HMS Penzance (L28) was a Hastings-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1930 and serving until her sinking in 1940. She measured 266 feet 4 inches (81.18 meters) in length overall, with a beam of 34 feet 1 inch (10.39 meters) and a draught of 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 meters) at full load. Her standard displacement was approximately 1,045 long tons (1,062 tonnes), increasing to 1,640 long tons (1,670 tonnes) under full load. The vessel was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving a single propeller shaft, utilizing steam generated by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. These turbines produced a total of 2,000 shaft horsepower, enabling a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). Her armament comprised two QF four-inch (102 mm) guns—one on a high-angle mount at the front, capable of anti-aircraft fire, and one on a low-angle mount at the rear for surface targets. In 1939, her aft gun was replaced with a high-angle mount. She also carried two 3-pounder saluting guns and initially had four depth charges, which were later increased to 40 during wartime. Constructed at Devonport Dockyard, she was laid down on 29 July 1929, launched on 10 April 1930, and completed by 15 January 1931. Her early service included deployments to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, with refits at Malta in 1932 and 1933. Notably, in 1934, Penzance evacuated civilians from Al Hudaydah amid regional conflicts and participated in salvage operations when her sister ship Hastings ran aground. In the late 1930s, Penzance was refitted in Simonstown, South Africa, and joined the Africa Station before returning to Britain in 1938. She then served on the America and West Indies Station, based at Bermuda. With the outbreak of WWII, she performed patrol duties, including counter-contraband operations and convoy escort missions. In August 1940, while escorting the convoy SC 1 from Nova Scotia, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-37 approximately 700 miles southwest of Iceland. The attack resulted in the loss of 90 of her 104 crew members, marking a tragic end to her service.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.