H .
M . S . V E S P
E R ( D 5 5 )
V-Class destroyer
ordered from Stephen's of Govan, Glasgow under 1916-17 Programme (9th Order) on 30th June 1916. She was laid down on 7th December
that year and launched on 15th
December 1917 as the first RN warship to carry this name. After
completion on 20th February 1918
she joined the Fleet and remained in service after the Armistice. The ship was
put in Reserve as explained in the General Information sheet and was brought
into service again in 1939.After a WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in
February 1942 this destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Skipton, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r
ATLANTIC 1939-45 - NORTH SEA 1941 -
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1940 -45 -
NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue, a star silver
M o t t
o
Nescis quod vesper vehat :
'You know not what the evening brings forth'
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Deployed
on convoy defence and anti-submarine patrol in Channel and SW Approaches.
to
December
1 9 4 0
January Convoy escort duty in English
Channel and North Sea in
continuation.
to
April
May Deployed at Harwich for evacuation support
with the 19th Destroyer Flotilla.
(For
details of operations in Channel during May and June 1940 see Naval Staff.
History
and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY BY Corelli Barnett).
10th Embarked demolition party for passage to
Ymuiden to destroy oil tanks.
(Operation
XD).
13th Assisted in
evacuation from Hook of Holland. (Operation ORDNANCE).
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to 155.
June Deployed
at Dover with 19th Flotilla and provided naval gunfire support to
the
British Expeditionary Force at Treport.
July Joined
21st Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness for anti-invasion patrols and
escort duties in Channel and North Sea.
(For
details of naval activities in the Channel and North Sea during 1940 and
1941
see HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith, BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS
by P. Scott) and THE BATTLE OF THE EAST COAST by J P Foynes.)
August Invasion patrol and escort duty in continuation.
September
13th Deployed with HM Destroyers GARTH and
CAMPBELL for anti-invasion patrol off the
Dutch coast. Bombardment of Ostend cancelled because of poor
visibility.
October Deployed
on convoy escort duty in Channel and North Sea.
8th Towed damaged Escort Destroyer HMS
HAMBLEDON to Sheerness after being mined in
Thames Estuary.
November Channel and North Sea deployment in
continuation.
December Nominated
for service in Western Approaches and took passage to-Clyde.
19th Joined HM Destroyers HARVESTER and
HIGHLANDER in Clyde to supplement the Local
Escort
for military convoy WS5A during passage in NW Approaches. Detached from WS5A
with same ships and returned to Clyde.
21st Detached from WS5Awith same ships and
returned to Clyde.
1 9 4 1
January Western
Approaches deployment for Atlantic convoy escort in continuation.
to (For
details of Atlantic convoy defence see THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by
December Macintyre , SEEK and STRIKE by P Hackman,
U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC
(HMSO))
1 9 4 2
January Deployed
on convoy escort duty in Atlantic.
to
July
August
31st In collision with
HM Destroyer VIVACIOUS which sustained major damage.
September Atlantic convoy defence in continuation.
to Selected
for conversion to Long Range Escort Destroyer
December
1 9 4 3
January Under
conversion to Long Range Escort
to
July
August On
completion of post refit trials took passage to Tobermory for work-up.
September Joined
2nd British Escort Group after work-up and deployed for Atlantic convoy
defence.
October Atlantic convoy escort and support duties in
continuation.
to (For
details of operations to ensure safe passage of convoys and use of newly
December developed
weapons and procedures see CONVOY ESCORT COMMANDER by P Gretton
and the above references).
1 9 4 4
January Deployed
with 6th British Escort Group in NW Approaches.
February Escorted
Convoy ONS29 in Atlantic with HM Destroyers FAME and VANQUISHER,
HM
Frigate DEVERON, HM Corvettes KINGCUP, VERVAIN and EGLANTINE,
HM
Corvettes ROSE, EGLANTINE and ACANTHUS (all manned by Norway).
14th Under air attack
by two Ju88 aircraft.
March Atlantic
convoy escort and support in continuation with Group.
April Nominated
for duty in support of proposed allied landings in Normandy with Western Task
Force
O (Operation NEPTUNE).
(For
details of naval activities prior to and during landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE
by
K Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944
(HMSO)).
May Passage
to join Force O and joined HM Corvette AZALEA to form Escort Group 142.
Took
part in preparatory exercises prior to NEPTUNE
June Joined ships of Force O at Portland for Assault
Phase.
5th Deployed for
defence of assault convoys on passage to OMAHA area.
6th Group deployment in continuation..
7th Joined HM Trawlers GRASSHOLM and NEAVE
for escort of Convoy EBC1 from Solent
as Escort Group 142. Convoy consisted of 23 pre-loaded
coasters and an Armament Stores
Ship
(ASIS).
8th Escort duty with
Group from Milford Haven assembly area.
Continued
duty with Group for duration of build-up Phase.
On release from NEPTUNE deployed in English
Channel for convoy defence.
July Channel escort duty in continuation.
to
September
October Deployed
for coastal convoy defence in coastal waters.
to (Note:
During this period SCHNORKEL fitted submarines concentrated attacks on
December focal areas for convoy assembly and movement of coastal
traffic.
See
references.)
1 9 4 5
January Channel
convoy defence in continuation.
to (Note:
The removal of the air threat from German aircraft based in France allowed the
May re-routing
of Atlantic convoys through English Channel to East Coast ports and
escorts were strengthened with additional newly commissioned
warships.)
P o s t W
a r N o t e s
HMS VESPER was not deployed
operationally after the end of the war in Europe and was reduced to Reserve
status. She was placed on the Disposal List and sold to BISCO for demolition by
T W Ward on 4th March 1947. She arrived at
the breakers in Inverkeithing near Rosyth during March 1948.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VESPER
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined convoy
Convoy
No.
Left
convoy Date convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
19/09/39
19/09/39 BC 003F 20/09/39 20/09/39
19/10/39
19/10/39 OA 022 21/10/39 23/10/39
07/10/39
23/10/39 SL 004 25/10/39 26/10/39
30/10/39
30/10/39 AXS 003 31/10/39 31/10/39
07/11/39
07/11/39 BC 014/1 09/11/39 09/11/39
10/11/39
10/11/39 BC 013R 12/11/39 12/11/39
15/11/39
15/11/39 BC 015/1 17/11/39 17/11/39
19/11/39
19/11/39 BC 014R 21/11/39 21/11/39
23/11/39
23/11/39 BC 016/1 24/11/39 24/11/39
25/11/39 25/11/39
BC 015R
unknown unknown
01/12/39
01/12/39 BC 017/1 03/12/39 03/12/39
09/12/39
09/12/39 BC 018/1 11/12/39 11/12/39
11/12/39
11/12/39 BC 017R 12/12/39 12/12/39
19/12/39 21/12/39
OA 056
21/12/39
unknown
27/12/39
27/12/39 OA 061 29/12/39 30/12/39
03/01/40
05/01/40 OA 065G 07/01/40 07/01/40
27/12/39
08/01/40 SL 014F 10/01/40 11/01/40
11/01/40
11/01/40 OA 070G 13/01/40 14/01/40
12/01/40
21/01/40 HXF 016 23/01/40 24/01/40
06/04/40
07/04/40 OA 124 unknown 09/04/40
29/03/40
10/04/40 HX 031 11/04/40 13/04/40
17/04/40
17/04/40 OA 131 19/04/40 25/04/40
15/04/40 29/04/40
SL 028
01/05/40 unknown
03/05/40
03/05/40 OA 141 05/05/40 06/05/40
09/05/40
09/05/40 BC 037/1 11/05/40 11/05/40
04/12/40
04/12/40 OB 254 07/12/40 08/12/40
29/12/40
29/12/40 FS 0375 01/01/41 01/01/41
10/01/41
10/01/41 FS 0385 13/01/41 13/01/41
08/10/42
08/10/42 CE 123 09/10/42 09/10/42
12/12/42
12/12/42 CE 138 13/12/42 14/12/42
14/07/43
15/07/43 ONS 013 25/07/43 29/07/43
30/07/43
03/08/43 SC 138 12/08/43 12/08/43
21/08/43
22/08/43 ON 198 29/08/43 04/09/43
03/09/43
07/09/43 SC 141 17/09/43 17/09/43
02/09/43
15/09/43 HX 255 16/09/43 16/09/43
26/09/43
26/09/43 KMS 028G 06/10/43 07/10/43
14/10/43
16/10/43 MKS 027G 27/10/43
28/10/43
04/11/43
05/11/43 ONS 022 17/11/43 22/11/43
19/11/43
25/11/43 HX 267 02/12/43 03/12/43
15/12/43
16/12/43 ONS 025 24/12/43 03/01/44
29/12/43
03/01/44 HX 273 13/01/44 14/01/44
24/01/44
24/01/44 ON 221 27/01/44 11/02/44
12/02/44
13/02/44 ONS 029 19/02/44 29/02/44
29/02/44
01/03/44 ON 226 10/03/44 15/03/44
14/03/44
17/03/44 SC 155 29/03/44 29/03/44
18/06/44
18/06/44 EBC 015 20/06/44 20/06/44
28/06/44
28/06/44 EBC 025 30/06/44 30/06/44
13/07/44
13/07/44 EBC 040 15/07/44 15/07/44
20/07/44
20/07/44 EBC 047 22/07/44 22/07/44
27/03/45
27/03/45 OS 119KM 30/03/45 04/04/45
19/03/45
30/03/45 HX 345 02/04/45 02/04/45
02/05/45
02/05/45 ON 300 04/05/45 18/05/45
23/04/45
05/05/45 HX 352 09/05/45 08/05/45
17/05/45
17/05/45 ON 303 21/05/45 02/06/45
09/05/45
24/05/45 HX 355 26/05/45 25/05/45
(Note
on Convoys)
