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Allied Warships

HMS Whirlwind (i) (D 30)

Destroyer of the Admiralty V & W class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty V & W 
PennantD 30 
Built bySwan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.): Wallsend 
Ordered 
Laid downMay, 1917 
Launched15 Dec, 1917 
Commissioned15 Mar, 1918 
Lost5 Jul, 1940 
Loss position50.17N, 08.48W (See a map)
 
HistoryOn 5 July 1940 HMS Whirlwind (Lt.Cdr. John Malcolm Rodgers, RN) was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-34 about 120 nautical miles west of Lands End, south-west England in position 50º17'N, 08º48'W.

The U-boat reported that one torpedo hit underneath the bridge that broke off the forepart that sank immediately while the rest of the ship stayed afloat for some time.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. Michael Wentworth Ewart-Wentworth, RN (retired)
15 June 1939 - 10 October 1939

Lt.Cdr. John Malcolm Rodgers, RN
10 October 1939 - 5 July 1940 

Hit by U-boat
Sunk on 5 Jul, 1940 by U-34 (Rollmann).


Noteable events involving Whirlwind (i) include:

30 Oct, 1939
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Whirlwind (Lt.Cdr. M.B. Ewart-Wentworth, RN) scuttle the British merchant Bronte with gunfire in position 50º07'N, 10º36'W. HMS Walpole takes on board the 42 crewmembers of the Bronte.

The Bronte was torpedoed and damaged on 27 October 1939 by the German submarine U-34 180 nautical miles west of Lands End in position 49º30'N, 12º15'W. (see map)


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