Calpe HMS
Posted: 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
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