HMS Ilex was an I-class

I class destroyer

The I class was a class of eight destroyers plus a flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy ordered under the 1935 naval programme, laid down in 1936 and completed in 1937 and 1938...

 destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

 that served during World War II. She is the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to have been named after Ilex, the genus of flowering plants commonly known as holly.

1939

On the outbreak of war Ilex was deployed in the Mediterranean with the Third Destroyer Flotilla. She was immediately transferred to the Western Approaches for convoy escort duty with her flotilla. On 13 October under the command of Lieutenant Commander Philip Lionel Saumarez she attacked and sank the south-west of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 in company with the destroyer .

1940

The first half of 1940 saw Ilex conducting Fleet screening duties in and around the North Sea. In May she transferred to the Second Destroyer Flotilla for service in the Mediterranean. On 27 June 1940, in company with , , and the Australian destroyer she depth-charged the off Crete. The submarine was forced to the surface and scuttled by her crew. Two days later, on 29 June, the same ships attacked and probably sank the at around 0615, although the possibility exists that this submarine was sunk by an RAF Sunderland

Short Sunderland

The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....

 later that same day. Also on 29 June Dainty and Ilex shared in the sinking of the south-west of Crete. Ilex participated in the Battle of Calabria

Battle of Calabria

The Battle of Calabria, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in World War II. It was fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy , on 9 July 1940...

 and on 19 June she escorted during the sinking of the off Cape Spada, rescuing 230 survivors.

Continuous service with the Mediterranean Fleet

Mediterranean Fleet

Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...

 continued through 1940, and on 11 November she was deployed as a screening destroyer for during the attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto

Battle of Taranto

The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...

.

1941

On 20 March she formed part of the destroyer screen for the fleet at the Battle of Cape Matapan

Battle of Cape Matapan

The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...

. On 14 June she suffered major structural damage from dive-bombing near misses during an operation to prevent interference by Vichy French warships. She was towed to Haifa and underwent a series of temporary repairs there, and at Suez, Aden, Mombassa and Durban, in order to reach the United States of America for a refit and full repair.

1942

It was not until September 1942 that Ilex was re-commissioned. She spent the rest of the year at Freetown, Sierra Leone conducting convoy duties.

1943

In February 1943 Ilex returned to the Mediterranean, and in July and August she participated in the Sicily

Allied invasion of Sicily

The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...

 and Salerno landings. In December she was withdrawn from operational service because of a high defect load and poor availability.

1944

She was laid up at Bizerte

Bizerte

Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...

 in Tunisia, then transferred to Ferryville

Menzel Bourguiba

Menzel Bourguiba is a town located in extreme north of Tunisia , about 60 km away from Tunis, in the Bizerte Governorate...

 in June, and laid up there.

1945

In March 1945 she was towed to Malta for repair, and in April reduced to "reserve category C", the survey declaring her "not required for further operational service". She was placed on the disposal list in August.

Disposal

Ilex was sold for scrap at Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 on 22 January 1946 and broken up in Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 in 1948.

Sea Cadet Corps

Salford Sea Cadets are affiliated with the ship and are named TS Ilex. Salford sea caders are located in Worsley and provide youth services to young people aged 12-18 from across the City of Salford.

The unit was incorporated in 1936 during Eccles warship week and is one of the oldest continously operating youth groups in the city. The current City of Salford Sea Cadets is an amalgamation of Eccles and District Sea Cadets (TS Ilex) and Salford Sea Cadets (TS Irwell). The unit moved to its present home in Worsley in the late 1980s.

City of Salford Sea Cadets Whilst an independant charity in its own right is also part of the larger#REDIRECT Sea Cadet Corps