Overview

The Battle class were a class of destroyers, named after naval or other battles fought by British or English forces. Built in three groups, the first group were ordered under the 1942 naval estimates. A modified second and third group, together with two ships of an extended design were planned for the 1943 and 1944 estimates. Most of these ships were cancelled when it became apparent that the war was being won and the ships would not be required, although two ships of the third group, ordered for the RAN, were not cancelled and were subsequently completed in Australia. Seven Battles were commissioned before the end of World War II, but only Barfleur saw action, with the British Pacific Fleet.

HMS Matapan (D43) was a later or 1943 Battle-class fleet destroyer. She was named after the Battle of Cape Matapan. So far, she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear that name.

She was placed in reserve on completion of her sea trials and would remain in such a state for a lengthy period of time, ultimately seeing service in the 1970s as a sonar trials ship. In 1971 HMS  Matapan was towed to Portsmouth to begin her conversion to sonar trials ship. She was stripped of all armament and the forecastle deck was extended right to the stern to provide increased space to accommodate scientists and trials equipment, plus a large Sick Bay. She was fitted with a second funnel for the exhausting of fumes from the extra generators required to power the sonar equipment. A plated foremast carried radar and communications aerials, and a new fully enclosed bridge was fitted. A new after deckhouse, which ran from the after funnel to the quarterdeck was fitted with a helicopter landing deck on the top. Her refit took two years but she finally commissioned in 1973. After 24 years in the Devonport reserve Matapan had finally found a role in the navy of the seventies. Her trials period lasted for five years, with a major deployment to the United States in 1976, working with U.S. Navy submarines, much of the work of this vessel remains classified.

Aviation facilities:
Flight deck and no hangar

Aircraft carried
 

HMS Matapan

Builder

Laid down

Launched

Commissioned

Deckcode MP

History 

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