H .  M .  S .   B R O C K L E S B Y   ( L 4 2 )

 

Type I HUNT-Class Escort Destroyer (but see Addendum) ordered from Cammell Laird at Birkenhead under the 1939 War Emergency Programs on 4th September 1939. She was laid down as Job 3561on 18th November 1939 and launched on 30th September 1940 as the first RN warship to bear the Name Build was completed on 9th April 1941. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Belper, Derbyshire.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942-43 - DIEPPE 1942 - SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943 - ATLANTIC 1943 - ADRIATIC 1944

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge : On a Field Red,  a buckle Gold.

 

(NavyPhotos)

 

D e t a i l s   o f   W a r   S e r v i c e

 

1 9 4 1

 

March                    Contractors trials

 

April                       Commissioned for service in 15th Destroyer Flotilla.

                9th          Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials

                                On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.

 

May                        Work-up with ships of Home Fleet in continuation.

 

June                        Joined 15th Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth for escort of coastal convoys.

 

July                         Channel coastal convoy escort and patrol in continuation.

to

December

 

1 9 4 2

 

January                  Convoy defence and patrol based at Portsmouth in continuation.

to

February

 

March

                20th        In action with aircraft attacking convoy off Trevose Head.

                28th        Deployed with HM Escort Destroyer CLEVELAND to reinforce escort of craft engaged

                                in St. Nazaire raid (Operation CHARIOT).

                                (For details see BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by Peter Scott, THE WATERY MAZE

                                by B Fergusson and Naval Staff History.).

                29th        Under air attack with HM Escort Destroyers ATHERSTONE and TYNEDALE whilst assisting

                                the return of HM Motor Torpedo Boat 314, HM Motor Launches 270 and 446 from St. Nazaire.

 

April                       Resumed Flotilla duties at Portsmouth for Channel coastal convoy escort and patrol..

 

May                        Convoy escort and patrol duty in continuation.

to July

 

August                  Nominated for support of Dieppe raid as escort for Group 4 of Raiding Force and took part in

                                preparatory exercises. (Operation JUBILEE)

                18th        Passage to Dieppe with Polish destroyer as escort for Group 4 with Polish Destroyer SLAZAK.

                19th        Under fire from shore batteries whilst supporting landings on GREEK Beach at Pourville and

                                sustained damage.

                                Rescued 23 survivors from German Trawler UJ1404

                                For details above references Naval Staff History).

                20th        Passage to Portsmouth covering return of curving craft.

                21st         Taken In hand for repair to action damage by HM Dockyard, Portsmouth.

 

September             Under repair.

 

October                  On completion resumed duties with Flotilla.

                11th        Formed part of Force B deployed in Channel Islands area to prevent passage of German raider

                                KOMET into the Atlantic.

                                Joined MTB's which had intercepted and sunk this ship.

                                Engaged escort of KOMET but came under shore battery fire and forced to retire.

                                Resumed coastal convoy and offensive patrol duty on release from interception operation

 

November

                1st           In action with escort of coastal convoy in Channel.

 

December

                12th        In action with HM Escort Destroyer ESKDALE against coastal convoy off Dieppe.

                                Sustained slight damage.

                                (For details of Channel operations see HOLD THE NARROW 3SA by P Smith).

                14th        Under repair to action damage.

                20th        Deployed on coastal convoy escort and patrol duty in Channel.

 

1 9 4 3

 

January                  Channel duties in continuation.

                                Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean.

 

February                Passage to Gibraltar to join Destroyer Division 57 in Mediterranean for convoy defence.

 

March                    Deployed in western Mediterranean and Gibraltar area for convoy escort.

to

May

 

June                        Part of escort for troop convoy KMF15.duringpassage into Gibraltar.

 

July                         Nominated for support duty during Sicily landings in Escort Group U with Support Force East for

                                British Assault Area (Operation HUSKY.

                                Passage to Algiers for HUSKY

                7th          Sailed from Algiers as escort for assault convoy.

                8th          Detached from escort and took passage to Malta

                                Transferred to Escort Group U

                                (Note : Other ships in Group included HM Escort Destroyers BLANKNEY, BLENCATHRA,

                                BRECON and BRISSENDEN.

                9th          Deployed with escort for Convoy SBF2 to BARK SOUTH area

                12th        Embarked Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay (Naval Commander of British Group) .General

                                Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Commander of Allied Forces) and General Bernard L.

                                Montgomery (Commander of British Land Forces) to visit beach heads.

.                               (For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett, Naval Staff

                                History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser).

                16th        Deployed for gunfire support and patrol off beaches.

 

August                  HUSKY support in continuation.

                11th        Deployed as escort for HM Monitor ROBERTS during bombardment of railway and road targets

                                at Taormina.

                22nd       In action against B- Boats attacking shipping off Ancona.

                25th        Nominated for support of planned landings at Salerno with ships of 21at Flotilla.

                                Prepared for Salerno Landing with Flotilla (Operation AVALANCHE)

                                (Note : Other ships deployed for AVALANCHE included HM Escort Destroyers MENDIP

                                TETCOTT, DULVERTON, BELVOIR., QUANTOCK, BLACKMORE, BRECON,

                                BEAUFORT, EXMOOR, BLANKNEY and Greek destroyer PINDOS of 21st Destroyer

                                Flotilla.

 

September             Passage to Tripoli from Malta for convoy escort.

                5th          Deployed with escort for assault convoy TSM1 during passage to Salerno.

                                (For details of AVALANCHE see above references).

                9th          Detached from TSM1 on arrival and deployed for gunfire support and patrol in area.

                10th        Deployed on convoy escort and patrol during build-up phase.

 

October                  Transferred to Adriatic for convoy escort and patrol duties.

                                (Note : Deployment also included support of partisan operations, landing covert missions and

                                providing gunfire support against shore targets.

                                For details of Adriatic operations see THE LAST DESTROYER by FA Mason).

 

November              Adriatic support, patrol end convoy escort in continuation.

                14th        Bombarded harbour installations at Bar, south of Dubrovnik in Adriatic with HM Escort

                                Destroyer WHEATLAND.

 

December              Adriatic deployment In continuation.

                3rd          Bombarded E-Boat Base on Lussinpicolo Island with HMS QUANTOCK and HMS WILTON

 

1 9 4 4

 

January                  Adriatic deployment in continuation

to                            (Note :This included supported of Partisan operations. landing of agents and supply of weapons.

December              as well as convoy escort interception patrols against E-Boats.

 

1 9 4 5

 

January                  Adriatic deployments in continuation.

                                Nominated for transfer to 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich.

 

February

                5th          Sailed for UK with HMS WILTON and HMS QUANTOCK.

                12th        Joined Flotilla for defence of coastal convoys against increased threat of new Schnorkel-fitted

                                submarines.

                                (For details of U-Boat activities in 1945 see SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann,

                                ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and HOLD THE NARROW SEA).

 

April                       Deployed in North Sea and Channel for escort and patrol against minelaying by E-Boats

                                and submarines.

 

May                        Channel and North Sea deployment in continuation.

                6th          Deployed in support of re-occupation operations.

                14th        Passage to Cuxhaven with HMS SOUTHDOWN.

                                (Note : Later visited Wilhelmshaven)

 

June                        Nominated for duty as Air Target Ship and converted by HM Dockyard Portsmouth.

to                            On completion based at Rosyth and stationed in North Sea for training of air crew in

August                  procedures for attacks on shipping.

 

P o s t   W a r   N o t e s

 

HMS BROCKLESBY was Paid-off and reduced to Reserve at Portsmouth on 1st May 1946. She was the laid-up there until 1951 when brought forward for refit and conversion for use a Sonar trials ship at Portland. After completion the ship joined the 2nd Training Squadron and served for research and development trials attached to the Underwater Weapons Establishment. This ship again Paid-off in June 1963 and was the last of the HUNT Class  to be scrapped. Sold to BISCO for demolition by Shipbreaking Industries on 21st October 1968 she arrived in tow at Faslane for breaking up on 28th October 1968.

 

---

 

Addendum

(Editors Notes:

 

1. HMS BLENCATHRA, BROCKLESBY and LIDDESDALE are usually found grouped together. BLENCATHRA was listed as a Type I by Lt Cdr Mason, and the other two as Type II's, but have since been changed to Type I's.

 

2. "Conways All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-46" lists the three as Type I; Lenton's "British and Empire Warships of the Second World War" includes them in the Type I section but prefaces their names with Type II, and then lists their details under Type II!)

HMS BLENCATHRA, BROCKLESBY and LIDDESDALE - "ONE-OFF" TYPE II HUNTs?

by Jon Summers

 

Blencathra (Cammel Laird), Brocklesby (Cammel Laird) and Liddesdale (VA, Tyne) were all Type II Hunts, and were among the earlier builds, so the "two mount" layout in these ships is possibly either a "left over" from the Type I layout or the result of supply problems - one of the three mounts intended to be fitted on the Type I in the original Admiralty design was removed by the time the Type I's entered service, due to stability problems. The "beamier" hull of the Type II was no doubt part of the response to this problem. After the bulk of the Type II's had been completed with three 4in mounts, the Type III Hunts then returned to a "two mount" layout, but this is rather later, so is presumably a separate development (to enable them to carry a pair of torpedo tubes, not fitted in the earlier Types).

 

As for BLENCATHRA:

Hull dimensions were those of the slightly beamier Type II:

(Type I, 264.25 (pp), 280 (oa) x 29 x 7.75')

(Type II, 264.25 (pp), 282.5 (oa) x 31.5 x 7.75')

 

However, she is listed as having the Type I main armament:

(Type I, 2 x twin 4"; Type II, 3 x twin 4").

 

The lack of a third turret reduced her standard displacement to 1,000 tons

(Type I, 907 tons; Type II, 1,050 tons)

 

and also reduced standard complement to 146

(Type I, 146; Type II, 168)

 

(above data from Lenton & Colledge, "Warships of World War II")

The evolution of the Hunt class: 

1939 Estimates (ordered circa Mar/Apr 1939) - All Type I Hunts

1939 War Programme (ordered circa Sep 1939) - All Type II Hunts

1940 War Programme - All Type III Hunts

The two Type IV Hunts (to the Thornycroft design)

The date ordered in your records fits in with the above scheme, and your records also state she was built under the "1939 War Emergency Programme", all this again making her a Type II.