Name: HMS WOLVERINE
Builder: J.S. White & Co. Ltd, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Laid down: 8 October 1918, Launched: 17 July 1919, Commissioned: 1920, Fate: Scrapped, September 1946
General characteristics:
Class and type: Admiralty modified W class destroyer, Displacement: 1,120 long tons (1,138 t) standard, 1,450 long tons (1,473 t) full load, Length: 312 ft (95 m), Beam: 29 ft 6 in (8.99 m), Draught: 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m), Propulsion: 3 geared steam turbines; 2 shafts, Speed: 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h) at 27,000 hp (20,134 kW), Complement: 134, Armament: As built:, • 4 × BL 4.7 in (120mm) Mk.I L/45 guns, • 2 × QF 2 pdr Mk.II "pom-pom" (40 mm L/39), • 6 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (triple mounts)
War modifications:
• 3 × BL 4.7 in (120mm) Mk.I L/45 guns; • 1 × 3 in (76 mm) AA gun; • 2 × QF 2 pdr Mk.II "pom-pom" (40 mm L/39); • 3 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (triple mount); • 2 × depth charge racks; • Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar (late war)
Service record
Operations: World War II
Victories: DAGABUR; U-76
WOLVERINE was built by J.S. White & Co. shortly after the First World War. Part of a class of sixteen ships, she was commissioned in 1920 and completed for service in 1924. WOLVERINE was a modification of the W-class destroyer and carried a light armament for a ship her size.
After completion she joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla and served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets, before being relegated to the Navy Reserve as an austerity measure. With the threat of war, WOLVERINE was re-activated and was re-commissioned in August 1939.
World War II
At the outbreak of war in September 1939 WOLVERINE joined 15 destroyer flotilla, based at Milford Haven and engaged in convoy escort duty in the English Channel and Southwest Approaches. During this period she escorted 19 convoys one of which was attacked.
In April 1940 WOLVERINE moved to Home fleet for the Norwegian campaign. She operated under air attack and helped in evacuation the from Harstad, rescuing nearly 700 Irish guards from a burning troopship. In June she was involved in the evacuation of France, assisting in Operation Aerial, the evacuation of the Biscay ports.
In August 1940 WOLVERINE returned to convoy escort duty, joined 6th Escort Group for escort duty in the North Atlantic and on the Gibraltar and South Atlantic routes. In this role WOLVERINE was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking U-boats which attacked ships in convoy, and rescuing survivors. She operated in this role the next 21 months. She escorted 27 North Atlantic convoys, 10 of which were attacked, and was involved in two major battles there.
In March 1941 WOLVERINE was leader of the escort group for Convoy OB 293 which was attacked by a U-boat pack. The escorts were able to drive this attack off, destroying U-70 in the process. WOLVERINE made an attack on a contact, which was believed to have destroyed U-47; this assessment was revised later, and is believed to have hit U-A, which escaped with damage.
In April 1941 WOLVERINE was part of the escort force for Convoy SC 26, shared credit with HMS SCARBOROUGH for the sinking of U-76. WOLVERINE also escorted 6 Gibraltar and 6 South Atlantic convoys, 3 of which were attacked, and took part in one major battle, for HG 73 in September 1941.
In February 1942 WOLVERINE was converted to Short-range escort and in April worked up under her new captain, Lt Cdr PW Gretton. In July she moved to Gibraltar for operations in the Mediterranean. In August WOLVERINE took part in Operation Pedestal, during which she attacked and sank the Italian submarine DAGABUR. She was damaged in this encounter and was returned to Gibraltar for temporary repair, followed by several months in dock at Devonport.
In June 1943 WOLVERINE returned to local escort duty, transferring to Gibraltar, then Freetown then Cape Town for operations in the South Atlantic. During this period she escorted 17 convoys, 2 of which were attacked.
In January 1944 WOLVERINE returned to Britain for a refit, before returning to escort duty in the Gibraltar and Mediterranean route. She escorted 7 convoys, none of which were attacked In January 1945 WOLVERINE was on escort duty in Home Waters. engaged in anti-submarine patrols in the Channel and Southwest Approaches, where she continued to the end of the war.
HMS WOLVERINE was placed on the Disposal List after VJ Day and sold for demolition on 28th January 1946 by West of Scotland Shipbreakers . She arrived in tow at the Breaker’s Yard in Troon in September 1946.
Sources: Wikipedia. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... verine.htm.
Information Mr P Crichton.