HMS ''Barfleur'' was a of the Royal Navy (RN). She was named after the Battle of Barfleur, which involved an Anglo-Dutch Fleet against the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

in 1692. ''Barfleur'' was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited on the Tyne. She was launched on 1 November 1943 and commissioned on 14 September 1944.

Second World War Service

''Barfleur'' was the only ship of the class to see action during the Second World War. She joined the British Pacific Fleet upon commission, seeing action during the campaign against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. She was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the official surrender on the deck of the US

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 ...

on 2 September 1945.

Post War Service

In 1946, ''Barfleur'' deployed to the Far East along with the rest of the

19th Destroyer Flotilla 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

, performing a variety of duties, including visiting many ports on 'fly-the-flag' visits. ''Barfleur'' returned to the United Kingdom with the rest of her flotilla in 1947, and was subsequently placed in Reserve. In 1953, ''Barfleur'' took part in the Fleet Review at Spithead in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. ''Barfleur'' was positioned in the middle of the destroyers and . ''Barfleur'' also became Captain (D) of the

3rd Destroyer Flotilla The British 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as Third Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1909 to 1939 and again from 1945 to 1951. History In 1907 the Channel Fleet had a large Channel Flotilla of destroyers in Fe ...

, which served in the Mediterranean. While there, ''Barfleur'' picked up survivors from a

Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, ...

that had crashed in the region. Upon the completion of her task, ''Barfleur'' returned the aeroplane's crew to Malta. In 1954, ''Barfleur'' moved back home but was returned to the Mediterranean the following year. The destroyer was involved in the Suez War in 1956, taking part in the Allied landings in early November. ''Barfleur'' returned home later in the year for the last time to join the

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 ...

. In 1958, ''Barfleur'' was put in Reserve before being placed on the disposal list and broken up at Dalmuir in 1966.

References

Publications

*Alston, J.R. Lieut R.N. (no date) (no publisher).H.M.S.BARFLUER Pacific Commission 1944-1946 * *

External links

The Battle class destroyers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barfleur (D80) Battle-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built by Swan Hunter Ships built on the River Tyne 1943 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Cold War destroyers of the United Kingdom