L-Class destroyer ordered from Cammell
Laird, Birkenhead on 31st March 1938 under the 1937 Programme and to be named HMS LARNE which
was laid down on 18th October 1938. However during June 1940, following requested from the Gurkha
Regiment it was decided to rename the ship HMS GURKHA and she was launched with that name on 8th July 1940
and was the 3rd RN ship to bear this name. The Regiment had previously had a
close relationship with the TRIBAL Class destroyer and wished to maintain this
with another RN warship after the loss on 19th April 1940 of the earlier ship
off Norway in support of the allied response to the German attack. The name had
been introduced for a destroyer built
in 1907 and lost after detonating a mine in 1917. The originally name GHURKA, was changed in 1936 for the
TRIBAL Class destroyer. Build of this ship was completed on 18th February 1941 Tender cost was £441,837 which
excludes items such as weapons and communications equipment supplied by the
Admiralty. This name was carried forward
in July 1960 when given to the Type 81 TRIBAL Class Frigate on launch.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
BELGIAN COAST 1914-17 - NORWAY 1940
- NORTH SEA
1940 - ATLANTIC
1941 - MEDITERRANEAN 1941 - MALTA CONVOYS 1941-41
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, two crossed Kukris Proper.
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 4 1
February Contractor’s Trials and
commissioned for service in 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
18th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Nominated for serve
in Western Approaches command.
26th Involved in collision and sustained
major damage forward with flooding of
compartments.
Withdrawn from
service and repair arranged at Rosyth.
Passage to Rosyth.
31st Taken in hand by HM Dockyard,
Rosyth.
March Under repair
to May
June
24th Carried out post repair trials on
completion.
Passage to rejoin
Western Approaches Command and resume convoy defence duties.
July
12th Joined military convoy WS9C in Clyde
with HM Destroyers VANOC, WANDERER and
Polish ORP GARLAND
as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: This convoy
included ships bound for Malta as part of Operation SUBSTANCE.
Ocean Escort was
provided by HM Battleship NELSON, HM Cruisers ARETHUSA
and
MANCHESTER with screen of five Home Fleet destroyers. The Dutch cruiser
HEEMSKERCK
provide additional AA defence as part of Local Escort.)
15th Detached from WS9C and returned to
Clyde with Local Escort.
August.
2nd Joined military convoy WS10 in Clyde
with HM Destroyers WHITEHALL, WINCHELSEA,
WITCH, BROADWAY,
LANCE, LEGION, Polish ORP PIORUN and Dutch ISAAC SWEERS
as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: This convoy
destined for Indian Ocean included HM Cruiser LONDON and HM
Armed
Merchant Cruiser WORCESTERSHIRE as Ocean Escort.)
5th Detached from WS10 and returned to
Clyde with Local Escort
17th Joined military convoy WS10X in Clyde
with HM Destroyers LANCE, ORP PIORUN and
Dutch ISAAC SWEERS
as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: HM Cruiser
DORSETSHIRE provided Ocean Escort.)
19th Detached from WS10X with HMS LANCE and joined
Convoy OG71 under attacks by U559,
U201 and U564. which
were unable to penetrate screen and attacks failed.
20th Deployed with escort for OG71 and
established positions of U-Boats with newly fitted
Direction Finding
equipment
(See HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair details of attacks on OG71 and SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann for details of use of D/F equipment.)
23rd Submarine attacks discontinued by
strong escort and availability of air cover.
25th Detached on arrival of OG71 at Gibraltar.
(Note HM Destroyer
BATH, HM Corvette ZINNIAand seven mercantiles were lost on passage
September Deployed with 4th Destroyer Flotilla
based at Gibraltar
(Note: Flotilla included
HM Destroyers COSSACK, LANCE. LEGION, LIVELY,
MAORI,
SIKH and ZULU.)
8th Deployed with HM Destroyers
FORESTER, LANCE and LIVELY as screen for HM Aircraft
Carrier ARK ROYAL
and HM Cruiser HERMIONE during Malta aircraft delivery .
(Operation STATUS
I).
9th Returned to Malta with same ships
after launch of HURRICANE aircraft.
10th Deployed with HMS
ZULU, HMS LANCE and HMS LIVELY as screen for HM Battleship
NELSON and HMS ARK
ROYAL as Force A to provide cover during Malta aircraft delivery
(Operation STATUS
II).
14th Returned to Gibraltar with Ships of
Force A after launch of aircraft from HMS FURIOUS and
carrying out series
of exercises in preparation for planned Malta relief operation.
24th Deployed with HM Destroyers DUNCAN, LANCE,
LEGION, LIVELY, FURY, Dutch
destroyer ISAAC
SWEERS, Polish destroyers ORP GARLAND and PIORUN as screen for Force
A comprising HM
Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, PRINCE OF WALES and HMS ARK ROYAL
to provide cover
for passage to Sicilian Narrows of Convoy GM2 destined for Malta under
escort of Force X
(Operation HALBERD).
27th Under air attacks during which HMS
RODNEY was hit by an aircraft torpedo but remained in
covering force at a
reduced speed.
Remained west of
Narrows when Force X detached with mercantiles and remained in area to
provide cover
during passage of Convoy MG2 and returning Force X ships to Gibraltar.
28th Under threat of air
attacks but these were deterred by effective use of aircraft away from Force A
29th Met returning warships and under threat
of submarine attack.
(Note: HMS NELSON
was detached and returned to Gibraltar with HMS PRINCE OF WALES,
HM
Cruisers KENYA and HMS SHEFFIELD (Force X), HM Destroyers LAFOREY,
LIGHTNING, ORIBI, FORESIGHT, FORESTER (Force X) and HMS FURY (Force A).
30th Under attack by
Italian submarine ADUA and carried out anti-submarine hunt with HMS LEGION.
ADUA was sunk in
position 37.10N 00.56E by these depth
charge attacks.
October
1st Returned to Gibraltar with remained
ships of Force X and Force A
8th Joined Ocean Escort for military
convoy WS12 during passage in Atlantic
9th Return passage to Gibraltar from
WS12.
(Note: Additional
support had been provided from Gibraltar for this convoy which was being
escorted by HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE.)
On return resumed convoy deployment and patrol at Gibraltar with
Flotilla.
November
8th Deployed with HM Destroyers LAFOREY,
LEGION, LIGHTNING, SIKH. ZULU and
Dutch destroyer ISAAC SWEERS as screen for HM Battleship MALAYA, HM
Aircraft
Carriers ARGUS, ARK ROYAL and HM Cruiser HERMIONE to provide cover
during
Malta aircraft delivery from the two carriers (Operation PERPETUAL).
13th During return passage
following launch of aircraft on 12th.came under attack by U-Boat
which torpedoed and
disabled HMS ARK ROYAL. See MALTA CONVOYS
by R Woodman.
Carried out anti-submarine operations with HMS LAFOREY and HMS LIGHTING.
Assisted in rescue and salvage attempts until these were abandoned.
14th Returned to Gibraltar.
Passage to UK
(Note: The reasons for this return are not clear and need further
research.
Once
source record for repair at Devonport which is unlikely to have been impossible
at HM
Dockyard Gibraltar.)
Nominated for escort of military convoy on completion of repair.
December
Passage to Clyde to join military convoy as part of Ocean Escort during
passage in Atlantic.
(Note: One source records ship sailed on 13th December, but this is at
variance with other
sources
which confirm ship was deployed with WS14.)
9th Joined military convoy WS14 with HM
Australian Destroyer NESTOR and HM Destroyer
FOXHOUND.
13th Detached from WS14 to carry out
anti-submarine search off Gibraltar with HMAS NESTOR
and joined destroyers from Gibraltar already carrying out this
operation.
(Note: HM Destroyer VANQUISHER joined WS14.)
15th Deployed with HMAS NESTOR and HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND and CROOME in hunt
for U-Boat west of
Gibraltar. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
Carried out depth charge attacks with HMAS NESTOR and sank U127 in
position SW of
Cape St Vincent. There were no survivors from this submarine.
On arrival at Gibraltar nominated for transfer to Mediterranean Fleet.
(Note: For details of all Malta convoy operations and naval activities
in the eastern
Mediterranean see THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre,
MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman, THE
NAVAL WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
by J
Greene and A Massignini and the Naval
Staff History.)
22nd Sailed from Gibraltar for Malta with
HM Cruiser DIDO HM Destroyers ARROW, NESTOR
(RAN) and FOXHOUND
24th Arrived in Malta.
26th Sailed from Malta with same ships to
escort four merchant ships to Alexandria.
29th Arrived at Alexandria for service
with Mediterranean Fleet.
Came under air attacks during passage without damage.
1 9 4 2
January
5th Joined HM Destroyers SIKH, KIPLING,
KINGSTON and FOXHOUND to screen HM
Cruisers DIDO, EURYALUS and NAIAD
as Force B to escort HM Supply Ship GLENGYLE
during passage in eastern Mediterranean (Operation MF2),.
6th Transferred HMS GLENGYLE escort to
ships of Force A from Malta and took over escort of
HM Supply Ship BRECONSHIRE for passage to Alexandria
9th Arrived at Alexandria with ships of
Force B.
16th Deployed as escort for Convoy MW8B
during passage from Alexandria to Malta with HM
Destroyers MAORI,
LEGION and Dutch destroyer ISAAC SWEERS (Operation MF3)
(Note: Convoy comprised two mercantiles and was planned to merge with
Convoy MW8A
of during
passage. See above references.)
17th Under attack by U133 west of Sollum
and hit by torpedo. Ship caught fire and was
surrounded
by burning oil fuel and towed clear by Dutch destroyer ISAAC
SWEERS which was
able to rescue all but nine of the ship’s company before the ship sank
in position
31.50N 29.14E. Survivors were landed at
Tobruk. Details of casualties were
announced on 9th
March 1942.