Allied Warships

HMS Cape Melville (FY 651)

MS Trawler

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeMS Trawler
Class[No specific class] 
PennantFY 651 
Built byCochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched21 Oct 1929 
CommissionedAug 1939 
End service 
History

Completed in December 1929.
Taken over by the Admiralty in August 1939.
Displacement: 342 tons.
Armament: 1 12pdr AA gun.

Returned to her owner in August 1945.
Renamed Loch Alsh in 1946.
Scrapped at Ghent, Belgium on 19 May 1956.

 

Commands listed for HMS Cape Melville (FY 651)

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
1Ch.Skr. Alexander Flaws, RNRlate 19391940

2T/Skr. James Edward Capps Wright, RNR28 Jun 194017 Aug 1940
3T/Skr. George Sidney Peek, RNR17 Aug 194015 Jul 1942
4T/Lt. Joseph Sutherland Watt, RNR15 Jul 194229 Aug 1942
5T/Lt. John Leslie Wilson Matthews, RNVR29 Aug 1942mid 1945

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Notable events involving Cape Melville include:


18 May 1940

Operation Quixote.

Cutting of underwater telephone lines between Scandinavia and the U.K.

On 18 May 1940 the auxiliary M/S trawlers HMS Cape Melville (Ch.Skr. A. Flaws, RNR), HMS Grampian (Lt.Cdr. A. Longmuir, RNR), HMS James Lay (Skr. W.H. Makings, RNR), HMS Milford Princess (T/Skr. J.W. Cook, RNR), HMS Milford Queen (T/Skr. F.J. Burgess, RNR) and HMS Pelton (Skr. J.A. Sutherland, RNR) departed Harwich to cut underwater telephone cables. They were escorted by the patrol vessel HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr.(Emgy.) D.F. Beattie, RN). Cover for the operation was provided by the destroyers HMS Jackal (Cdr. T.M. Napier, RN), HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) and HMS Javelin (Cdr. A.F. Pugsley, RN).


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