HMS Cockade was a C-classdestroyer of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.
The C class were War Emergency Programme destroyers, intended for general duties, including use as anti-submarine escort, and were to be suitable for mass-production. They were based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J-class destroyers, but with a lighter armament (effectively whatever armament was available) in order to speed production.[1][2] The 'Co' sub-class of eight ships formed the 13th Emergency Flotilla, one of three flotillas of War Emergency destroyers ordered under the 1942 War Construction Programme (the 'Ch', 'Co' and 'Cr' sub-classes (24 destroyers)) along with 16 of the larger Battle-class destroyer.[3]
The Co-class were 362feet 9inches (110.57m)long overall, 348feet 0inches (106.07m)at the waterline and 339feet 6inches (103.48m)between perpendiculars, with a beam of 35feet 8inches (10.87m) and a draught of 10feet 6inches (3.20m) mean and 14feet 6inches (4.42m) full load.[4][5]Displacement was 1,870 long tons (1,900t) standard and 2,505 long tons (2,545t) full load.[5] Two Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers supplied steam at 300 pounds per square inch (2,100kPa) and 630°F (332°C) to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000kW) giving a maximum speed of 36 knots (41mph; 67km/h) and 32 knots (37mph; 59km/h) at full load. 615 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 4,675 nautical miles (5,380mi; 8,658km) at 20 knots (23mph; 37km/h).[5]
Cockade was fitted with a Type 293 air/surface warning radar on the ship's lattice foremast, together with a Type 291 air warning radar on a pole mast aft. A Type 275 fire control radar was integrated with the ship's Mk VI HA/LA gun director, while the Hazemayer mount had an integrated Type 282 radar.[10]
Cockade underwent a modernisaton in 1952. One of her 4.5 inch guns was removed and replaced by a double Squid anti-submarine mortar, while the ship's sensor fit was updated, with modified sonar and Type 974 surface warning radar fitted.[11][12][13]
Cockade was ordered on 12 September 1942, and was laid down at Yarrow's Scotstoun shipyard on 11 March 1943. She was launched on 7 March 1944 and commissioned on 29 September 1945.[14]
Like all the War Emergency Destroyers ordered under the 1942 construction programme, delays in delivery of the ships fire-control director tower meant that Cockade commissioned too late to see service in the Second World War.[9] She was initially allocated the pennant number R34, although this was later changed to D34.[15] Her first commanding officer was Lt Cdr Terence Desmond Herrick, DSC RN.
After working up, Cockade was deployed to the Far East, joining the 8th Destroyer Flotilla in 1946.[16] While on passage back to the UK from the Far East in December 1947, Cockade and sister shipContest were diverted to Aden in response to anti-Jewish rioting, with men from the two destroyers and the survey ship Challenger being landed to try to restore order.[17] On return to the UK, Cockade was used as an air target ship operating out of Plymouth. She returned to the Far East in early 1950, again joining the 8th Destroyer Flotilla.[16] Like the rest of the 8th Flotilla, Cockade subsequently saw service in the Korean War, taking part in escort, patrol and shore bombardment duties.[16][18] Whilst there she also visited Singapore and Japan.
Cockade's initial deployment to Korea was from July to November 1950,[16] where she formed part of the West Korea Support Element of the US-commanded Task Group 96.5. On 2 August 1950, Cockade and sister ship Cossack bombarded Mokpo, damaging docks and railway sidings.[19] In September and October that year, Cockade provided gunfire support off Wonsan,[16] and on 30 September to 2 October Cockade and the cruise Ceylon bombarded the North Korean garrison of Baengnyeongdo island, with Cockade sinking three floating mines during the operation.[20]Cockade's next deployment was from March and August 1951.[16] On 7 April she picked up a United States Air Force pilot who had been shot down behind the front lines three months earlier and hidden by Korean civilians.[16] On 6–7 May, Cockade, together with the American cruiser Helena and destroyers Buck, Fiske and Orleck, provided fire support to South Korean troops around Kosong.[21] Her next deployment to Korea was from October to December 1951. On the night of 30 November/1 December 1951, Cockade was covering the evacuation of troops from the South Korean-held island of Taehwa-to on the Pansong Archipelago when she was hit by gunfire from the shore, killing one rating.[16][22]
Cockade began her fourth deployment to Korea on 1 February 1952.[16] On 4 February, Cockade and the cruiser Ceylon supported the landings of irregular forces by the landing ships USS LST-516 and USS LST-692 on the island of Mudo-ri.[23] The deployment continued into March, and from 14 April to 2 August Cockade was refitted and modernised at Singapore. Her fifth deployment off Korea was from December 1952 to February 1953 and her fifth from April 1953 to July that year.[16] On 6 May 1953, Cockade bombarded railway targets near Sŏngjin, and was near missed by shore fire, and the next day was again fired on by shore batteries without receiving damage.[24]
On 24 August 1953, while executing the "Formosa Strait Patrol" operation to protect the "peaceful vessels" on the high seas of Taiwan Strait, Cockade answered the radio distress call to come to the assistance of the British mercantile freighterNigelock (the former Flower-class corvetteNigella), carrying a cargo of vegetable and fruit deliveries from Shanghai to Amoy via the international sea lane, when Nigelock was intercepted by the 4.5-inch shell and machine gunshots from the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) Huangpu黄浦 PC-105 (a former USSPC-461-class submarine chaser) enforcing ROC's Guanbi policy to blockade the coast of the Chinese mainland. Cockade fired a warning shot and signaled Huangpu to turn away, which was praised by the Hong Kong newspapers later as a successful rescue to deter the "piracy". Nigelock had been hijacked by ROCN frigate Chao'an潮安 PF-74 toward the Magong military port in Penghu the previous week on 16 August, but had been released by the intervention of the frigate St Brides Bay midway.[25][26][27]
In early 1957, Cockade continued to take part in the Malayan Emergency as part of the 8th Destroyer Squadron. On 26 April, during night exercises, a star shell fired by Cockade landed in a gun bay on the Australian destroyer HMAS Tobruk, killing one seaman and severely wounding another.[31] Later in 1957 Cockade was stationed at Hong Kong.
At the end of 1957, on her return journey to Britain, Cockade was diverted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) with a cargo of sugar as part of the British response to flooding.[32][33]
Decommissioning and disposal
Cockade returned to Plymouth from the Far East on 27 January 1958, having steamed over 350,000 nautical miles (650,000km; 400,000mi) since her launch,[33] and decommissioned. The destroyer was laid up at Devonport in reserve pending disposal, with duties including acting as an accommodation ship for the frigate Tartar.[16] Following her decommissioning Cockade arrived in June 1964 to John Cashmore Ltd for breaking up at Newport, Wales.[16][34]
Related Research Articles
HMAS Queenborough (G70/D270/F02/57) was a Q-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The O and P class was a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy. Ordered in 1939, they were the first ships in the War Emergency Programme, also known as the 1st and 2nd Emergency Flotilla, respectively. They served as convoy escorts in World War II, and some were subsequently converted to fast second-rate anti-submarine frigates in the 1950s.
HMS Grenville was the second ship of this name to serve with the Royal Navy in the Second World War. Grenville and seven other U-class destroyers were ordered as part of the Emergency Programme. She was launched at Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd., Wallsend-on-Tyne on 12 October 1942 and commissioned on 27 May 1943.
HMS Punjabi was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Second World War, being sunk in a collision with the battleship King George V. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name "Punjabi" which, in common with the other ships of the Tribal class, was named after various ethnic groups of the world, mainly those of the British Empire.
HMS Troubridge was a T-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. Post war she was converted into a Type 15 frigate.
HMS Ulster was a U-class destroyer of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom that saw service during World War II. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F83. Ulster was the second vessel in Royal Navy history to have that name.
HMS Undaunted was a U-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F53.
HMS Undine was a U-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. On 27 March 1945, HMS Undine detached from RN Fast Carrier TF57 to rescue the airmen of a downed RN TBF Avenger aircraft also rescued a USN Corsair pilot adrift for two days south of the Sakishima Gunto in the Philippine Sea.
HMS Ursa was a U-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F200.
HMS Verulam was a V-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War.
The second HMS Whirlwind was a W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy and was built by Hawthorn Leslie and was launched on 30 August 1943. She saw service during World War II and the Cold War.
HMS Termagant was a T-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was built by William Denny and Brothers, of Dumbarton and launched on 22 March 1943. She was scrapped in 1965.
HMS Boadicea was a B-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy (RN) around 1930. Initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, she was transferred to the Home Fleet in 1936. Before her departure, the ship evacuated civilians from Spain during the beginning of the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Boadicea later spent considerable time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. During World War II, the ship spent the bulk of the war on convoy escort duty in British waters and participated in the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Torch, the Russian Convoys, and in the Normandy landings. Badly damaged by German dive bombers in 1940, she was sunk almost exactly four years later by German aircraft.
HMS Loch Achanalt was a Loch-class frigate of the Royal Navy that was loaned to and served with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Ordered from Henry Robb, Leith, on 24 July 1942 as a River-class frigate, the order was changed, and ship laid down on 14 September 1943, and launched by Mrs. A.V. Alexander, wife of the First Lord of the Admiralty on 23 March 1944 and completed on 11 August 1944. After the war she was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy and renamed Pukaki.
HMS Meteor was a M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War II.
The fifth HMS Valorous, ex-HMS Montrose, was a V-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II.
HMS Cavendish was one of eight C-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Commissioned in late 1944, she was built as a flotilla leader with additional accommodation for staff officers. The ship was assigned to the Home Fleet in 1945 after working up where she escorted capital ships of the fleet. Cavendish was sold for scrap in 1967.
HMS Zephyr was a Z-class destroyer. She was launched on 13 July 1942 at Vickers-Armstrongs' High Walker shipyard and commissioned on 6 September 1944. She was 'adopted' by the civil community of Doncaster, replacing the destroyer HMS Lightning, which had originally been adopted during Warship Week in 1942.
HMS Swift was an S-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the Second World War. The ship belonged to the January 1941 order of the Royal Navy from the War Emergency program. The destroyer was launched from the shipyard J. Samuel White in Cowes on 15 June 1943 and was put into service on 12 December 1943.
HMS Serapis was an S-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The ship was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company from 1941 to 1943, and was launched on 25 March 1943 and completed on 25 December 1943.
↑ Field, James A. (28 May 2015) [1962]. "Chapter 5: Into the Perimeter". History of US Naval Operations: Korea. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
↑ Lin, Hung-I (2008). "Chapter 4，1953-1960"(PDF). 《封鎖大陸沿海──中華民國政府的「關閉政策」，1949-1960》[Blockading the China coast: the "port-closure policy" of ROC government, 1949-1960] (M.D. thesis) (in Chinese (Taiwan)). National Chengchi University. p.71. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United Kingdom 
