H-Class Fleet
Destroyer ordered from Scotts at Greenock under 1934
Programme on 13th December 1934.The ship was laid
down on 27th February 1935 on the same day as her sister ship HMS HOTSPUR. She
was launched on 24th January 1936 as the first Royal Navy
warship to carry this name. Build was completed on 10th September that year at
a cost of £253,262 excluding items supplied by the Admiralty such as guns and
communications equipment. Her service before the outbreak of war was in the Mediterranean with the 2nd Destroyer
Flotilla until May 1939 when she was refitted at Sheerness.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1939-40 - NARVIK 1940 -
NORWAY 1940 - CALABRIA 1940
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field
Black., two hands holding swords crossed all
Proper.
M o t t
o
Voltus
ad Hostem: 'Face to the enemy’.
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
August Worked-up in
Malta prior to
service with 2nd Destroyer Flotilla in Mediterranean Fleet.
September Deployed in
Mediterranean with Flotilla for interception of blockade runners and
for
Fleet duties
October Transferred
to South Atlantic for duty with Force K
Took
passage to Freetown
15th Joined
Force K for search in Atlantic to intercept commerce raiders and blockade
runners.
(For
details of Force K see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett) and
Naval
Staff History.).
Deployed with HM Destroyers HARDY, HERO and HASTY.
November Interception
duties in continuation.
December At Plate
estuary after sinking of German pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE.
Continued interception duties.
1 9 4 0
January Transferred
to Home Fleet to rejoin Flotilla after refit.
13th Took
passage to UK.
26th Taken in
hand for refit at Chatham.
February Under refit.
March Post refit
trials.
22nd On
completion joined Flotilla for Home Fleet service.
April
1st
Escorted HM Battlecruisers REPULSE and RENOWN from
Plymouth to Greenock.
2nd On
arrival took passage to Scapa Flow to rejoin Flotilla.
4th Deployed
with HM Destroyer FEARLESS as escort for HM Cruiser
BIRMINGHAM during
a
Home Fleet search for German ships reported on passage
towards Iceland.
8th After German invasion
detached to rejoin Flotilla off Vestfjord.
Deployed for patrol off newly laid British Minefield
9th Took
part in engagement with German destroyers at Narvik with Flotilla.
Boarded abandoned German mercantile RAUENFELS with HM Destroyer HAVOCK..
(1st.
Battle of Narvik – For full details see Naval Staff History (HMSO-2001) .
10th Towed
damaged sister ship HMS HOTSPUR to Lofoten for temporary repair.
11th Rejoined
Fleet and deployed for patrol duty off Narvik.
12th Patrol
and Fleet support for military operations off
Norway
in continuation.
14th Deployed
with HM Destroyer IVANHOE for escort of HM Destroyer ESKIMO under
tow
by HM Destroyer BEDOUIN to Skelfjord
24th Part of
anti-anti-submarine screen for HM Battleship WARSPITE during bombardment of
Narvik in support of landing operation.
(For
details of the disastrous allied operations In Norway see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY, NARVIK by D MacIntyre, CARRIER GLORIOUS by John Hinton).
and
THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by Adams.
26th Passage
to Rosyth.
27th Taken in
hand for repair.
May Under
repair.
4th Passage
to resume Fleet duties of Norway
7th
Transferred with HM Cruisers ARETHUSA, GALATEA and seven other destroyers to
Harwich for support of operations in Nore Command
14th
Transferred with Flotilla for duty in Mediterranean.
17th Took
passage with HM Destroyers HASTY, HAVOCK, HEREWARD, HERO and
HYPERION from Plymouth
to join Mediterranean Fleet at
Alexandria.
June
7th Joined
HM Destroyers DAINTY, DEFENDER, HASTY, HYPERION, ILEX,
IMPERIAL, JANUS, JUNO,
VAMPIRE (RAN) and VOYAGER (RAN) as screen for
Mediterranean Fleet units covering
passage of Convoys MF1 and MS1 (ME1) from
Malta
to
Alexandria.
(Note: Major units involved were HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE, HM Battleships
MALAYA, ROYAL
SOVEREIGN and WARSPITE, HM Cruisers
GLOUCESTER, LIVERPOOL, NEPTUNE, ORION and SYDNEY (RAN).
8th Part of
Force D escorting HMS WARSPITE.
9th Took
part in brief inconclusive engagement with Italian Battle Squadron off Calabria.
Following air attacks from HMS EAGLE and hits by HMS WARSPITE
on Italian Flagship
CEASARE and cruiser BOLZANO the Italian ships withdrew. (Battle
of Calabria)
August Mediterranean
Fleet escort deployment in continuation.
22nd
Transferred with HM destroyers HERO, MOHAWK and NUBIAN to Force H at
Gibraltar
to
reinforce ships of Force H during assist planned operations in the Western
Mediterranean
(Operations HATS/MB, SMASH and GRAB)
(Note: These operations were to cover passage of HM Battleship VALIANT, HM Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Cruisers COVENTRY and
CARLISLE to join the
Fleet
at Alexandria and to cover air attacks on Cagliari, Sardinia.
23rd Whilst on
passage struck mine in position 36.53N 27.19E , 18 miles SE of Cape Bon.
Major damage sustained abaft engine room and back broken.
Ship
rapidly became awash forward and had to be abandoned.
Survivors were rescued by HMS MOHAWK rescued and hulk sank after two torpedoes
had
been fired by HMS HERO.
Five
of the ship’s company were killed and three others injured.
(For
further details see Naval Staff History (HMSO-2002)).
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS HOSTILE
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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09/09/39
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09/09/39
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BLUE 001
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19/09/39
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19/09/39
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15/10/39
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15/10/39
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SL 005
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unknown
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unknown
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13/01/40
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13/01/40
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SL 016F
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20/01/40
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27/01/40
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(Note on Convoys)