HMS Cattistock (L35)

HMS Cattistock (L35) was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was a member of the first subgroup of the Hunt class and served throughout World War II before being scrapped in 1957.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Cattistock.

History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Cattistock
Namesake: A fox hunt in Dorsetshire, England
Builder: Yarrow, Glasgow
Laid down: 9 June 1939
Launched: 22 February 1940
Completed: 22 July 1940
Commissioned: 22 July 1940
Decommissioned: 26 March 1946
Identification: pennant number: L35
Honours and
awards:
Fate: Scrapped 1957
Badge:

On a Field Red, upon a white roundel , a

Blue cornflower stalked and leaved Proper.
General characteristics
Class and type: Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 1,000 t standard
  • 1,340 t full load
Length: 280 ft (85 m)
Beam: 29 ft (8.8 m)
Draught: 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Propulsion:
  • Two x Admiralty 3 drum boilers
  • Two shaft Parsons geared turbines
  • 19,000 shp
Speed: 27½ kn (26 knots full)
Range: 3,500 nmi (6,480 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) / 1,000 nmi (2,000 km) at 26 knots (48 km/h)
Complement: 146
Armament:
  • 4 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX
  • 4 × QF 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk VIII AA guns on quad mount MK.VII
  • 2 × 20-mm Oerlikon AA guns on single mounts P Mk. III
  • 40 depth charges, 2 throwers, 1 rack

Construction and Commissioning

Cattistock was ordered from Yarrows in the 1939 Build Program and laid down on 9 June 1939 as No. J1834. She was launched on 22 February 1940 and commissioned on 22 July 1940, Lieutenant Commander Robert Ewing in command.[2]

Career

After her commissioning in July 1940, Cattistock was used as principle location for the filming of the Admiralty's Naval Instructional Film A63, "The Duties of the Helmsman" (1941). On active service, she first performed convoy escort duties in the North Sea from then to June 1941. She bombarded Dieppe with HMS Quorn and HMS Mendip on 26 July 1941, resuming convoy escort duties. In May 1944, Cattistock became part of Force G in preparation for Operation Neptune. During the landings, she escorted Convoy G1, which was composed of minesweepers. After arriving at the beaches, she deployed off Gold Beach with Bombarding Force K providing fire support to suppress beach defences in King Sector. Cattistock conducted convoy escort duties off Normandy and switched to patrols against E-boat attacks in July 1944. On 7 July 1944, she sustained slight damage after an E-boat attack.[3]

Cattistock steamed to Portsmouth for boiler tube replacement. She resumed patrol duties on 24 August 1944. On 29 August 1944, she intercepted German naval forces attempting to escape Le Havre while patrolling with HMS Retalick. In this action, she was hit 26 times. Her captain, Lieutenant Richard Keddie,[3] was killed along with four other men and about 25 men were wounded. As a result of the severe damage suffered, she returned to Portsmouth for repairs.

After three months of repairs, Cattistock resumed convoy escort duties. On 2 February 1945, she attacked and likely sunk a German midget submarine off Zeebrugge.[3] In August 1945, Cattistock was transferred to the Portsmouth Local Flotilla and was paid off on 26 March 1946. She was sold for scrap after ten years in reserve in 1957. In June 1957 she arrived at the breakers yard of John Cashmore Ltd at Newport, Wales for breaking up.[4]

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References
  1. "HMS Cattistock, escort destroyer, WW2". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. "HMS Cattistock (L 35) of the Royal Navy - British Escort destroyer of the Hunt (Type I) class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  3. English, pp. 47–48
  4. Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. p. 26. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.

Publications
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