HMS Petard (G56)

Petard photographed from the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, December 1943
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Petard
Builder	Vickers-Armstrongs, High Walker
Laid down	26 December 1939
Launched	27 March 1941
Completed	15 June 1942
Identification	Pennant number G56/F56
Fate	Broken up in June 1967 at Bo'ness
General characteristics as P–class
Class and type	P-class destroyer
Displacement	1,690 tons (1,717 tonnes) standard 1,640 tons (1,666 tonnes) 2,250 tons (2,286 tonnes) full load
Length	345 ft (105 m) o/a
Beam	35 ft (11 m)
Draught	9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion	2 × Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp on 2 shafts
Speed	36.75 knots (68.06 km/h)
Range	3,850 nautical miles (7,130 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement	176
Armament	5 × QF 4 in Mk.V (102 mm L/45), single mounts HA Mk.III 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk.VIII (40 mm L/39), quad mount Mk.VII Up to 6 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon, single mount P Mk.III 4 (1×4) tubes for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes, Mk.IX 4 × throwers and 2 × racks for 70 depth charges
General characteristics as Type 16 class
Class and type	Type 16 frigate
Displacement	1,800 long tons (1,800 t) standard 2,300 long tons (2,300 t) full load
Length	362 ft 9 in (110.57 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, 40,000 shp 2 shafts
Speed	32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h) full load
Complement	175
Sensors and processing systems	Type 293Q target indication Radar Type 974 navigation Radar Type 1010 Cossor Mark 10 IFF Type 146B search Sonar Type 147 depth finder Sonar Type 162 target classification Sonar Type 174 attack Sonar
Armament	1 × twin QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun Mk XVI 1 × twin 40 mm Bofors gun Mk.5 5 × single 40 mm Bofors gun Mk.9 2 × Squid A/S mortar 1 × quad 21-inch (533 mm) tubes for Mk.9 torpedoes

HMS Petard was a P-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was one of only three P-class ships, out of the original eight, to survive the war in a serviceable condition.^[1]

Originally to have been named HMS Persistent, Petard was launched in March 1941.^[2] She initially carried the pennant number G56, which was changed after the war to F56.

Petard had the distinction of sinking a submarine from each of the three Axis navies: the German U-559, the Italian Uarsciek and the Japanese I-27.^[3]

Members of the ship's crew recovered from U-559 a new, four-wheel Enigma cypher machine and the books to go with it,^[4] albeit at the cost of the lives of her First Lieutenant and an Able Seaman, both of whom were drowned when the U-boat they were searching sank with them inside.