H . M . S . K
H A R T O U M ( F 4 5 )
“K” Class Destroyer ordered
from Swan Hunter at Wallsend, Newcastle
under the 1937 Programme in March 1937 and laid down on 27th October
that year. She was launched on 6th February 1939 as the first RN warship to carry this name. Build was completed on 6th November 1939 and
she was commissioned for service in the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
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 barry
wavy of Blue and White a camel, Gold.
De t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
November Completed contractors trials
Commissioned for service in
5th Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
6th Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
Passage to Clyde to
work-up with ships of Home Fleet..
December Joined Flotilla and deployed for
patrol and convoy defence in NW Approaches when not
required for screen in
Home Fleet ships.
19th During deployment in Firth of Clyde under
unsuccessful torpedo attack by submarine near
Holy Isle in Firth of
Clyde
Carried out
anti-submarine search with French Sloop ALDAIR for 24 hours without success.
1 9 4 0
January Deployed with Flotilla for Home
Fleet duties.
February Deployed for escort of convoys to
Norway based at Rosyth.
Sustained structural
damage during anti-submarine operations at high speed in heavy weather.
Passage to Falmouth
for repair.
March Under repair at commercial
shipyard in Falmouth
to April
May On completion took passage to
assist in operations in Nore Command for evacuation of personnel
from Holland and
Belgium.
During passage in
Channel developed machinery defect and taken in hand at Portsmouth for repair
repair lasting two
days
(Note : Pennant Number
for visual signalling purposes changed to G45.)
8th Nominated for service with 14th Destroyer
Flotilla in Mediterranean.
16th Took passage from Plymouth for Gibraltar
with HM Destroyer KANDAHAR.
23rd Joined Flotilla at Alexandria and deployed
for screening and patrol duties with Flotilla.
(Note : During this
period extensive exercises were being carried out by ships of the Fleet
based at
Alexandria, in anticipation of outbreak of war with Italy.)
Detached with HM
Destroyers KANDAHAR, KIMBERLEY and KINGSTON for surveillance
of Italian warship
movements from Massawa.
(Note : This move was
part of preparations for war with Italy as several Italian surface warships
and
submarines were based in Eritrea and could present a threat to commercial
shipping,)
June Deployed in Red Sea with
Sloops of East Indies Squadron and sister destroyers.
Prepared for war
service in defence of Red Sea shipping.
10th After outbreak of war deployed for patrol
and convoy defence based at Aden.
21st Carried out attack on Italian submarine
TORRICELLI which was unsuccessful.
23rd
Deployed with HMS KANDAHAR, HMS KINGSTON and HM Sloop SHOREHAM in
search for TORRICELLI
near Perim Island.
After interception
took part in surface engagement with these ships during which enemy
submarine was sunk.
Hit by return fire
which damaged the after torpedo tube mounting.
Subsequently an air
vessel exploded causing a serious uncontrollable fire which prevented
access to magazine
flooding controls.
The resulting
explosion of the magazine killed one of the ship’s company, injured three
others
. and wrecked the stern
structure aft of the Engine Room causing extensive flooding.
Ship settled on an
even keel with forward structure awash.
. Ship’s company rescued
by HMS KANDAHAR and taken to Aden.
Equipment was dismantled
and other security measures were implemented before the ship was
abandoned. The wreck
remained visible after the end of WW2.
(Note : The official
record in Ref ADM 1/11210 at the Public Record Office indicates that
the
explosion of the air vessel may have been due to a Flaw in this component part
of a
Mark IX Torpedo and that similar explosions had previously been reported in
other
ships. The details of the actual cause of the fire are unlikely to be
determined.)
