Allied Warships
HMS Harvester (H 19)
Destroyer of the Havant class
HMS Harvester as completed, she still had two banks of torpedo tubes
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Class | Havant |
| Pennant | H 19 |
| Built by | Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 3 Jun 1938 |
| Launched | 29 Sep 1939 |
| Commissioned | 23 May 1940 |
| Lost | 11 Mar 1943 |
| Loss position | 51.23N, 28.40W |
| History | Requisitioned by the Royal Navy on 4 September 1939 while being built for the Brazilian Navy. Named HMS Handy, renamed HMS Harvester before completion on 27 February 1940. HMS Harvester (Cdr. Arthur Andre Tait, DSO, RN) was sunk on 11 March 1943 while escorting convoy HX-228. HMS Harvester rams the German submarine U-444 but is disabled and the U-boat has to be finished off by French corvette Aconit. HMS Harvester, now stationary, is torpedoed and sunk in position 51º23'N, 28º40'W by U-432 which is in turn brought to the surface by Aconit's depth charges and finally destroyed by gunfire and ramming. Hit by U-boat |
| U-boat Attack | See our U-boat attack entry for the HMS Harvester |
| Former name | HMS Handy (ex. Brazilian Jurus) |
Commands listed for HMS Harvester (H 19)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Mark Thornton, RN | 11 Mar 1940 | 15 Mar 1942 |
| 2 | Cdr. Harold Pitcairn Henderson, RN | 15 Mar 1942 | 9 Aug 1942 |
| 3 | Cdr. Arthur Andre Tait, DSO, RN | 9 Aug 1942 | 11 Mar 1943 (+) |
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Noteable events involving Harvester include:
25 May 1940
Assisted in evacuation of troops from Dunkirk.
9 Jul 1940
HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, RN) and HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN) together pick up 35 survivors from the British merchant Aylesbury that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-43 about 200 nautical miles south-east of Ireland in position 48°39'N, 13°33'W.
13 Sep 1940
During the night of 13/14 September 1940 the destroyers HMS Highlander (Cdr. W.A. Dallmeyer, RN), HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, RN), HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. F.J.G. Hewitt, RN) and HMS Beagle (Lt.Cdr. R.H. Wright, RN) bombard Cherbourg in a sweep through the Seine Bay.
30 Oct 1940
German U-boat U-32 was sunk north-west of Ireland, in position 55°37'N, 12°19'W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. C.M. Thornton, RN) and HMS Highlander (Cdr. W.A. Dallmeyer, RN). (see map)
27 Nov 1940
HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, RN) and HMS Havelock (Lt.Cdr. E.H. Thomas, RN) both pick up a survivor from the British merchant Glenmoor that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-103 about 167 miles northwest of Sylne Head in position 54°35'N, 14°31'W.
7 Dec 1941
German U-boat U-208 was sunk in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar, in position 35°51'N, 07°45'W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, DSC, RN) and HMS Hesperus (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Tait, RN). (see map)
11 Mar 1943
German U-boat U-444 was sunk in the North Atlantic, in position 51°14'N, 29°18'W, by ramming and depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Harvester and the Free French corvette Aconit. (see map)
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