K-Class
Destroyer ordered
from Swan Hunter at Wallsend, Newcastle
under the 1937 Programme in March 1937 and
laid down on 27th October
that year. She was launched on 6th February
1939 as the first RN warship to carry this
name. Build was completed on 6th
November 1939 and
she was commissioned for service in the 5th
Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field barry
wavy of Blue and White a camel, Gold.
De 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
November
Completed contractors trials
Commissioned for service in
5th Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
6th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance
Trials.
Passage to Clyde to
work-up with ships of Home Fleet..
December
Joined Flotilla and deployed for
patrol and convoy defence in NW Approaches
when not
required for screen in
Home Fleet ships.
19th During deployment
in Firth of Clyde under
unsuccessful torpedo attack by submarine near
Holy Isle in Firth of
Clyde
Carried out
anti-submarine search with French Sloop ALDAIR
for 24 hours without success.
1
9 4 0
January
Deployed with Flotilla for Home
Fleet duties.
February
Deployed for escort of convoys to
Norway based at Rosyth.
Sustained structural
damage during anti-submarine operations at
high speed in heavy weather.
Passage to Falmouth
for repair.
March Under
repair at commercial
shipyard in Falmouth
to
April
May
On completion took passage to
assist in operations in Nore Command for
evacuation of personnel
from Holland and
Belgium.
During passage in
Channel developed machinery defect and taken
in hand at Portsmouth for repair
repair lasting two
days
(Note: Pennant Number
for visual signalling purposes changed to
G45.)
8th Nominated for service
with 14th Destroyer
Flotilla in Mediterranean.
16th Took passage from Plymouth
for Gibraltar
with HM Destroyer KANDAHAR.
23rd Joined Flotilla at Alexandria
and deployed
for screening and patrol duties with Flotilla.
(Note: During this
period extensive exercises were being carried
out by ships of the Fleet
based at
Alexandria, in anticipation of outbreak of war
with Italy.)
Detached with HM
Destroyers KANDAHAR, KIMBERLEY and KINGSTON
for surveillance
of Italian warship
movements from Massawa.
(Note: This move was
part of preparations for war with Italy as
several Italian surface warships
and
submarines were based in Eritrea and could
present a threat to commercial
shipping,)
June
Deployed in Red Sea with
Sloops of East Indies Squadron and sister
destroyers.
Prepared for war
service in defence of Red Sea shipping.
10th After outbreak of war
deployed for patrol
and convoy defence based at Aden.
21st Carried out
attack on Italian submarine
TORRICELLI which was unsuccessful.
23rd
Deployed
with HMS KANDAHAR, HMS KINGSTON and HM Sloop
SHOREHAM in
search for TORRICELLI
near Perim Island.
After interception
took part in surface engagement with these
ships during which enemy
submarine was sunk.
Hit by return fire
which damaged the after torpedo tube mounting.
Subsequently an air
vessel exploded causing a serious
uncontrollable fire which prevented
access to magazine
flooding controls.
The resulting
explosion of the magazine killed one of the
ship’s company, injured three
others
and wrecked the stern
structure aft of the Engine Room causing
extensive flooding.
Ship settled on an
even keel with forward structure awash.
Ship’s company rescued
by HMS KANDAHAR and taken to Aden.
Equipment was dismantled
and other security measures were implemented
before the ship was
abandoned. The wreck
remained visible after the end of WW2.
(Note: The official
record in Ref ADM 1/11210 at the Public Record
Office indicates that
the
explosion of the air vessel may have been due
to a Flaw in this component part
of a
Mark IX Torpedo and that similar explosions
had previously been reported in
other
ships. The details of the actual cause of the
fire are unlikely to be
determined.)
Note: Her loss is now completely attributed to
a torpedo air vessel defect, and was not due
to any hit by the Italian
TORRICELLI - see HMS
KHARTOUM - LOSS DUE TO DEFECTIVE TORPEDO
AIR VESSEL, 23rd JUNE 1940
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS KHARTOUM
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
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|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
05/12/39
|
06/12/39
|
ON
004/1
|
08/12/39
|
08/12/39
|
|
10/12/39
|
unknown
|
TC
001
|
17/12/39
|
17/12/39
|
|
06/01/40
|
06/01/40
|
ON
007/1
|
09/01/40
|
09/01/40
|
|
09/01/40
|
09/01/40
|
HN
007
|
12/01/40
|
12/01/40
|
|
19/01/40
|
19/01/40
|
HN
008
|
22/01/40
|
22/01/40
|
|
24/01/40
|
25/01/40
|
ON
009/1
|
25/01/40
|
27/01/40
|
|
08/02/40
|
11/02/40
|
HN
010
|
11/02/40
|
11/02/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
