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HMS Kimberley (F50)
Encyclopedia
HMS Kimberley was a K-class
destroyer
of the Royal Navy
. She served in the Second World War and survived it, being one of only two of the K-class to do so. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Kimberley, after the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape
, site of the Siege of Kimberley
in the Second Boer War
. She was adopted by the civil community of Eastwood
, Kimberley
and Selston
, Nottinghamshire
in 1942 after a successful Warship Week
campaign for National Savings.
, Woolston, Hampshire under the 1937 Programme. She was laid down on 17 January 1938 as Yard No 1179. She was launched on 1 June 1939 and commissioned on 21 December, though final works were not completed until early the following year.
to join the units of the Home Fleet. On 21 February she was deployed with the cruiser
HMS Manchester in the North Western Approaches
, carrying out patrols to intercept merchant shipping returning to Germany
and commerce raiders attempting to attack Atlantic convoys. During this patrol, the two ships captured the German freighter . Kimberley provided a boarding party and the ship was taken into Kirkwall
as a prize.
She remained with the Home Fleet carrying out patrol duties throughout March. On 7 April she formed part of a screen for the battleship
s HMS Rodney and HMS Valiant
, the battlecruiser
HMS Repulse
and the cruisers of the Home Fleet during a search in the North Western Approaches for German ships that had been reported on passage into the Atlantic. Actually, these ships were part of Operation Weserübung
, the German invasion of Norway
. On 8 April, after the invasion, Kimberley remained as part of the screen for allied ships preparing to land in Norway as part of Operation Wilfred
. She was detached with HMS Bedouin
, HMS Eskimo
and HMS Punjabi
later in the day to go to the assistance of HMS Glowworm
, which was under attack by the German cruiser Admiral Hipper
. Before the British destroyers could come to the relief, the Glowworm was sunk with heavy loss of life.
Kimberley was dispatched with HMS Eskimo and HMS Penelope
on 11 April to attack German transports that had been reported at Bodø
. Penelope ran aground whilst attempting to enter the fjord at Fleinvaer, and had to be towed clear by Eskimo. They then successfully entered the fjord but did not find any ships. They returned to support fleet operations off Narvik
. Kimberley then took part in the Second Battle of Narvik, during which she attempted to tow HMS Cossack
to safety, after Cossack had been damaged by German destroyers and disabled. The attempt failed, but Cossack was later towed clear by HMS Forester
. Kimberley then returned to Scapa Flow.
and HMS Khartoum
. They arrived at Alexandria
on 23 April, and all three were nominated for service in the Red Sea
, in company with another sister, HMS Kingston
. These actions were part of a series of precautions that were being taken in anticipation of Italy
's entry to the war on the side of the Axis powers
. Italy had a number of destroyers and submarine
s based in Eritrea
, which could threaten British shipping.
Kimberley and her sisters were deployed on convoy defence duties throughout June and July, but in August Kimberley was nominated to support the evacuation of British nationals from Berbera
, in British Somaliland
. She and HMS Khandahar joined the a taskforce consisting of the cruisers HMS Caledon
, HMAS Hobart
, HMS Ceres
and HMS Carlisle
, the sloops
HMAS Parramatta
, HMS Shoreham and HMS Auckland, the armed boarding vessels Chakala, Chakdina and Laomedon, and the hospital ship
Vita. On 16 August they assisted in the evacuation of over 7,000 people from British Somalia, embarking them for passage to Aden.
, HMS Auckland and HMS Flamingo. She was detached on 14 September. On 20 October she joined HMS Leander
and five sloops of the East Indies Squadron in escorting Convoy BN-7. They came under attack the following day by four Italian destroyers some 150 miles east of Massawa
. Kimberley engaged the Sauro class
Francisco Nullo and drove her ashore on Harmil
Island. Kimberley then fired a torpedo at the enemy, but came under fire from shore batteries. She took a hit in her engine room, which disabled her. She was taken in tow by HMS Leander and brought into Port Sudan
. Nullo was destroyed the following day by RAF
Blenheim bombers. Kimberley was under repair on 27 October, but was back in action on 31 October, when she resumed convoy defence duties. The damage meant that she was operating at reduced speed.
Kimberley and HMS Caledon escorted the troopships SS Duchess of York
and SS Georgic from Aden to the military convoy WS-3 in the Red Sea on 12 November. She was detached on 14 November and returned to Aden. She continued to escort military convoys throughout December, this time in company with HMS Carlisle and HMS Kandahar. Kimberley took passage to Bombay in January 1941 to complete repairs, which lasted throughout February. She rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria in March and began deployments with them in April. On 16 April she was part of the screen for the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, together with the destroyers HMS Griffin
, HMS Defender
and HMS Kingston during her passage to Suda Bay with other fleet units prior to the planned bombardment of Tripoli
. Kimberley remained offshore with Formidable during the bombardment on 21 April. The following day she deployed with the fleet screen during the return to Alexandria after the end of the bombardment, arriving on 23 April.
, along with HMAS Vampire
and HMS Auckland. She was then engaged in the evacuation of allied troops from Greece, taking troops off from Raphti on 27 April, and Kalamata
on 29 April. She left Kalmata for the final time on 1 May. Kimberley deployed again on 6 May, with HMS Griffin, HMS Havock
, HMS Hereward
, HMS Hero
, HMS Hotspur
, HMS Jervis
, HMS Juno
, HMS Kandahar, HMS Kingston HMS Nizam
and HMS Nubian
, as a screen for HMS Formidable, the battleships HMS Barham, HMS Valiant and HMS Warspite, the cruisers HMS Orion
, HMAS Perth
and HMS Abdiel
as they provided cover for convoys in the eastern Mediterranean. These convoys
were a convoy from Egypt
to Malta
, and a military convoy from Malta to Alexandria with tanks for the Eighth Army
. Kimberley remained deployed with the fleet screen until it arrived at Alexandria on 10 May, having been the target of unsuccessful air attacks.
She deployed again on 15 May screening fleet units covering convoys to reinforce Crete
. She deployed with HMS Janus
, HMS Hasty
and HMS Hereward as a screen for the cruisers HMS Dido
, HMS Orion and HMS Ajax
. They formed Force D, and on 22 May they intercepted an invasion convoy north of Crete and sank several ships. They took part in the bombardment of the airfield at Scarpanto on 23 May and the following day were deployed with HMS Decoy
, HMS Hotspur, HMS Hereward, HMS Imperial
and HMS Jackal
as a screen for Dido and Ajax as they searched Kaso Strait for invasion craft. Kimberley returned to Alexandria on 25 May, sailing again on 28 May with Ajax, Orion and Dido, screened by Hotspur, Hereward, Imperial and Jackal to begin evacuating troops from Crete. The destroyers reached Heraklion
on 29 May and began to ferry troops to the cruisers offshore. The British ships came under heavy and sustained air attacks during their return passage, during which both Ajax and Dido were badly damaged.
, with HMS Kandahar, Jackal, Janus and the cruiser HMS Phoebe
. They deployed off Syria on 7 June to intercept Vichy French destroyers that were attempting to provide support to defending French military units. The British ships also provided naval gunfre support. Kimberley took HMS Janus in tow on 9 June after Janus had been disabled in an engagement with several French destroyers. She towed Janus to Haifa
, coming under attack from Vichy French aircraft as they made the passage. Kimberley returned to action on 10 June, when she carried out a bombardment of the Khan bridge area in support of a British military advance. On 15 June whilst off Beirut
, she was involved in an engagement with the French Guépard class destroyers
Guepard and Valmy. Kimberley remained off the Syrian coast into July, carrying further support bombardments on 4 July, before returning to Alexandria.
, Jervis, Kandahar, Kingston, Nizam and Nubian formed a screen for the battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth
and Valiant, the cruisers HMS Ajax, HMAS Hobart, HMS Leander, Naiad
, Neptune
, Phoebe and Abdiel as they carried out a diversionary operation in the eastern Mediterranean to divert attention away from Operation Substance
, a Malta relief convoy. Kimberley was deployed in support of army operations against Tobruk
, and screening fleet units as they searched for enemy supply convoys throughout August to October 1941.
She was transferred in November to join the cruisers HMS Aurora
and HMS Penelope as part of Force K
. These ships were based at Malta, and were tasked with the job of intercepting enemy supply convoys bound for North Africa. Kimberley took passage to Malta on 22 November with HMS Ajax, Neptune and Kingston to reinforce Force K. They were screened by the cruisers HMS Euryalus
, HMS Naiad and two destroyers as they made this transit. Kimberley had her first deployment with the Force on 30 November, when she joined HMS Aurora, Penelope, Ajax, Neptune and Kingston in intercepting a supply convoy. Kimberley carried out an attack on the convoy off Benghazi
, on 1 December and succeeded in sinking the ammunition ship Adriatico. She was in action again the following day, when she took part in the sinking of the Italian destroyer Alvise Da Mosto and the merchant Mantovani off Kerkenah Bank.
She next sailed from Malta on 5 December, with HMS Kingston and Lively
, and the cruisers Ajax and Neptune. They formed the escort for the fast supply ship HMS Breconshire, during her passage to meet the ships out of Alexandria. Ajax, Neptune and Lively were detached on 6 December and returned to Malta. Kimberley remained with the Breconshire. They were joined on 7 December by HMAS Hobart, but she was soon detached to go to the assistance of HMS Flamingo, which had been damaged off Tobruk. Kimberley and Kingston arrived at Alexandria with the Breconshire on 8 December. On 15 December Kimberley joined the cruisers HMS Carlisle, Euryalus and Naiad and the destroyers Hasty, Havock, Jervis, Kingston, Kipling
, Decoy and Nizam in forming Force C, which was assigned to escort the Breconshire to Malta. By 16 December unconfirmed reports of Italian battle group escorting a supply convoy to Benghazi had reached the British force. The force was sighted on 17 December, and the Breconshire was detached from Force C, escorted by Decoy and Havock. Kimberley remained with Force C. A brief engagement followed, later becoming known as the First Battle of Sirte
, in which the Italian warships withdrew after the British destroyers attempted to approach to make torpedo attacks. Kimberley returned to Alexandria on 18 December with the rest of the escorts.
. Kimberley sustained major damage to her stern, and had to be taken in tow by HMS Heythrop and was towed to Alexandria. She spent February to December 1942, and all of 1943 under repair, first at Alexandria, then at Bombay. After trials and work-up between January and March 1944, she was finally ready to return to service. She returned to the Mediterranean in April and was put back on her usual patrol duties. She was patrolling on 27 May with HMS Aurora, when she and the Free French destroyers Le Malin, Le Terrible
and Le Fantasque were damaged in heavy weather and forced to return to Alexandria for repairs. The repairs were completed by June and Kimberley moved to be based out of Malta.
In July she was nominated to take part in special duties during the planned allied landings in the south of France (Operation Dragoon
). On 14 August she embarked Admiral John Cunningham, the Commander in Chief Mediterranean, so that he could monitor the passage of the assault convoys through the Straits of Bonifacio. He then sent the signal to commence Operation Dragoon whilst aboard Kimberley. On 15 August Kimberley embarked Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
, for a visit to the assault area, and on 16 August she re-embarked Cunningham, with the military commander General Henry Maitland Wilson
, for a visit to the landing beaches. After she had been released from special duties, Kimberley was sent to patrol in the Adriatic Sea
, supporting military operations. She joined up with the destroyers HMS Undine
, HMS Urchin
and HMS Loyal
, and the river gunboats HMS Aphis and HMS Scarab, in preparation for supporting the British Army's advance up the east coast of Italy.
On 1 September she began a series of bombardments in the Rimini
area, and having completed these by 13 September she resumed her patrolling. In October she was transferred to the British Aegean Force, in order to support the landings to reoccupy the Greek mainland (Operation Manna). She intercepted the hospital ship Gradisca on 29 October, and took her as a prize. She carried out interception patrols throughout November, in order to prevent the evacuation of German personnel from occupied territory. On 5 November she sank an F lighter off Piscopi and carried out a bombardment at Alimnia on 11 November. She remained in the Aegean throughout December and in January 1945 was acting in support of operations on the Greek mainland. She was at Athens
during the communist rising.
Kimberley took part in a raid on Rhodes
on 1 May with HMS Catterick and the Greek destroyer Kriti
. She was off Rhodes on 8 May 1945 when Major General Wagner, Commander of German forces in the Dodecanese, and two of his staff officers came aboard her to formally surrender. They came alongside on a motor launch they had captured from the British some months previously. The Kimberley took Wagner to the island of Symi
, where the unconditional surrender of German forces in the region was signed. Kimberley landed an armed party the next day and confined the Germans to quarters. She later transported the 117 Germans to Alexandria. She remained in the Mediterranean after the end of the war, taking passage to the UK in August. She was paid off in September, was de-stored and then reduced to the reserve
.
, but was then transferred to Harwich
. She was placed on the disposal list in 1948, and was then selected to take part in ship target trials in the Clyde
area. She was towed there from Harwich, and after these had been completed, she was sold to West of Scotland Shipbreakers on 30 March 1949. HMS Kimberley arrived at their yards at Troon
in June for scrapping, one of only two of the K class to have survived the war.
J, K and N class destroyer
The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the Tribal class that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, eight each of ships with...
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...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She served in the Second World War and survived it, being one of only two of the K-class to do so. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Kimberley, after the town of Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, site of the Siege of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. She was adopted by the civil community of Eastwood
Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is northwest of Nottingham, and northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the...
, Kimberley
Kimberley, Nottinghamshire
Kimberley is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, lying 6 miles northwest of Nottingham along the A610. The town grew as a centre for coal mining, brewing and hosiery manufacturing...
and Selston
Selston
Selston is a hilltop village and civil parish in the District of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 12,208 St Helen's Church dates back to 1150 AD although the exterior of the church was altered by restoration and enlargement in 1899...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
in 1942 after a successful Warship Week
Warship Week
Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the adoption of a Royal Navy warship by a civil community. A level of savings would be set to raise enough money to provide the cost of building a particular naval ship...
campaign for National Savings.
Construction and commissioning
Kimberley was ordered from the yards of John I. Thornycroft & CompanyJohn I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
, Woolston, Hampshire under the 1937 Programme. She was laid down on 17 January 1938 as Yard No 1179. She was launched on 1 June 1939 and commissioned on 21 December, though final works were not completed until early the following year.
Norway and the North Sea
Kimberley spent January 1940 carrying out contractors' trials. She finished the trials and had completed storing and weapon system calibrations by February, and took passage to Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
to join the units of the Home Fleet. On 21 February she was deployed with the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Manchester in the North Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
, carrying out patrols to intercept merchant shipping returning to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and commerce raiders attempting to attack Atlantic convoys. During this patrol, the two ships captured the German freighter . Kimberley provided a boarding party and the ship was taken into Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
as a prize.
She remained with the Home Fleet carrying out patrol duties throughout March. On 7 April she formed part of a screen for the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s HMS Rodney and HMS Valiant
HMS Valiant (1914)
HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan on 31 January 1913 and launched on 4 November 1914...
, the battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
HMS Repulse
HMS Repulse (1916)
HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
and the cruisers of the Home Fleet during a search in the North Western Approaches for German ships that had been reported on passage into the Atlantic. Actually, these ships were part of Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
, the German invasion of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. On 8 April, after the invasion, Kimberley remained as part of the screen for allied ships preparing to land in Norway as part of Operation Wilfred
Operation Wilfred
Operation Wilfred was a British naval operation during World War II that involved the mining of the channel between Norway and her offshore islands in order to prevent the transport of swedish iron ore through neutral Norwegian waters to be used to sustain the German war effort...
. She was detached with HMS Bedouin
HMS Bedouin (F67)
HMS Bedouin was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. She was launched on 21 December 1937 by William Denny and Brothers....
, HMS Eskimo
HMS Eskimo (F75)
HMS Eskimo was a Tribal-class destroyer, laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 5 August 1936...
and HMS Punjabi
HMS Punjabi (F21)
HMS Punjabi was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Second World War, being sunk in a collision with the battleship . She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name "Punjabi" which — in common with the other ships of the Tribal-class — was named after...
later in the day to go to the assistance of HMS Glowworm
HMS Glowworm (H92)
HMS Glowworm was a G-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War the ship spent part of 1936 and 1937 in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict...
, which was under attack by the German cruiser Admiral Hipper
German cruiser Admiral Hipper
Admiral Hipper, the first of five ships of her class, was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper–class of heavy cruisers which served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; Admiral Hipper...
. Before the British destroyers could come to the relief, the Glowworm was sunk with heavy loss of life.
Kimberley was dispatched with HMS Eskimo and HMS Penelope
HMS Penelope (97)
HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934...
on 11 April to attack German transports that had been reported at Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
. Penelope ran aground whilst attempting to enter the fjord at Fleinvaer, and had to be towed clear by Eskimo. They then successfully entered the fjord but did not find any ships. They returned to support fleet operations off Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
. Kimberley then took part in the Second Battle of Narvik, during which she attempted to tow HMS Cossack
HMS Cossack (F03)
HMS Cossack was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee....
to safety, after Cossack had been damaged by German destroyers and disabled. The attempt failed, but Cossack was later towed clear by HMS Forester
HMS Forester (H74)
HMS Forester was a F class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, commissioned in 1935, that saw service in World War II, seeing action in Norway, in the Mediterranean, on the Russian and Atlantic Convoys, and during the Normandy landings before being sold for scrap in early 1946.-Construction:The...
. Kimberley then returned to Scapa Flow.
Arrival in the Mediterranean
She was nominated to serve in the Mediterranean in May, and underwent preparation for foreign service that saw the damage sustained during the Norwegian operations being repaired. Her pennant number was also changed, to G50. She left Britain on 16 May, in company with her sisters, HMS KandaharHMS Kandahar (F28)
HMS Kandahar was a K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the Afghan city of Kandahar.-History:Kandahar was launched on 21 March 1939. On 21 February 1941, in company with and , she captured the German blockade runner off Iceland...
and HMS Khartoum
HMS Khartoum (F45)
HMS Khartoum was a K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, ostensibly named after the capital of Sudan, Khartoum.-History:Khartoum was launched on 6 February 1939. Her initial action occurred on 19 December 1939, during deployment in the Firth of Clyde, when she was subject to an unsuccessful torpedo...
. They arrived at Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
on 23 April, and all three were nominated for service in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, in company with another sister, HMS Kingston
HMS Kingston (F64)
HMS Kingston was a K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by J. Samuel White and Company at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 6 October 1937 as part of an order for six similar destroyers....
. These actions were part of a series of precautions that were being taken in anticipation of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's entry to the war on the side of the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
. Italy had a number of destroyers and submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s based in Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, which could threaten British shipping.
Kimberley and her sisters were deployed on convoy defence duties throughout June and July, but in August Kimberley was nominated to support the evacuation of British nationals from Berbera
Berbera
Berbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...
, in British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
. She and HMS Khandahar joined the a taskforce consisting of the cruisers HMS Caledon
HMS Caledon (D53)
HMS Caledon was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was the nameship of the Caledon group of the C-class of cruisers....
, HMAS Hobart
HMAS Hobart (1939)
HMAS Hobart was a Modified Leander class light cruiser which served in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Originally constructed for the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo, the ship entered service in 1936, and was sold to Australia two years later...
, HMS Ceres
HMS Ceres (D59)
HMS Ceres was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was the name ship of the Ceres group of the C-class of cruisers.-Construction and early years:...
and HMS Carlisle
HMS Carlisle (D67)
HMS Carlisle was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English City of Carlisle. She was the name ship of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers...
, the sloops
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
HMAS Parramatta
HMAS Parramatta (U44)
HMAS Parramatta was a Grimsby class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy . Built during the late 1930s, Parramatta operated in the Red Sea and Mediterranean during World War II...
, HMS Shoreham and HMS Auckland, the armed boarding vessels Chakala, Chakdina and Laomedon, and the hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
Vita. On 16 August they assisted in the evacuation of over 7,000 people from British Somalia, embarking them for passage to Aden.
Convoys through the Red Sea
On 12 September Kimberley joined the military convoy WS-2A as it passed through the Red Sea as an escort, in company with HMS ShropshireHMS Shropshire (73)
HMS Shropshire was a Royal Navy heavy cruiser of the London sub-class of County class cruisers. She is the only warship to have been named after Shropshire, England. Completed in 1929, Shropshire served with the RN until 1942, when she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy following the...
, HMS Auckland and HMS Flamingo. She was detached on 14 September. On 20 October she joined HMS Leander
HMNZS Leander
HMNZS Leander was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of eight ships, the Leander class light cruiser and was initially named HMS Leander.- History :...
and five sloops of the East Indies Squadron in escorting Convoy BN-7. They came under attack the following day by four Italian destroyers some 150 miles east of Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
. Kimberley engaged the Sauro class
Sauro class destroyer
The Sauro Class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1920s. They were based in the Red Sea Italian colony of Eritrea and all fought in World War II being sunk during the East African Campaign in 1941....
Francisco Nullo and drove her ashore on Harmil
Harmil
Harmil is an uninhabitated island in Eritrea and part of the Dahlak Archipelago.-See also:*List of islands of Africa...
Island. Kimberley then fired a torpedo at the enemy, but came under fire from shore batteries. She took a hit in her engine room, which disabled her. She was taken in tow by HMS Leander and brought into Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
. Nullo was destroyed the following day by RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Blenheim bombers. Kimberley was under repair on 27 October, but was back in action on 31 October, when she resumed convoy defence duties. The damage meant that she was operating at reduced speed.
Kimberley and HMS Caledon escorted the troopships SS Duchess of York
SS Duchess of York
SS Duchess of York was a 20,021 ton ocean liner operated by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. Built in 1928 in Clydebank by the shipbuilders John Brown & Company, she was originally intended to be named SS Duchess of Cornwall...
and SS Georgic from Aden to the military convoy WS-3 in the Red Sea on 12 November. She was detached on 14 November and returned to Aden. She continued to escort military convoys throughout December, this time in company with HMS Carlisle and HMS Kandahar. Kimberley took passage to Bombay in January 1941 to complete repairs, which lasted throughout February. She rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria in March and began deployments with them in April. On 16 April she was part of the screen for the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, together with the destroyers HMS Griffin
HMS Griffin (H31)
HMS Griffin was a G-class destroyer, built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During World War II, the ship participated in the Norwegian Campaign of April–May 1940 and the Battle of Dakar in September before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November...
, HMS Defender
HMS Defender (H07)
HMS Defender was a D-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935. She was temporarily deployed in the Red Sea during late 1935 during the Abyssinia Crisis,...
and HMS Kingston during her passage to Suda Bay with other fleet units prior to the planned bombardment of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. Kimberley remained offshore with Formidable during the bombardment on 21 April. The following day she deployed with the fleet screen during the return to Alexandria after the end of the bombardment, arriving on 23 April.
Covering the Mediterranean convoys
She was quickly deployed again on 26 April, as an escort for Convoy AG-15 to PiraeusPiraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, along with HMAS Vampire
HMAS Vampire (D68)
HMAS Vampire was a V class destroyer of the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy . Launched in 1917 as HMS Wallace, the ship was renamed and commissioned into the RN later that year. Vampire was loaned to the RAN in 1933, and operated as a depot tender until just before World War II...
and HMS Auckland. She was then engaged in the evacuation of allied troops from Greece, taking troops off from Raphti on 27 April, and Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
on 29 April. She left Kalmata for the final time on 1 May. Kimberley deployed again on 6 May, with HMS Griffin, HMS Havock
HMS Havock (H43)
HMS Havock was an H-class destroyer built for the British Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet...
, HMS Hereward
HMS Hereward (H93)
HMS Hereward , named after Hereward the Wake, was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before and the ship spent four months during the Spanish Civil War in mid-1937 in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by...
, HMS Hero
HMS Hero (H99)
HMS Hero was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet...
, HMS Hotspur
HMS Hotspur (H01)
HMS Hotspur was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship spent considerable time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict...
, HMS Jervis
HMS Jervis (F00)
HMS Jervis was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy named after Admiral John Jervis . Jervis was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 26 August 1937...
, HMS Juno
HMS Juno (F46)
HMS Juno was a J class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, at Govan in Scotland on 5 October 1937, launched on 8 December 1938 and commissioned on 25 August 1939. Juno participated in the Battle of Calabria in July 1940 and the...
, HMS Kandahar, HMS Kingston HMS Nizam
HMAS Nizam (G38)
HMAS Nizam was an N class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . The destroyer, named after Sir Osman Ali Khan, The Last Nizam of Hyderabad, was commissioned into the RAN in 1940, although the ship remained the property of the Royal Navy for her entire career.Nizam spent the early part of her...
and HMS Nubian
HMS Nubian (F36)
HMS Nubian was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw much distinguished service in World War II.She won 13 battle honours, a record only exceeded by one other ship, and matched by two others....
, as a screen for HMS Formidable, the battleships HMS Barham, HMS Valiant and HMS Warspite, the cruisers HMS Orion
HMS Orion (85)
HMS Orion was a Leander class light cruiser which served with distinction in the Royal Navy during World War II.She received 13 battle honours, a record only exceeded by one other ship, and matched by two others.-History:...
, HMAS Perth
HMAS Perth (D29)
HMAS Perth was a Modified Leander class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy , and commissioned as HMS Amphion in 1936...
and HMS Abdiel
HMS Abdiel (M39)
HMS Abdiel was an that served with the Royal Navy during World War II. She served with the Mediterranean Fleet , Eastern Fleet , Home Fleet , and the Mediterranean Fleet . Abdiel was sunk by mines in Taranto harbour in 1943...
as they provided cover for convoys in the eastern Mediterranean. These convoys
Malta Convoys
The Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
were a convoy from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to 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...
, and a military convoy from Malta to Alexandria with tanks for the Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
. Kimberley remained deployed with the fleet screen until it arrived at Alexandria on 10 May, having been the target of unsuccessful air attacks.
She deployed again on 15 May screening fleet units covering convoys to reinforce Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. She deployed with HMS Janus
HMS Janus (F53)
HMS Janus , named after the Roman god, was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend-on-Tyne on 29 September 1937, launched on 10 November 1938 and commissioned on 5 August 1939. Janus participated in the Battle of Calabria in July 1940...
, HMS Hasty
HMS Hasty (H24)
HMS Hasty was an H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the mid-1930s. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet until the beginning of World War II. The ship transferred to Freetown, Sierra Leone, in October 1939 to hunt for German commerce raiders in the South Atlantic with Force K...
and HMS Hereward as a screen for the cruisers HMS Dido
HMS Dido (37)
HMS Dido was the name ship of her class of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird Shipyard , with the keel being laid down on 26 October 1937. She was launched on 18 July 1939 and commissioned on 30 September 1940.-Mediterranean:On 18 August 1942 Captain H. W. U...
, HMS Orion and HMS Ajax
HMS Ajax (22)
HMS Ajax was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the British Royal Navy during World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Malta and as a supply escort in the Siege of Tobruk. This ship was the eighth in the Royal...
. They formed Force D, and on 22 May they intercepted an invasion convoy north of Crete and sank several ships. They took part in the bombardment of the airfield at Scarpanto on 23 May and the following day were deployed with HMS Decoy
HMS Decoy (H75)
HMS Decoy was a D-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Ordered in 1931, the ship was constructed by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, and entered naval service in 1933. Decoy was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935...
, HMS Hotspur, HMS Hereward, HMS Imperial
HMS Imperial (D09)
HMS Imperial was an commissioned in 1937, that served with the Royal Navy during World War II until she was scuttled by HMS Hotspur in 1941.-Construction:...
and HMS Jackal
HMS Jackal (F22)
HMS Jackal was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 24 September 1937, launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 31 March 1939...
as a screen for Dido and Ajax as they searched Kaso Strait for invasion craft. Kimberley returned to Alexandria on 25 May, sailing again on 28 May with Ajax, Orion and Dido, screened by Hotspur, Hereward, Imperial and Jackal to begin evacuating troops from Crete. The destroyers reached Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
on 29 May and began to ferry troops to the cruisers offshore. The British ships came under heavy and sustained air attacks during their return passage, during which both Ajax and Dido were badly damaged.
Evacuating Crete
Kimberley returned to Crete on 31 May and began evacuating troops from Sphakia on 1 June. She returned to Alexandria on 2 June, and on 6 June was nominated to support military operations in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, with HMS Kandahar, Jackal, Janus and the cruiser HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (43)
HMS Phoebe was a Dido class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 2 September 1937...
. They deployed off Syria on 7 June to intercept Vichy French destroyers that were attempting to provide support to defending French military units. The British ships also provided naval gunfre support. Kimberley took HMS Janus in tow on 9 June after Janus had been disabled in an engagement with several French destroyers. She towed Janus to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, coming under attack from Vichy French aircraft as they made the passage. Kimberley returned to action on 10 June, when she carried out a bombardment of the Khan bridge area in support of a British military advance. On 15 June whilst off Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, she was involved in an engagement with the French Guépard class destroyers
Guépard class destroyer
The Guépard-class destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1927 and commissioned in 1930. They were similar to the previous Chacal class, with a larger hull and with a slightly improved speed and gun armament with 138mm guns of a new design...
Guepard and Valmy. Kimberley remained off the Syrian coast into July, carrying further support bombardments on 4 July, before returning to Alexandria.
Convoys to Malta
On 22 July she and the destroyers HMS Hasty, Havock, Jackal, JaguarHMS Jaguar (F34)
HMS Jaguar was a J class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by William Denny, Brothers and Company, Limited, of Dumbarton in Scotland on 25 November 1937, launched on 22 November 1938 and commissioned on 12 September 1939...
, Jervis, Kandahar, Kingston, Nizam and Nubian formed a screen for the battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth
HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)
HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. She saw service in both World Wars...
and Valiant, the cruisers HMS Ajax, HMAS Hobart, HMS Leander, Naiad
HMS Naiad (93)
HMS Naiad was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company , with the keel being laid down on 26 August 1937. She was launched on 3 February 1939, and commissioned 24 July 1940....
, Neptune
HMS Neptune (20)
HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II.Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name...
, Phoebe and Abdiel as they carried out a diversionary operation in the eastern Mediterranean to divert attention away from Operation Substance
Operation Substance
Operation Substance was a British naval operation in July 1941 during the Second World War to escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta.The convoy was escorted by six destroyers and covered by aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the battleship HMS Nelson along with...
, a Malta relief convoy. Kimberley was deployed in support of army operations against Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
, and screening fleet units as they searched for enemy supply convoys throughout August to October 1941.
She was transferred in November to join the cruisers HMS Aurora
HMS Aurora (12)
HMS Aurora was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on the 27 July 1935. She was launched on the 20 August 1936, and commissioned 12 November 1937....
and HMS Penelope as part of Force K
Force K
Force K was the designation for three British Royal Navy task forces during World War II. The first Force K operated from West Africa in 1939. The second and third Force Ks operated from Malta in 1941-1943.-First Force K:...
. These ships were based at Malta, and were tasked with the job of intercepting enemy supply convoys bound for North Africa. Kimberley took passage to Malta on 22 November with HMS Ajax, Neptune and Kingston to reinforce Force K. They were screened by the cruisers HMS Euryalus
HMS Euryalus (42)
HMS Euryalus was a Dido-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built at Chatham Dockyard UK), with the keel being laid down on 21 October 1937. She was launched on 6 June 1939, and commissioned 30 June 1941. Euryalus was the last cruiser that Chatham Dockyard built.-Mediterranean Service:-Second...
, HMS Naiad and two destroyers as they made this transit. Kimberley had her first deployment with the Force on 30 November, when she joined HMS Aurora, Penelope, Ajax, Neptune and Kingston in intercepting a supply convoy. Kimberley carried out an attack on the convoy off Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
, on 1 December and succeeded in sinking the ammunition ship Adriatico. She was in action again the following day, when she took part in the sinking of the Italian destroyer Alvise Da Mosto and the merchant Mantovani off Kerkenah Bank.
She next sailed from Malta on 5 December, with HMS Kingston and Lively
HMS Lively (G40)
HMS Lively was an L-class destroyer of the Royal Navy.She served during the Second World War, and was sunk in the Mediterranean in an air attack on 11 May 1942....
, and the cruisers Ajax and Neptune. They formed the escort for the fast supply ship HMS Breconshire, during her passage to meet the ships out of Alexandria. Ajax, Neptune and Lively were detached on 6 December and returned to Malta. Kimberley remained with the Breconshire. They were joined on 7 December by HMAS Hobart, but she was soon detached to go to the assistance of HMS Flamingo, which had been damaged off Tobruk. Kimberley and Kingston arrived at Alexandria with the Breconshire on 8 December. On 15 December Kimberley joined the cruisers HMS Carlisle, Euryalus and Naiad and the destroyers Hasty, Havock, Jervis, Kingston, Kipling
HMS Kipling (F91)
HMS Kipling was a K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Yarrow, Scotstoun on 20 October 1937, launched on 19 January 1939, by the daughter of the poet Rudyard Kipling, and commissioned on 12 December 1939. On 28 December 1941 Kipling sank the German submarine U-75...
, Decoy and Nizam in forming Force C, which was assigned to escort the Breconshire to Malta. By 16 December unconfirmed reports of Italian battle group escorting a supply convoy to Benghazi had reached the British force. The force was sighted on 17 December, and the Breconshire was detached from Force C, escorted by Decoy and Havock. Kimberley remained with Force C. A brief engagement followed, later becoming known as the First Battle of Sirte
First Battle of Sirte
The First Battle of Sirte was fought between the British Royal Navy and the Regia Marina during the Mediterranean campaign of the Second World War. The engagement took place on 17 December 1941, southeast of Malta, in the Gulf of Sirte...
, in which the Italian warships withdrew after the British destroyers attempted to approach to make torpedo attacks. Kimberley returned to Alexandria on 18 December with the rest of the escorts.
Torpedoing
1942 saw her deployed in support of the Tobruk garrison, as well as continued to provide escort and defence for convoys. On 12 January, whilst off Tobruk she was struck by a torpedo fired by U-77German submarine U-77 (1940)
German submarine U-77 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine built by the Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack. The boat was sunk on 28 March 1943 east of Cartagena, Spain, in position by four depth charges and one bomb from two British Lockheed Hudson aircraft.-Ships sunk or...
. Kimberley sustained major damage to her stern, and had to be taken in tow by HMS Heythrop and was towed to Alexandria. She spent February to December 1942, and all of 1943 under repair, first at Alexandria, then at Bombay. After trials and work-up between January and March 1944, she was finally ready to return to service. She returned to the Mediterranean in April and was put back on her usual patrol duties. She was patrolling on 27 May with HMS Aurora, when she and the Free French destroyers Le Malin, Le Terrible
French destroyer Le Terrible
The Terrible was a large destroyer of the French Navy in service during World War II.-History:Terrible was launched in 1933 and displaced 2,570 tonnes with 74,000 HP...
and Le Fantasque were damaged in heavy weather and forced to return to Alexandria for repairs. The repairs were completed by June and Kimberley moved to be based out of Malta.
Special duties
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
). On 14 August she embarked Admiral John Cunningham, the Commander in Chief Mediterranean, so that he could monitor the passage of the assault convoys through the Straits of Bonifacio. He then sent the signal to commence Operation Dragoon whilst aboard Kimberley. On 15 August Kimberley embarked Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, for a visit to the assault area, and on 16 August she re-embarked Cunningham, with the military commander General Henry Maitland Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
, for a visit to the landing beaches. After she had been released from special duties, Kimberley was sent to patrol in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, supporting military operations. She joined up with the destroyers HMS Undine
HMS Undine (R42)
HMS Undine was a U-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F141....
, HMS Urchin
HMS Urchin (R99)
HMS Urchin was a U-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F196. She served off Iceland during the 'Cod wars' in 1959....
and HMS Loyal
HMS Loyal (G15)
HMS Loyal was a L-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s, although she was not completed until after World War II had begun.-External links:...
, and the river gunboats HMS Aphis and HMS Scarab, in preparation for supporting the British Army's advance up the east coast of Italy.
Off the Greek coast
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
area, and having completed these by 13 September she resumed her patrolling. In October she was transferred to the British Aegean Force, in order to support the landings to reoccupy the Greek mainland (Operation Manna). She intercepted the hospital ship Gradisca on 29 October, and took her as a prize. She carried out interception patrols throughout November, in order to prevent the evacuation of German personnel from occupied territory. On 5 November she sank an F lighter off Piscopi and carried out a bombardment at Alimnia on 11 November. She remained in the Aegean throughout December and in January 1945 was acting in support of operations on the Greek mainland. She was at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
during the communist rising.
Kimberley took part in a raid on Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
on 1 May with HMS Catterick and the Greek destroyer Kriti
HMS Hursley (L84)
HMS Hursley was a Second World War Type 2 Hunt class escort destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She is the only Royal Navy ship to have carried this name. Hursley is a village in Hampshire. Commissioned in 1942, she served in the Mediterranean, before being transferred to the Hellenic Navy in...
. She was off Rhodes on 8 May 1945 when Major General Wagner, Commander of German forces in the Dodecanese, and two of his staff officers came aboard her to formally surrender. They came alongside on a motor launch they had captured from the British some months previously. The Kimberley took Wagner to the island of Symi
Symi
Symi also transliterated Syme or Simi is a Greek island and municipality. It is mountainous and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi, as well as several smaller localities, beaches, and areas of significance in history and mythology...
, where the unconditional surrender of German forces in the region was signed. Kimberley landed an armed party the next day and confined the Germans to quarters. She later transported the 117 Germans to Alexandria. She remained in the Mediterranean after the end of the war, taking passage to the UK in August. She was paid off in September, was de-stored and then reduced to the reserve
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
.
Post war
Kimberley was initially laid up at DartmouthDartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
, but was then transferred to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
. She was placed on the disposal list in 1948, and was then selected to take part in ship target trials in the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
area. She was towed there from Harwich, and after these had been completed, she was sold to West of Scotland Shipbreakers on 30 March 1949. HMS Kimberley arrived at their yards at Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
in June for scrapping, one of only two of the K class to have survived the war.