HMS ''Dulverton'' was a Type II of the

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 ...

. Launched in 1941, she saw service 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 ...

until being damaged by German aircraft in 1943 during the Battle of Leros, and was scuttled. The Commander during her last battle was Stuart Austen Buss, MVO, DSC, RN. He did not survive. ''Dulverton'' was ordered from Alexander Stephen and Sons of

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

on the outbreak of war in 1939. She was laid down on 16 July 1940, and launched 1 April 1941. She was completed by September 1941.

Service history

''Dulverton'' participated in many operations, including escorting troop convoys bound for

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

and the convoys to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

including the first one to lift the siege there, supporting the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces, ...

in North Africa, the Tobruk Raid, and the destruction of the German submarine with other destroyers and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. In October 1943 ''Dulverton'' was involved in the Dodecanese Campaign, as part of a force that was trying to capture the Greek islands of Kos and

Leros Leros ( el, Λέρος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies (171 nautical miles) from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 9-hour ferry ride or by a 45-minute flight fr ...

on 20 October and again on 4 November. On 12 November, ''Dulverton'' returned to support the garrison on Leros which had just been invaded by the Germans. On 13 November, whilst five miles off the coast of Kos, she was attacked by German Do 217 E-5 aircraft from

KG 100 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 100 (KG 100) was a ''Luftwaffe'' medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II and the first military aviation unit to use a precision-guided munition (the Fritz X anti-ship glide bomb) in combat to sink a warship (the Itali ...

using Hs 293 glider bombs, one of which struck ''Dulverton'' abreast of the bridge. Six officers and 114 ratings were evacuated from the ship before she was scuttled by , but three officers including the Captain of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla and 75 ratings were lost.HMS Dulverton (L 63) Escort destroyer of the Hunt (Type II) class
/ref>

References

Publications

* * English, John (1987). The Hunts: a history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. England: World Ship Society. .

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dulverton (L63) Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built in Govan 1941 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Maritime incidents in November 1943 Destroyers sunk by aircraft Ships sunk by German aircraft