Modified W-Class
Destroyer ordered under 1918-19 Programme (14th Order) from Swan Hunter at Wallsend
on Tyne, Newcastle in April 1918. The ship was
launched on 31st January 1919 and was the first RN warship
to
carry this name. She was completed
in 1919 and had paid off into Reserve for economic reasons by 1930. (See General Information details). During WW2
following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in February 1942 this
destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Whitby, then in the North Riding
of Yorkshire
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1940 -
DUNKIRK 1940 - NORTH SEA 1941-45 - DOVER STRAITS 1941 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942-44
- NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a ta
Badge: On a Field Red, a
Demi-Lion rampant Gold, holding
a trefoil Gree.
M o t t o
Libertas et natale:
'Freedom and Fatherland
only'
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search)
1 9 3 9
September Destroyer
Flotilla at Portland for escort and patrol duties In the
English Channel and SW
to
Approaches.
December
1 9 4 0
January Convoy
escort and patrol duty in Channel and SW Approaches In continuation.
30th Took part
in sinking of U55 by surface gun action with HM Sloop FOWEY and an RAF aircraft
from
228 Squadron in SW Approaches whilst escorting Convoy OA30G.
February Channel and
SW Approaches convoy escort duty in continuation.
to
March
April
Transferred to 19th Destroyer Flotilla at Dover to assist with support
operations off
Belgian an
Netherlands coasts
May
Took part in demolition and evacuation at
Ijmuiden and Amsterdam.
(Operation XD(A) - See
Naval Staff History).
13th Carried
supplies to Dunkirk and embarked Irish Guards.
14th Assisted
in evacuation at Hook of Holland (Operation ORDNANCE).
16th Assisted
in evacuation at Ostend until 18th May.
22nd Escorted
ships taking Guards Battalions to Boulogne.
23rd Under
shore fire at Bolougne and sustained damage and casualties.
Provided naval gunfire support to cover sailing of HM Destroyers KEITH and VIMY
which
were taking personnel
back to UK.
26th Deployed
on evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
(For
details of evacuation operations see Naval Staff History (HMSO, 2002) and BEF
SHIPS
by J
de Winser.)
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changed to I77 to conform with
changes to
all
RN ships.
June On
completion of DYNAMO resumed Flotilla duties at Harwich for convoy escort and
patrol
in
North Sea and English Channel.
(Note: This ship was one off the few destroyers not requiring major repair after
the evacuation.)
July
Convoy escort and anti-invasion patrol duties in continuation.
31st
Sustained serious structural damage after detonating a mine off Harwich.
Towed
to Harwich by HM Destroyer WILD SWAN.
August Under repair.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January On
completion rejoined Flotilla at Harwich in continuation of escort and patrol.
February
14th Escorted Mater Torpedo
Boats for mine lay in
North Sea and came under air attacks.
March North Sea
convoy escort and patrol duty in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January North Sea
convoy escort and patrol duty in continuation.
February Joined HM
Destroyers MACKAY and WALPOLE of the 21st
Destroyer Flotilla
with
HM Destroyers CAMPBELL, WORCESTER,
and VIVACIOUS of the 16th
Destroyer Flotilla.
12th Carried
out torpedo attack on German battleships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU which
with the cruiser PRINZ
EUGEN had broken out of
Brest and taken passage via Dover
Straits to
Wilhelmshaven.
For
details see THE CHANNEL DASH by T Robertson, Naval Staff History and ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).
March North Sea
and English Channel convoy escort and patrol duty in continuation.
to
(Note: The armament of the ship was altered for this duty by replacement of one of
the forward
December 4.7in gun
mountings by an army twin 6lb weapon which was very suitable
for defence
of
convoys under attack by E-Boats during passage off east coast.
1 9 4 3
January Convoy
escort and patrol duty in North Sea and English
Channel in continuation.
to
October
November In action against E-Boats in
defence of Convoy CW221 off
Hastings with two Motor
Gunboats
and
four Motor Launches of Coastal Forces.
December Convoy escort and patrol duty in
Channel and North Sea
in continuation.
1 9 4 4
January Convoy
escort and patrol duty in continuation.
to
March
April
18th In action with E-Boats
carrying out minelay in
English Channel.
(Note: Enemy craft abandoned their attacks after sustaining damage.
May Nominated
for duty with Escort Group 104 based at Nore for defence of convoys to
Normandy
beachhead with HM Destroyer MONTROSE, HM Corvette BORAGE and HM Corvette
LOOSESTRIFE during
planned allied landings (Operation
NEPTUNE).
Continued escort of mercantile convoys.
June Joined
Escort Group 104 at Southend..
4th Escorted
Convoy EIL1 comprising 12 Landing Ships, Tank and 24 Landing Craft, Tank
from
Southend to Eastern Task Force Area.
6th Arrived
in Area with convoy and then returned to Southend with Escort Group
for escort of
Build-Up convoys.
July Released
from NEPTUNE and reamed convoy escort and patrol duties at Harwich.
August Convoy escort
duty in North Sea and Channel in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Convoy
escort and Interception patrols In North Sea against enemy minelaying by E-
to Boats
and submersibles.
April (Note:
During this period Schnorkel fitted submarines were concentrating attacks
in coastal
voters and Atlantic convoys were being routed via English Channel)
May Deployed
in support of re-occupation operations.
June Nominated for reduction to Reserve status.
S p e c i a l N o t e
Attention is drawn to a book
written by Lieut. Cdr. Stitt - HMS WIDEAWAKE which gives an account of the
wartime activities of HMS WHITSHED. This book would have been constrained by
security rules at the time of writing.
Po s t W a r N o t e s
HMS WHITSHED was not deployed again operationally and after the
end of hostilities she was Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status. The ship
was placed on the Disposal List in 1946 and sold to BISCO in February 1947 for demolition by T J King. The
ship arrived at the breakers’ yard to at Gateshead in April 1948.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
WHITSHED
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been
cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
30/12/39
|
30/12/39
|
OA 063GF
|
unknown
|
31/12/39
|
07/01/40
|
07/01/40
|
OA 068GF
|
08/01/40
|
unknown
|
29/12/39
|
09/01/40
|
HX 014
|
12/01/40
|
12/01/40
|
27/01/40
|
27/01/40
|
OA 080G
|
31/01/40
|
31/01/40
|
31/01/40
|
31/01/40
|
OG 016
|
31/01/40
|
04/02/40
|
17/02/40
|
24/02/40
|
HG 019
|
27/02/40
|
27/02/40
|
05/03/40
|
20/03/40
|
SL 023
|
22/03/40
|
22/03/40
|
24/03/40
|
24/03/40
|
OA 116
|
26/03/40
|
28/03/40
|
26/03/40
|
26/03/40
|
OA 117
|
27/03/40
|
29/03/40
|
07/06/43
|
07/06/43
|
CW 184
|
08/06/43
|
08/06/43
|
08/06/43
|
08/06/43
|
CE 182
|
09/06/43
|
09/06/43
|
06/08/43
|
06/08/43
|
CW 199
|
07/08/43
|
07/08/43
|
07/08/43
|
07/08/43
|
CE 197
|
08/08/43
|
08/08/43
|
09/10/43
|
09/10/43
|
CW 215
|
10/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
CE 213
|
11/10/43
|
11/10/43
|
02/11/43
|
02/11/43
|
CW 221
|
03/11/43
|
03/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
CE 219
|
05/11/43
|
05/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
CW 227
|
27/11/43
|
27/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
CE 225
|
29/11/43
|
29/11/43
|
16/02/44
|
16/02/44
|
CE 245
|
17/02/44
|
17/02/44
|
10/03/44
|
10/03/44
|
CW 253
|
11/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
CE 251
|
12/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
12/06/44
|
12/06/44
|
ETM 007
|
13/06/44
|
13/06/44
|
13/06/44
|
13/06/44
|
FTM 006
|
14/06/44
|
14/06/44
|
16/06/44
|
16/06/44
|
ETM 011
|
17/06/44
|
17/06/44
|
24/06/44
|
24/06/44
|
ETM 016
|
25/06/44
|
25/06/44
|
29/06/44
|
29/06/44
|
ETM 021
|
30/06/44
|
30/06/44
|
01/07/44
|
01/07/44
|
FTM 024
|
02/07/44
|
02/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
ETM 026
|
05/07/44
|
05/07/44
|
06/07/44
|
06/07/44
|
FTM 029
|
07/07/44
|
07/07/44
|
12/07/44
|
12/07/44
|
ETC 035
|
13/07/44
|
13/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
FTC 036
|
15/07/44
|
15/07/44
|
24/07/44
|
24/07/44
|
ETM 044
|
25/07/44
|
25/07/44
|
26/07/44
|
26/07/44
|
FTM 049
|
27/07/44
|
27/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
ETM 049
|
30/07/44
|
30/07/44
|
06/08/44
|
06/08/44
|
ETM 057
|
07/08/44
|
07/08/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)