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HMS Active (H14)
Encyclopedia
HMS Active, the tenth Active (H14), launched in 1929, was an A class destroyer
. She served in World War II
, taking part in the sinking of four submarines. She was broken up in 1947.
She was launched 9 July 1929 as part of the first class of destroyers after World War I
, at Hawthorn Leslie in Hebburn, Newcastle upon Tyne
. She was commissioned 9 February 1930 as part of the third destroyer flotilla and part of the Mediterreanean Fleet. At the beginning of World War II she joined the 13th Flotilla based in Gibraltar
and later Force H
. As such she took part in the Operation Catapult against the French fleet in Mers el Kebir.
In May 1941 the ship participated in the hunt for the battleship Bismarck
.
In 1942 she participated in the Madagascar landings (Operation Ironclad) during which on 8 May she sank the Vichy French submarine Monge. Later while being based in Cape Town on 8 October she sank the German U-179 en route to Penang
.
During the rest of the war the ship served as escort mainly between Great Britain and Sierra Leone after receiving increased anti aircraft and anti submarine armament. On 23 May 1943 she sank the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci
west of Cape Finisterre
together with HMS Ness
and on 2 November 1943 U-340 close to Tangier
.
In May 1947 HMS Active was decommissioned and sold for scrap.
A class destroyer
The A class was a flotilla of eight destroyers built for the Royal Navy as part of the 1927 naval programme. A ninth ship, Codrington, was built to an enlarged design to act as the flotilla leader...
. She served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, taking part in the sinking of four submarines. She was broken up in 1947.
She was launched 9 July 1929 as part of the first class of destroyers after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, at Hawthorn Leslie in Hebburn, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. She was commissioned 9 February 1930 as part of the third destroyer flotilla and part of the Mediterreanean Fleet. At the beginning of World War II she joined the 13th Flotilla based in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and later Force H
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany....
. As such she took part in the Operation Catapult against the French fleet in Mers el Kebir.
In May 1941 the ship participated in the hunt for the battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
.
In 1942 she participated in the Madagascar landings (Operation Ironclad) during which on 8 May she sank the Vichy French submarine Monge. Later while being based in Cape Town on 8 October she sank the German U-179 en route to Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
.
During the rest of the war the ship served as escort mainly between Great Britain and Sierra Leone after receiving increased anti aircraft and anti submarine armament. On 23 May 1943 she sank the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci
Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was a of the Italian navy during World War II. The unit operated in the Atlantic from September 1940 until its loss in May 1943, and became the top scoring non-German submarine of the all war.-Construction:...
west of Cape Finisterre
Cape Finisterre
right|thumb|300px|Position of Cape Finisterre on the [[Iberian Peninsula]]Cape Finisterre is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain....
together with HMS Ness
HMS Ness
Two vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Ness after the Scottish River Ness: was a River class destroyer launched on 5 January 1905 at J S White in Cowes and sold in 1919. was an River class frigate launched at Robbs in Leith on 30 July 1942 and sold in 1956, broken up at Newport....
and on 2 November 1943 U-340 close to Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
.
In May 1947 HMS Active was decommissioned and sold for scrap.
Literature
- M. J. Whitley: Destroyers of World War Two, Arms and Armour Press, London 1988 ISBN 0853689105