Allied Warships

HMS Tarantula (T 62)

River gunboat of the Insect class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeRiver gunboat
ClassInsect 
PennantT 62 
Built byWood Skinner & Co. Ltd. (Newcastle, England U.K.) 
Ordered9 Feb 1915 
Laid down 
Launched8 Dec 1915 
Commissioned28 Jan 1916 
End service 
History

Sunk as target off Ceylon on 1 May 1946.

 

Commands listed for HMS Tarantula (T 62)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Capt. Francis Cyril Flynn, RN8 Jun 193826 Mar 1940
2Cdr. (emergency) Reginald Charles Ferrers Creer, RAN26 Mar 194016 Nov 1941

3T/Lt. Norman Frank Francis, RNVR6 Nov 1942early 1943

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Notable events involving Tarantula include:


21 Oct 1940
HMS Durban (Capt. J.A.S. Eccles, RN) departed Hong Kong for Singapore. She is escorting the river gunboat Tarantula (Cdr.(Emgy.) R.C.F. Creer, RAN). (1)

29 Oct 1940
HMS Durban (Capt. J.A.S. Eccles, RN) and Tarantula (Cdr.(Emgy.) R.C.F. Creer, RAN) arrived at Singapore. (1)

7 Dec 1940
The light cruiser HMS Dauntless (Capt. G.D. Moore, RAN), river gunboat Tarantula (Cdr.(Emgy.) R.C.F. Creer, RAN) and the the merchant vessel Gurna (British, 5248 GRT, built 1919) arrived at Penang.

They departed later the same day to continue their passage to Colombo. The river gunboat Cricket (Lt. J.L. Goatley, RN) had joined them at Penang for the passage to Colombo.

On the 9th, shortly after noon, they briefly stopped off Nancowry Island. Both river gunboats then secured alongside HMS Dauntless and then were supllied with oil, stores and water before the passage was continued. (2)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/112210
  2. ADM 53/111943 + ADM 199/374

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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