Allied Warships

HMS Walpole (D 41)

Destroyer of the Admiralty V & W class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Admiralty V & W
Pennant	D 41
Mod	Short range escort
Built by	Doxford Shipyard (Sunderland, U.K.)
Ordered	9 Dec 1916
Laid down	May 1917
Launched	12 Feb 1918
Commissioned	7 Aug 1918
Lost	6 Jan 1945
History	Heavily damaged by a mine off Flushing, the Netherlands in position 52º33'N, 03º06'E. 2 of the crew were killed. She was taken back to Kent where she was declared a constructive total loss not worth repairing. Sold to be broken up for scrap on 8 February 1945.

Commands listed for HMS Walpole (D 41)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. Anthony Frank Burnell-Nugent, RN	9 Jan 1939	21 Nov 1939
2	Lt.Cdr. Harold Godfrey Bowerman, RN	21 Dec 1939	late 1940

3	Lt.Cdr. John Henry Eaden, DSC, RN	14 Mar 1941	Aug 1942
4	Lt. Arthur Shubrook Pomeroy, RN	Aug 1942	Sep 1943
5	Lt. George Clement Crowley, DSC, RN	Sep 1943	early 1945

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Notable events involving Walpole include:

30 Oct 1939
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Whirlwind (Lt.Cdr. M.B. Ewart-Wentworth, RN) scuttle the British merchant Bronte with gunfire in position 50°07'N, 10°36'W. HMS Walpole takes on board the 42 crewmembers of the Bronte.

The Bronte was torpedoed and damaged on 27 October 1939 by German U-boat U-34 180 nautical miles west of Lands End in position 49°30'N, 12°15'W.

22 Feb 1940

Convoy HX 22.

This convoy departed Halifax on 22 February 1940 and arrived at Liverpool 9 March 1940.

Upon departure from Halifax the convoy was made up of the following merchant ships: Anglo Indian (British, 5609 GRT, built 1938), Anthea (British, 5186 GRT, built 1924), Aspasia Nomikos (Greek, 4855 GRT, built 1938), Athelprincess (British (tanker), 8882 GRT, built 1929), Athelsultan (British (tanker), 8882 GRT, built 1929), Bradford City (British, 4953 GRT, built 1936), Carras (Greek, 5234 GRT, built 1918), Chama (British (tanker), 8077 GRT, built 1938), Chesapeake (British (tanker), 8955 GRT, built 1928), Counsellor (British, 5068 GRT, built 1926), Darcoila (British, 4084 GRT, built 1926), Director (British, 5107 GRT, built 1926), Elona (British (tanker), 6192 GRT, built 1936), Erodona (British (tanker), 6207 GRT, built 1937), Gracefield (British, 4631 GRT, built 1928), Hanseat (Panamanian (tanker), 7932 GRT, built 1929), Hoperidge (British, 5222 GRT, built 1939), Hopestar (British, 5267 GRT, built 1936), Humber Arm (British, 5758 GRT, built 1925), James McGee (Panamanian (tanker), 9859 GRT, built 1917), King Neptune (British, 5224 GRT, built 1928), Laguna (British, 6466 GRT, built 1923), Lindenhall (British, 5248 GRT, built 1937), Nailsea Moor (British, 4926 GRT, built 1937), Newton Moore (British, 5673 GRT, built 1937), Norman Monarch (British, 4718 GRT, built 1937), Nyanza (British, 4974 GRT, built 1928), Orduna (British, 15507 GRT, built 1914), Reginolite (British (tanker), 9069 GRT, built 1926), San Ambrosio (British (tanker), 7410 GRT, built 1935), San Fernando (British (tanker), 13056 GRT, built 1919), Scherazade (French (tanker), 13467 GRT, built 1935), Strategist (British, 6255 GRT, built 1937) and Yang-Tse (French, 8150 GRT, built 1915).

The convoy had been escorted by the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign (Capt. H.B. Jacomb, RN) and the destroyers HMCS Skeena (Lt.Cdr. E.P. Tisdall, RCN) and HMCS Restigouche (Lt.Cdr. H.N. Lay, RCN).

The Canadian destroyers parted company with the convoy on 23 February.

HMS Royal Sovereign parted company with the convoy on 2 March. She then set course to return to Halifax while the convoy continued eastwards without escort.

On 6 March the convoy was joined by the destroyers HMS Vanoc (Lt.Cdr. J.G.W. Deneys, RN), HMS Veteran (Cdr. J.E. Broome, RN), HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, RN) and HMS Wren (Cdr. H.T. Armstrong, RN).

Before the convoy arrived the Counsellor hit a mine and sank.

The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 9 March 1940.

8 Mar 1940
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, RN) picks up 78 survivors from the British merchant Counsellor that was sunk 6 nautical miles bearing 280 from Liverpool Bar Lightship in position 53°38'N, 03°23'W after hitting a mine laid on 6 January 1940 by German U-boat U-30

13 May 1940
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, RN) evacuated from IJmuiden, Holland leading members of the Netherlands bank and industrial diamonds. (1)

27 Jul 1940
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, RN) was damaged by bombs from German aircraft while escorting a convoy off Dover.

28 Oct 1940
HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, RN) detonates a magnetic mine. She is damaged and towed to Sheerness by HMS Windsor (Lt.Cdr. G.P. Huddart, RN). Repairs at Green R & H Green and Silley Weir Ltd., London last to April 1941.

6 May 1941
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. G. Quint, RNN(R)) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS London (Capt. R.M. Servaes, CBE, RN), HMS Sikh (Cdr. G.H. Stokes, RN) and HMS Walpole (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Eaden, DSC, RN). (2)

5 Aug 1942
After temporary repairs at Gibraltar around 2300 hours, HMS Liverpool (Capt. W.R. Slayter, DSC, RN) departed that port for Rosyth where full repairs were to be made. She was escorted by HMS Georgetown (Lt.Cdr. P.G. MacIver, RNR) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR).

HMS Georgetown was detached to Londonderry around 1800/9.

HMS Mansfield was detached to Liverpool around 1800/10. HMS Sennen (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Abram, RN) had been sailed from Londonderry on the 10th to join HMS Liverpool. Most likely she joined before HMS Mansfield was detached but there is no mention in the log of Liverpool of Sennen joining the escort.

At 1552/11 HMS Liverpool was joined by HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Avon Vale (Lt.Cdr. P.A.R. Withers, DSO, RN) but at 1831 hours, HMS Walpole, took over from Avon Vale. (3)

6 Aug 1942
HMS Upright (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Collett, DSC, RN) carried out exercises off Scapa Flow with HMS Anson (Capt. H.R.G. Kinahan, CBE, RN) and her destroyer screen which was made up of HMS Inglefield (Cdr. A.G. West, RN), HMS Windsor (Lt.Cdr. D.H.F. Hetherington, DSC, RN), HMS Walpole (Lt. A.S. Pomeroy, RN) and HMS Panther (Lt.Cdr. R.W. Jocelyn, RN). (4)

12 Aug 1942
At 0700 hours, HMS Liverpool (Capt. W.R. Slayter, DSC, RN), arrived at Rosyth where she was taken in hand for full repairs.

At 0400/12, HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Walpole were detached and proceeded to Scapa Flow. (3)

14 Aug 1942
HMS Renown (Capt. C.S. Daniel, CBE, DSO, RN) conducted exercises off Scapa Flow. She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Montrose (Lt.Cdr. W.J. Phipps, OBE, RN), HMS Walpole (Lt. A.S. Pomeroy, RN) and HMS Windsor (Lt.Cdr. D.H.F. Hetherington, DSC, RN). (5)

26 Dec 1942
HrMs O 15 (Lt. A.J. Schouwenaar, RNN) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMCS Iroquois (Cdr. W.B.L. Holms, RCN) and HMS Walpole (Lt. A.S. Pomeroy, DSC, RN). (6)

14 Jan 1943
In the second half of the morning, HMS Penelope (Capt. G.D. Belben, DSC, AM, RN), conducted radar calibration exercises off Scapa Flow.

The were followed by a rangefinding and inclination exercises with HMS Howe (Capt. C.H.L. Woodhouse, CB, RN) which was being escorted by three destroyers, two of which might have been HMS Montrose (A/Cdr. W.J. Phipps, OBE, RN) and HMS Walpole (Lt. A.S. Pomeroy, DSC, RN). Later in the afternoon HMS Howe had three other destroyers with her during an rangefinding and inclination exercise with HMS Belfast (Capt. F.R. Parham, RN). These destroyers were HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN), HMCS Iroquois (Cdr. W.B.L. Holms, RCN) and HMS Raider (Lt.Cdr. K.W. Michell, RN).

And finally HMS Penelope conducted gunnery exercises for the 6" armamant. (7)