Destroyer of the B class
HMS Keith before World War Two
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Class | B |
| Pennant | D 06 |
| Built by | Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 1 Oct, 1929 |
| Launched | 10 Jul, 1930 |
| Commissioned | 20 Mar, 1931 |
| Lost | 1 Jun, 1940 |
| Loss position | 51.04N, 02.08E (See a map) |
| |
| History | On 1 June 1940 HMS Keith (Capt. Edward Lyon Berthon, RN, also Commanding officer of the 19th Destroyer Flotilla) was sunk by German Stuka dive bombers off Dunkirk, France while she was participating in the evacuaton of the British Expeditionary Force from France.
The wreck lies in 23 meters of water in position 51º04'43"N, 02º08'46"E.
Commanding Officers:
Capt. A.J.L. Phillips, RN
31 July 1939 – 6 September 1939
Cdr. Henry Thurston Wake Pawsey, OBE, RN
6 September 1939 – 29 January 1940
Capt. David James Robert Simson, RN
29 January 1940 – 23 May 1940+
Capt. Edward Lyon Berthon, RN
May 1940 – 1 June 1940 |
| Noteable events involving Keith include: 21 Nov, 1939
Around 2100 hours the British destroyers
HMS Griffin (Lt.Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, RN with Capt. G.E. Creasy, MVO, RN aboard), HMS Gipsy (Lt.Cdr. N.J. Crossley, RN), HMS Keith (Cdr. H.T.W. Pawsey, OBE, RN), HMS Boadicea (Lt.Cdr. G.B. Kingdon, RN) and the Polish destroyer Grom (Lt.Cdr. A. Hulewicz, ORP) were ordered to leave Harwich and establish a patrol in the North Sea. Shortly before that, a German He 59 seaplane dropped two magnetic mines nearby, but there was no time for searching. HMS Gipsy hit one of those mines which tore her into two pieces. Most of the survivors were picked up by HMS Griffin and HMS Keith. |
