HMS Consort was one of thirty-two destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, a member of the eight-ship Co sub-class. Design and description The Co sub-class was a repeat of the preceding Ch sub-class. Consort displaced at standard load and at deep load. They had an overall length of , a beam of and a deep draught of . The ships were powered by a pair of geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of and gave a speed of at normal load. During her sea trials, Consort reached a speed of at a load of . The Co sub-class carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at . The ships' complement was 186 officers and ratings. The main armament of the destroyers consisted of four QF Mk IV dual-purpose guns, one superfiring pair each fore and aft of the superstructure protected by partial gun shields. Their anti-aircraft suite consisted of one twin-gun stabilised Mk IV "Hazemeyer" mount for Bofors guns and two single 2-pounder (40 mm) AA guns amidships, and single mounts for a Oerlikon AA gun on the bridge wings. The ships were fitted with one quadruple mount for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. The ships were equipped with a pair of depth charge rails and two throwers for 35 depth charges. Construction and career Consort was ordered from Alexander Stephens & Sons and the ship was laid down on 26 May 1943 at its shipyard in Linthouse, launched on 19 October 1944 and was commissioned on 19 March 1946. Consort was damaged by artillery fire during the Yangtze Incident in an attempt to tow the sloop from a mudbank, taking 56 direct hits, and causing casualties of 23 wounded and a further ten dead. Following decommissioning she was sold to the Prince of Wales Drydock Co., of Swansea, Wales, for scrap and arrived there on 15 March 1961. References Bibliography Korean War destroyers of the United Kingdom C-class destroyers (1943) of the Royal Navy 1944 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in 1949