Allied Warships

HMS Sabre (H 18)

Destroyer of the Admiralty S class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty S 
PennantH 18 
Built byA. Stephen & Sons Ltd. (Glasgow, Scotland) 
OrderedApr 1917 
Laid down10 Sep 1917 
Launched23 Sep 1918 
Commissioned9 Nov 1918 
End service 
Loss position
 
History

Completed by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Govan, Scotland)

Served as a target ship before the Second World War.

Took part in the Dunkirk evacuation during late May / early June 1940.

In late 1940 Sabre was modified as escort. Equipped with 14-charge pattern depth-charge arrangements, both the after 4" guns and the torpedo tubes were landed, one 12pdr.(AA) and 8-.5" (AA) (2x4) were added. Radar type 286 and later 291 were added. Later in the war four single 20mm.(AA) mountings eventually supplanted the .5" AA mountings.

Sold to be broken up for scrap in November 1945.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. Brian Dean, RN
15 November 1937 – 11 January 1941
Promoted to Cdr. on ???
Retired on ???
DSO awarded on 6 June 1940

Lt. Peter William Gretton, DSC, RN
11 January 1941 – 11 February 1942
OBE 1 July 1941

Lt. Reginald Lacey Calpe, DSC, RN
11 February 1942 – July 1943

T/A/Lt.Cdr. the Hon. Grenville Howard, RNVR
July 1943 – June 1944

Lt. Thomas Cumming, RN
June 1944 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List

 

Commands listed for HMS Sabre (H 18)

Please note that we're still working on this section.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. Brian Dean, RN15 Nov 193711 Jan 1941
2Lt. Peter William Gretton, DSC, RN11 Jan 194111 Feb 1942
3Lt. Reginald Lacey Caple, DSC, RN11 Feb 1942Jul 1943
4T/A/Lt.Cdr. The Hon. Grenville Howard, RNVRJul 1943Jun 1944
5Lt. Thomas Cumming, RNJun 1944Oct 1945 ?

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Noteable events involving Sabre include:


13 Oct 1939
While at Rosyth HMS Sabre (Lt.Cdr. B. Dean, RN) is heavily damaged when she is rammed by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay. Sabre was under repair to 6 May 1940.

31 Dec 1941
The German submarine U-87 torpedoed and damages the British merchant Cardita about 110 nautical miles bearing 307 from St.Kilda in position 59º18'N, 12º50'W. The vessel foundered in 3 January 1942 in position in 59º42'N, 11º58'W.

HMS Sabre (Lt. P.W. Gretton, OBE, DSC, RN) later picks up 10 of the crew.

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