Allied Warships

HMS Valorous (L 00)

Destroyer of the Admiralty V & W class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty V & W 
PennantL 00 
ModFast escort 
Built byWilliam Denny & Brothers (Dumbarton, Scotland) 
OrderedApr 1916 
Laid down25 May 1916 
Launched8 May 1917 
Commissioned21 Aug 1917 
End service 
History

Reconstruction to Fast Escort at Chatham Dockyard completed in June 1939.

Sold to be broken up for scrap on 4 March 1947.

HMS Valorous is not listed as active unit in the July 1945 Navy List

 

Commands listed for HMS Valorous (L 00)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt. Edward Mack, RN22 Aug 19399 Jan 1942
2Lt.Cdr. William Wentworth Fitzroy, RN9 Jan 19423 Mar 1943
3Lt.Cdr. (retired) Hedworth Lambton, RN3 Mar 1943mid 1943

4Lt. Morice Grant Macleod, RN27 Sep 194312 Dec 1944
5Lt. John Alexander Jeffreys Dennis, DSC, RN12 Dec 1944May 1945

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Notable events involving Valorous include:


14 Oct 1939
ORP Orzel (Kpt.mar. (Lt.Cdr.) J. Grudzinski) arrived off the coast of the U.K. near the Firth of Forth. Contact was made and the escort destroyer HMS Valorous (Lt. E. Mack, RN) was sent out to escort her in. They met around 1115A/14.

They arrived at Rosyth around 1500A/14.

On arrival at Rosyth it was noted that ORP Orzel looked smart and clean and had only sustained some minor damage to her keel and the bow outer torpedo caps due the grounding twice.

31 Jan 1940
HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (1)

8 Feb 1940
HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) is undocked. (1)

18 Feb 1940
Around 1130Z/18, HMS Truant (Lt.Cdr. C.H. Hutchinson, RN) departed from Rosyth for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the south coast of Norway.

Around 1240Z/18, she had to evade destroyers hunting a supposed enemy submarine in the Firth of Forth. At 1038Z/18, an indicator loop detected a crossing and the destroyers HMS Griffin (Lt.Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, RN), HMS Intrepid (Cdr. R.C. Gordon, RN) and HMS Ivanhoe (Cdr. P.H. Hadow, RN) had been sent to hunt for the suspected enemy submarine. They were later reinforced by HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN). No enemy submarine was in the area though. (2)

11 Mar 1940
Convoy FS 119 (ca. 23 ships) departed the Tyne escorted by the AA destroyer HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) and the sloops HMS Hastings (Lt.Cdr. A.B. Alison, RN) and HMS Lowestoft (Cdr. A.M. Knapp, RN). The destroyers HMS Jervis (Capt. P.J. Mack, RN) and HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) covered the convoy for part of the way south. These two destroyers arrived in the Humber on 12 March. The convoy arrived at Southend on 13 March. (3)

28 Apr 1940
Around 1400A/28, the light cruisers HMS Galatea (Capt. B.B. Schofield, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral G.F.B. Edward-Collins, CB, KCVO, RN), HMS Arethusa (Capt. Q.D. Graham, RN) departed Rosyth for Scapa Flow where they arrived around 0115A/29. At sea they were joined by the escort destroyers HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) and HMS Wallace (Cdr. B.I. Robertshaw, RN). (4)

16 Oct 1940
HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) is docked in No.3 graving dock at the Rosyth Dockyard.

HMS Zulu (Cdr. J.S. Crawford, DSO, RN) is already in this dock since 12 October. (1)

11 Nov 1940
HMS Zulu (Cdr. J.S. Crawford, DSO, RN) and HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) are undocked. (1)

28 Mar 1941

Convoy OG 57.

This convoy was assembled to the west of the North Channel on 28 March 1941 and was made up of ships from four sections; the Milford Haven, Liverpool, Clyde and Oban sections.

The Milford Haven section (sailed 26 March 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Alva (British, 1584 GRT, built 1934), Baron Yarborough (British, 3388 GRT, 1928), Harperley (British, 4586 GRT, built 1930), Linge (Dutch, 2114 GRT, built 1928), Lyminge (British, 2499 GRT, built 1919), Meta (British, 1578 GRT, built 1931), Penhale (British, 4071 GRT, built 1924), Portsea (British, 1583 GRT, built 1938), Ranella (Norwegian (tanker), 5590 GRT, built 1912), Salamis (Norwegian (tanker), 8286 GRT, built 1939) and San Amado (British (tanker), 7316 GRT, built 1935).

The Liverpool section (sailed 27 March 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Aguila (British, 3255 GRT, built 1917), Browning (British, 5332 GRT, built 1919), Glaisdale (British, 3777 GRT, built 1929), Marklyn (British, 3090 GRT, built 1918) and Nicolaou Virginia (Greek, 6869 GRT, built 1920).

The Clyde section (sailed 28 March 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Blairnevis (British, 4155 GRT, built 1930), Dago (British, 1993 GRT, built 1917), Ebro (British (former Danish), 1547 GRT, built 1920), Empire Eland (British, 5613 GRT, built 1920), Empire Leopard (British, 5781 GRT, built 1917), Empire Union (British, 5952 GRT, built 1924), Harpathian (British, 4671 GRT, built 1930), Ousel (British, 1533 GRT, built 1922) and Trompenberg (Dutch, 2009 GRT, built 1919).

The Oban section (sailed 28 March 1941) was made up of the following merchant vessels;
Baron Cochrane (British, 3385 GRT, built 1927), Baron Dechmont (British, 3675 GRT, built 1929), Baron Stranraer (British, 3668 GRT, built 1929), Eskdene (British, 3829 GRT, built 1934), Helena Margareta (British, 3316 GRT, built 1915), Loke (Norwegian, 2421 GRT, built 1915), Ruckinge (British, 2869 GRT, built 1939), Rudby (British, 4846 GRT, built 1924), Sarastone (British, 2473 GRT, built 1929) and Suderholm (Norwegian (tanker), 4908 GRT, built 1917).

With the Liverpool section the following escorts were sailed; destroyers HMS Walker (Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN), HMS Volunteer (Lt.Cdr. N. Lanyon, RN), HMS Caldwell (Lt.Cdr. E.M. Mackay, RNR), sloop HMS Aberdeen (Lt. S.G. Rivers-Smith, RN), corvettes HMS Bluebell (Lt.Cdr. R.E. Sherwood, RNR), HMS Hydrangea (Lt. J.E. Woolfenden, RNR), HMS Tulip (Lt.Cdr. A. Wilkinson, RNR), A/S trawler HMS Lady Hogarth (T/Lt. S.G. Barnes, RNR).

On the 28th, HMS Hydrangea made a short stop at Greenock, and the most likely brought the Clyde section of the convoy with her on rejoining the convoy.

On the 28th, HMS Walker and HMS Volunteer fuelled at Londonderry before rejoining the convoy.

Also on the 28th the escort destroyers HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) and HMS Wolsey (Lt.Cdr. C.H. Campbell, DSC, RN) joined, coming from Londonderry.

At 1340A/29, an enemy aircraft which was approaching the convoy was driven off with gunfire.

At 0908A/30, in position 54°30'N, 14°40'W, the convoy was attacked by an enemy aircraft which dropped one bomb near the Ruckinge which sustained one casualty due to a machine gun bullet.

At 0800A/31, in position 58°39'N, 18°52'W, the convoy was approached by an enemy aircraft which was driven off by gunfire.

Around 0830A/1, HMS Walker, HMS Volunteer, HMS Caldwell, HMS Valorous, HMS Wolsey, HMS Bluebell, HMS Hydrangea and HMS Tulip parted company.

Around 0900Z/2, in position 48°53'N, 18°08'W, the following merchant ships parted company with the convoy;
Empire Eland (arrived at Halifax on ?), Empire Leopard (arrived at Baltimore on 17 April), Empire Union (arrived at Saint John, NB on 13 April), Glaisdale (arrived at New York on 16 April), Loke (arrived at Halifax on 11 April), Nicolaou Virginia (arrived at Halifax on 11 April), Ranella (arrived at Curacoa on 18 April) Rudby (arrived at Baltimore on 15 April), Salamis (arrived at New York on 11 April), San Amado (arrived at Aruba on 19 April), Suderholm (arrived at Aruba on 19 April) and Trompenberg (arrived at Curacoa on ?).

In position 39°00'N, 21°20'W, the following merchant ships parted company with the convoy [No date and time is given in the report of the Convoy Commodore];
Browning (arrived at Capetown on 3 May), Eskdene (destination was Buenos Aires, torpedoed and then finished off with gunfire by the German submarine U-107 on 8 April), Harpatian (destination was Takoradi, torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-107 on 9 April), Harperley (arrived at Demerara, Guyana on 19 April), Helena Margareta (destination was Takoradi, torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-107 on 8 April), Linge (arrived at Bathurst on 18 April) and Penhale (arrived at Pernambuco on 22 April). Around 1445Z/3, in position 47°30'N, 22°48'W, the submarine HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. G.B.M. van Erkel, RNN) joined the convoy.

Around 0230A/11, near Cape Trafalgar, the following merchant ships parted company with the convoy; Alva (arrived at Seville on 11 April), Baron Cochrane (arrived at Lisbon on 12 April), Baron Stranraer (arrived at Huelva on 11 April), Ebro (arrived at Oporto on 12 April), Meta (arrived at Lisbon on 12 April), Ousel (arrived at Huelva on 11 April), Portsea (arrived at Seville on 11 April) and Sarastone (arrived at Huelva on 11 April).

The remainder of the convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 11 April 1941. (5)

25 Oct 1941
Around 0230A/25, HMS London (Capt. R.M. Servaes, CBE, RN) departed Scapa Flow for North Shields, Tyne. HMS London was to refit at the Palmers Shipyard at Hebburn-on-Tyne.

Around 1030A/25, the destroyer HMS Valorous (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, RN) and the training vessel HMS Lairds Isle (Cdr. J. Lunnon, RD, RNR) joined company.

Around 1540A/25, HMS Lairds Isle parted company.

Around 1600A/25, HMS London entered the Tyne. (6)

8 Feb 1944
HMS Valorous (Lt. M.G. Macleod, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (1)

11 Feb 1944
HMS Valorous (Lt. M.G. Macleod, RN) is undocked. (1)

15 Apr 1944
HMS Ursula (Lt. A.G. Davies, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Methill with HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN), HMS Valorous (Lt. M.G. Macleod, RN), HMS Preston North End (T/Lt. D.K. Bennett, DSC, RNVR), HMS Spurs (A/Skr.Lt. E.J. Day, RNR) and HMS Arab (T/Lt. J.S.H. Lloyd, RNVR). (7)

19 May 1944
HMS Valorous (Lt. M.G. Macleod, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (1)

Media links


British destroyers & frigates

Norman Friedman


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

Sources

  1. Rosyth Dockyard docking register
  2. ADM 199/1861
  3. ADM 199/362
  4. ADM 53/111410 + ADM 53/112280
  5. ADM 199/1142
  6. ADM 53/114560
  7. ADM 173/19315

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


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