Allied Warships

HNMS Campbeltown (I 42)

Destroyer of the Town class

NavyThe Royal Dutch Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassTown 
PennantI 42 
Built byBath Iron Works (Bath, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down29 Jun 1918 
Launched2 Jan 1919 
Commissioned17 Jan 1941 
End service15 Oct 1941 
History

Returned to the Royal Navy on 15 October 1941.

 
Former nameHMS Campbeltown

Commands listed for HNMS Campbeltown (I 42)

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and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1kapitein-luitenant ter zee (Cdr.) Willem Harmsen, RNN17 Jan 194115 Oct 1941

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Notable events involving Campbeltown include:


14 Jul 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. A.C.G. Mars, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Lincoln (Lt. R.J. Hanson, RN) and HrMs Campbeltown (Cdr. W. Harmsen, RNN). (1)

15 Jul 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. A.C.G. Mars, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HrMs Campbeltown (Cdr. W. Harmsen, RNN). (1)

30 Jul 1941

Convoy OG 70.

This convoy departed U.K. waters on 30 July 1941 and was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Atlantic Coast (British, 890 GRT, built 1934), Berakit (Dutch, 6608 GRT, built 1924), City of Christchurch (British, 6009 GRT, built 1915), Cliftonhall (British, 5063 GRT, built 1918), Edencrag (British, 1592 GRT, built 1940), Elmdale (British, 4872 GRT, built 1941), Empire Comet (British, 6914 GRT, built 1941), Empire Ness (British, 2922 GRT, built 1941), Empire Strait (British, 2841 GRT, built 1940), Innesmore (British, 4392 GRT, built 1928), Lowther Castle (British, 5171 GRT, built 1937), Lublin (Polish, 1409 GRT, built 1932), Melrose Abbey II (British, 2473 GRT, built 1936), Mount Kassion (Greek, 7914 GRT, built 1918), Ottinge (British, 2870 GRT, built 1940), Panos (British, 4914 GRT, built 1920), Reedpool (British, 4848 GRT, built 1924), Shuna (British, 1575 GRT, built 1937), Tintern Abbey (British, 2471 GRT, built 1939) and Trevalgan (British, 5299 GRT, built 1937).

On departure from U.K. waters the convoy was escorted by the captapult ship HMS Maplin (A/Cdr. J.O. Davies, RNR), destroyers St. Albans (Lt.Cdr. S. Storheill), HrMs Campbeltown (Cdr. W. Harmsen, RNN), HMS Wanderer (Cdr. A.F.St.G. Orpen, RN), sloop HMS Deptford (Lt.Cdr. H.R. White, RN), corvettes HMS Auricula (T/Lt. W.W. White, RNR), HMS Convolvulus (T/Lt. R.C. Connell, RNR), HMS Marigold (T/Lt. J. Renwick, RNR) and HMS Samphire (Lt.Cdr. F.T. Renny, DSC, RNR).

On 1 August the catapult ship HMS Maplin and the destroyers St. Albans, Campbeltown and Wanderer parted company with the convoy.

On 6 August 1941, the corvettes HMS Coreopsis (Lt.Cdr. A.H. Davies, RNVR), HMS Jonquil (Lt.Cdr. R.E.H. Partington, RNR), HMS Spiraea (T/Lt. L.C. Head, RNVR) and the auxiliary A/S trawler HMS Stella Carina (Lt. J.V. Lobb, RANVR) joined the convoy coming from convoy HG 69.

On 8 August 1941, the destroyers HMAS Nestor (Cdr. A.S. Rosenthal, RAN) and HMS Encounter (Lt.Cdr. E.V.St.J. Morgan, RN) were to join having departed Gibraltar on 6 August. They however could not find the convoy and only joined early on the 9th.

Also on the 8th the destroyer the destroyer HMS Foresight (Cdr. J.S.C. Salter, RN) joined the convoy coming from convoy HG 34FA.

Around 2000B/20, HMAS Nestor, HMS Encounter, HMS Deptford, HMS Auricula, HMS Convolvulus, HMS Jonquil, HMS Marigild and HMS Samphire parted company to join northbound convoy HG 70 which they did soon afterwards as the convoy had only been a few miles to the south of convoy OG 70.

Convoy OG 70 meanwhile continued on escorted by HMS Foresight, HMS Coreopsis and HMS Spiraea. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 12 August 1941.

9 Aug 1941

Convoy HG 70.

This convoy departed Gibraltar on 9 August 1941 for the U.K. It was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Alhama (British, 1352 GRT, built 1938), Baltallinn (British, 1303 GRT, built 1920), Baron Kelvin (British, 3081 GRT, built 1924), Briarwood (British, 4019 GRT, built 1930), British Coast (British, 889 GRT, built 1934), Cara (British, 1760 GRT, built 1929), City of Waterford (Irish, 1017 GRT, built 1879), Csarda (Panamanian, 3882 GRT, built 1917), Dux (Norwegian, 1590 GRT, built 1934), Empire Bay (British, 2824 GRT, built 1940), Empire Brook (British, 2852 GRT, built 1941), Empire Hurst (British, 2852 GRT, built 1941), Empire Kestrel (British, 2674 GRT, built 1919), Empire Snipe (British, 2497 GRT, built 1919), Empire Tern (British, 2479 GRT, built 1919), Flaminian (British, 2711 GRT, built 1917), Gothland (British, 1286 GRT, built 1932), Inger Lise (Norwegian, 1582 GRT, built 1939), Lissa (British, 1511 GRT, built 1927), Menapia (British, 902 GRT, built 1939), Philipp M. (British, 2085 GRT, built 1924), Pulo (British, 1950 GRT, built 1919), Sud (Yugoslavian, 2589 GRT, built 1901) and Wallsend (British, 3157 GRT, built 1937).

The rescue ship Copeland (British, 1526 GRT, built 1923) was also with the convoy.

On departure from Gibraltar the convoy was escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Avon Vale (Lt.Cdr. P.A.R. Withers, RN), HMS Eridge (Lt.Cdr. W.F.N. Gregory-Smith, RN), submarine HMS Clyde (Cdr. D.C. Ingram, DSC, RN), corvettes HMS Begonia (T/Lt. T.A.R. Muir, RNR), HMS Jasmine (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) C.D.B. Coventry, RNR), HMS Larkspur (Lt. S.C.B. Hickman, RNR), HMS Pimpernel (Lt. F.H. Thornton, RNR), HMS Rhododendron (Lt.Cdr. W.N.H. Faichney, DSO, RNR) and the auxiliary A/S trawlers HMS Lady Hogarth (T/Lt. S.G. Barnes, RNR) and HMS Lady Shirley (Lt.Cdr. A.H. Callaway, RANVR).

On 10 August the destroyer HMS Faulknor (Capt. A.F. de Salis, RN) joined coming from Gibraltar. She had only one turbine in operation and was to proceed to the U.K. for repairs. HMS Clyde parted company with the convoy around 2100A/10 having been ordered to return to Gibraltar.

On 11 August the destroyers HMAS Nestor (Cdr. A.S. Rosenthal, RAN), HMS Encounter (Lt.Cdr. E.V.St J. Morgan, RN), sloop HMS Deptford (Lt.Cdr. H.R. White, RN) and corvette HMS Convolvulus (T/Lt. R.C. Connell, RNR) joined the convoy. HMAS Nestor parted company around 2045A/11 to return to Gibraltar due to fuel shortage.

On 12 August the convoy was joined by the destroyers HMS Boreas (Lt.Cdr. D.H. Maitland-Makgill Crichton, DSC, RN) and HMS Wild Swan (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, RN). HMS Encounter, HMS Deptford and HMS Convolvulus parted company with the convoy on this day.

On 13 August the sloop HMS Stork (Lt. G.T.S. Gray, DSC, RN) joined the convoy but was detached later the same day. Also the destroyer HMS Boreas parted company with the convoy.

On 14 August the destroyer HMS Cossack (Capt. E.L. Berthon, DSC and Bar, RN) joined the convoy but was detached later the same day as were the escort destroyers HMS Avon Vale and HMS Eridge.

On 15 August the destroyer HMS Duncan (Lt.Cdr. A.N. Rowell, RN) and sloop HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) joined the convoy.

On 19 August the destroyer HrMs Campbeltown (Cdr. W. Harmsen, RNN) joined while the destroyer HMS Duncan parted company.

On 21 August the sloop HMS Black Swan parted company with the convoy.

The convoy arrived in U.K. waters on 23 August.

Media links


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

Sources

  1. ADM 173/16783

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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