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Mosquito 1939

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Bee			White, Cowes		---	---	cancelled
Dragonfly		1181	Thornycroft, Chiswick	12.1937	8.12.1938	6.1939	sunk 14.2.1942
Grasshopper		1182	Thornycroft, Chiswick	12.1937	19.1.1939	6.1939	sunk 14.2.1942
Locust	T28	1724	Yarrow, Scotstoun	11.1938	28.9.1939	5.1940	HQ ship 1944, RNVR drill ship 1951
Mosquito		1725	Yarrow, Scotstoun	12.1938	14.11.1939	4.1940	sunk 1.6.1940

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	625
Displacement full, t	715
Length, m	59.9
Breadth, m	10.3
Draught, m	1.88 deep load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	3800
Max speed, kts	17
Fuel, t	oil 90
Endurance, nm(kts)
Armament	Dragonfly, Grasshopper: 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 1 x 1 - 87/13 mountain howitzer Mk I, 8 x 1 - 7.7/94 Locust, Mosquito: 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 8 x 1 - 7.7/94
Complement	74

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

Gunboats were designed for service in mouth of Yangtze, at the expense of a high freeboard and deep draught (for river gunboats standards) they had seaworthiness, sufficient for actions in coastal waters. Serial boats (2nd group) were a little bit less than leadship but carried the same armament, except for DCs. The order for one gunboat was cancelled.

Modernizations

1943, Locust: + 3 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 2 DCT (20 DC)

1/1946, Locust: 2 x 1 - 102/45 CP Mk II, 1 x 4 - 40/39 Mk VII, 3 x 1 - 20/70 Mk III, 2 DCT (20)

Naval service

Two gunboats served in the Far East, Locust and Mosquito, completed in 1940 under a little changed design, remained in the European waters.

14.2.1942 Dragonfly and Grasshopper were badly damaged by Japanese aircraft and scuttled by own crews. Mosquito was sunk by German aircraft 1.6.1940 in La Manche.

Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.