Calpe HMS

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john sefton
Posts: 1816
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:59 pm

Calpe HMS

Post by john sefton » Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:01 pm

HMS Calpe was one of thirty-two Type II Hunt Class destroyers. Built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Tynemouth, she was launched on 28 April 1941 and commissioned on 29 November 1941.
She displaced 1,200 tons and had a speed of approx. 27 knots.
Her armament consisted of six 4" guns in twin HA/LA mountings, four 40mm pom-pom guns and two depth charges rails.
Whilst in the Mediterranean she spent most of June 1943 going between Gibraltar and Mers-El-Kebir escorting capital ships of Force H. She subsequently moved eastwards
escorting convoys in support of the invasion of Sicily in 1943.
Amongst the many actions she was involved in during her Mediterranean services she is best remembered for two encounters. On 13 December 1943, whilst on anti-submarine operations with USN Wainwright, her depth charges were successful in forcing the
Germany submarine U-593 to surface, to be subsequently sunk by gunfire. In October 1944, whilst in company with HMS Cleveland, she made offensive raids on German defences in the Aegean and also engaged and destroyed six German assault craft off the Island of Piscopi. She was awarded 8 battle honours of which 6 were for her
actions in the Mediterranean.
She left Gibraltar for the last time on 10 November 1946 flying her paying off pennant and was paid off into the Reserve Fleet on the 16 January 1946.
After the war she was reconstructed and in 1953 went on loan to the Royal Danish Navy as the 'RoIf Kraken' and was eventually scrapped in 1962.
The present holder of the name HMS Calpe is the Royal Naval
Reserve Headquarters Unit based in Gibraltar (the only RNR HQ
Unit outside the United Kingdom) which was formed in July 1965.
Gibraltar Philatelic.
Gibraltar SG638

Type II HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Swan Hunter at Wallsend in December 1939 under the 1939 War Emergency Programme. The ship was laid down as Job No 4196 on 12th June 1940. The ship was launched on 28th April 1941 as the 2nd RN warship to carry the name which was first used for a Prize (SAN JOSEF) captured in 1800. She was completed on 11th December 1941 and was adopted by Abingdon, Berkshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in February 1942.

B a t t l e H o n o u r s
GUT OF GIBRALTAR 1801 - DIEPPE 1942 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942-43 - MEDITERRANEAN 1943 - SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943 - AEGEAN 1943 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field per fess wavy Red and Blue. a chess Rook Gold in front of two hunting horns in saltire White.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS CALPE served with the Flotilla in the Indian Ocean until November 1946 when she took passage to UK to Pay-off and reduce to Reserve status. She was laid up at Sheerness on 17th January 1946 and transferred to Portsmouth in 1947. Later she went to Harwich and was transferred on loan to Denmark during 1952. Renamed ROLFE KRAKE this ship was sold to Denmark after 9 years on loan and deployed on the Active List until October 1966 when she was sold for breaking up locally.

http://www.naval-history.net/
Gibraltar SG748ms
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SG638
SG638
SG748MS 5.jpg

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Calpe HMS

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Dec 30, 2011 8:01 pm

Built as destroyer of the Hunt II type under yard No 1595 by Swan, Hunter & W. Richardson, Wallsend, for the Royal Navy.
20 December 1939 ordered.
12 June 1940 keel laid down.
28 April 1941 launched as the HMS CALPE (L71). The second ship under that name in the Royal Navy
Displacement 1,050 standard, 1,430 tons full load. Dim. 85.34 x 9.61 x 4.42m length bpp. 80.5m.
Powered by two geared stem turbines, 19,000 shp, twin shafts, speed 26 knots.
Range 2,560 miles by a speed of 20 knots.
Armament: 6 – 4 inch guns, 1 – 2 pdr. pompom, 2 – 20mm Oerlikon guns, 50 depth charges.
Crew 164.
11 December 1941 commissioned.

After commissioned joined the First Destroyer Flotilla, and serves there for over one year.
During that time she took part in the Raid on Dieppe on 19 August 1942 when she embarked the naval and military force commanders, during the raid she received minor damage from an air attack.
Then joined the Torch Operation in the Mediterranean as a unit of the 59th Destroyer Division till August 1943. Mostly used for the escort of capital ships between Gibraltar and Mers-El-Kebir.
From August 1943 until September 1943 a unit of the 48th Escort Group.
September 1943 until November 1943 a unit of the 50th Escort Group.
12 December 1943 as unit of the Mediterranean Hunts together with USS NIBLACK, WAINWRIGHT and BENSON and HMS HOLCOMBE she sank U 593 off the Algerian coast.
1944 She took part in the South of France landings, and on October 1944 carried the occupying forces to the Aegean Islands.
She returned briefly to the UK before heading again to the Mediterranean. Underwent a refit at Ferryville, Tunisia from 03 January 1945, after three months she left for Malta for further repairs.
11 May 1945 she returned home to Chatham of a unit of the 18th Destroyer Flotilla.
Stayed for a short time in Chatham before leaving for the Far East to join the 14th Destroyer Flotilla Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee where she was on VJ Day.
Returned thereafter to the UK to pay off into reserve at Sheerness on 17 January 1946.
January 1947 transferred to Portsmouth and later to Harwich.
1952 Was she transferred to Sheerness for a refit in preparation for her transfer to Denmark.
28 February 1952 loaned to the Danish Navy as ROLF KRAKE (F 342).
18 October 1954 commissioned in the Danish Navy.
Armament 3 – 102mm guns, 4 – 40mm MG. 4 depth charge mortars Mk. IV and 2 depth charge launchers.
Crew 148.
1962 Decommissioned.
26 October 1966 sold to Otto Danielsen for demolition in Denmark.

Gibraltar 1995 5p sg MS748, scott684a

Source: The Hunts by John English. http://www.navalhistory.dk/english/TheS ... (1954).htm
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Photo11deCalpe1NP.jpg

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