H . M . S . W
A K E F U L (H 8 8 )
W-Class destroyer ordered from Beardmore at Dalmuir on 9th December 1916 under
the 1916-17 Programme in
the 10th Destroyer order. The ship was laid down on 17th January 1917 and
launched on 6th October that year
as the first RN warship to carry the name. Build was completed on 16th December
1917 and she served in the
Grand Fleet during WW1. Before going into Reserve she attended the surrender of
the German High Seas Fleet.
B a t t l e H
o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1939-40 - DUNKIRK 1940
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
Crest : On a
Field Black, an eye proper with rays ensuing therefrom, Gold.
M o t t o
Si
dormiam capiar: 'Catch a weasel asleep'
D e t a i l s
o f W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
August Brought forward from Reserve and commissioned for
attendance at Royal Review of
Reserve Fleet in Weymouth Bay.
September Remained in commission and took up
war station at Plymouth for service in 17th Destroyer
Flotilla.
3rd Deployed
for convoy escort in SW Approaches and English Channel.
5th Escorted
coastal convoy during passage from Clyde with HM
Destroyers VIVACIOUS,
VANQUISHER and
VANESSA.
15th Escorted
coastal convoy in SW Approaches with HM Destroyer WOLVERINE.
October Western Approaches Command convoy defence
duties with Flotilla in continuation at
to December Plymouth.
1 9 4 0
January Deployment at Plymouth for convoy defence in continuation.
to February
March
23rd Joined
inward Convoy HG23F with HM Destroyers WHITEHALL and WINCHELSEA
to relieve
escort by two French warships.
26th Detached
with escort on arrival of HG23F at Liverpool..
April
3rd Joined
outward Convoy OG24 on formation in SE Approaches with HM Trawler LEEDS
UNITED, HM Destroyers MONTROSE and VERDUN as escort during initial stage of passage
to Gibraltar.
Detached from OG24 and took passage
to join inward Convoy HG24 as escort during passage
from Gibraltar to Liverpool.
4th Joined
HM Sloops ENCHANTRESS and SANDWICH in escort of Convoy HG24.
7th Detached
from HG24 on arrival at Liverpool.
10th Joined
outward Convoy OG25 with HM Destroyers BROKE and VERITY on formation in SW
Approaches as escort during initial
stage of passage to Gibraltar
Detached from OG25 escort and took passage
to resume service at Liverpool.
(Note: Destroyers based at Plymouth were transferred to Liverpool when the headquarters
of Western
Approaches Command were moved to Liverpool)
May Transferred to Dover Command for detached
service in support of military
operations
in Holland, Belgium and France.
Passage to Dover.
26th Nominated for support of evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
Deployed with HM Cruiser CALCUTTA, HM Destroyers GALLANT, GREYHOUND,
GRAFTON, IMPULSIVE, SABRE, VIMY and
VIVACIOUS at Dunkirk.
27th Embarked
631 troops for passage to Dover.
Under air attack and sustained some
damage above the waterline from near miss.
28th Returned to Dunkirk to continue embarkation of troops.
29th Under
attack by E-Boat S30 whilst off Dunkirk and hit in forward Boiler Room by one of
the two
torpedoes fired. Ship split in two with forward part sinking immediately.
Only one of the 640 soldiers embarked
survived with 25 of the ship’s company.
Rescue was carried out by HM
Minesweepers GOSSAMER, LYDD, HM Destroyer
GRAFTON and HM
Drifter COMFORT.
(Note: HMS GRAFTON was later sunk by
a torpedo from U32 and HMS COMFORT was
rammed by
HMS LYDD. See FRIEND OR FOE by P Kemp, BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser
and Naval Staff History for details of the tragic and heavy losses
of life
during rescue work.)
Special
Notes
The
Pennant Number L91 used for visual signalling purposes was allocated to this
ship before her loss. As
this was used for destroyers converted for escort duties this may suggest that
the ship was intended to
be modified for that role
The
name was carried forward for a destroyer ordered from Fairfield of Govan,
Glasgow in 1941. Although intended
to be named ZEBRA, this name was changed as part of a rationalisation of names
of both W and
Z-Classes. She was launched on 30the June 1943 and became the second RN
destroyer to bear the
name.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
WAKEFUL
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
05/09/39 05/09/39 RED 1 06/09/39 27/09/39
15/09/39 15/09/39 BC 002/1 17/09/39 17/09/39
20/09/39 20/09/39 BC 002/2 22/09/39 22/09/39
20/09/39 20/09/39 BC 002R 22/09/39 22/09/39
30/09/39 30/09/39 BC 007F 01/10/39 unknown
15/10/39 15/10/39 AXS 001 17/10/39 17/10/39
22/10/39 22/10/39 AXS 002 24/10/39 24/10/39
29/10/39 29/10/39 OA 027 31/10/39 unknown
06/11/39 06/11/39 AXS 004 07/11/39 07/11/39
08/11/39 10/11/39 OA 032G 11/11/39 11/11/39
11/11/39 11/11/39 OG 006 11/11/39 14/11/39
16/11/39 16/11/39 OA 036G 16/11/39 24/11/39
01/12/39 01/12/39 OA 044 02/12/39 03/12/39
26/11/39 08/12/39 HX 010 unknown 10/12/39
02/03/40 14/03/40 HX 024 17/03/40 17/03/40
17/03/40 23/03/40 HG 023F 26/03/40 26/03/40
27/03/40 unknown OA 118 unknown 28/03/40
03/04/40 03/04/40 OG 024 04/04/40 08/04/40
28/03/40 04/04/40 HG 024 07/04/40 07/04/40
08/04/40 08/04/40 OA 125G 10/04/40 10/04/40
10/04/40 10/04/40 OG 025 10/04/40 16/04/40
18/04/40 30/04/40 HX 036 03/05/40 03/05/40
