The fifth HMS Valorous, ex-HMS Montrose, was a V-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II.
Construction and commissioning
In early 1916, the British Royal Navy had a requirement for a destroyer leader suitable for leading the new, fast, R-class destroyers. To meet this requirement, the Director of Naval Construction prepared the design of a new class of ships, smaller and cheaper than the existing Marksman and es, but still capable of accommodating the additional staff required to command the destroyer flotilla and carrying the same armament.
The ships were long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of to depending on load. The ship's machinery was based on that of the R-class destroyers, with three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtiss geared steam turbines which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery generated , giving a design speed of . A maximum of 367 tons of fuel oil could be carried, giving a range of at a speed of .
Valorous main gun armament was four 4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk V guns on CP.II mountings, with two mounts forward and two aft in superimposed positions. These guns, which were provided with 120 rounds per gun, could elevate to 30 degrees, allowing them to fire a shell a distance of . A single QF 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun was mounted aft of the second funnel. Aft of the 3-inch gun, she carried four 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes mounted in pairs on the ship's centre-line.
The ship was ordered in April 1916, and was initially intended to be named HMS Montrose; her keel was laid down on 25 May 1916 by William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton, Scotland. On 29 September 1916 she was renamed HMS Valorous and she was launched under that name on 8 May 1917. She was commissioned on 6 August and completed on 21 August 1917.
Conversion
In 1936, the Admiralty recognised that the Royal Navy had a shortage of escort ships with good anti-aircraft armament, suitable for operations along Great Britain's eastern coast. As well as building a new class of escort destroyers designed for this role (the escort destroyers), it was decided to convert a number of old destroyers of the V and W classes, now obsolete as fleet destroyers, to perform a similar role. This programme became known as the "Wair" conversions. The conversion involved the replacement of the ship's entire armament. Two twin QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun anti-aircraft mounts were fitted, with a modern fire control system mounted on a new superstructure to direct their fire. Two quadruple Vickers .50 machine gun mounts provided close-in anti-aircraft armament. Modern sonar, and a relatively powerful depth-charge outfit of 30 depth charges provided the ship's anti-submarine equipment. No torpedo tubes were fitted. Valorous was converted to "Wair" standard between November 1938 and June 1939.
Service history
World War I
Upon completion, Valorous entered service with the 11th Destroyer Flotilla operating with the Grand Fleet during World War I. Before the Armistice with Germany ended the war on 11 November 1918, she had been converted for use as minelayer.
Interwar
In March 1919, the destroyer flotillas of the Royal Navy were re-organised, with Valorous joining the newly established 1st Destroyer Flotilla of what would become the Atlantic Fleet as one of two leaders. In May 1919, Valorous was deployed with the rest of the 1st Flotilla to the Baltic Sea to participate in the British campaign there against Bolshevik forces during the Russian Civil War. On 27 July 1919, the Bolshevik attempted to torpedo Valorous and the destroyer . The two British ships retaliated with depth charges, severely damaging the Bolshevik submarine, which managed to escape and make it back to base at Kronstadt. The 1st Flotilla returned home from the Baltic in August, but on reaching their home base of Port Edgar, the men of the unit only received 16 days home leave rather than the promised 21 days. When, on 12 October, the flotilla was ordered to prepare to return to the Baltic, between 150 and 200 men from the ships of the flotilla, including Valorous, deserted. The missing crewmen were replaced by men from the battleships of the Atlantic Fleet, allowing some of the flotilla to sail on 14 October.