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Allied Warships

HMS Kenilworth Castle (K 420)

Corvette of the Castle class


Photograph with thanks to Bill Allon. His father J.J. Allon, RNR was in command of HMS Kenilworth Castle during the war.

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeCorvette
ClassCastle 
PennantK 420 
Built bySmiths Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down7 May, 1943 
Launched17 Aug, 1943 
Commissioned14 Nov, 1943 
End service 
Loss position
 
History

Scrapped at Llanelly starting on 20 June 1959.

See also this website (offsite link).

Commanding Officers:
Lt. J.J. Allon, RNR
11 October 1943 – 20 March 1945
Promoted to T/A/Lt.Cdr. on ???

A/Lt.Cdr. J.O. Williams, RNR
20 March 1945 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 


Noteable events involving Kenilworth Castle include:

6 Mar, 1944
After unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port the German submarine U-744 was sunk at 1830hrs on 6 March 1944 in the North Atlantic, in position 52º01'N, 22º37'W, after being torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS Icarus (Lt.Cdr. R. Dyer, RN). U-744 was attacked for over 30 hours by depth charges from HMS Icarus, the Canadian frigate HMCS St. Catharines (T/Lt.Cdr. A.F. Pickard, RCNR with Cdr. P.W. Burnett, DSC, RN escort group commander onboard), Canadian corvettes HMCS Fennel (A/Lt.Cdr. W.P. Moffat, RCNVR), HMCS Chilliwack (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.R. Coughlin, RCNVR), Canadian destroyers HMCS Chaudiere (A/Lt.Cdr. C.P. Nixon, RCN), HMCS Gatineau (A/Lt.Cdr. H.V.W. Groos, RCN) and the British corvette HMS Kenilworth Castle (Lt. J.J.Allon, RNR). (see map)

11 Nov, 1944
The German submarine U-1200 was sunk south of Ireland, in position 50º24'N, 09º10'W, by depth charges from the British corvettes HMS Pevensey Castle (Cdr. D.A. Rayner, DSC, VD, RNVR), HMS Launceston Castle (Lt. R.M. Roberts, RNR), HMS Portchester Castle (Lt. A.G. Scott, RNR) and HMS Kenilworth Castle (Lt. J.J. Allon, RNR). (see map)


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