HMS ''Alamein'' (D17) was a Later or 1943 fleet destroyer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. She was named in honour of the Battle of El Alamein, which took place in 1942 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, between

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces and the German Afrika Korps. ''Alamein'' was built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Company Limited on the Tyne. She was launched on 12 May 1945 and commissioned on 20 March 1946.

Service

In 1946, ''Alamein'' joined the

4th Destroyer Flotilla The British 4th Destroyer Flotilla , or Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1909 to July 1951. History In 1907 the Home Fleet had a large formation of destroyers called the Home Fleet Flotilla of destr ...

, part of the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

.Critchley, Mike, "British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers", Maritime Books: Liskeard, UK, 1982. , page 115-6 In 1948, ''Alamein'', along with her sister-ship , escorted the aircraft carrier for exercises in Northern and Home waters, though she did not join the two on their subsequent visit to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. In 1950, ''Alamein'' deployed on a Home Fleet Spring Cruise, which included many other vessels, such as , two other carriers, the battleship and many smaller vessels. The group visited the Mediterranean, including stops at

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and performed a number of naval exercises and fly-the-flag visits in the region. That same year, ''Alamein'' decommissioned, being placed in Reserve. In May 1956, ''Alamein'', as part of the 4th Destroyer Squadron once more after replacing her sister ship , had spells with the

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

Fleets, taking part in the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

. On 5 November 1958, in Chatham Dockyard, a fire occurred onboard ''Alamein''. which was eventually traced to faulty wiring on radio equipment in the Wardroom, which spread to the Ops Room. Fire Parties from ''Alamein'', HMS ''Corruna'', whom she was alongside, plus Chatham & Gillingham fire brigades fought the blaze. In 1959, ''Alamein'' was decommissioned and placed in Reserve for the final time, being broken up at Blyth in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

in 1964.

References

Publications

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alamein (D17) Battle-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Tyne 1945 ships Cold War destroyers of the United Kingdom