HMS Whirlwind (R87) was a W-class destroyer built for the British Royal Navy during World War II, launched on 30 August 1943 by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn, Tyneside. Designed as a War Emergency Programme vessel, she measured approximately 362 feet 9 inches (110.57 meters) in overall length, with a beam of 35 feet 8 inches (10.87 meters) and a full load draught of 14 feet 3 inches (4.34 meters). Her displacement was 1,710 long tons (1,740 tonnes) standard and 2,530 long tons (2,570 tonnes) at full load. Propelled by Parsons geared steam turbines powered by Admiralty water-tube boilers, she could reach speeds up to 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) and had a range of 4,675 nautical miles at 20 knots, carrying 615 tons of oil. Her armament included four 4.7-inch (120 mm) QF Mk. IX guns, dual-purpose for anti-aircraft and surface targets, complemented by a Hazemayer twin Bofors 40 mm mount and four twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannons for close-in air defense. She was also fitted with two quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes and carried four depth charge mortars with two racks, totaling 70 charges for anti-submarine warfare. Her radar suite comprised Type 276 surface warning, Type 291 air warning, Type 285 fire control, and Type 282 radar for her Hazemayer mount. Commissioned with pennant number R87, Whirlwind initially served with the Eastern Fleet, participating in operations including escorting the battleship King George V during a bombardment in the Aegean and joining the British Pacific Fleet for operations against Sumatra in late 1944 and early 1945. Postwar, she served as a boys' training ship before being converted into a Type 15 anti-submarine frigate in 1952, reclassified as F187. Her service included deployments in the Mediterranean, involvement in the recovery of the De Havilland Comet wreckage, and patrols during the Suez Crisis and off Cuba during the 1960s. She was decommissioned in 1966, towed for target practice in 1969, and ultimately foundered in Cardigan Bay in 1974 while in use as a target.

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