HMS Vanoc (H33) was a British V class

V and W class destroyer

The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...

 destroyer, launched in 1917.

Service

1940

She accompanied HMS Scarborough in February 1940 on her first Atlantic escort duties after Scarborough 's refit. On 29 April 1940 she deployed with the destroyers HMS Echo

HMS Echo (H23)

HMS Echo was an E class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean theatres during World War II, before being transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1944, and renamed Navarinon, until scrapped in 1956.-Service history:Echo had a small role in...

, Firedrake

HMS Firedrake (H79)

HMS Firedrake was an F-class destroyer of the Royal Navy built in 1934. She took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and was torpedoed in 1942.-Construction:...

, Havelock

HMS Havelock (H88)

HMS Havelock was an Havant class destroyer of the Royal Navy.- History :She was originally laid down as Jutahy for the Brazilian Navy by White at Cowes. Jutahy was launched on 7 July 1936, and completed on 18 January 1937. Jutahy was one of six Brazilian destroyers purchased in September 1939,...

 and Arrow

HMS Arrow (H42)

HMS Arrow was an A class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War before being damaged while fighting a fire on an ammunition ship and written off in 1943.-Construction and commissioning:...

 to evacuate troops from Mo

Mo i Rana

Mo i Rana is a town in the municipality of Rana, Nordland, Norway, located just south of the Arctic Circle and in the region Helgeland. The town is called "Mo i Rana" to distinquish it from other places named Mo - most notably the town of Mosjøen, also in Helgeland - though locally the town is...

 and 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...

. The troops were taken to Harstad

Harstad

is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...

 in preparation for their final evacuation from Norway. She accompanied the Chrobry into Namsos

Namsos campaign

In April and early May, 1940 Namsos and its surrounding area were the scene of heavy fighting between Anglo-French, Polish and Norwegian naval and military forces on the one hand, and German military, naval and air forces on the other...

 in Norway just before sunrise on April 17th 1940. In mid-March 1941 she was assigned to 5th Escort group

5th Escort Group (Royal Navy)

5th Escort Group was a British formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic.-Formation:5th Escort Group was formed in March 1941, one of the earliest escort groups to be set up....

 and was part of the battle for HX 112. During this action she rammed and sank U-100 after detecting her on her primitive radar, and in the same action cooperated with in the sinking of U-99 under Otto Kretschmer

Otto Kretschmer

Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...

.

1942-1944

From March, 1942 she joined the Escort Group B-5 team of Havant-class destroyer HMS Havelock

HMS Havelock (H88)

HMS Havelock was an Havant class destroyer of the Royal Navy.- History :She was originally laid down as Jutahy for the Brazilian Navy by White at Cowes. Jutahy was launched on 7 July 1936, and completed on 18 January 1937. Jutahy was one of six Brazilian destroyers purchased in September 1939,...

, Town-class destroyer

Town class destroyer

The Town class destroyers were warships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for military bases in the Bahamas and elsewhere, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940...

 Caldwell

USS Hale (DD-133)

The first USS Hale was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Caldwell ...

, W-class destroyer

V and W class destroyer

The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...

 Walker, River-class frigate

River class frigate

The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic....

 Swale

HMS Swale (K217)

HMS Swale was a River class frigate of the Royal Navy from 1942–1955, loaned to the South African Navy for six months at the end of the Second world War.-Construction:Swale was built to the RN's specifications as a Group I River class frigate...

, and Flower-class corvettes

Flower class corvette

The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...

 Pimpernel, Godetia, Saxifrage, Buttercup and Lavender. Escort Group B-5 was reassigned to Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 trade convoys from March of 1942; and returned to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force

Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...

 a year later to escort Convoy SC-122.

On 16 March 1944 in the Straits of Gibraltar at position 35°55′N 05°41′W she cooperated with the frigate HMS Affleck

HMS Affleck (K462)

HMS Affleck was a Captain class frigate which served during World War II. The ship was named after Sir Edmund Affleck, commander of HMS Bedford at the Moonlight Battle in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War....

 and three 3 US Catalina aircraft

PBY Catalina

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...

 (VP 63) to sink the submarine U-392 by the use of a hedgehog

Hedgehog (weapon)

The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...

attack, resulting in 52 dead (all hands) from U-392s crew.

External links

• http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/escort_v+w_class.htm