HMS ''Saumarez'' was an
S-class destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
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 ...
, completed on 1 July 1943. As a flotilla leader, her standard displacement was 20 tons heavier than other ships of her class. She continued the tradition of flotilla leaders being named after prominent British seamen, in her case Vice-Admiral
James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
Admiral of the Red James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez (or Sausmarez), Order of the Bath, GCB (11 March 1757 – 9 October 1836) was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, known for his victory at the Second Battle of Algeciras.
Early life ...
of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Arctic convoys
After working up, the ''Saumarez'' was allocated to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla,
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 ...
, and shortly after to the 23rd Destroyer Flotilla, working with the
Arctic convoys
The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...
. She was one of the escorts which sailed from
Seyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing.
A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjö ...
,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
on 23 October, taking with them five Russian
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
s and six Russian motor launches, to bring back from the
Kola Inlet
Kola Bay (russian: Кольский залив) or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma River, T ...
thirteen ships which had been there since the Spring. The convoy (RA 54A) sailed from
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...
on 1 November and arrived in United Kingdom ports on 13 and 14 November without loss, although it had been delayed by thick fog. ''Saumarez'' escorted an outgoing Arctic convoy shortly afterwards, which also arrived without loss or damage.
Battle of North Cape
On 22 December
Convoy RA 55A
Convoy RA 55A was an Arctic convoy during World War II.
It was one of a series of convoys run to return Allied ships from Soviet northern ports to ports in Britain.
It sailed in late December 1943, reaching British ports at the end of the mon ...
sailed from Kola, escorted by eight destroyers, including ''Saumarez'', two Canadian destroyers, three corvettes and a minesweeper. The outgoing convoy,
JW 55B, had left
Loch Ewe
Loch Ewe ( gd, Loch Iùbh) is a sea loch in the region of Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig-speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notab ...
on 20 December and was expected to reach
Bear Island on Christmas Day about the same time as RA 55A.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
cover was provided east of Bear Island by , and , and heavy cover by the
battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
and the cruiser .
Enigma intelligence alerted the Admiralty to the fact that Scharnhorst was being deployed, and early on 25 December allied ships were so informed. She was detected by the cruisers and after some hours trying to evade them and strike at the convoy, headed for home. The German vessel was intercepted and hit by ''Duke of York'' and a long chase followed. In the
ensuing action, ''Saumarez''s guns fired continuously for eleven minutes, followed by torpedo attacks. A shell from ''Scharnhorst'', which did not explode, passed through the Director Control Tower, killing eleven men and putting the tower out of action. A near miss also damaged the forced lubrication system. ''Duke of York'' and the cruisers sank ''Scharnhorst'', three hours after the first sighting. The four destroyers, ''Saumarez'', , and the Norwegian had scored at least three hits.
''Saumarez'' steamed to
Murmansk
Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...
on one engine and after temporary repairs by the Soviets left for the UK. Following a refit, completed in March 1944, she was again part of the escort of a pair of Arctic convoys,
JW 58 and
RA 58, both of which reached their destinations unscathed. The successful
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
attack on the , which took place on 3 April, was synchronised with the passage of JW 58.
Normandy
In
Operation Neptune
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, the landings in Normandy in June 1944, ''Saumarez'' was Senior Officer's ship of the 23rd Destroyer Flotilla, which gave naval gun fire support as part of Force S in the assault on
Ouistreham
Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France.
Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders the mo ...
. ''Saumarez'' and the destroyer engaged a convoy of three or four minesweepers and one merchant vessel off
St Peter Port
St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958.
St. P ...
,
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
on 14 August. The convoy was frequently hit and both destroyers sustained slight damage and casualties.
In September ''Saumarez'' was part of the escort of another Arctic convoy. She was refitted at
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
from November to January 1945, prior to joining the 26th Destroyer Flotilla,
British East Indies Fleet.
Far East
Early in January 1945, ''Saumarez'' left from the
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
to rendezvous with the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
and escort her from
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
to
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. She arrived at Colombo on 8 February and
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
on 10 March. On 11 March ''Saumarez'' took part in a sweep in the
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...
, with the destroyers and . They found and destroyed a
junk in Stewart Sound, but ''Rapid'' and ''Volage'' sustained damage and casualties from hits from a coastal gun reported to be 6 inch or larger. On 25 March, a further sweep was made. A Japanese convoy was sighted the next day and engaged. Although the destroyers attacked with gunfire and torpedoes they made few hits and, being low on ammunition, called on two
Liberator bombers to sink the enemy. One of these sank one of the Japanese auxiliary, ''Risui'' with bombs. ''Volage'' sank the other auxiliary, ''Teshio Maru'', with gunfire. Both escorts were also sunk. ''Saumarez'' was in Force 63 in April, when she bombarded
Oleelhoe,
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
.
She was part of the escorting destroyers of the
21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron
The 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron also called Twenty First Aircraft Carrier Squadron was a Royal Navy aircraft carrier formation from March 1945 to December 1945.
During its existence the squadron's usual composition varied depending on its op ...
that took part in
Operation Dracula
Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign.
The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccupy ...
from April to May 1945. She was part of the Carrier Force in
Operation Bishop, formed to protect the convoys in the seaborne assault on
Rangoon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
, and then took part in
Operation Dukedom
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, which was mounted to attack a Japanese naval force reported sailing from
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
on 10 May 1945. On this occasion, she was part of the newly constituted Force 61. The and destroyer had left the
Malacca Strait
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, conne ...
on 14 May and early next day a
Grumman Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...
torpedo bomber operating from the
escort aircraft carrier
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
HMS ''Emperor'' sighted them. ''Saumarez'', and in one division and and in a second, were diverted to intercept. The destroyers attacked both ships early on 16 May. ''Haguro'', overwhelmed by their torpedoes, went to the bottom at 0209 in a position some forty-five miles southwest of Penang, although she had straddled ''Saumarez'' twice prior. ''Kamikaze'' was damaged but managed to escape.
Post-war
''Saumarez'' was refitted at
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
from June to August. Although Japan had formally surrendered on 2 September, the occupation of Western Malaya (
Operation Zipper
During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it wa ...
) was carried out almost as planned originally. ''Saumarez'' was one of the fifteen destroyers screening the operation. The 26th Destroyer Flotilla left the East Indies Headquarters at Colombo on 17 November and arrived in the UK early in December. ''Saumarez'' went to
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
for refit and preparation for service in the
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 ...
.
Early in March 1946 ''Saumarez'' sailed for the Mediterranean, for service in the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla. In June she intercepted a
caïque
A caïque ( el, καΐκι, ''kaiki'', from tr, kayık) is a traditional fishing boat usually found among the waters of the Ionian or Aegean Sea, and also a light skiff used on the Bosporus. It is traditionally a small wooden trading vessel, br ...
carrying 382 illegal immigrants bound for
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and towed the caique to
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
. A boarding party from ''Saumarez'' also arrested SS ''Hochelaga'' off Haifa on 31 July, carrying 500 immigrants.
Corfu Channel incident
On 26 September 1946, she sailed on a Mediterranean cruise with twenty-four other ships. Orders were given for a part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron to pass through the
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
Strait, from south to north. On 22 October the ''Saumarez'', preceded by the cruisers and the New Zealand , followed by the destroyer ''Volage'', proceeded through the swept Medri channel. ''Saumarez'' struck a
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
at 14:53, which caused severe damage and 30 deaths among her crew.
Damage control
In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft.
Examples are:
* rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and
* damage from grounding (runn ...
parties led by the ship's second-in-command,
Teddy Gueritz
Rear Admiral Edward Findlay Gueritz, (8 September 1919 – 21 December 2008) was a long-serving Royal Navy officer. From D-Day, 6 June 1944, he served as beachmaster on Sword, organising the flow of men and materiel into the beachhead, including ...
, helped to minimise the casualty numbers. ''Volage'' closed her to take her in tow and after some difficulty, passed the tow and began to tow ''Saumarez'' stern first. Although his jaw had been broken by the explosion, ''Saumarez''s signal officer,
John Edmondson assisted in securing the tow. At 16:06 however, a mine exploded near ''Volage'', wrecking the ship forward. She was able to re-connect the tow to ''Saumarez'', and the two destroyers, both stern-first, reached the Corfu Roads at 03:10 on 23 October.
''Saumarez'' was then moved 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 ...
, where she remained until September 1950. In February 1948 approval to scrap ''Saumarez'' was given. On 23 August 1950 the hulk arrived at
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
.
[Critchley, p. 56] She was then towed back to the UK and broken up at
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
.
References
Publications
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saumarez (G12)
S and T-class destroyers
Ships built on the River Tyne
1942 ships
World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1946
Corfu Channel incident