Admiralty V-Class Destroyer
ordered in July 1916 from Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
under the 9th Order for destroyers in the 1916-17
Programme and laid down on 7th August
1916. The five ships in this order were designated as Half Leaders and the tender cost for those built by Cammell Laird was £218,300. The ship was launched on 24th March 1917 as
the 2nd RN ship to carry this name, introduced in 1418. Her build was completed on 27th June that year and after
completion was modified to carry mines. She was deployed in Home waters until the end of WW1. After 1918 she
remained in service until transferred to Reserve at Rosyth and in 1927 was
refitted. During 1939 before the outbreak of WW2 this
destroyer was selected for conversion into an AA Escort as part of the
re-armament programme.
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1940
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Crest
: On a Field Blue, a swan’s head Silver,
collared and chained
Gold.
M
o t t o
Valens et volens : 'Fit and willing'
D
e t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search)
1 9 3 9
September Under
conversion to AA Escort (WAIR) by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
to December
1 9 4 0
January Conversion
in continuation and contractors trials.
to March
April Acceptance trials and worked-up for
operational service.
On
completion deployed in Nore Command for convoy defence.
May Transferred to Dover command in continuation
Deployed
off Dutch coast for AA support to military operations.
(Note
: Ship use for evacuation of civil and military personnel to
be
confirmed.)
(following account courtesy Don Kindell)
Destroyers VALENTINE, WINCHESTER,
WHITLEY were operating
off Flushing during the night of
14/15 May.
15th
At 1300, destroyers VALENTINE and WHITLEY
were ordered to
cover the Terneusen - Brosele (Beveland)
Ferry.
VALENTINE (Cdr H.J. Buchanan RAN), at the
mouth of the River
Scheldt within a mile of Terneusen,
was bombed and badly damaged
by German Ju.88 bomber. Struck by
two bombs, boiler blew up and
she was run aground and abandoned a
total loss. Position
51.20N 03.49E.
Thirty one ratings were
killed and twenty one crew, including Probationary
Temporary Surgeon Lt N. F. E.
Burrows RMCS, LRCP, MD, BCH RNVR,
Temporary Lt R. M. MacFie RNVR,
Acting Gunner S. F. Burrow were wounded.
WHITLEY blew up VALENTINE.
(and thanks to Ian Gilbert)
She was abandoned in situ and until
a few years ago the remains (after Dutch
salvage attempts in the 1950's)
were still visible at low tide.
N o t e s
This name was reintroduced in September 1943 when given to a Fleet
Destroyer, but when this new ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1944 she was renamed HMCS ALGONQUIN. Before transfer the ship gained three Battle
Honours to add to that achieved by her predecessor.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VALENTINE
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been
cross-checked with the text above
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|
|
|
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|
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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|
|
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20/04/40
|
20/04/40
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FS 0151
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22/04/40
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22/04/40
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19/04/40
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20/04/40
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MT 055
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20/04/40
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19/04/40
|
|
01/05/40
|
01/05/40
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FS 0160
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03/05/40
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03/05/40
|
|
08/05/40
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08/05/40
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FS 0166
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10/05/40
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10/05/40
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(Note
on Convoys)
THE LOSS OF HMS VALENTINE
by Jaap
Geensen, 8 Oct 2011
One
of the Royal Navy casualties in the area where I live was the HMS
VALENTINE. The action took place on the WESTERSCHELDE off the Dutch town of
Terneuzen. She got a direct hit from a German bomber, I believe in the
engine room. (Her sister ship shot the second bomber down). The captain ran
her aground a few kilometers to the West of Terneuzen (now the site where
Dow Chemicals has a large plant) and managed to save the lives of those not
killed by the bomb. The wounded were treated and hidden from the Germans in
Terneuzen Hospital. Quiet a few pictures are available of the wreck that
remained on the dyke till at least the sixties.
