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H .
M . S , C O W D R A
Y ( L 5 2 )
Type II HUNT Class Escort
Destroyer ordered from Scotts of Greenock on 4th September 1939 under the 1939 War Emergency Programme. The ship was laid down as Job No J1116 on 30th April 1940. She was launched on 22nd July 1941 as the 1st RN ship to
carry this name. Build was completed on 29 July 1942. Following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign during in March 1942 she was adopted by
the civil community of Chichester, West Sussex. As shown below in the record
the ship was only operational for 3 months during WW2..
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ARCTIC 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942
- ATLANTIC
1943 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944 -
NORTH SEA 1944-45
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field, Gold, in front of a horseshoe
inverted, a spear erect black
within the
horseshoe and in front of the spear, a sun in splendour Red.
D e t a i l s o f W
a r S e r v i
c e
1 9 4 2
July Contractors trials
and commissioned for service,
22nd Build completion and commenced Accepted Trials.
Passage to
work-up on completion on trials and storing
August Worked-up for operational
service.
September Joined Londonderry Escort
Force for convoy escort duty in Western Approaches.
Detached for
escort for oilers being sent to establish a fuelling base at Spitzbergen.
(Note : This was
to be used for replenishment escorts of Russian convoys
PQ18 and QP14 and
ships involved were deployed as Force P.)
Passage to
Iceland
10th Deployed with HM
Destroyers OAKLEY, WINDSOR and WORCESTER as
escort for Royal
Fleet Auxiliaries BLUE RANGER and OLIGARCH to
provide fuel
for escorts of
Convoys PQ18 and return Convoy QP14..
(For details see
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman
21st On completion of
refuelling took passage to Iceland with RFA BLUE RANGER escorted by
HM Destroyer
ONSLAUGHT and ships of Force P
26th On return to Iceland
took passage to resumed escort duties based at Londonderry.
October
2nd Part of escort in NW
Approaches for rms QUEEN MARY with HM Cruiser CURACOA, HM
Destroyers
BRAMHAM and SKATE and three other destroyers.
HMS CURACOA was
rammed and sunk by QUEEN MARY in position 55.50N 08.38W.
Assisted in
rescue work.
(For details see
THE QUEEN MARY AND THE CRUISER by D Thomas and P Holmes).
25th Deployed with escort
for troop convoys to Mediterranean for planned allied landings in
North Africa
(Operation TORCH).
(For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett, Naval
Staff History,
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser and RELUCTANT ENEMIES
by W Tute.).
November Detached for duty with
Eastern Task Force during landings.
Deployed for Inshore Escort of "C Fast Convoys
"and for anti-submarine patrols.
8th During patrol off "C" Beach, east of Cape Natifou,
Algeria came under heavy air
attack by
torpedo and bombing.
Torpedoes missed but a bomb struck the forward
structure on starboard side and exploded
under the hull.
Sustained extensive damage under No 1 Boiler
Room and ship disabled.
Seventeen casualties including five fatal.
9th Towed by HM
Minesweeper ALGERINE and beached 7 miles from Algiers.
Ship prepared for
scuttling.
16th Towed into Algiers
for temporary repair.
December Under temporary repair to
allow passage.
1 9 4 3
January Under temporary repair
to allow passage.
to Structural work
carried cut to renew plating and ensure use of fuel tanks.
March
April Post refit trials
showed ship had distinct ‘hog’ amidships with low freeboard.
24th Took passage from
Algiers to UK.
May
22nd Arrived at Chatham and
Paid-off into Dockyard Control.
June
2nd Taken in hand for
repair by HM Dockyard Chatham.
July Under repair
to (Note : During this
period proposal to transfer to Royal Hellenic Navy was under
December consideration).
1 9 4 4
January Repair work in
continuation.
Transfer to
Greece discontinued.
February Under repair.
to
July
August Carried out Post Refit
trials and re-commissioning
23rd Dockyard Repair work
completed.
September Prepared for service with
21st Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness.
October Worked-up for convoy
defence duties.
November Rejoined Flotilla and
deployed on coastal patrols for interception of E-Boats and
to defence of convoys
in North Sea and English Channel.
December
1 9 4 5
January Deployment with Flotilla
in continuation.
10th Struck submerged
wreck whilst attacking midget submarine.
(Note : Asdic
Dome and shafts damaged)
Taken in hand for
repair at HM Dockyard Chatham.
(Note : During
this period German E-Boats and midget submarine were engaged in a
series of
minelaying operations to interfere with supply routes to ports on the
continent used
for military convoys).
February Under repair.
to
March
April Carried out Post
Refit trials.
12th On completion of
dockyard work rejoined Flotilla in continuation.
May Nominated for service
with 18th Destroyer Flotilla, Eastern Fleet.
to Under Refit and
modification for foreign service.
July
August On passage to Trincomalee
to join Flotilla
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS COWDRAY served only a few
weeks in the East Indies and returned to UK in November 1945. Then the ship and
served in the Nore
Local Destroyer Flotilla. In January
1950 whilst with this Flotilla she assisted in the rescue of survivors from HM
Submarine TRUCULENT which sank after a collision in the Thames Estuary, The
ship Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status at Chatham in 1951. She was moved
to lay-up Portsmouth in 1953 and finally at Hartlepool.
Placed on the Disposal List in 1959 this destroyer was sold to BISCO for
demolition by J J King at Sunderland where she arrived in tow at the breaker’s
yard on 3rd September 1959.
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