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Allied Warships

HMS Rother (K 224)

Frigate of the River class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeFrigate
ClassRiver 
PennantK 224 
Built bySmiths Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down26 Jun, 1941 
Launched20 Nov, 1941 
Commissioned3 Apr, 1942 
End service 
Loss position
 
History

Scrapped on 22 April 1955.

Commanding Officers:
Cdr. Richard Vere Essex Case, DSC and Bar, RD, RNR
16 January 1942 - ?? September 1943
DSO awarded on 13 April 1943

Lt.Cdr. ?????, RNR
?? September 1943 – 5 January 1944
(cant read in in December 1943 Navy List due to blurred photograph)

Cdr. York McLeod Cleeves, DSO, DSC, RD
5 January 1944 – 11 December 1944

T/Lt.Cdr. B.H.C. Rodgers, RNVR
11 December 1944 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 


Noteable events involving Rother include:

12 Jul, 1942
HMS Rother (Cdr. R.V.E. Case, DSC and Bar, RD, RNR) picks up 3 survivors from the British merchant Port Hunter that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-582 west of Madeira in position 31º00'N, 24º00'W.

23 Aug, 1943
On the 23th August 1943 the 40th Escort Group (Cdr. Dallison), consiting of the sloops HMS Landguard, HMS Bideford, HMS Hastings and the frigates HMS Exe, HMS Moyola and HMS Waveney were deployed on a u-boat hunt off Cape Ortegal. The whole operation was covered by the British light cruiser HMS Bermuda.

On the 25th August the Canadian 5th Support Group (Cdr. Tweed), consiting of the British frigates HMS Nene, HMS Tweed and the Canadian corvettes HMCS Calgary, HMCS Edmundston and HMCS Snowberry were deployed to relieve the 40th Escort Group. While this was in progress the ships were attacked at 1415 hrs by 14 Dornier Do-217's and 7 Ju-88's. with the new German weapon, the Henschel Glider Bombs, (the "Hs293 A-1"). Designed by the German Professor Herbert Wagner. HMS Landguard and HMS Bideford were the first of the Allied and R.N. ships to be attacked and damaged by them. This being the first time of their being brought into action against Allied ships. Several sailors were injured on HMS Bideford and one sailor was killed.

Another two days later on the 27th August 1943 the Canadian 5th Support group was relieved by the 1st Support group (Cdr. Brewer) consisting of the sloops HMS Pelican, HMS Egret and the frigates HMS Jed, HMS Rother, HMS Spey and HMS Evenlode. Also the covering cruiser HMS Bermuda was relieved by the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabaskan and the British destroyer HMS Grenville. These ships were also attacked by the Germans. This time with 18 Dornier Do-217’s also carring Henschel Glider Bombs. HMCS Athabaskan was heavily damaged and HMS Egret was sunk with the loss of 194 of her crew. After this loss the u-boat hunt was blown off.


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