| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Escort destroyer |
| Class | Hunt (Type III) |
| Pennant | L 73 |
| Built by | Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.): Wallsend |
| Ordered | 28 Jul 1940 |
| Laid down | 23 Jun 1941 |
| Launched | 5 Mar 1942 |
| Commissioned | 10 Oct 1942 |
| End service | |
| History | Scrapped at Grays on 22 November 1956. |
Commands listed for HMS Melbreak (L 73)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt. Gerald Edward Christopher Talbot Baines, RN | 28 Aug 1942 | 13 Jul 1943 |
| 2 | Lt. Geoffrey John Kirkby, DSC, RN | 13 Jul 1943 | 2 Feb 1945 |
| 3 | Lt. Evelyn Francis Hamilton-Meikle, RN | 3 Feb 1945 | late 1945 |
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Notable events involving Melbreak include:
28 Feb 1943
HMS P 511 (Lt. C.R. Pelly, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with HMS Tynedale (Lt. J.J.S. Yorke, DSC, RN), HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN) and later with HMS St. Kilda (A/Skr.Lt. R.G. Utting, RNR), HMS Sheppey (T/A/Lt.Cdr. D. McNeil, RNVR), HMS Ensay (T/Lt. K.J. Reece, RNVR) and HMS La Nantaise (Skr. S.J. Cory, RNR). (1)
21 May 1943
HMS Thrasher (Lt.Cdr. A.R. Hezlet, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with The British escort destroyers HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN) and ORP Krakowiak (Komandor Podporucznik (Lt.Cdr.) W. Maracewicz, ORP) in the morning and with HMS Wensleydale (Lt. W.P. Goodfellow, RNVR) and HMS Tanatside (Lt.Cdr. F.D. Brown, RN) in the afternoon. Upon completion of the A/S exercise in the afternoon Thrasher made a pracice attack on HMS Wensleydale. (2)
11 Jul 1943
The British escort destroyers HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN), HMS Wensleydale (Lt. W.P. Goodfellow, RNVR) and the Norwegian escort destroyer HNoMS Glaisdale (Lt. D.E. Kjeholt, RNN) intercept a German convoy off Quessant, France. In the resulting battle the German minesweeper M-153 (874 tons) is sunk by the Glaisdale but Melbreak in turn is heavily damaged by the German torpedo boats T-24 and T-25.
17 Jan 1944
HMS Clyde (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Brookes, DSO, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with HMS Peterhead (Lt. D.P. Croom-Johnson, RNVR), HMS Blyth (T/A/Lt.Cdr. W.R.S. Smith, RNVR), HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.J. Kirkby, DSC and Bar, RN) and HMS Tanatside (Cdr. B.J. de St. Croix, RN). (3)
3 Mar 1944
HMS United (Lt. N.R. Wood, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with ML 159 (T/Lt. B.D. Gerrans, RNVR), ML 183 (T/Lt. A.J. Wright, RNVR) and ML 184 (T/Lt. R.W.A. Winter, RNVR) and later with HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN) and HMCS Huron (Lt.Cdr. H.S. Rayner, DSC, RCN). (4)
4 Mar 1944
HMS United (Lt. N.R. Wood, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with ML 159 (T/Lt. B.D. Gerrans, RNVR), ML 183 (T/Lt. A.J. Wright, RNVR) and ML 184 (T/Lt. R.W.A. Winter, RNVR), HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN), HMIS Godavari (A/Capt. J.W. Jefford, OBE, RIN), HMS Neave (T/Lt. T. Ross, RNVR) and HMS Skomer (A/Skr.Lt. D.E.S. Mair, DSO, RNR). (4)
Sources
- ADM 173/17921
- ADM 173/18225
- ADM 173/18458
- ADM 173/19217
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.