HMS Crescent was a C-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s, with a displacement of approximately 1,375 long tons at standard load and up to 1,865 long tons at deep load. She measured 329 feet in overall length, with a beam of 33 feet and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches. Powered by Parsons geared steam turbines driving two shafts, Crescent could reach a maximum speed of 36 knots, supported by three Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers. Her fuel capacity of 473 long tons allowed for a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. The ship’s complement consisted of 145 officers and men. Armament included four 4.7-inch Mk IX guns in single mounts ('A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y'), along with anti-aircraft guns—initially a single QF 3-inch 20 cwt AA gun and two 40-mm QF 2-pounder Mk II guns, which were later repositioned or removed. Crescent was equipped with two quadruple 21-inch torpedo tube mounts and three depth-charge chutes, which were increased to 33 depth charges during wartime, delivered via rails and throwers. Constructed by Vickers-Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness, she was laid down on December 1, 1930, launched on September 29, 1931, and commissioned on April 21, 1932. Initially assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, Crescent saw service in the West Indies and was temporarily deployed in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean during the Abyssinia Crisis. In 1936, she was sold to Canada for £400,000, refitted to Canadian standards including the installation of ASDIC (sonar), and renamed HMCS Fraser. As HMCS Fraser, she served on the Canadian Pacific Coast until September 1939, when she transferred to the Atlantic for convoy escort duties. During World War II, she participated in escorting convoys, including the voyage of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division to Britain. In May 1940, she was reassigned to Western Approaches Command. Her service was cut short when, on June 25, 1940, she was involved in a collision with the cruiser HMS Calcutta in the Gironde estuary while returning from evacuating refugees from France. The collision caused Fraser to be cut in half and sink immediately, with only 45 crew members rescued. Her sinking marked a tragic end to her brief but active wartime 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.