HMS Kelly (F01)

HMS ''Kelly'' (pennant number F01) was a K-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, and flotilla leader of her class. She served through the early years of the Second World War; in Home Waters, off Norway and in the Mediterranean. Throughout her service, ''Kelly'' was commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, as commander ( Captain (D)) of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. She was lost in action in 1941 during the Battle of Crete.

''Kelly'' was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company at Hebburn on the River Tyne. She was laid down on 26 August 1937, launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 23 August 1939, just 11 days before commencement of hostilities. She was named after Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Kelly.

Service

Home Waters (1939)

On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were brought from France, where they were living, back to Britain on board HMS ''Kelly''.

On the afternoon of 14 December 1939, the tanker struck a mine laid by German destroyers off the Tyne Estuary. ''Kelly'' and the were dispatched as escorts for the rescue tugs ''Great Emperor'', ''Joffre'' and ''Langton''. During the operation, ''Kelly'' also struck a mine and sustained damage to her hull. While ''Mohawk'' put a party aboard ''Atheltemplar'', and ''Joffre'' and ''Langton'' took the tanker under tow, ''Kelly'' herself was taken in tow by ''Great Emperor'' and returned to the Tyne. Reaching the Tyne just before midnight, ''Kelly'' was assisted upriver by the tugs ''Robert Redhead'' and ''Washington''. She was towed to Hawthorn Leslie's yard for repairs, which took just a little over three months.

This was the second of ''Kelly''s misfortunes, having just returned to active service after a month in dry dock following storm damage. Repairs were completed on 28 February 1940, and ''Kelly'' returned to the fray. Astonishingly, she was involved in a collision with just two days later on 2 March, necessitating a further 8 weeks in dry dock, this time on the Thames. She was released on 27 April, in time to assist with the evacuation of allied forces from Namsos.

Norwegian campaign (1940)

On the night 9 May/10 May 1940, during the Battle of Norway, ''Kelly'' was torpedoed amidships by the German E-boat ''S 31'', under command of ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Hermann Opdenhoff (for which action Oblt.z.S. Opdenhoff was awarded the Knight's Cross). Severely damaged, she was taken under tow by the tug ''Great Emperor'' and for four days she was attacked by E-boats and bombers as she struggled back to port at three knots. The Navy Controller wrote that she survived "not only by the good seamanship of the officers and men but also on account of the excellent workmanship which ensured the watertightness of the other compartments. A single defective rivet might have finished her." She was repaired and returned to service.

On return to Hebburn shipyard, she was de-commissioned before undergoing extensive repairs; she was not fit for active service until December 1940. Her bad luck had seen her on active service for less than two weeks over the previous 14 months.

During this period her captain, Louis Mountbatten, as Captain (D), was forced to lead his flotilla from temporary placement in other ships of the flotilla; for a time he led from , until she too succumbed to damage.

''Kelly'' re-joined 5th Flotilla after re-commissioning in December 1940; after working-up trials and some service in the Channel, she and 5th Flotilla sailed for the Mediterranean, arriving at Malta in April 1941.

Mediterranean (1941)

In April 1941 she joined HM ships , , , , , and at Gibraltar to form Force S, an escort for reinforcements to the Mediterranean Fleet ( Operation Salient). She arrived in Malta on the 28th and was deployed with her flotilla to join Force K for attacks on Axis shipping to North Africa.

On 8 May, following the loss of HMS ''Jersey'' to a mine and the subsequent clearance of her wreck, the flotilla left Malta and joined , ''Dido'', and to escort supply convoys to Egypt and Greece (Operation Tiger). On 10 May she led the destroyers to bombard Benghazi before returning to Malta. On 21 May she was despatched to Crete with ''Kashmir'' and ''Kipling'' and began patrols north of the island the next day.

On 23 May, during the evacuation of Crete, she was bombed and sunk, with half her crew killed. ''Kelly'' did succeed in shooting down three of the attacking Stukas, while another was badly damaged and crashed upon returning to base. The survivors were deeply affected by the loss of their ship; Mountbatten shared their loss and tried to console the ship's company by reminding them all that "we didn't leave the ''Kelly'', the ''Kelly'' left us!"

Legacy

The 1942 film ''In Which We Serve'' starring Noël Coward and John Mills and telling the story of "HMS ''Torrin''", is based on the career of ''Kelly''. The HMS ''Kelly'' Association hosts reunions and commemorations. Notable supporters of the association have included Charles III and Sir John Mills.Navy Newsbr>Sir John Proves a Tireless Supporter

In Hebburn, the town in South Tyneside where HMS ''Kelly'' was built there remains a public house by the name of "The Kelly" while the local Tyne & Wear metro station features artwork depicting the ship herself, demonstrating that the story of HMS ''Kelly'' and her crew is not forgotten and is still a source of civic pride in the town.

Battle Honours

* Atlantic (1939)
* Norway (1940)
* Mediterranean (1941)
* Crete (1941)

References

Bibliography

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External links

The Man I Never Knew on HMS ''Kelly''
– BBC People's War 12 June 2005
HMS ''Kelly'' on naval-history.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly (F01)
J, K and N-class destroyers of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Tyne
1938 ships
World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom
World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea
Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Crete
Maritime incidents in December 1939
Maritime incidents in May 1941
Ships sunk by German aircraft
Destroyers sunk by aircraft
Shipwrecks of Greece