Admiralty V-Class Destroyer
ordered in July 1916 from Cammell Laird,
Birkenhead
under the 9th Order for destroyers in the
1916-17
Programme and laid down on 7th August
1916. The five ships in this order were
designated as Half Leaders and the tender
cost for those built by Cammell Laird was
£218,300. The ship was launched on 24th
March 1917 as
the 2nd RN ship to carry this name,
introduced in 1418. Her build was
completed on 27th June that year and after
completion was modified to carry mines.
She was deployed in Home waters until the
end of WW1. After 1918 she
remained in service until transferred to
Reserve at Rosyth and in 1927 was
refitted. During 1939 before the outbreak
of WW2 this
destroyer was selected for conversion into
an AA Escort as part of the
re-armament programme.
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1940
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Crest
: On a Field Blue, a swan’s head Silver,
collared and chained
Gold.
M
o t t o
Valens et volens : 'Fit and
willing'
D
e t a i l s o f
W a r
S e r v i c e
(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
1
9 3 9
September
Under
conversion to AA Escort (WAIR) by HM
Dockyard, Devonport.
to December
1
9 4 0
January
Conversion
in continuation and contractors
trials.
to March
April
Acceptance trials and worked-up for
operational service.
On
completion
deployed in Nore Command for convoy
defence.
May
Transferred to Dover command in
continuation
Deployed
off
Dutch coast for AA support to
military operations.
(Note
: Ship use for
evacuation of civil and military
personnel to
be
confirmed.)
(following account courtesy
Don Kindell)
Destroyers
VALENTINE, WINCHESTER, WHITLEY were
operating
off
Flushing during the night of 14/15 May.
15th
At
1300, destroyers VALENTINE and WHITLEY
were ordered to
cover
the Terneusen - Brosele (Beveland)
Ferry.
VALENTINE
(Cdr H.J. Buchanan RAN), at the mouth of
the River
Scheldt
within a mile of Terneusen, was bombed
and badly damaged
by
German Ju.88 bomber. Struck by two
bombs, boiler blew up and
she
was run aground and abandoned a total
loss.
Position
51.20N 03.49E.
Thirty
one ratings were killed and twenty one
crew, including Probationary
Temporary
Surgeon Lt N. F. E. Burrows RMCS, LRCP,
MD, BCH RNVR,
Temporary
Lt R. M. MacFie RNVR, Acting Gunner S.
F. Burrow were wounded.
WHITLEY
blew up VALENTINE.
(and thanks to Ian Gilbert)
She
was abandoned in situ and until a few
years ago the remains (after Dutch
salvage
attempts in the 1950's) were still
visible at low tide.
N o t e s
This name was reintroduced in
September 1943 when given to a Fleet
Destroyer, but when this new ship was
transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in
1944 she was renamed HMCS ALGONQUIN.
Before transfer the ship gained three
Battle
Honours to add to that achieved by her
predecessor.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
VALENTINE
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20/04/40
|
20/04/40
|
FS
0151
|
22/04/40
|
22/04/40
|
|
19/04/40
|
20/04/40
|
MT
055
|
20/04/40
|
19/04/40
|
|
01/05/40
|
01/05/40
|
FS
0160
|
03/05/40
|
03/05/40
|
|
08/05/40
|
08/05/40
|
FS
0166
|
10/05/40
|
10/05/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
THE
LOSS OF HMS VALENTINE
by Jaap
Geensen, 8 Oct 2011
One
of the Royal Navy casualties in the
area where I live was the HMS
VALENTINE. The action took place on
the WESTERSCHELDE off the Dutch town
of Terneuzen. She got a direct hit
from a German bomber, I believe in the
engine room. (Her sister ship shot the
second bomber down). The captain ran
her aground a few kilometers to the
West of Terneuzen (now the site where
Dow Chemicals has a large plant) and
managed to save the lives of those not
killed by the bomb. The wounded were
treated and hidden from the Germans in
Terneuzen Hospital. Quiet a few
pictures are available of the wreck
that remained on the dyke till at
least the sixties.
