Ronald Hugh Dewhurst DSO, RN
| Birth details unknown |
 | Ranks
Retired: 10 Oct 1955 Decorations
|
Warship Commands listed for Ronald Hugh Dewhurst, RN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| HMS Rorqual (N 74) | Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 25 Aug 1939 | 1 Jun 1941 |
| HMS Amphion (P 439) | Cdr. | Submarine | Jun 1944 | 5 May 1946 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine HMS Rorqual (N 74)
14 Jun 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) lays a minefield (50 mines) off Brindisi, Italy.
The minefield was laid from 1027 to 1055 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report).
15 Jun 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) makes an unsuccesful torpedo attack on an Italian submarine in the Strait of Otranto.
The attack took place 0120 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report).
26 Jun 1940
The Italian merchant Loasso (5968 GRT) hits a mine, laid on the 14th by the British submarine HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN), and sinks off Torre Preposti, Puglia, Italy in position 41º40'N, 16º20'E.
21 Jul 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) hit the Italian merchant Securitas (5355 GRT) with a torpedo off Tulmaythah, Libya. Unfortunatly it's a dud.
Rorqual also lays a minefield on this day.
24 Jul 1940
The Italian merchant Celio (3872 GRT) is sunk off Tulmaythah, Libya in position 32º39'N 21º03'E after hitting a mine laid on 21 July 1940 by HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN).
14 Aug 1940
The Italian merchant Leopardi (3298 GRT) is sunk off Tulmaythah, Libya in position 32º39'N, 21º03'E in a minefield laid on 21 July 1940 by HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN).
17 Aug 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) laid a minefield (50 mines) off Tukrah, Libya.
21 Aug 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) attacked an Italian convoy missing the Italian merchants Verace (1219 GRT) and Doris Ursino (891 GRT) with torpedoes about 5 nautical miles north of Ras Hilal, Libya in position 33º08'N, 22º10'E. Following this failed attack Rorqual was heavily depth charged by the Italian torpedo boat Generale Achille Papa.
25 Sep 1940
The Italian pilot vessel F 34 / Rina Croce (569 GRT) sinks off Brindisi, Italy in a minefield laid by HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN). The mine was laid on 14 June 1940.
4 Oct 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) lays a minefield (50 mines) off Benghazi, Libya.
5 Nov 1940
HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN) lays a minefield (50 mines) north-west of Tripoli, Libya in position 34º14'N, 11º56'E. A further 50 mines were laid by Rorqual in the same position 4 days later.
5 Dec 1940
The Italian torpedo boat Calipso (679 tons) sinks about 6 nautical miles north-west of Cape Misurata, Libya after hitting a mine laid by HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN).
23 Dec 1940
The Italian torpedo boat Fratelli Cairoli (625 tons) sinks off Misurata, Libya after hitting a mine laid by HMS Rorqual (Lt.Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, RN).
28 Jan 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) lays a minefield of 29 mines off Sansego Island (now Susak Island, Croatia) and lays another minefield 21 mines off Ancona, Italy
31 Jan 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) attacked the tug Ursus and a floating battery in the Adriatic north west of Dubrovnik. After completing an operation to lay mines off Fiume the submarine came across an unusual target she sighted a floating battery of two 5-inch guns and an anti-aircraft gun, mounted on a lighter which was being towed by an armed tug. The lighter could hardly be torpedoed, as she was of too shallow draft for the normal depth setting of the torpedoes, and the only other weapon the Rorqual had was a single 4-inch gun. Undeterred by the odds against him, Dewhurst surfaced at about 500 yards range. She hit the Ursus with her first shot and set it on fire, then shifted her fire to the battery. Again she hit, starting a blaze amidships, but the Italians in the tug were gallant men and ignoring the fire in their small vessel, they manned their guns and opened fire on the Rorqual. She was forced to shift her fire from the battery and engage the Ursus again. This time she made certain of her. She was ablaze for and aft and those of her crew who had not been killed were forced to abandon her. But the men manning the floating battery were no less gallant than their companions in the Ursus. Although their own craft was on fire amidships, they manned the two guns and by their accurate fire forced the Rorqual to dive. Dewhurst then set a torpedo to run on the surface and carried out a submerged attack, only to find that the torpedo developed a gyro failure and was returning on its own tracks. He had to take the Rorqual deep to avoid it. When last seen, the Ursus was in the act of sinking and the battery still heavily on fire. The battery however did not sink she was later towed to Dubrovnik.
31 Jan 1941
The Italian torpedo boat Francesco Stocco broke in two when she hits a mine of Sansego Island. The mine was laid on 28 January 1941 by the British submarine HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN).
Both parts of the Stocco were towed to Fiume. The ship was repaired and returned to service.
27 Feb 1941
The Italian merchant Ischia (5101 GRT) is damaged when she hits a mine of Ancona, Italy. The mine was laid on 28 January 1941 by the British submarine HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN).
25 Mar 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) lays a minefield some 5 miles north-east off Capo Gallo, Sicily, Italy in approximate position 38º06'N, 12º31'E.
The next day an Italian convoy ran into this minefield, losing the ships Verde (1432 GRT) and Ticino (1470 GRT).
On the 28 March 1941 the Italian torpedo boat Generale Antonio Chinotto (697 tons) also sank in this minefield.
30 Mar 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian tanker Laura Corrado (3645 GRT) north-east off Capo Gallo, Sicily, Italy in position 38º45'N, 12º20'E.
31 Mar 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian submarine Pier Capponi (770 tons) south of Stromboli, Italy in position 38.23N, 15.15E.
11 May 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) lays 50 mines in the Gulf of Saloniki. The claimed sinking (by Prof Rohwer) on the same day of an Italian freighter named Genova Perossi of 2000 tgr is unsubstantiated as such ship never existed and no record can be found of a sinking in this area at this time.
12 May 1941
HMS Rorqual (Cdr R.H. Dewhurst, DSO, RN) sinks two Greek sailing vessels with gunfire off Lemnos, Greece.