1943
BATTLE-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered
with ships of the 1st and 2nd Flotillas in 1942
from J S White at Cowes but
later transferred to Cammell Laird at Birkenhead
because of air-raid damage at
the Cowes shipyard. The ship was laid down on
10th August 1946 as Yard No 1127
and was launched on 30th November 1944 as the
first RN ship to carry this name.
Build completion date was 14th June 1946. The
name commemorates the second
phase of the defeat of the Spanish Armada on 9th
August 1588.
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field
Blue, within
a wreath of laurel Gold
a plate whereon a saltire couped raguly red in
front
of which a lion statand guardant the tail
extended gold.
(Note: This is derived partly
from the crest of Lord Howard of Effingham
victor of this Battle.
M
o t t o
‘Zeal
rests not’.
(Note : A
translation of the motto of Lord Howard.
"Desir n'a repos".)
S
u m m a r y o f
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 6
June
14th
Commissioned for trials.
Accepted
from builder.
July
Deployed
for trials prior to reduction to Reserve
status.
August Paid
off
and reduced to Reserve.
September Laid-up
in
Reserve
1
9 4 7 t o
1 9 4 8
Laid up in Reserve.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed
to D24.
1
9 4 9
January
Laid
up in Reserve.
to
May
June
Nominated
for service.
Stored
and prepared for commissioning.
July
Commissioned
for service in 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
August
Joined
sister BATTLE Class destroyers SAINTES, ARMADA
and VIGO and deployed for
Fleet
duties in Mediterranean.
September
Flotilla
duties in Mediterranean based in Malta
to
December
1
9 5 0
Deployed
with Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta.
1
9 5 1
Fleet
deployment included detached service at Basra
for during period of
unrest due
to
Iranian demands for
nationalisation of oil industry.
1
9 5 2
Mediterranean
Fleet deployment in continuation.
1
9 5 3
Withdrawn from
service and reduced to Reserve.
1
9 5
4 t o
1 9 5 6
Laid up in Reserve.
1
9 5
7
Selected
for refit and modernisation.
1
9 5 8
Taken
in hand for refit and modernisation by HM Dockyard,
Devonport.
Work
was suspended in November after future of ship
had been decided in
the light of the
reductions
following the 1957 Defence
Review.
The
cost of the work carried out was critically
commented on in the
Comptroller-General's
Annual
Report of 1961
Returned
to Reserve status.
F I n a l P h a s e
HMS
GRAVELINES was placed on
the Disposal List in 1961 and sold to T W Ward
for demolition at Rosyth.
She arrived at the breaker’s yard in tow on
22nd March 1961.