HMS Decoy (H75)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
.jpg/300px-HMS_Decoy_(H75).jpg) HMS Decoy in pre-war paint |
|
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | D class destroyer |
| Name: | HMS Decoy |
| Builder: | John I. Thornycroft & Company, Southampton |
| Laid down: | 25 June 1931 |
| Launched: | 7 June 1932 |
| Commissioned: | 4 April 1933 |
| Out of service: | Transferred to RCN 12 April 1943 |
| Renamed: | HMCS Kootenay (on transfer) |
| Reclassified: | Converted to escort destroyer in early 1940s |
| Career (Canada) |  |
| Name: | HMCS Kootenay |
| Commissioned: | 12 April 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 October 1945 |
| Fate: | Broken up in January 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,375 tons deep load: originally 1,865 tons later 2,040 tons |
| Length: | 317 ft 9 in (96.9 m) perpendicular to perpendicular 329 ft 0 in (100.3 m) overall |
| Beam: | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draught: | 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m) later 13 ft (4.0 m) to 13 ft 4 in (4.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft Parsons geared turbines 3 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 36,000 shp |
| Speed: | 36 knots |
| Range: | carried 461-473 tons of fuel oil |
| Complement: | 145 |
| Armament: | original: 4 x 4.7 in /45 QF Mk IX (4 x 1) 1 x 3 in high angle gun 8 x 21 in torpedo tubes (2 x 4) (Mk XI torpedoes) as escort destroyer: 3 x 4.7 in /45 QF Mk IX (3 x 1) 6 x 20 mm 4 x 21 in torpedo tubes (1 x 4) Hedgehog 125 x depth charge typical armament for this class |
| Armour: | 3in side (amidships) 2¼-1½in side (bows) 2in side (stern) 1in upper decks (amidships) 1in deck over rudder |
| Motto: | Cave quod celo (Beware what I hide) |
| Honours and awards: |
|
| Badge: | On a Field Green, a Hawk's lure gold |
HMS Decoy (H75) was a D-class destroyer laid down in 1931 for the British Royal Navy. The C and D class were slightly enlarged versions of the B class with increased fuel and a 3-in high angle gun. [1] The D class were repeat C class with only minor modifications. The Admiralty decided to retain the 4.7-inch gun as main armament, even though they recognised that the 'standard' British destroyer design looked weaker than the larger American, French and Japanese destroyers.[2] The C class were transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1937-39, and Diana and Decoy were transferred in 1940 and 1943 respectively.[3]
In April 1943, HMS Decoy was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy as the escort destroyer HMCS Kootenay;[4] she was the first ship to bear this name. She was scrapped in January 1946.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] As HMS Decoy
[edit] Mediterranean
On 27 June 1940, HMS Decoy, commanded by Cdr E.G. McGregor (RN), participated in the sinking of the Italian Liuzzi-class submarine Console Generale Liuzzi. Decoy, together with the destroyers Dainty, Ilex, Defender and the Australian destroyer Voyager, had depth charged the Console Generale Liuzzi, which was then scuttled south-east off Crete.[6][7]
On 29 June 1940 Decoy participated, together with the same squadron, in the sinking of the Italian Argonauta-class submarine Argonauta. This destroyer squadron patrolled the area between Alexandria, the Aegean Sea and the central Mediterranean from 27 to 30 June 1940 as part of Operation MA3 in support of British convoys from the Greek ports to Port Said and from Alexandria to Malta. The Argonauta was probably sunk near Cape Ras el Hilal, Libya [8], at around 0615 hours by the British destroyers; though it is also possible the Argonauta was depth charged and sunk around 1450 hours that same day by Short Sunderland L5804 of the RAF. [9] The Historical Bureau of the Italian Navy believes the first theory to be more believable, but doubt still persists.[10]
On 17 September 1940 Decoy was one of the ships escorting the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious on the raid on Benghazi; Fleet Air Arm aircraft attacked Italian ships in Benghazi harbour and laid mines off the harbour.[11]
Decoy was part of the fleet which provided cover for a convoy of two cruisers, four destroyers and four British merchantmen that left Alexandria for Malta on 8 October 1940 (Operation MB-6). The convoy was not spotted and arrived safely at Malta on 11 October 1940. The only damage sustained was to one of the destroyers in the covering force that hit a mine off Malta. Whilst returning to Alexandria, the British Mediterranean Fleet were twice attacked by Italian torpedo boats and once by Italian aircraft. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm from HMS Illustrious and HMS Eagle also attacked off Leros.[12] On 25 February, 1941, she participated in Operation Abstention, an ill-fated attempt to seize the Italian island of Kastelorizo.
[edit] North Atlantic
Decoy, commanded by Lt.Cdr. G.I.M. Balfour (RN), was then assigned to operate in the North Atlantic, where she picked up 41 survivors of the British merchantman Quebec City, which was torpedoed and sunk by the German IXC class U-boat U-156 on 19 September 1942 north-northwest of the Ascension Island.[13]
On 26 October 1942 Decoy picked up 16 survivors from the American merchantman Steel Navigator, which had been torpedoed and sunk on 19 October 1942 by the German VIIC class U-boat U-610 in the North Atlantic. [14]
[edit] As HMCS Kootenay
[edit] North Atlantic
On 22 May 1943 Kootenay, now commanded by A/Lt.Cdr. D.L. Dyer (RCN), picked up 19 survivors from the Norwegian tanker Sandanger, which had been torpedoed and sunk on 12 May 1943 by the German VIIC class U-boat U-221 in the North Atlantic.[15]
On 7 July 1944, Kootenay, together with the destroyer Ottawa and the corvette Statice depth-charged and sank the German VIIC class U-boat U-678 in the English Channel south-west of Brighton.[16]
On 18 August 1944 Kootenay, now commanded by A/Lt.Cdr. W.H. Willson (RCN), together with the destroyers Ottawa and Chaudiere, depth-charged and sank the German VIIC class U-boat U-621 in the Bay of Biscay near La Rochelle.[17] Two days later (20 August 1944) the same ships depth-charged and sank the German VIIC class U-boat U-984 in the Bay of Biscay west of Brest.[18]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946 p38.
- ^ Description of D class destroyers
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946 p38.
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946 p38.
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946 p38.
- ^ Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
- ^ Italian Submarines Lost in World War II
- ^
- ^ Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
Italian Submarines Lost in World War II - ^ R.Smg. Argonauta, by by Admiral (ret) Attilio Duilio Ranieri, Italian Navy
Conway's says that Argonauta was sunk by aircraft on 28 June 1940. - ^ Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
- ^ Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
- ^ . Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
- ^ Destroyer HMS Decoy of the D class
- ^ .HMCS Kootenay
- ^ HMCS Kootenay
- ^
- ^ HMCS Kootenay
[edit] References
- Chesnau, Roger and Gardner, Robert (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946. Conway Maritime Press, 1980. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
[edit] See also
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
