HMS Impulsive (D11)

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Impulsive
Builder:	J. Samuel White and Company, Cowes
Laid down:	March 1936
Launched:	1 March 1937
Commissioned:	29 January 1938
Identification:	Pennant number: D11
Fate:	Scrapped, 1946
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type:	I-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,370 long tons (1,390 t) (standard) 1,888 long tons (1,918 t) (deep load)
Length:	323 ft (98.5 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught:	12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
Installed power:	34,000 shp (25,000 kW) 3 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:	2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines
Speed:	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range:	5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement:	145
Sensors and processing systems:	ASDIC
Armament:	4 × single QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk IX guns 2 × quadruple 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns 2 × quadruple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 16 × depth charges, 1 rack and 2 throwers 60 mines
Service record
Victories:	Sank U-457 (1942)

HMS Impulsive was an I-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. She has been the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.

Description

The I-class ships were improved versions of the preceding H-class. They displaced 1,370 long tons (1,390 t) at standard load and 1,888 long tons (1,918 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), a beam of 33 feet (10.1 m) and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m). They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). Impulsive carried a maximum of 455 long tons (462 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.

The ships mounted four 45-calibre 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The I class was fitted with two above-water quintuple torpedo tube mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes. One depth charge rack and two throwers were fitted; 16 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.

Construction and career

Impulsive was laid down on 9 March 1936 by J. Samuel White and Company at their Cowes shipyard, launched on 1 March 1937 and completed on 29 January 1938. She attacked and sank the German submarine U-457 in the Barents Sea north-east of Murmansk in Russia on 16 September 1942.

Impulsive was sold for scrap to W. H. Arnott, Young and Company, Limited on 22 January 1946 and broken up at Sunderland.