Allied Warships

HMS Recruit (J 298)

Minesweeper of the Algerine class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeMinesweeper
ClassAlgerine 
PennantJ 298 
ModTurbine engined 
Built byHarland & Wolff Ltd. (Belfast, Northern Ireland) 
Ordered30 Apr 1942 
Laid down20 Apr 1943 
Launched26 Oct 1943 
Commissioned14 Jan 1944 
End service 
History

HMS Recruit in company with the 7th Mine Sweeping Flottilla led the massive invasion fleet from Portsmouth Roads across the channel to the Normandy beach-heads. The flotilla commander {MSF7} Captain George Nelson in HMS Pelorus was inspirational if only in name.

Operated in the Red Sea during 1947-1948.

Scrapped in September 1965.

 

Commands listed for HMS Recruit (J 298)

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

CommanderFromTo
1T/Cdr. George Edward Walter Wentworth Bayly, RNVR8 Dec 19439 Nov 1944
2A/Cdr. Andrew Edward Doran, DSC, RN9 Nov 1944

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Notable events involving Recruit include:


31 Jan 1944
HrMs O 10 (Lt.Cdr. A. van Altena, RNN(R)) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Recruit (T/Cdr. G.E.W.W. Bayly, RNVR) and HMS Fancy (A/Lt.Cdr. G.A. Simmers, DSC, RNR). (1)

1 Feb 1944
HrMs O 10 (Lt.Cdr. A. van Altena, RNN(R)) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Recruit (T/Cdr. G.E.W.W. Bayly, RNVR), HMS Fancy (A/Lt.Cdr. G.A. Simmers, DSC, RNR), HMS Fort York (T/Lt. E.W. De la Mare, RNR) and HMS Steepholm (T/Lt. S.C. Dickenson, RNVR). (1)

2 Feb 1944
HrMs O 10 (Lt.Cdr. A. van Altena, RNN(R)) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Steepholm (T/Lt. S.C. Dickenson, RNVR), HMS Recruit (T/Cdr. G.E.W.W. Bayly, RNVR) and HMS Fancy (A/Lt.Cdr. G.A. Simmers, DSC, RNR). (1)

19 Feb 1945
German U-boat U-300 was badly damaged in the Strait of Gibraltar, in position 35°54'N, 05°43'W, by depth charges from the British armed yacht HMS Evadne (A/T/Lt.Cdr. N.H. Richards, RNR). The U-boat was subsequently sunk by gunfire from the British minesweepers HMS Recruit (A/Cdr. A.E. Doran, DSC, RN) and HMS Pincher (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.B. Blake, RNVR) on 22 February.

22 Feb 1945
German U-boat U-300 was sunk in the North Atlantic west of Cadiz, in position 36°29'N, 08°20'W, by gunfire from the British minesweepers HMS Recruit (A/Cdr. A.E. Doran, DSC, RN) and HMS Pincher (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.B. Blake, RNVR), after being badly damaged by depth charges from the British armed yacht HMS Evadne (A/T/Lt.Cdr. N.H. Richards, RNR) on 19 February.

Sources

  1. File 2.12.03.6384 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)

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