Allied Warships
HMS Clare (I 14)
Destroyer of the Town class

HMS Clare as seen in Plymouth Sound in October 1941 upon completion of her reconstruction to long range escort. World Ship Photo Library photograph with thanks to Jan Visser.
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Class | Town |
| Pennant | I 14 |
| Built by | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. (Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 20 Aug 1918 |
| Launched | 14 Feb 1920 |
| Commissioned | 9 Sep 1940 |
| End service | Mar 1947 |
| Loss position | |
| History | USS Abel P. Upshur decommissioned and transferred in the destroyer-land bases exchange to Great Britain, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 9 September 1940. From 1940 to 1944, as HMS Clare, she escorted convoys in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In the early hours of 21 February 1941 she collided with the motor vessel Petertown and was out of action, undergoing repairs, until October 1941. During 1942 and 1943 Clare took part in the Invasions of North Africa and Sicily. In May 1944 she became an aircraft target ship in the Western Approaches Command. In August 1945 she was reduced to reserve at Greenock, Scotland, and later berthed at Barrow, England, awaiting disposal. She was scrapped in 1945. Commanding Officers: HMS Clare in Dockyard Control during refit / reconstruction Lt.Cdr. Leopold Hewetson Landman, RN Lt.Cdr. John Parker Stewart, DSC, RNR Lt.Cdr. Gilbert Shaw Grant, RNR HMS Clare in Dockyard Control during refit Lt. Duncan MacDonald, RNR T/Lt. David Sugden Thorp, DSC, RNVR T/Lt. James Allen Anderson, RNVR T/A/Lt.Cdr. Patrick Arthur Tritton, RNVR HMS Clare is not listed in the October 1945 Navy List |
| Former name | USS Abel P. Upshur (DD 193) |
Commands listed for HMS Clare (I 14)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. (retired) Clive Gwinner, RN | 9 Sep 1940 | ??? | |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Leopold Hewetson Landman, RN | 21 Aug 1941 | 22 Dec 1942 | |
| 3 | Lt.Cdr. John Parker Stewart, DSC, RNR | 22 Dec 1942 | Jun 1943 | |
| 4 | Lt.Cdr. Gilbert Shaw Grant, RNR | Jun 1943 | ??? | |
| 5 | T/Lt. Duncan MacDonald, RNR | 9 May 1944 | ??? | |
| 6 | T/Lt. David Sugden Thorp, DSC, RNVR | ??? | 10 Apr 1945 | |
| 7 | T/Lt. James Allen Anderson, RNVR | 10 Apr 1945 | 1 May 1945 | |
| 8 | T/A/Lt.Cdr. Patrick Arthur Tritton, RNVR | May 1945 | Jul 1945 ? | |
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Noteable events involving Clare include:
16 Nov 1940
The British merchant Planter is torpedoed and sunk about 30 miles north-northwest of Bloody Foreland in position 55º38'N, 08º28'W by the German submarine U-137. HMS Clare (Lt.Cdr. C. Gwinner, RN) later picks up 60 survivors.
21 Nov 1942
HMS Clare picks up 56 survivors from the Panamanian merchant Buchanan that was torpedoed and sunk on 12 November 1942 in the North Atlantic in position 52º06'N, 25º54'W by the German submarine U-224.