HMS Cowdray, July 1942 (IWM) | |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Cowdray |
Ordered | 4 September 1939 |
Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock, Scotland |
Laid down | 30 April 1940 |
Launched | 22 July 1941 |
Completed | 29 July 1942 |
Decommissioned | January 1950 |
Identification | Pennant number:L52 |
Honours and awards |
|
Fate | Scrapped, 1959 |
Badge | On a Field, Gold, in front of a horseshoe inverted, a spear erect black within the horseshoe and in front of the spear, a sun in splendour Red. |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type II Hunt-class destroyer |
Displacement |
|
Length | 85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) o/a |
Beam | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Range | 3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
Complement | 164 |
Armament |
|
HMS Cowdray was a Type II Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She has been the only Royal Navy ship to bear the name. She was scrapped in 1959.
Cowdray was ordered on 4 September 1939 under the 1939 War Emergency Build Programme as job number J1116. [1] She was completed on 29 July 1942 and adopted by the town of Chichester, West Sussex, as part of Warship Week in 1942.
On 8 November 1942 she sustained extensive damage during service in the Mediterranean. Repairs took most of 1943 and 1944. As a result, she only saw a total of three months active service during the Second World War. She earned battle honours during the Second World War for service on the Arctic Convoys, Atlantic, North Sea, North Africa and the English Channel. In mid-1945 she was prepared for service in the Far East, but only completed a few weeks in the East Indies before return to the UK in November 1945.
On 5 December 1945 she arrived at Chatham for service with the Nore Local Flotilla. She then transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Chatham in January 1950. She was then moved to Portsmouth in 1953 and laid up. She was then sold to BISCO for scrap. She arrived at the breakers yard of JJ King at Sunderland on 3 September 1959. [2]
ORP Krakowiak was a British Type II Hunt-class destroyer escort, used by the Polish Navy during World War II. Initially built for the Royal Navy, it bore the name of HMS Silverton during British use.
HMS Whaddon (L45) was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built by Alexander Stephen & Sons of Linthouse, Govan and launched on 16 July 1940. She was laid down on 27 July 1939 and commissioned 28 February 1941. She was adopted by the civil community of Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, as part of the Warship Week campaign in 1942.
HMS Wensleydale was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War. She was adopted by the civil community of Swinton and Pendlebury during Warship Week in 1942. As good luck she carried fox pads from the Wensydale Hounds gifted by the Chapman family of Thronton Rust, Wenslydae.
HMS Wheatland was a Type 2 Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served in the Second World War.
HMS Stevenstone was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War. All the ships of this class were named after British fox hunts. She was the first Royal Navy warship with this name, after the Stevenstone hunt in Devon.
HMS Cattistock (L35) was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the first subgroup of the Hunt class and served throughout World War II before being scrapped in 1957.
HMS Quantock was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was sold to Ecuador in 1954 where she served as Presidente Alfaro.
HMS Eglinton (L87) was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built by Vickers-Armstrongs on the River Tyne, and launched on 28 December 1939. She was adopted by the town of Alton, Hampshire, as part of the Warship Week campaign in 1942.
HMS Garth was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built by John Brown & Company on the River Clyde, and launched on 28 December 1939. She was adopted by the Civil Community of Wokingham, Berkshire, as part of the Warship Week campaign in 1942.
HMS Holderness was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1956.
HMS Cotswold was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1957.
HMS Pytchley was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1956.
HMS Southdown was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1956.
HMS Farndale was a Type 2 Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1962. She was the only British warship so far to bear this name.
HMS Wilton was a Type 2 Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served in the Second World War.
HMS Lauderdale was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Ships of this class were designed as cheap, easily built vessels for convoy escort and antisubmarine duties. She was named like her sisters after a fox hunt, in her case one in Berwickshire. War bonds were issued to finance the building of warships. During Warship Week held in 1942 the civil community of Berwickshire adopted the ship. She has been the only Royal Navy warship to carry this name.
HMS Belvoir was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War. She was adopted by the civil community of Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire during Warship Week in 1942.
HMS Melbreak was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War. All the ships of this class were named after British fox hunts. She was the first Royal Navy warship with this name, after the Melbreak hunt in Cumbria. In 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Cockermouth in Cumberland, as part of Warship Week.
HMS Bleasdale was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War. All the ships of this class were named after British fox hunts. She was the first Royal Navy warship with this name, after the Bleasdale hunt in Lancashire. In 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Garstang in Lancashire, as part of Warship Week.
HMS Fernie was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy completed in mid-1940. She was adopted by the Civil Community of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, as part of the Warship Week campaign in 1942. She has been the only ship in the Royal Navy to carry this name.