L-Class
destroyer ordered from Cammell
Laird, Birkenhead on 31st March 1938 under the
1937 Programme and to be named HMS LARNE which
was laid down on 18th October 1938. However
during June 1940, following requested from the
Gurkha
Regiment it was decided to rename the ship HMS
GURKHA and she was launched with that name on
8th July 1940
and was the 3rd RN ship to bear this name. The
Regiment had previously had a
close relationship with the TRIBAL Class
destroyer and wished to maintain this
with another RN warship after the loss on 19th
April 1940 of the earlier ship
off Norway in support of the allied response
to the German attack. The name had
been introduced for a destroyer built
in 1907 and lost after detonating a mine in
1917. The originally name GHURKA, was changed
in 1936 for the
TRIBAL Class destroyer. Build of this ship was
completed on 18th February 1941 Tender cost
was £441,837 which
excludes items such as weapons and
communications equipment supplied by the
Admiralty. This name was carried forward
in July 1960 when given to the Type 81 TRIBAL
Class Frigate on launch.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
BELGIAN COAST
1914-17 - NORWAY 1940 - NORTH SEA
1940 - ATLANTIC
1941 - MEDITERRANEAN 1941 - MALTA CONVOYS
1941-41
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue,
two crossed Kukris Proper.
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 4 1
February
Contractor’s Trials and
commissioned for service in 4th Destroyer
Flotilla.
18th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Nominated for serve
in Western Approaches command.
26th
Involved in collision and sustained
major damage forward with flooding of
compartments.
Withdrawn from
service and repair arranged at Rosyth.
Passage to Rosyth.
31st
Taken in hand by HM Dockyard,
Rosyth.
March
Under repair
to May
June
24th
Carried out post repair trials on
completion.
Passage to rejoin
Western Approaches Command and resume convoy
defence duties.
July
12th
Joined military convoy WS9C in Clyde
with HM Destroyers VANOC, WANDERER and
Polish ORP GARLAND
as Local Escort during passage in NW
Approaches.
(Note: This convoy
included ships bound for Malta as part of
Operation SUBSTANCE.
Ocean
Escort was
provided by HM Battleship NELSON, HM Cruisers
ARETHUSA
and
MANCHESTER with screen of five Home Fleet
destroyers. The Dutch cruiser
HEEMSKERCK
provide additional AA defence as part of Local
Escort.)
15th
Detached from WS9C and returned to
Clyde with Local Escort.
August.
2nd
Joined military convoy WS10 in Clyde
with HM Destroyers WHITEHALL, WINCHELSEA,
WITCH, BROADWAY,
LANCE, LEGION, Polish ORP PIORUN and Dutch
ISAAC SWEERS
as
Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: This convoy
destined for Indian Ocean included HM Cruiser
LONDON and HM
Armed
Merchant Cruiser WORCESTERSHIRE as Ocean
Escort.)
5th
Detached from WS10 and returned to
Clyde with Local Escort
17th
Joined military convoy WS10X in Clyde
with HM Destroyers LANCE, ORP PIORUN and
Dutch ISAAC SWEERS
as Local Escort during passage in NW
Approaches.
(Note: HM Cruiser
DORSETSHIRE provided Ocean Escort.)
19th
Detached from WS10X with HMS LANCE and
joined
Convoy OG71 under attacks by U559,
U201 and U564. which
were unable to penetrate screen and attacks
failed.
20th
Deployed with escort for OG71 and
established positions of U-Boats with newly
fitted
Direction Finding
equipment
(See HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair details of attacks on
OG71 and SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann for details of use of D/F equipment.)
23rd
Submarine attacks discontinued by
strong escort and availability of air cover.
25th
Detached on arrival of OG71 at
Gibraltar.
(Note HM Destroyer
BATH, HM Corvette ZINNIAand seven mercantiles
were lost on passage
September
Deployed with 4th Destroyer Flotilla
based at Gibraltar
(Note:
Flotilla included
HM Destroyers COSSACK, LANCE. LEGION, LIVELY,
MAORI,
SIKH and ZULU.)
8th
Deployed with HM Destroyers
FORESTER, LANCE and LIVELY as screen for HM
Aircraft
Carrier ARK ROYAL
and HM Cruiser HERMIONE during Malta aircraft
delivery .
(Operation STATUS
I).
9th
Returned to Malta with same ships
after launch of HURRICANE aircraft.
10th
Deployed with HMS
ZULU, HMS LANCE and HMS LIVELY as screen for
HM Battleship
NELSON and HMS ARK
ROYAL as Force A to provide cover during Malta
aircraft delivery
(Operation STATUS
II).
14th
Returned to Gibraltar with Ships of
Force A after launch of aircraft from HMS
FURIOUS and
carrying out series
of exercises in preparation for planned Malta
relief operation.
24th
Deployed with HM
Destroyers DUNCAN, LANCE,
LEGION, LIVELY, FURY, Dutch
destroyer ISAAC
SWEERS, Polish destroyers ORP GARLAND and
PIORUN as screen for Force
A comprising HM
Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, PRINCE OF WALES
and HMS ARK ROYAL
to provide cover
for passage to Sicilian Narrows of Convoy GM2
destined for Malta under
escort of Force X
(Operation HALBERD).
27th
Under air attacks during which HMS
RODNEY was hit by an aircraft torpedo but
remained in
covering force at a
reduced speed.
Remained west of
Narrows when Force X detached with mercantiles
and remained in area to
provide cover
during passage of Convoy MG2 and returning
Force X ships to Gibraltar.
28th
Under threat of air
attacks but these were deterred by effective
use of aircraft away from Force A
29th
Met
returning warships and under threat
of submarine attack.
(Note: HMS NELSON
was detached and returned to Gibraltar with
HMS PRINCE OF WALES,
HM
Cruisers KENYA and HMS SHEFFIELD (Force X), HM
Destroyers LAFOREY,
LIGHTNING,
ORIBI, FORESIGHT, FORESTER (Force X) and HMS
FURY (Force A).
30th
Under attack by
Italian submarine ADUA and carried out
anti-submarine hunt with HMS LEGION.
ADUA was sunk in
position 37.10N 00.56E by these depth
charge attacks.
October
1st
Returned to Gibraltar with remained
ships of Force X and Force A
8th
Joined Ocean Escort for military
convoy WS12 during passage in Atlantic
9th
Return passage to Gibraltar from
WS12.
(Note: Additional
support had been provided from Gibraltar for
this convoy which was being
escorted
by HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE.)
On
return resumed convoy deployment and patrol at
Gibraltar with
Flotilla.
November
8th
Deployed with HM Destroyers LAFOREY,
LEGION, LIGHTNING, SIKH. ZULU and
Dutch
destroyer ISAAC SWEERS as screen for HM
Battleship MALAYA, HM
Aircraft
Carriers
ARGUS, ARK ROYAL and HM Cruiser HERMIONE to
provide cover
during
Malta
aircraft delivery from the two carriers
(Operation PERPETUAL).
13th
During return passage
following launch of aircraft on 12th.came
under attack by U-Boat
which torpedoed and
disabled HMS ARK ROYAL. See MALTA
CONVOYS
by R Woodman.
Carried
out anti-submarine operations with HMS LAFOREY
and HMS LIGHTING.
Assisted
in rescue and salvage attempts until these
were abandoned.
14th
Returned to Gibraltar.
Passage
to UK
(Note:
The reasons for this return are not clear and
need further
research.
Once
source record for repair at Devonport which is
unlikely to have been impossible
at HM
Dockyard Gibraltar.)
Nominated
for escort of military convoy on completion of
repair.
December
Passage to Clyde to join military convoy as
part of Ocean Escort during
passage in Atlantic.
(Note:
One source records ship sailed on 13th
December, but this is at
variance with other
sources
which confirm ship was deployed with WS14.)
9th
Joined military convoy WS14 with HM
Australian Destroyer NESTOR and HM Destroyer
FOXHOUND.
13th
Detached from WS14 to carry out
anti-submarine search off Gibraltar with HMAS
NESTOR
and
joined destroyers from Gibraltar already
carrying out this
operation.
(Note:
HM Destroyer VANQUISHER joined WS14.)
15th
Deployed with HMAS NESTOR and HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND and CROOME in hunt
for U-Boat west of
Gibraltar. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
Carried
out depth charge attacks with HMAS NESTOR and
sank U127 in
position SW of
Cape
St Vincent. There were no survivors from this
submarine.
On
arrival at Gibraltar nominated for transfer to
Mediterranean Fleet.
(Note:
For details of all Malta convoy operations and
naval activities
in the eastern
Mediterranean
see THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D
MacIntyre,
MALTA
CONVOYS by R Woodman, THE
NAVAL WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
by J
Greene and A Massignini and the Naval
Staff History.)
22nd
Sailed from Gibraltar for Malta with
HM Cruiser DIDO HM Destroyers ARROW, NESTOR
(RAN) and FOXHOUND
24th
Arrived in Malta.
26th
Sailed from Malta with same ships to
escort four merchant ships to Alexandria.
29th
Arrived at Alexandria for service
with Mediterranean Fleet.
Came
under air attacks during passage without
damage.
1 9 4 2
January
5th
Joined HM Destroyers SIKH, KIPLING,
KINGSTON and FOXHOUND to screen HM
Cruisers
DIDO, EURYALUS and NAIAD
as Force B to escort HM Supply Ship GLENGYLE
during
passage in eastern Mediterranean (Operation
MF2),.
6th
Transferred HMS GLENGYLE escort to
ships of Force A from Malta and took over
escort of
HM
Supply Ship BRECONSHIRE for passage to
Alexandria
9th
Arrived at Alexandria with ships of
Force B.
16th
Deployed as escort for Convoy MW8B
during passage from Alexandria to Malta with
HM
Destroyers MAORI,
LEGION and Dutch destroyer ISAAC SWEERS
(Operation MF3)
(Note:
Convoy comprised two mercantiles and was
planned to merge with
Convoy MW8A
of
during
passage. See above references.)
17th
Under attack by U133 west of Sollum
and hit by torpedo. Ship caught fire and was
surrounded
by burning oil fuel and towed clear by Dutch
destroyer ISAAC
SWEERS which was
able to rescue all but nine of the ship’s
company before the ship sank
in position
31.50N 29.14E. Survivors were landed at
Tobruk. Details of casualties were
announced on 9th
March 1942.