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Allied Warships

HMS Burnham (H 82)

Destroyer of the Town class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassTown 
PennantH 82 
Built byBethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. (Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down3 Dec, 1918 
Launched11 Apr, 1919 
Commissioned9 Oct, 1940 
End serviceDec, 1948 
Loss position
 
HistoryRenamed HMS Burnham, the destroyer began escort duties with the British Navy in December 1940. In early 1941 Burnham began a series of escort voyages between Iceland and Newfoundland. Throughout 1942 and 1943, Burnham worked mainly between Newfoundland and Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In 1944, she was used on aircraft training duties in the Western Approaches Command. Burnham was reduced to reserve at Milford Haven, Wales, in November 1944. She was ultimately scrapped at Pembroke, England, in December 1948.

Commanding Officers:
A/Cdr. John Bostock, RN
9 October 1940 – 5 February 1942

A/Cdr. Thomas Taylor, DSC, RN
5 February 1942 - ???

T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.M.M. Stamp, RNVR
??? – 29 August 1944

Lt. Charles Alexander Headon Owen, DSC, RN
29 August 1944 – still in command in October 1944 according to the Navy List

HMS Burnham is not listed as active unit in the January 1945 Navy List 

Former nameUSS Aulick (DD 258)

Noteable events involving Burnham include:

20 May, 1941
The British merchant Harpagus is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-94 about 250 nautical miles south-south-east of Cape Farewell in position 56º47'N, 40º55'W. HMS Burnham (Cdr. J. Bostock, DSC, RN) later picks up 40 survivors.

26 Jul, 1942
At 07.57 hours on 26 July 1942 the German submarine U-607 attacked convoy ON-113 about 300 nautical miles east of Cape Race and observed two hits on a freighter and heard one detonation further away. At 08.11 hours the same day the German submarine U-704 attacked the same convoy and saw one detonation. It seems that both U-boats had hit the British merchant Empire Rainbow. The master, 38 crew members and eight gunners were picked up by the British destroyer HMS Burnham (A/Cdr. T. Taylor, RN) and the Canadian corvette HMCS Dauphin (T/Lt. R.A.S. MacNeil, RCNR) and landed at St.Johns, Newfoundland.


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