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Allied Warships

HMS Hesperus (H 57)

Destroyer of the Havant class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassHavant 
PennantH 57 
Built byThornycroft (Southampton, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down6 Jul, 1938 
Launched1 Aug, 1939 
Commissioned22 Jan, 1940 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryRequisitioned by the Royal Navy on 4 September 1939 while being built for the Brazilian Navy. Named HMS Hearty, renamed HMS Hesperus after completion on 27 February 1940.

Sold to be broken up for scrap on 26 November 1946.

Commanding Officers:

Lt.Cdr. Donald George Frederick Wyville MacIntyre, RN
January 1940 – February 1941
Promoted to Cdr. on 31 December 1940

Lt.Cdr. Arthur Andre Tait, RN
February 1941 – 15 February 1942

Cdr. Arthur Frederick St. George Orpen, OBE, DSC, RN
15 February 1942 – July 1942

Cdr. Donald George Frederick Wyville MacIntyre, DSO, RN
July 1942 – 22 March 1944
Bar to DSO awarded on 9 March 1943
2nd Bar to DSO awarded on 7 September 1943

Cdr. George Victor Legassick, DSC, RD, RNR
22 March 1944 – March 1945

Lt. Anthony Charles Dennisis Leach, RN
March 1945 – June 1945

Capt. Robert Alexander Currie, DSC, RN
June 1945 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 

Former nameHMS Hearty (ex-Brazilian Juruena)

Noteable events involving Hesperus include:

7 Dec, 1941
The German submarine U-208 was sunk in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar, in position 35º51'N, 07º45'W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester (Lt.Cdr. M. Thornton, DSC, RN) and HMS Hesperus (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Tait, RN). (see map)

15 Jan, 1942
The German submarine U-93 was sunk in North Atlantic, in position 36º10'N, 15º52'W by the British destroyer HMS Hesperus (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Tait, RN). (see map)

26 Dec, 1942
The German submarine U-357 was sunk in the North Atlantic north-west of Ireland, in position 57º10'N, 15º40'W by the British destroyers HMS Hesperus (Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, DSO, RN) and HMS Vanessa (Lt. C.E. Sheen, RN). U-357 was forced to the surface by depth charges and was rammed by HMS Hesperus. (see map)

23 Apr, 1943
The German submarine U-191 was sunk south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 56º45'N, 34º25'W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Hesperus (Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, DSO and Bar, RN). (see map)

12 May, 1943
The German submarine U-186 was sunk north of the Azores, in position 41º54'N, 31º49'W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Hesperus (Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, DSO and Bar, RN). (see map)


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