HMS Somali (F33)
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HMS Somali (pennant number L33, later F33) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II.
She was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was laid down on August 26, 1936, launched on 24th August 1937, and commissioned on December 12, 1938.
On September 3rd, 1939, Somali intercepted the German freighter Hanna Borg, 350 miles south of Iceland, and took her as a prize. This was the first enemy mercantile to be captured during the war.
HMS Somali was the leader of the British 6th Destroyer Flotilla and spent most of the winter of 1940/41 screening Home Fleet sweeps.
In May 1941, Somali boarded the German weather ship München. Prior to being boarded, the crew of the München threw overboard the ship's enigma machine, in a weighted bag. However, left onboard were documents on the operation of the enigma machine and vital codebooks, providing a breakthrough for Allied codebreakers.
On September 20th, 1942, Somali was torpedoed by U-703, hitting her engine room, while covering Convoy PQ-18 during the Russian convoys. Although taken under tow by HMS Tartar, she sank 4 days later, on September 25th, after heavy weather broke her back.
Somali was the last Royal Navy Tribal to be sunk during the war.
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