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HMS Penylan (L89)
Encyclopedia
HMS Penylan was a Hunt class
destroyer
of the Royal Navy
. She was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War, before being sunk by German E-boat
s in 1942.
. She was laid down as Job No J3585 on 4 June 1941 and launched on 17 March 1942. She was commissioned into service on 25 August 1942, and after working up, was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. She was adopted by the civil community of the Borough and Rural District of Carmarthen
.
in September and spent the rest of the month working up with ships of the Home Fleet, after which she sailed to Portsmouth
. She had to put into a commercial shipyard in London
on 22 October after a number of defects came to light. She was under repair until 9 November when she sailed to Portsmouth and joined the 1st Destroyer Flotilla on patrol in the English Channel
. She was deployed on 1 December to escort convoy PW-257. The convoy was attacked by E-boat
s on 3 December, and Penylan was torpedoed and sunk five miles south of Start Point by the E-boat S115. Five officers and 112 ratings were rescued. She was the shortest lived of the Hunts, spending only 30 days on active service. The wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
.
Hunt class destroyer
The Hunt class was a class of Destroyer escort of the Royal Navy. The first vessels were ordered early in 1939, and the class saw extensive service in World War II, particularly on the British East Coast and Mediterranean convoys. They were named after British fox hunts...
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 was a member of the third subgroup of the class, and saw service in the Second World War, before being sunk by German E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
s in 1942.
Construction and commissioning
Penylan was ordered on 23 August 1940 under the 1940 War Emergency Programme from Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
. She was laid down as Job No J3585 on 4 June 1941 and launched on 17 March 1942. She was commissioned into service on 25 August 1942, and after working up, was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. She was adopted by the civil community of the Borough and Rural District of Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
.
Service
Penylan sailed 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...
in September and spent the rest of the month working up with ships of the Home Fleet, after which she sailed to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. She had to put into a commercial shipyard in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 22 October after a number of defects came to light. She was under repair until 9 November when she sailed to Portsmouth and joined the 1st Destroyer Flotilla on patrol in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. She was deployed on 1 December to escort convoy PW-257. The convoy was attacked by E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
s on 3 December, and Penylan was torpedoed and sunk five miles south of Start Point by the E-boat S115. Five officers and 112 ratings were rescued. She was the shortest lived of the Hunts, spending only 30 days on active service. The wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which provides protection for the wreckage of military aircraft and designated military vessels. The Act provides for two types of protection: protected places and controlled sites. Military aircraft are...
.