HMS Volunteer (1919)

The fourth HMS ''Volunteer'' (D71), later I71, was a Modified W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II.

Construction and commissioning

''Volunteer'' was ordered in January 1918 as part of the 13th Order of the 1918-1919 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 16 April 1918 by William Denny and Brothers at Dumbarton, Scotland, and launched on 17 April 1919.Naval History: Ships of the Royal Navy, 1914-1919 - in Alphabetical Order (Part 2 of 2)
/ref> She was completed on 7 November 1919 and commissioned into service the same day with the pennant number D71.

Service history

Before World War II

''Volunteer'' entered service with the fleet in 1919. During 1921 she was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla in the Atlantic Fleet, and in 1925 she was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet along with the rest of the flotilla. During the early 1930s, she was decommissioned, transferred to the Reserve Fleet, and placed in the Nore Reserve. She later was moved to Rosyth, Scotland, remaining in reserve there.

In August 1939, ''Volunteer'' was recommissioned with a reserve crew for the Royal Review of the Reserve Fleet in Weymouth Bay by King George VI. She then remained in commission as the fleet mobilised because of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany

World War II

1939

The United Kingdom entered World War II on 3 September 1939, and ''Volunteer'' was assigned to the 15th Destroyer Flotilla. On 5 September, she joined the destroyers , , and as the escort for Convoy GC 1 from Milford Haven, Wales. In October 1939 she was transferred to the 17th Destroyer Flotilla in Western Approaches Command for convoy defence operations in the Western Approaches and North Atlantic Ocean, based at Plymouth, and she continued these duties into 1940.

1940

On 8 January 1940, ''Volunteer'' joined the destroyers , , and in escorting Convoy HG 13 during the final leg of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool, detaching from the convoy in the Irish Sea on 10 January 1940 to return to Plymouth. On 5 March 1940, ''Volunteer'', the destroyer , and the sloops and joined Convoy OG 21F as it formed for its voyage to Gibraltar; ''Volunteer'' stayed with the convoy until 8 March, then during her return voyage to Plymouth joined ''Venetia'', ''Whirlwind'', the destroyers and , and the sloop in an unsuccessful search in the Southwestern Approaches for a German submarine reported by an Allied aircraft. From 25 to 26 March, ''Volunteer'', the destroyer leader , the destroyers and , and the sloop escorted Convoy OG 23 in the Southwestern Approaches during the first leg of its voyage from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar. From 27 to 30 March, ''Volunteer'' and the sloops and escorted Convoy HG 23 during the final portion of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool.

In April 1940, ''Volunteer'' was detached to serve under Rear Admiral (Destroyers)warlinks.com HMS Volunteer
/ref> in the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and support the operations of Allied forces in the Norwegian Campaign, which began on 9 April when Germany invaded Norway. She was assigned to escort convoys between the United Kingdom and Norway. The first of these was Convoy NP 1, the first troop convoy to Norway, in which she joined ''Vanoc'', ''Whirlwind'', ''Witherington'', the light cruisers and , the destroyer , and the netlayer in escorting between 11 and 15 April as it crossed from the River Clyde in Scotland to Norway. She escorted similar convoys until 26 April, when she joined the destroyers , , , , and as the escort for the aircraft carriers and during air operations in defence of fleet units at Andalsnes and Namsos, Norway. While thus engaged, she made an unsuccessful attack on a German submarine on 27 April before escorting ''Glorious'' to Scapa Flow for refuelling and aircraft replenishment.

In May 1940 – the month in which her pennant number was changed to I71 – ''Volunteer'' continued to deploy off Norway. On 27 May, she, the destroyer , and the sloop escorted the damaged destroyer , under tow from Skjelfjord, Norway, to the United Kingdom for repairs.

With the German conquest of Norway bringing the Norwegian Campaign to a close, ''Volunteer'' returned to Western Approaches Command in June 1940 for convoy defence and patrol duties in the Western Approaches and North Atlantic. On 7 June 1940, ''Volunteer'', the destroyer , and the minesweeper rescued survivors of the armed merchant cruiser , which had sunk that day west of Galway Bay, Ireland, 36 hours after being torpedoed on 6 June at by the German submarine ''U-46''. The same day, ''Volunteer'' rescued the master of the British merchant ship SS ''Frances Massey'', who was the sole survivor after the ship sank in only 30 seconds with the loss of 34 lives following a torpedo hit by the German submarine ''U-48'' 14 nautical miles (22.5 km) northwest of Tory Island