Navy | The Royal Navy |
Type | ASW Trawler |
Class | [No specific class] |
Pennant | FY 137 |
Built by | Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, U.K.) |
Ordered | |
Laid down | |
Launched | 15 May 1937 |
Commissioned | Sep 1939 |
End service | |
History | Completed on 28 July 1937. Lent to the United States Navy in February 1942. |
Commands listed for HMS Wellard (FY 137)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
Commander | From | To | ||
1 | Cdr. (retired) Cedric Naylor, DSO, DSC, RN | 11 Sep 1939 | 16 Nov 1939 | |
2 | Lt. Arthur Denis White, RNR | 14 Feb 1940 | 13 Jul 1940 | |
3 | Lt. Arthur Johnson, RNVR | 13 Jul 1940 | 13 Apr 1941 | |
4 | Lt. (retired) Robert Fletcher Turnbull, RNR | 13 Apr 1941 | mid 1941 | |
5 | Lt. Stuart Faithful Fell, RANVR | mid 1941 | 14 Jul 1943 | |
6 | T/Lt. Graham Hellyer, RNVR | 14 Jul 1943 | Nov 1943 | |
7 | T/Lt. Harold Gott, RNVR | Nov 1943 | mid 1944 | |
8 | T/A/Lt.Cdr. Harold Moxley Pinnell, RNVR | 25 Oct 1944 | 11 May 1945 | |
9 | T/Lt. William Carl McDonnell, RNVR | 11 May 1945 |
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Notable events involving Wellard include:
31 Jan 1941
HMS H 43 (Lt. I.L.M. McGeogh, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Sabre (Lt. P.W. Gretton, DSC, RN), HMS Gladiolus (Lt.Cdr. H.M.C. Sanders, DSC, RNR) and HMS Wellard (Lt.Cdr. A. Johnson, RNVR). (1)
17 Apr 1941
Convoy SL 72
This convoy departed Freetown on 17 April 1941 for Liverpool where it arrived on 13 May 1941.
The convoy was made up of the following merchants; Alcinous (Dutch, 6189 GRT, built 1925), Bangalore (British, 6067 GRT, built 1928), Baron Douglas (British, 3899 GRT, built 1932), Coracero (British, 7252 GRT, built 1923), Corinaldo (British, 7131 GRT, built 1921), Daldorch (British, 5571 GRT, built 1930), Dixcove (British, 3790 GRT, built 1927), Empire Lotus (British, 3696 GRT, built 1920), Gaelic Star (British, 5596 GRT, built 1917), Garoet (Dutch, 7118 GRT, built 1917), Hainaut (Belgian, 4312 GRT, built 1905), Hazelside II (British, 5297 GRT, built 1940), Inverbank (British, 5149 GRT, built 1924), Jeypore (British, 5318 GRT, built 1920), Kelbergen (Dutch, 4823 GRT, built 1914), Llanberis (British, 5055 GRT, built 1928), Lorca (British, 4875 GRT, built 1931), Moanda (Belgian, 4621 GRT, built 1937), Mokambo (Belgian, 4996 GRT, built 1938), Mount Kitheron (Greek, 3876 GRT, built 1912), Muneric (British, 5229 GRT, built 1919), Norman Star (British, 6817 GRT, built 1919), Penrose (British, 4393 GRT, built 1928), Perth (British, 2259 GRT, built 1915), Prinses Maria-Pia (Belgian, 2588 GRT, built 1938), Saint Bernard (British, 5183 GRT, built 1939), Scottish Star (British, 7224 GRT, built 1917), Somerset (British, 8790 GRT, built 1918), St. Helena (British, 4313 GRT, built 1936), Testbank (British, 5083 GRT, built 1937), Tyndareus (British, 11361 GRT, built 1916), Ulysses (British, 14647 GRT, built 1913), Velma (Norwegian (tanker), 9720 GRT, built 1930), Winkfield (British, 5279 GRT, built 1919) and Yorkwood (British, 5401 GRT, built 1936).
The merchant vessel Empire Advocate (British, 5787 GRT, built 1913) joined at sea on 25 April near the Azores.
A/S Escort was provided on the day of departure when the convoy was near Freetown by the destroyers HMS Vidette (Lt. E.N. Walmsley, RN), HMS Vidette (Lt.Cdr. E.N. Walmsley, RN) and the corvettes HMS Asphodel (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) K.W. Stewart, RN) and HMS Calendula (Lt.Cdr. A.D. Bruford, RNVR).
Ocean escort was provided by the light cruiser HMS Dragon (Capt. R.W. Shaw, MBE, RN) until being relieved around noon on the 19th by HMS Fiji (Capt. P.B.R.W. William-Powlett, RN) which then remained with the convoy until May 1st.
On 20 April the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Dunnottar Castle (Capt.(Retd.) C.T.A. Bunbury, RN) joined the convoy and she remained with it until May 11th.
Local escort in British home waters was provided from 10 to 13 May by the destroyers HMS Keppel (Cdr. A.M. Sheffield, RN), HMS Lincoln (Lt. R.J. Hanson, RN), HMS Sabre (Lt. Sir P.W. Gretton, DSC, RN) (to 12 May only), HMCS Columbia (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) S.W. Davis, RN), sloop HMS Fleetwood (Cdr. R.W. Moir, RN), corvettes HMS Alisma (A/Lt.Cdr. M.G. Rose, RANVR), HMS Dianella (T/Lt. J.G. Rankin, RNR), HMS Kingcup (Lt. R.A.D. Cambridge, RNR) and the A/S trawlers HMS Man o' War (T/Lt. W.W. Creber, RNR), HMS St. Loman (T/Lt. R.C. Warwick, RNR) and HMS Wellard (Lt.(Retd.) R.F. Turnbull, RD, RNR).
18 Apr 1941
HrMs O 10 (Lt. J.H. Geijs, RNN) departed Rothesay for Londonderry. She was escorted by HMS Wellard (Lt.(Retd.) R.F. Turnbull RD, RNR). (2)
30 May 1941
HMS H 34 (Lt. C.P. Norman, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Man o' War (T/Lt. W.W. Creber, RNR) and HMS Wellard (Lt.(Retd.) R.F. Turnbull RD, RNR). (3)
10 Aug 1941
HMS H 31 (Lt. R.J. Hemingway, DSC, RN) departed Londonderry for Rothesay. She was escorted by HMS Wellard. (4)
9 Oct 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. A.C.G. Mars, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with ships of the 3rd Escort Group and HMS Wellard (Lt. S.F. Fell, RANVR). (5)
13 Oct 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. A.C.G. Mars, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with aircraft, HMS Fishguard (Lt.Cdr. H.L. Pryse, RNR) and HMS Wellard (Lt. S.F. Fell, RANVR). (5)
14 Oct 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. A.C.G. Mars, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Wellard (Lt. S.F. Fell, RANVR), HMS Venomous (Cdr. H.W. Falcon-Steward, RN) and aircraft. (5)
24 Nov 1941
HMS H 50 (Lt. E.T. Stanley, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Wellard (Lt. S.F. Fell, RANVR) and HMS Rockingham (Lt.Cdr. A.H.T. Johns, RN). (6)
10 Dec 1941
HMS Tigris (Cdr. H.F. Bone, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN) departed from Holy Loch for Scapa Flow. She was escorted by HMS Wellard (Lt. S.F. Fell, RANVR). (7)
Sources
- ADM 173/16768
- File 2.12.03.6376 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
- ADM 173/16760
- ADM 173/16732
- ADM 173/16786
- ADM 173/16795
- ADM 199/400
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.