Airfix 03252 HNoMS St Albans

HNoMS St Albans was a Norwegian destroyer of the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in March 1918, a the launch took place in June of the same year, and the entry into service took place in 1919. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 95.8 meters and a width of 9.65 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 1,200 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 35 knots. In 1941, the unit had on-board weapons in the form of: three 102 mm cannons, two 76 mm cannons and four depth charge launchers.

HNoMS St Albans was originally named USS Thomas (DD-182) and was a US Navy vessel. The destroyer belonged to the Wickes class, which was one of the classes of American destroyers at the time referred to as "four-pipe" because it had four funnels. However, USS Thomas was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940, where he served as HMS St Albans until April 1941. Under the British flag, the unit operated in the Atlantic, in the region of Scotland, Iceland and Greenland. In April 1941, the Royal Navy handed over the unit to the Norwegian Navy, where it received the name HNoMS St Albans. The ship remained under the Norwegian flag until 1944, performing convoy service in the Atlantic. It is worth adding that it was this unit that was responsible for the erroneous and unfortunate sinking of ORP Jastrząb on May 2, 1942.