HMS Wishart (D67)

HMS ''Wishart'' (D67) was a Modified W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. She spent most of her wartime career based at Gibraltar, engaged in convoy defence, but also served in various naval and military operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Construction and commissioning

''Wishart'', the first Royal Navy ship of the name, was ordered in January 1918 as part of the 13th Order of the 1918–1919 Naval Programme, and was laid down on 18 May 1918 by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston, Hampshire. The pace of her construction slowed after the Armistice with Germany brought World War I to an end on 11 November 1918, but she was launched on 18 July 1919 and completed in June 1920.

Service history

Interwar

Upon completion, ''Wishart'' was commissioned in June 1920. During the interwar period she served first in the Atlantic Fleet and then in the Mediterranean Fleet, and while in the latter had Lord Louis Mountbatten as her commanding officer for a time.

''Wishart'' was in waters off China when the United States Navy gunboat was heavily damaged by fire while at sea on 14 March 1934. ''Wishart'' and the merchant ship SS ''Tsinan'' took off ''Fulton''s crew, three of whom had suffered minor injuries, and took them to the Royal Navy Dockyard at Hong Kong, and ''Wishart''s sister ship stood by ''Fulton'' until a salvage party could put the fire out. The United States Department of the Navy later passed thanks to British naval authorities for the assistance ''Wishart'' and ''Whitshed'' provided to ''Fulton'' and her crew.

World War II

1939–1940

When the United Kingdom entered World War II in September 1939, ''Wishart'' was stationed at Gibraltar, tasked with contraband control duties and trade defence in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. On 27 December 1939 she intercepted the German merchant ship ''Glickburg'', and ''Glickburg''s crew ran their ship aground on the coast of Spain near the Chipiona Light at Chipiona. On 29 December 1939, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer departed Gibraltar with Convoy HG 13F, bound for Liverpool, remaining with the convoy as its escort until detaching on 3 January 1940 to return to Gibraltar.

On 1 February 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer escorted Convoy OG 16F on the first leg of its voyage to the United Kingdom. ''Wishart'' also escorted Convoy OG 18 on the first segment of its voyage when it departed Gibraltar on 4 February 1940, detaching to return to Gibraltar on 5 February 1940. On 14 February 1940, she rendezvoused with Convoy HG 19F, escorted by two French Navy destroyers, and escorted it to Gibraltar, where it arrived on 18 February 1940. On 25 February 1940, ''Wishart'' and the sloops and departed Gibraltar as the escort of Convoy OG 19F on the first leg of its voyage to Liverpool, detaching on 27 February 1940 and returning to Gibraltar.

From 14 to 17 March 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer joined two French destroyers in escorting Convoy OG 21 on the first leg of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool. From 21 to 24 March 1940, ''Wishart'' again joined two French destroyers as escort for Convoy OG 22 during the first segment of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool. In April 1940, she performed similar duties, joining the destroyers and as the escort for Convoy OG24 from its departure from Gibraltar on 2 April until 4 April, and joining ''Aberdeen'' and the destroyer in escorting Convoy OG 25F during the first portion of its voyage from Gibraltar from 9 until 12 April.

''Wishart'' continued her convoy escort and patrol activities until 31 July 1940, when she became part of the escort for Force H units covering the aircraft carrier as ''Argus'' delivered aircraft to Malta in Operation Hurry. ''Wishart'' then remained with Force H as the aircraft carrier launched airstrikes against Italian airfields at Cagliari on Sardinia on 2 August 1940. At the end of August 1940, she again operated with Force H, forming part of the screen on 30 August 1940 for the battleship , the aircraft carrier , and the light cruisers and , which were steaming to Alexandria, Egypt, to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet in Operation Hats, and detaching on 31 August 1940 along with ''Velox'' to transmit radio signals in an attempt to confuse Italian listening stations as to the heading of the other ships.

In September 1940, ''Wishart'' returned to her convoy duties at Gibraltar, but she returned to Force H on 7 November 1940 as part of the escort for forces covering the passage of the battleship , the heavy cruiser , the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , and during their passage to Alexandria, Egypt, to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet there in Operation Coat. She again left her convoy duties on 15 November 1940 to participate in Operation White, escorting Force H forces covering ''Argus'' while she delivered more aircraft to Malta. On 24 November 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyers ''Encounter'', , and of the 13th Destroyer Flotilla began operations with Force H, joining Force H ships – ''Ark Royal'', the battlecruiser , the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , , , and – covering a convoy and reinforcements bound from Gibraltar to Alexandria in Operation Collar. On 27 November 1940, aircraft sighted heavy units of the Italian battlefleet at sea attempting to intercept the convoy, and the other ships detached to engage the Italians – resulting in the Battle of Cape Spartivento, a brief exchange of gunfire before the Italian fleet returned to base – while ''Wishart'' and ''Vidette'' remained behind to protect the convoy.

On 20 December 1940, ''Wishart'' again left her routine duties to operate with Force H in Operation Hide, covering a convoy of empty merchant ships, the battleship , and the destroyers and as it steamed from Malta to Gibraltar.

1941

''Wishart'' spent the first quarter of 1941 operating on North Atlantic convoy duty from Gibraltar. In March 1941, the Royal Navy selected her for transfer to local convoy escort duty at Freetown in Sierra Leone. Accordingly, she departed Gibraltar on 2 April 1941 as part of the escort for Convoy WS 7 bound for Freetown, and remained there after the convoy arrived on 4 April. On 7 April 1941, she rejoined WS 7 when it departed Freetown on the next leg of its voyage, forming part of its escort with the destroyers and ''Vidette'' until detaching from the convoy on 9 April 1940 to return to Freetown. Later in April, she rescued 41 survivors of the British merchant ship ''St. Helena'', which the German submarine ''U-124'' had sunk on 12 April 1941 about southwest of Freetown at . From 5 to 9 May 1941 she joined ''Duncan'' in providing local escort for Convoy WS 8A during the final segment of its voyage to Freetown, after which she joined ''Duncan'' and the destroyers and in escorting the convoy from its departure on 14 May on the next leg of its journey until she and ''Boreas'' detached to return to Freetown the following day.

In June 1941, ''Wishart'' returned to Gibraltar to resume her convoy escort duties there. On 13 June 1941 she was detached for duty with Force H, escorting a force covering the delivery of aircraft to Malta by the aircraft carriers ''Ark Royal'' and in Operation Tracer. She again was selected for duty with Force H on 26 June 1941 for another Malta aircraft delivery operation, but she quickly was replaced in this duty by the destroyer and remained on duty at Gibraltar instead. On 27 June 1941, she sank the in the North Atlantic west of Gibraltar at .

In July 1941, ''Wishart'' returned to the United Kingdom for refit and conversion into a long-range escort, and she was in shipyard hands for the rest of the year.

1942

Upon completing her refit and conversion, ''Wishart'' passed her acceptance trials in January 1942 and in February 1942 – the month in which the civil community of Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales, "adopted" her as the result of a Warship Week National Savings campaign – proceeded to Gibraltar. In March 1942, she resumed her convoy escort duties there.

On 20 March 1942, ''Wishart'' detached from those duties to operate with Force H in Operation Picket I, joining ''Malaya'', the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , , ''Duncan'', , and in covering the aircraft carriers ''Argus'' and as the latter ships delivered aircraft to Malta. On 27 March 1942, she detached from her normal duties again to participate with the same ships in Operation Picket II, another such aircraft delivery. On 19 April 1942, she detached from her convoy duties to take part with the British 3rd and 13th Destroyer Flotillas and two United States Navy destroyers in escorting ''Renown'' and the light cruisers and as they covered the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier while she delivered aircraft to Malta in Operation Calendar.

''Wishart'', the destroyer , and aircraft of the Royal Air Forces No. 202 Squadron sank the German submarine ''U-74'' with all hands east of Cartagena, Spain, in a depth-charge attack at position on 2 May 1942. On 8 May 1942, she detached for duty with Force H, joining destroyers of the 13th Destroyer Flotilla in escorting ''Renown'', ''Charybdis'', ''Eagle'', and ''Wasp'' as ''Eagle'' and ''Wasp'' delivered aircraft to Malta in Operation Bowery. She again detached on 18 May 1942 to operate with Force H, providing the escort along with ''Charybdis'' and the destroyers , , , ''Vidette'', , and ''Wrestler'' for ''Argus'' and ''Eagle'' as they delivered aircraft to Malta in Operation LB. Her assignment to Force H continued into June, and she began a deployment in support of Operation Style on 2 June 1942, joining ''Charybdis'', ''Antelope'', ''Ithuriel'', ''Partridge'', and ''Westcott'' in covering ''Eagle'' as she delivered aircraft to Malta. On 8 June, ''Wishart'' began another such operation, Operation Salient, this time participating in a covering force consisting of ''Cairo'', ''Wrestler'', and the ships which had taken part in Operation Style as ''Eagle'' again delivered aircraft to Malta. On 11 June, she joined Force W to take part in Operation Harpoon, joining ''Malaya'', ''Argus'', ''Eagle'', ''Charybdis'', ''Antelope'', ''Vidette'', ''Westcott'', ''Wrestler'', the light cruisers and , the destroyer leader , and the destroyers and in covering a Malta-bound convoy as far as the Sicilian Narrows.

''Wishart'' returned to convoy escort duties at Gibraltar on 18 June 1942. On 26 June she joined Convoy WS 20 and was detached to escort the merchant ship SS ''Narkunda'' into Gibraltar. She continued on such duties until 10 August 1942, when she again detached from them to take part in Operation Pedestal as a part of Force Z, supporting another Malta-bound convoy by joining ''Antelope'', ''Ithuriel'', and the destroyers , , and as the screen for the convoys covering force, consisting of the aircraft carriers ''Eagle'', , and ''Victorious'', the battleships and , and the light cruisers ''Charybdis'', and . When the convoy reached the Skerki Banks in the central Mediterranean on 13 August 1942, she and the rest of Force Z detached and returned to Gibraltar, where ''Wishart'' resumed routine convoy escort duty. She again left these duties on 28 October 1942 to take part in Operation Train, joining the light cruiser and the destroyers , , , , , and ''Westcott'' and the Polish Navy destroyer ORP ''Błyskawica'' in covering the aircraft carrier as ''Furious'' made the final aircraft delivery run to Malta.

In November 1942, ''Wishart'' was assigned to duty escorting military convoys in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean carrying troops and supplies for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa. On 7 November, she, ''Velox'', and the frigate joined the escort of an assault convoy bound for North Africa for the invasion and detached to stand by the U.S. Navy attack transport after an Axis submarine torpedoed ''Thomas Stone''; after the troops had disembarked into landing craft or been taken aboard ''Spey'', ''Wishart'' escorted ''Thomas Stone'' while a tug towed her to Algiers in Algeria for repairs. On 21 December 1942, ''Wishart'' assisted in search-and-rescue operations after the German submarine ''U-562'' torpedoed and sank the troop transport MV ''Strathallan'' in the Mediterranean at , killing 16 of those aboard and leaving 5,106 survivors.

1943–1945

During the first half of 1943, ''Wishart'' continued her convoy escort duties at Gibraltar but also supported Allied military operations ashore in North Africa. On 19 May 1943 she mistook the Free French Naval Forces submarine for a German U-boat in darkness in the Mediterranean Sea and attacked her. ''La Vestal'' lost a large portion of her stern and suffered one killed and several wounded. ''La Vestal'' was towed into port and repaired.

In July 1943, ''Wishart'' was assigned to support Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, and was present during the amphibious landings southwest of Syracuse on 10 July 1943, the first day of the invasion. For the rest of 1943, she was deployed for convoy defence in the western and central Mediterranean.

In January 1944, ''Wishart'' was deployed for convoy escort duty at Gibraltar. On 24 February 1944, after a U.S. Navy PBY Catalina aircraft of Patrol Squadron 63 using magnetic anomaly detection equipment detected the German submarine ''U-761'' near Tangier while ''U-761'' was attempting to transit the Strait of Gibraltar, a U.S. Navy PV Ventura aircraft of Bombing Squadron 127 and a British Catalina of the Royal Air Forces No. 202 Squadron attacked the submarine and forced her to surface. ''Wishart'' and ''Anthony'' then approached ''U-761'', and the submarine scuttled herself within sight of the destroyers, suffering nine dead. ''Wishart'' and ''Anthony'' captured her 48 survivors.uboat.net U-761
/ref>

''Wishart'' remained on convoy defence duty at Gibraltar until January 1945, when the Royal Navy decided to withdraw her from service and she steamed to the United Kingdom for deactivation.

Decommissioning and disposal

''Wishart'' was decommissioned in February 1945. On 20 March 1945, she was sold for scrapping by Thos. W. Ward at Inverkeithing, Scotland. The ship arrived at the shipbreakers yard under tow sometime after the armistice with Japan brought World War II to a close on 15 August 1945.

Notes

Bibliography

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

HMS ''WISHART'' (D 67) – V & W-class Destroyer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wishart (D67)
1919 establishments in England
V and W-class destroyers of the Royal Navy
Ships built in Southampton
1919 ships
World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom
Gibraltar in World War II
Friendly fire incidents of World War II
Maritime incidents in May 1943
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma