disadvantage of the mounting is the poor density of fire since only a single gun is available per side. The elevation angle of only 50° is another concern, meaning that any aircraft attacking from high or distant enough, will remain untouched by the 20 mm cannons.
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Here is where the seemingly insufficient and obsolete 12.7 mm machine guns can do their part, although limited to only about a 1 kilometre of effectiveness, they bring a dense light anti-aircraft fire with the flexibility to aim up to 75° degrees. They are likely to not cause a lot of instantaneous stopping damage, but their blazing tracer rounds can help to discourage and intimidate reckless enemy pilots - lighting fires is also a possibility, especially on Japanese aircraft as the [[P1Y1 mod. 11 "Ginga"]], [[A6M3]] or [[B7A2]] .
  
 
=== Additional armament ===
 
=== Additional armament ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
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{{main|Mk.IX (533 mm)|Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge}}
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<!-- ''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.'' -->
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{{main|Mk.IX** (533 mm)|Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge}}
  
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''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.''
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Anti-submarine roles were not largely envisaged for the Tribal class, thus the Eskimo is barely equipped with few depth charges and absent of any mine-laying types of equipment. An important contrast from other destroyers such as the [[Hunt (Family)|Hunt-class]] destroyers or the [[HMS Spey|River-class]] frigates, which are heavily equipped with explosive ASW equipment.
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The torpedo weaponry is quite reduced since the Tribal class was meant to favour heavy artillery power rather than a lightly armed torpedo-carrying destroyer. Also the torpedoes lack the speed of more contemporary torpedoes, though they do pack a big punch if they score a hit.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
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<!--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).-->
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<!-- ''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).'' -->
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While the Tribal can fill numerous roles (and works well as a general all-rounder destroyer), it excels best as a gunnery ship. Thanks to the hefty calibre of its shells, as well as the accuracy of the guns, the Tribal can give other destroyers a good beating even from a distance. In addition, the concentration of 2/3rds of the Tribal's guns at the front of the ship means the Tribal can still pump out a good amount of damage while keeping a small profile. Still, if the Tribal's position is relatively safe from being shot at, don't be afraid to swing the rear turret around and let rip.
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Combined with its fast speed and adequate auxiliary armament, this can make the Tribal an excellent support/escort ship during uptiers or higher ranked battles. Keep in mind the ship's 4.7-inch guns will begin to struggle against cruisers so they should maybe be repurposed towards air defence or fast attack craft, all trying to keep the Tribal away from close quarters fighting.
  
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While the Tribal can fill numerous roles (and works well as a general all-rounder destroyer), it excels best as a gunnery ship. Thanks to the hefty calibre of its shells, as well as the accuracy of the guns, the Tribal can give other destroyers a good beating even from a distance. In addition, the concentration of 2/3rds of the Tribal's guns at the front of the ship means the Tribal can still pump out a good amount of damage while keeping a small profile. Still, if the Tribal's position is relatively safe from being shot at, don't be afraid to swing the rear turret around and let rip. While the rate-of-fire (RoF) of the guns is nothing special compared to some of the 4.7+ destroyers, it's more than enough for 4.3
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{{Notice|HMS Eskimo might suffer at close quarters, due to poor main gun traverse speed, no armour and average crew size.}}
  
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The Tribal does also boast a hefty secondary armament for a destroyer. The 4-inch dual-mounted gun located towards the aft of the ship can also damage enemy destroyers, and can be a nasty surprise for coastal ships trying to get the jump on the Tribal. In addition, the Tribal is littered with AA guns that can make short work of both aircraft big and small, and torpedo boats. Combined with the Tribal's fast speed, this can make the Tribal an excellent support/escort ship if brought into higher-rank games, where the ship's 4.7-inch guns will begin to struggle against cruisers.
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The Tribal class possessed heavy armament and decent mobility, as such, it was used for the most intense battles and because of this same reason, they suffered a lot of casualties. This illustrates how to engage in battles more safely, heading to a new concept for British destroyers in the Bluewater fleet: Accurate gunnery.
  
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The main downside to the Tribal is its vulnerability. Not only is it far from the smallest destroyer, making it a big target, but it's also built out of ammo racks. The ready-use ammo located on the deck, as well as the thousands of shells under the turrets, can cause very unwelcome detonations from well-aimed enemy fire. The Tribal also suffers at close quarters, due to the mediocre traverse speed of the main turrets, and its lackluster torpedoes, which are few in number and lack the speed of contemporary torpedoes (though they do pack a big punch if they hit). Keep the Tribal away from close quarters fighting however, and it can out-gun its opponents at long range comfortably.
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The act of accurate gunnery means a lot in the Tribal class, mainly based on the unarmoured ship and reduced crew complement in pro of increasing the offensive capabilities of the class. Inside the Tribal class, Eskimo is the precise definition of gunnery thanks to the six devastating main calibre cannons, therefore her playstyle should be based on outranging other destroyers, while Eskimo lands accurate fire from the safety of distance. Ideally, the way to do this is to reach for the farthest areas of the map, where the enemy's poor gunnery skill will be given away.
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It is important to tame this distant gunnery gameplay since it will be crucial for all other Royal Navy's destroyers with similar capacities such as [[HMAS Nepal]], [[HMS Kelvin]], [[HMS Jervis]], and [[HMCS Haida]]. All of those destroyers will share similar endurance, crew complement, main firepower, and mobility.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
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* Numerous auxiliary and anti-air weaponry, as well as some torpedoes (4) and depth charges  
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* Numerous auxiliary and anti-air weaponry, as well as some torpedoes (4) and depth charges
 
* Primary guns have great precision even at long ranges (~10 km)
 
* Primary guns have great precision even at long ranges (~10 km)
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* Dual purpose guns; HE-VT shells for primary and secondary guns makes it easy to destroy aircraft  
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* Dual purpose guns; HE-VT shells for primary and secondary guns makes it easy to destroy aircraft
 
* 3 kg of explosive in the HE shells is great versus other destroyers and small vessels
 
* 3 kg of explosive in the HE shells is great versus other destroyers and small vessels
 
* Top speed is average, but amongst the fastest Bluewater ships on the British Naval Tree
 
* Top speed is average, but amongst the fastest Bluewater ships on the British Naval Tree
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* The destroyer with the largest crew complement of the British rank II  
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* The destroyer with the largest crew complement of the British rank II
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
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== History ==
 
== History ==
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''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).''
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<!-- ''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).'' -->
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Despite the Tribal class being originally designed to be light cruisers, HMS Eskimo quickly find herself outmatched in the everchanging battle for naval supremacy. Consequently, she was recategorized as a destroyer, with a fleet support role in mind. She was laid down in 1936 and was ready for service in March 1939. Her service life was challenged with a lot of battles and situations through which opportunely, she outlived all, unlike many sister ships of her class.
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Her first taste of battle came at home, during her stance at Royal Navy base Scapa Flow. She was being repaired of turbine problems, when on 17th October, the Luftwaffe undertook the first bombings in British territories, this time directed to the naval base and the ships stationed there, Eskimo amongst them. During the air raid, she supported bringing down an aircraft. After the attack, she ran in support of HMS Iron Duke which was damaged by the attack.
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This brief confrontation with four Ju 88 bombers of the Kampfgeschwader 1/30 proved an invaluable experience since it was then acknowledged how ineffective the elevation angles of the main calibre guns were against aircraft. This lead to later modifications such as the unmounting of one of the main twin 4.7 in guns and replacing it with a set of 4 inch/45 Mark XVI 102 mm guns and additional 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, amongst other search radar and rangefinding technologies for enhanced anti-air defence.
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After patrol and escort duties near the Home Fleet, Eskimo had another major trial of fire, this time, the Second Battle of Narvik, in April 1940. She was appointed escort as part of a task force comprising numerous ships, such as HMS Repulse, Rodney, and Valiant. This campaign in Norwegian waters proved to be as fierce as the First Battle of Narvik, and arguably the gravest moment for the Eskimo and her crew.
 +
 
 +
'''Battle at Narvik'''
 +
 
 +
Attached to the battleship HMS Warspite and other eight destroyers, the battlegroup was tasked to clean up the German destroyer presence in the Ofotfjord inlet, all the way past Narvik town.
 +
 
 +
On 13th April, around midday, the combat group of Warspite including Eskimo made their entrance into the Norwegian fjord. The stakes were high as it was unknown the number of submarines in the area, originally thought to be one but in reality more than five. The eight German destroyers in the area seem stranded, likely low on fuel. After passing Baroy, Eskimo and the other British destroyers took the lead of the advance, waiting for a sure German ambush. Warspite's Swordfish planes were dispatched to scout all corners of the fjord. The first German destroyer to be spotted was Hans Lüdemann; everyone involved in the battle was now advised of the action to unfold.
 +
 
 +
The fjord soon became full of torpedoes as Eskimo and the British warships advanced, more German destroyers were meeting up the fight. The aircraft carrier HMS Furious sent more Swordfish support, which greatly helped in evading torpedoes. After gunnery duels, the German ships were running low on ammunition. Eskimo was busy pursuing Hermann Künne deeper in the fjord when the destroyer Erich Giese noticed her passing and launched torpedoes, which missed. Some of the allied destroyers were having a rough time dealing with damage thus they decided to retreat. Eskimo continued the pursuit along with HMS Forester until Hermann Künne beached in Herjangsfjord, where Eskimo torpedoed her; by then all the crew had already abandoned the ship and no casualties occurred.
 +
[[File:HMS Eskimo's photo damage.jpg|thumb|261x261px|Eskimo<nowiki>'</nowiki>s bow damaged; docked at a Norwegian port before sailing to England.]]
 +
Around 2 p.m., Eskimo and Forester advanced steadily into the Rombaksfjord. Signalled by Swordfish surveillance, Eskimo was told about more enemy ships further in the fjord. Eskimo and Forester decided to proceed and brawl with the destroyers rather than waiting for the other destroyers to link up. The narrower inlet became a problem to the British ships as the torpedoes became harder to dodge. Georg Thiele was nearly out of torpedoes but as last luck, her last torpedo hit directly on the bow of Eskimo. The badly damaged Eskimo kept fighting with the remaining turrets but then retreated in reverse due to the vast damage, with the help of Forester.
 +
 
 +
Valiantly leading and surviving the whole naval assault on Narvik, she was sent off for repair. She spent the majority of 1940-1942 as escort for the bigger ships of the Home Fleet or as escort of convoys, without major incidences.
 +
 
 +
On 12th July 1943, while part of Operation Husky, she was attacked by German dive bombers. A small bomb landed directly on the Eskimo, causing damage to the gear room and fires on the ship. 19 crewmembers perished while another 22 were injured. After the ship was brought to sailable conditions she was towed to base for repair and armament refits. This proved once more how the limited dual-purpose design of the CPXIX mounting could be used by enemy aircraft diving from above the blind spot of the Eskimo.
 +
 
 +
{{Notice|Of the twelve Tribal class destroyed, six were sunk by aerial strike, two more were damaged.}}
 +
 
 +
Her life would event rather quietly until June 1944, where she took part in minor surface engagements versus German destroyers, near Isle de Bas. She sank the ZH1 and helped in the attack of other German destroyers. A few days later along with HMCS Haida, she attacked the submarine U-971 on the English channel. The submarine was first spotted and attacked by a Czech Liberator bomber, who then voiced over the location to the two ships. Once at the scene, Eskimo released depth charges which effectively made the submarine rise to the surface, just to be met by the heavy fire of the ships. The submarine sustained heavy damage and was evacuated by the crew which was taken onboard the ships.
 +
 
 +
'''Eskimo<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fate'''
 +
 
 +
In the last year of the war, she was appointed to serve in the Far East theatre, where she worked alongside other Australian Tribal classes in dealing with the remnants of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the end of the war in Europe, she was sent home on 4th November 1945.
 +
 
 +
Having a very respectable survivor status as one of the four Tribal classes remaining from the total 16 built, Eskimo was sold for scrapping on 27th June 1949.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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;Skins
 
;Skins
  
−
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=ship&vehicleClass=destroyer&vehicle=uk_destroyer_tribal Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
+
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_destroyer_tribal Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
Line 110: Line 174:
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
  
−
'''Shared operational history'''
+
;Related development
  
−
* [[J-class (Flotilla leader)]]
+
* [[Tribal (Family)]]
  
−
'''Related development (same class)'''
+
;Shared operational history
  
−
* [[Haida (G63)]]
+
* [[HMS Jervis]]
  
−
'''Analogues on other nations'''
+
;Analogues on other nations
  
 
* [[Fletcher (Family)]]
 
* [[Fletcher (Family)]]
−
* [[USS Phelps (DD-360)]]
+
* [[USS Phelps]]
−
* [[Type 1934A (1940)]]
+
* [[Z12 Erich Giese]]
−
* [[Type 1936B]]
+
* [[Z43]]
 
* [[Pr.7U (Family)]]
 
* [[Pr.7U (Family)]]
 
* [[IJN Shimakaze]]
 
* [[IJN Shimakaze]]
Line 134: Line 198:
  
 
* [[wt:en/news/4666-development-tribal-class-destroyer-en|[Devblog] Tribal-class destroyer]]
 
* [[wt:en/news/4666-development-tribal-class-destroyer-en|[Devblog] Tribal-class destroyer]]
 +
* [https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-34Tribal-HMS_Eskimo.htm <nowiki>[Naval History.net]</nowiki> Full service record of HMS Eskimo]
 +
 +
=== References ===
 +
 +
;Bibliography
 +
 +
* British Destroyer vs German Destroyer: Narvik 1940, David Greentree, David Campbell, 2018.
 +
* British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After, Norman Friedman, 2006.
  
 +
{{Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs}}
 
{{Britain destroyers}}
 
{{Britain destroyers}}

Latest revision as of 11:28, 25 November 2023

HMS Eskimo
uk_destroyer_tribal.png
GarageImage HMS Eskimo.jpg
ArtImage HMS Eskimo.png
HMS Eskimo
Britain flag.png Britain
II Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
4.3 4.3 4.3
Class:
Research:9 200 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

HMS Eskimo (F75) was a member of the Tribal-class destroyers. Larger and more heavily armed than the previous I class, HMS Eskimo was designed to counter the large destroyers being built abroad and to increase the firepower of the destroyers already in service. Throughout World War II, HMS Eskimo saw action in Burma, the English Channel, Norway, and the Mediterranean. HMS Eskimo served as a hospital ship and a headquarters ship following the war. In 1949, it was finally used as a practice target before being scrapped.

Introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea", HMS Eskimo excels best as a gunnery ship. Even at a great distance, HMS Eskimo can easily defeat other destroyers owing to the enormous calibre and accuracy of its main armament. Furthermore, the front of HMS Eskimo houses the majority of its main armament. This means that HMS Eskimo can inflict significant damage while maintaining a small profile. This, along with its quick speed and sufficient auxiliary armament, can make HMS Eskimo a great support/escort ship, even in high-ranked battles.

General info

Painted under a dark grey hull, and a black coloured stripe all around her waterline, the Eskimo's raised freeboard distance and raked bow can be easily highlighted from other latter destroyers. Despite using a fairly conventional main weaponry layout which will be seen in several other British destroyer classes, the Eskimo can be also differentiated by her turret located in the aftmost part of the ship.

The main downside to the Tribal is its vulnerability. Not only is it far from the smallest destroyer, making it a big target, but it's also built out of ammo racks.

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Main fire tower3 / 3 / 0 mm
Hull16 mm (steel)
Superstructure4 mm (steel)
Number of section7
Displacement2 519 t
Crew260 people

The Eskimo is lightly armoured overall. anti-fragmentation armour plates no thicker than 12.7 mm protect most of the gun emplacements. While the main turrets are protected by 3.2 mm of anti-fragmentation armour. As seen on the HMS Grafton and previous destroyers, this anti-fragmentation armour is mainly effective in protecting the gun breech versus HE shells. Any other type of shell is likely to go through this type of armour and disable the turret.

Regarding survivability, the Eskimo is packed with a lot of ammunition storages for the quick-firing high calibre main and secondary cannons. The most dangerous zones are the bow and the stern. There is no armour whether above or below the waterline; and the area is not even effectively protected by fuel tanks. This means an accurate enemy salvo is likely to cause ammunition damage or a catastrophic detonation of the ammo magazines. The ammunition storages are not limited within the hull, but as another drawback of the high rate of fire, there are large quantities of ready-use ammo racks near most of the high-calibre cannons. SAP and APCBC shells are likely to cause a lot of damage to all the ammo storages since they are only protected by steel boxes.

Another aspect to consider is the constant loss of the ship's control. The transmission and engine rooms are located in an easily targetable area. There is no fuel tank or armour plates to protect none of them from enemy fire, unlike adversaries as the German destroyer Z25 or the Italian RN Corazziere which are decently protected with fuel tanks in those areas.

A complement of 260 members remains average amongst the majority of destroyers at the rank: average of 267. While it is significantly less than most of the German adversaries, with an average of 325 crew members in their destroyers at the same battle rating. This places the Tribal class at a tactical disadvantage when duelling with all German destroyers.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB82 / 31 km/h
RB67 / 25 km/h
Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 82 31
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 67 25

The Eskimo's mobility should be deemed adequate but not perfect. The Tribal class was repurposed as fleet destroyers, and as such, the mobility performs fine enough to attend to the needs of flexible anti-air support for cruisers fleets, or while performing a flanking attack throughout naval engagements. The Tribal class was fitted with three Admiralty three-drum boilers that powered two Parsons geared turbines generating 34,000 hp which translates into 67 km/h, reached in about 28 seconds.

The top speed is averagely on par or in few cases inferior against most German destroyers at ranks II and III. Thus it is likely no real mobility advantage can be played over German counterparts. Versus similarly ranked Japanese or Italian destroyers, the opposite occurs. Though minimal in some instances, the Eskimo might have the upper hand in catching up with enemy destroyers such as IJN Yuudachi, IJN Kiyoshimo and IJN Ayanami.

Do not forget about some other destroyers as the Japanese IJN Shimakaze and the Soviet Tashkent and Moskva: these feature outstanding top speed over 80 km/h. Therefore, it is crucial to quickly assess these mobility disparities when gunnery is leading a successful salvo on such swift enemies.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 194 → 1 553 Sl icon.png
RB1 870 → 2 432 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 830 Rp icon.png
9 980 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces180 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 240 / 100 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
120mm_uk_navy_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_SAP_ammo_pack
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
340 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
120mm_uk_navy_dist_fuse_he_ammo_pack
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_dist_fuse_ammo_pack
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
320 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag dist fuse ship.png
102mm_uk_mkxvi_navy_he_radio_fuse_ammo_pack
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
350 Rp icon.png
Cost:
400 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods torpedo.png
Torpedo Mode
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag proxi fuze ship.png
120mm_uk_navy_radio_fuse_he_ammo_pack
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods ship mortar.png
Bomb mortar
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
520 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret2 x 4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII cannon, CPXIX mounting
Ammunition400 rounds
Vertical guidance-10° / 40°
Main article: 4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII (120 mm)

The Tribal class was the most modern, largest and heavily armed British destroyer class during the early stages of World War II. This is noticeable in the Eskimo's emphasis on absolute firepower. She is armed with 6 x 4.7 inch/45 Mk.XII cannons in 3 turrets, each one capable of firing 3 kg of explosives in a total broadside at effective distances of around 10 km. Because of the double cannon mountings, the salvo accuracy should be properly preserved under these large distances, despite the gun ballistics not having a nearly flat trajectory.

The initial rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute is reasonably effective during the first moments of a battle, but once the ready-use ammo rack is spent, the fire rate decreases to 10 shots per minute, though this still remains an advantageous rate of fire versus most Japanese, Italian, Soviet and some German destroyers, with their guns firing at a fixed 8 rounds per minute. The Eskimo's firepower generally outmatches in quantity, flexibility, and explosive damage to the majority of German destroyers around her battle rating. But it severely falls back in the rate of fire, to ships such as the German Type 1936 destroyers having an initial fire rate of 18 rounds per minute.

Preferring a heavy calibre armament and anti-air defences over torpedoes, the Eskimo is capable of engaging most destroyers around her rank with HE shells. With some skills and tactics, it can even counter some early light cruisers as the IJN Isuzu and IJN Kuma with the correct use of SAP rounds, although extended duels against cruisers are not advised. Also, the 4-inch dual-mounted gun located towards the aft of the ship can be a nasty surprise for coastal vessels trying to get the jump on the Tribal.

With the multipurpose CPXIX turret mountings, all 6 main guns can provide heavy anti-aircraft fire, when using either the HE-VT or the HE-TF. Yet the flaw of these turret mountings is the insufficient elevation angles of only 40°, an inherited drawback from the previous CPXVII mounting found on the HMS Grafton.

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
HE Mk.VIIA HE 35 35 35 35 35 35
SAP Mk.VA SAP 116 92 63 44 33 29
HE-TF Mk.VIIA HE-TF 35 35 35 35 35 35
HE-VT Mk.VIIA HE-VT 35 35 35 35 35 35
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%
HE Mk.VIIA HE 808 22.68 0 0.1 3,000 79° 80° 81°
SAP Mk.VA SAP 808 22.68 0.015 5 900 47° 60° 65°
HE-TF Mk.VIIA HE-TF 808 22.68 0 0.1 3,000 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%
HE-VT Mk.VIIA HE-VT 808 22.68 0 0.1 244 23 3,000 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

Turret2 x 4 inch/45 Mark XVI cannon
Ammunition400 rounds
Main article: 4 inch/45 Mark XVI (102 mm)

A single 4 inch/45 Mark XVI mounting is present in the auxiliary role.

Although limited in quantity, the dual 102 mm turret is sure to provide a very respectable anti-air defence and supporting fire versus seaborne targets. The Mark XVI can be considered as one of the best support guns available for the British bluewater fleet. This is due to its great initial fire rate of 20 rounds per minute, nearly 90° elevation angles and various shell options; also very intimidating to any small boat because of the hullbreaking stopping power.

The rather limited ammunition and the aftward location of the emplacement will be the weaknesses of this gun. Most of the time players will need to decide, based on their strategy, to load more anti-air shells or load HE and SAP for sea targets. Once researched, HE-VT is recommended for air coverage as it will explode more accurately near the targeted aircraft. The targeting is speed is fairly slow but this could be aided by the mobility of the vessel itself.

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°

Anti-aircraft armament

Turret4 x 40 mm 2pdr QF Mk.IIc automatic cannon
Ammunition8960 rounds
Belt capacity56 rounds
Fire rate200 shots/min
2 х Turret20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon
Ammunition1800 rounds
Belt capacity60 rounds
Fire rate450 shots/min
2 х Turret4 x 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine gun
Ammunition8000 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main articles: 2pdr QF Mk.IIc (40 mm), 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm), Vickers Mk.V (12.7 mm)

The anti-air armament consists of a pair of single mounted 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannons, each one is located on either side of the bridge. Another 2 mountings of 12.7 mm Vickers Mk.V machine guns are located amidship, in between the funnels. Lastly, a single mounting of a quadruple 40 mm 'pom-pom' gun is located just aftward the torpedo tubes, in a superstructure.

These anti-aircraft guns will create what can be seen as the last layer of air defence for the Eskimo.

Firstly, the 40 mm 'pom-pom' gun will outrange the 12.7 mm Vickers machine guns and 20 mm Oerlikon cannons when attacking air targets; with a range of 4 km. Also helping the auxiliary 102 mm gun when dealing with high altitude threats diving from the air coverage dead zone of the Eskimo. Since the main batteries will be unable to deal with dive bombers as the Ju 87s, the preservation of the ship will be relegated to this quadruple set of 2 pounder guns and the auxiliary gun.

When it comes to range, the Oerlikon guns will be the second to open fire (about 2 km), their stopping power can be arguably good, depending on the armour of the aircraft attacking. The main disadvantage of the mounting is the poor density of fire since only a single gun is available per side. The elevation angle of only 50° is another concern, meaning that any aircraft attacking from high or distant enough, will remain untouched by the 20 mm cannons.

Here is where the seemingly insufficient and obsolete 12.7 mm machine guns can do their part, although limited to only about a 1 kilometre of effectiveness, they bring a dense light anti-aircraft fire with the flexibility to aim up to 75° degrees. They are likely to not cause a lot of instantaneous stopping damage, but their blazing tracer rounds can help to discourage and intimidate reckless enemy pilots - lighting fires is also a possibility, especially on Japanese aircraft as the P1Y1 mod. 11 "Ginga", A6M3 or B7A2 .

Additional armament

Setup 14 x 533 mm Mk.IX** torpedo
Setup 22 x Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge
Setup 34 x 533 mm Mk.IX** torpedo
2 x Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge
Main articles: Mk.IX** (533 mm), Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge

Anti-submarine roles were not largely envisaged for the Tribal class, thus the Eskimo is barely equipped with few depth charges and absent of any mine-laying types of equipment. An important contrast from other destroyers such as the Hunt-class destroyers or the River-class frigates, which are heavily equipped with explosive ASW equipment.

The torpedo weaponry is quite reduced since the Tribal class was meant to favour heavy artillery power rather than a lightly armed torpedo-carrying destroyer. Also the torpedoes lack the speed of more contemporary torpedoes, though they do pack a big punch if they score a hit.

Usage in battles

While the Tribal can fill numerous roles (and works well as a general all-rounder destroyer), it excels best as a gunnery ship. Thanks to the hefty calibre of its shells, as well as the accuracy of the guns, the Tribal can give other destroyers a good beating even from a distance. In addition, the concentration of 2/3rds of the Tribal's guns at the front of the ship means the Tribal can still pump out a good amount of damage while keeping a small profile. Still, if the Tribal's position is relatively safe from being shot at, don't be afraid to swing the rear turret around and let rip.

Combined with its fast speed and adequate auxiliary armament, this can make the Tribal an excellent support/escort ship during uptiers or higher ranked battles. Keep in mind the ship's 4.7-inch guns will begin to struggle against cruisers so they should maybe be repurposed towards air defence or fast attack craft, all trying to keep the Tribal away from close quarters fighting.

Msg-info.png HMS Eskimo might suffer at close quarters, due to poor main gun traverse speed, no armour and average crew size.

The Tribal class possessed heavy armament and decent mobility, as such, it was used for the most intense battles and because of this same reason, they suffered a lot of casualties. This illustrates how to engage in battles more safely, heading to a new concept for British destroyers in the Bluewater fleet: Accurate gunnery.

The act of accurate gunnery means a lot in the Tribal class, mainly based on the unarmoured ship and reduced crew complement in pro of increasing the offensive capabilities of the class. Inside the Tribal class, Eskimo is the precise definition of gunnery thanks to the six devastating main calibre cannons, therefore her playstyle should be based on outranging other destroyers, while Eskimo lands accurate fire from the safety of distance. Ideally, the way to do this is to reach for the farthest areas of the map, where the enemy's poor gunnery skill will be given away.

It is important to tame this distant gunnery gameplay since it will be crucial for all other Royal Navy's destroyers with similar capacities such as HMAS Nepal, HMS Kelvin, HMS Jervis, and HMCS Haida. All of those destroyers will share similar endurance, crew complement, main firepower, and mobility.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Numerous auxiliary and anti-air weaponry, as well as some torpedoes (4) and depth charges
  • Primary guns have great precision even at long ranges (~10 km)
  • Dual purpose guns; HE-VT shells for primary and secondary guns makes it easy to destroy aircraft
  • 3 kg of explosive in the HE shells is great versus other destroyers and small vessels
  • Top speed is average, but amongst the fastest Bluewater ships on the British Naval Tree
  • The destroyer with the largest crew complement of the British rank II

Cons:

  • Ammo racks are easily detonated by SAP or APCBC shells near the waterline; no armour present in the area
  • Crew size remains below average versus German, American and Soviet destroyers
  • Limited torpedo count may be ineffective versus heavier fleets due to small quantity
  • Outmatched in most combat aspects versus early light cruisers as Köln, Leipzig or IJN Agano

History

Despite the Tribal class being originally designed to be light cruisers, HMS Eskimo quickly find herself outmatched in the everchanging battle for naval supremacy. Consequently, she was recategorized as a destroyer, with a fleet support role in mind. She was laid down in 1936 and was ready for service in March 1939. Her service life was challenged with a lot of battles and situations through which opportunely, she outlived all, unlike many sister ships of her class.

Her first taste of battle came at home, during her stance at Royal Navy base Scapa Flow. She was being repaired of turbine problems, when on 17th October, the Luftwaffe undertook the first bombings in British territories, this time directed to the naval base and the ships stationed there, Eskimo amongst them. During the air raid, she supported bringing down an aircraft. After the attack, she ran in support of HMS Iron Duke which was damaged by the attack.

This brief confrontation with four Ju 88 bombers of the Kampfgeschwader 1/30 proved an invaluable experience since it was then acknowledged how ineffective the elevation angles of the main calibre guns were against aircraft. This lead to later modifications such as the unmounting of one of the main twin 4.7 in guns and replacing it with a set of 4 inch/45 Mark XVI 102 mm guns and additional 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, amongst other search radar and rangefinding technologies for enhanced anti-air defence.

After patrol and escort duties near the Home Fleet, Eskimo had another major trial of fire, this time, the Second Battle of Narvik, in April 1940. She was appointed escort as part of a task force comprising numerous ships, such as HMS Repulse, Rodney, and Valiant. This campaign in Norwegian waters proved to be as fierce as the First Battle of Narvik, and arguably the gravest moment for the Eskimo and her crew.

Battle at Narvik

Attached to the battleship HMS Warspite and other eight destroyers, the battlegroup was tasked to clean up the German destroyer presence in the Ofotfjord inlet, all the way past Narvik town.

On 13th April, around midday, the combat group of Warspite including Eskimo made their entrance into the Norwegian fjord. The stakes were high as it was unknown the number of submarines in the area, originally thought to be one but in reality more than five. The eight German destroyers in the area seem stranded, likely low on fuel. After passing Baroy, Eskimo and the other British destroyers took the lead of the advance, waiting for a sure German ambush. Warspite's Swordfish planes were dispatched to scout all corners of the fjord. The first German destroyer to be spotted was Hans Lüdemann; everyone involved in the battle was now advised of the action to unfold.

The fjord soon became full of torpedoes as Eskimo and the British warships advanced, more German destroyers were meeting up the fight. The aircraft carrier HMS Furious sent more Swordfish support, which greatly helped in evading torpedoes. After gunnery duels, the German ships were running low on ammunition. Eskimo was busy pursuing Hermann Künne deeper in the fjord when the destroyer Erich Giese noticed her passing and launched torpedoes, which missed. Some of the allied destroyers were having a rough time dealing with damage thus they decided to retreat. Eskimo continued the pursuit along with HMS Forester until Hermann Künne beached in Herjangsfjord, where Eskimo torpedoed her; by then all the crew had already abandoned the ship and no casualties occurred.

Eskimo's bow damaged; docked at a Norwegian port before sailing to England.

Around 2 p.m., Eskimo and Forester advanced steadily into the Rombaksfjord. Signalled by Swordfish surveillance, Eskimo was told about more enemy ships further in the fjord. Eskimo and Forester decided to proceed and brawl with the destroyers rather than waiting for the other destroyers to link up. The narrower inlet became a problem to the British ships as the torpedoes became harder to dodge. Georg Thiele was nearly out of torpedoes but as last luck, her last torpedo hit directly on the bow of Eskimo. The badly damaged Eskimo kept fighting with the remaining turrets but then retreated in reverse due to the vast damage, with the help of Forester.

Valiantly leading and surviving the whole naval assault on Narvik, she was sent off for repair. She spent the majority of 1940-1942 as escort for the bigger ships of the Home Fleet or as escort of convoys, without major incidences.

On 12th July 1943, while part of Operation Husky, she was attacked by German dive bombers. A small bomb landed directly on the Eskimo, causing damage to the gear room and fires on the ship. 19 crewmembers perished while another 22 were injured. After the ship was brought to sailable conditions she was towed to base for repair and armament refits. This proved once more how the limited dual-purpose design of the CPXIX mounting could be used by enemy aircraft diving from above the blind spot of the Eskimo.

Msg-info.png Of the twelve Tribal class destroyed, six were sunk by aerial strike, two more were damaged.

Her life would event rather quietly until June 1944, where she took part in minor surface engagements versus German destroyers, near Isle de Bas. She sank the ZH1 and helped in the attack of other German destroyers. A few days later along with HMCS Haida, she attacked the submarine U-971 on the English channel. The submarine was first spotted and attacked by a Czech Liberator bomber, who then voiced over the location to the two ships. Once at the scene, Eskimo released depth charges which effectively made the submarine rise to the surface, just to be met by the heavy fire of the ships. The submarine sustained heavy damage and was evacuated by the crew which was taken onboard the ships.

Eskimo's fate

In the last year of the war, she was appointed to serve in the Far East theatre, where she worked alongside other Australian Tribal classes in dealing with the remnants of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the end of the war in Europe, she was sent home on 4th November 1945.

Having a very respectable survivor status as one of the four Tribal classes remaining from the total 16 built, Eskimo was sold for scrapping on 27th June 1949.

Media

Skins

See also

Related development
Shared operational history
Analogues on other nations

External links

References

Bibliography
  • British Destroyer vs German Destroyer: Narvik 1940, David Greentree, David Campbell, 2018.
  • British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After, Norman Friedman, 2006.


Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships 
Tribal-class  HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class  HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class  IJN Kongo**
Tanks 
Light Tanks  VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI  Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII  Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII  Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine  Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT  Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks  Independent****
Export  ▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also  Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
  *Previously Armstrong Whitworth
  **Built for Japan
  ***Vickers Defence Systems
  ****Previously Vickers Limited

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

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