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Allied Warships

HMS Brilliant (H 84)

Destroyer of the B class


HMS Brilliant during World War Two

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassB 
PennantH 84 
Built bySwan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.): Wallsend 
Ordered 
Laid down8 Jul, 1929 
Launched9 Oct, 1930 
Commissioned21 Feb, 1931 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryHMS Brillant was present at one of the worst naval tragedies of the Second World War, you can read more about it here

Sold to be broken up for scrap on 18 August 1947.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. Francis Cumberland Brodrick, RN
14 March 1939 – 23 September 1941

Lt.Cdr. Arthur Geoffrey Poe, RN
23 September 1941 – 23 March 1943
Promoted to Cdr. on 31 December 1942

Lt.Cdr. John Smallwood, RN
23 March 1943 – 25 September 1944

Lt. John Aylmer McClure, DSC, RN
25 September 1944 – November 1944

A/Cdr. John Pringle, RN
November 1944 – February 1945

Lt. Douglas Leigh Satterford, DSC, RN
February 1945 - June 1945

Lt.Cdr. A.R.W. Sayle, RD, RNR (retired)
June 1945 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 


Noteable events involving Brilliant include:

12 Sep, 1939
HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. F.C. Brodrick, RN) is grounded off Dover. She is under repair until 16 October.

25 Jul, 1940
HMS Boreas (Lt.Cdr. M.W. Tomkinson, RN) and HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. F.C. Brodrick, RN) were damaged by a German air attack in the English Channel. 22 of the crew of Boreas were killed in the attack. Brilliant sustained no casualties. Boreas completed repairs ca. mid-January 1941 and Brilliant completed repairs ca. mid-September 1940.

5 Sep, 1942
HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. A.G. Poe, RN) picks up 245 survivors from the British merchant Myrmidon that was torpedoed and sunk southeast of Cape Palmas in position 00º45'N, 06º27'W by the German submarine U-506.

8 Nov, 1942
During the Allied landing in North-Africa the Vichy French minesweeper La Surprise was sunk by gunfire from the British destroyer HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. A.G. Poe, RN).

21 Jan, 1945
The Canadian corvette HMCS Lindsay (A/Lt.Cdr. G.A.V. Thomson, RCNVR) was damaged in a collission with the British destroyer HMS Brillant south-west of the Isle of Wight. Lindsay was taken to Devonport for for temporary repairs. She then sailed for Canada for a refit.

12 Feb, 1946
Went to the rescue of the Liberty ship "Ponce de Leon" which was on the rocks at Gantocks Light, off Dunoon pier.




Hero of the Upholder
Allaway, Jim

Books dealing with this subject include:

Hero of the Upholder, Allaway, Jim, 1991


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