Variant of H-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered on 8th December
1937 from JS White of Cowes, IoW by Brazil. The ship was laid down on 30th March 1938 and when launched on 17th July
1939 was given the name JAVARY. During fitting out on 5th September she was
requisitioned by the Admiralty and renamed HMS HAVANT, a name previously used
for a minesweeper sold to Siam in 1922. Basic design was similar to the RN
H-Class but cabin accommodation was much improved. Prior to entering
RN service the after 4.7in gun was removed to enable more depth charges to
be carried. This ship was commissioned for RN service en 19th December 1939
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1940 - DUNKIRK 1940
H e r a l d i c D a t a
No details of any Crest is given in the official Heraldic Crest Record
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
December Contractors trials
19th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
1 9 4 0
January
8th Commenced work-up at
Portland.
31st Joined 9th Destroyer Flotilla at
Plymouth and deployed for convoy
Channel and
SW Approaches.
February
4th Carried
out anti-submarine search
operation in SW Approaches with HM Destroyers
WHITSHED and ARDENT.
15th Under repair and installation of
degaussing equipment at Devonport.
(Note: Some reports suggest defects
due to sabotage).
March Deployed for Atlantic convoy escort and
patrol in SW Approaches
April
7th Detached for duty with Home Fleet
during passage to
Greenock for escort of
UK - Gibraltar
convoy.
12th Visited Thorshaven, Faeroes to
determine the local political situation after the
German invasion of
Denmark.
13th Escorted HM Cruiser SUFFOLK carrying
Royal Marines for the initial occupation
of
Faeroes
Islands.
14th Joined Home Fleet for escort of
military convoys to
Norway.
May Escort of military convoys to
Norway in
continuation.
7th Transferred to Western Approaches
Command for Atlantic convoy escort.
14th Escorted ss
FRANCONIA and
ss LANCASTRIA carrying troops to
Iceland
to relieve
RM advance party (Operation
ALABASTER).
25th On arrival at
Greenock
redeployed for duty in Channel at
Dover.
29th Began evacuation of troops from
Dunkirk
(Operation DYNAMO).
June
1st Having already carried 2,300 troops
from the beaches, took passage from
Dover,
Embarked 500 troops and after
leaving
Dunkirk went
to assist HM Destroyer IVANHOE
which had been damaged in air
attacks.
Took off some of her passengers.
During passage to
Dover came under heavy air
attack and received three direct hits
HM Minesweeper SALTASH attempted
tow
after embarking troops and ship's company.
Towing operation abandoned and ship
sunk by gunfire from HMS SALTASH in position
51.08N 02.16E.
Eight of ships company were killed
and 25 wounded as well as many soldier casualties.
Some
survivors were machine-gunned whilst in the water.
For details of DYNAMO see BEF SHIPS by J de
Winser and NINE DAYS AT
DUNKIRK by AD Divine.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS HAVANT
by Don Kindell
No convoys listed
