Allied Warships

HMS Mistral

Destroyer of the Bourrasque class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassBourrasque 
Pennant 
Built byF.&Ch de la Mediterranee (La Seyne, France) 
Ordered 
Laid down28 Nov 1923 
Launched6 Jun 1925 
Commissioned6 Jul 1940 
End service 
HistoryCaptured by the British at Plymouth on 3 July 1940.
Returned to mainland France by her Britsh crew on 25 August 1945.
Stricken 17 February 1950. 

Commands listed for HMS Mistral

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
1Cdr. Claude Henry Brooks, RAN6 Jul 194022 Sep 1940
2Lt. Charles Edward Stuart Basil St. George Beal, RN22 Sep 194022 Oct 1940
3Cdr. Claude Henry Brooks, RAN22 Oct 194019 Mar 1941
4Lt.Cdr. Gerald Donald Anderson, RN19 Mar 1941Jan 1942
5Lt. Roland Maurice Roberts, RNRJan 19425 Feb 1942
6Lt. Sidney John Parsons, DSC, RN5 Feb 19429 Feb 1942
7A/Cdr. (retired) Christopher Montague Vernon Francis Dalrymple-Hay, RN9 Feb 1942Dec 1942

8Lt. John Humphrey Michael Sowry, RNVRNov 194321 Feb 1945
9Lt. Derek George Smeeton, RN21 Feb 1945mid 1945

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Notable events involving Mistral include:


17 Feb 1941

Convoy TC 9.

This troop convoy departed Halifax on 17 February 1941 and arrived in the Clyde on 27 February 1941.

Is was made up of the troopships: Dempo (Dutch, 17024 GRT, built 1931), Duchess of York (British, 20021 GRT, built 1929), Johan van Oldenbarneveld (Dutch, 19429 GRT, built 1930), Orontes (British, 20097 GRT, built 1925) and Warwick Castle (British, British, 20107 GRT, built 1930).

On departure from Halifax it was escorted by the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign (Capt. H.B. Jacomb, RN) and the armed merchant cruiser HMS Wolfe (A/Capt.(Retd.) W.G.A. Shuttleworth, RN).

HMS Wolfe was detached on 18 February 1941.

On 20 February the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh (Capt. C.M. Blackman, DSO, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral L.E. Holland, CB, RN) departed Scapa Flow to join the convoy, She relieved HMS Royal Sovereign on 23 February which then returned to Halifax arriving on 28 February. On 24 February the destroyers HMCS Assiniboine (A/Lt.Cdr. J.H. Stubbs, RCN), HMCS Ottawa (Cdr. E.R. Mainguy, RCN), HMCS Restigouche (Cdr. H.N. Lay, OBE, RN) and HMS Havelock (Cdr. E.H. Thomas, DSC, RN) joined the convoy. HMS Havelock was detached on 25 February. The three Canadian destroyers remained with the convoy until 26 February.

On the 25 February, light cruiser HMS Aurora (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) and the destroyers HMS Inglefield (Capt. P. Todd, DSO, RN), HMS Echo (Lt.Cdr. C.H.deB. Newby, RN), HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. I.T. Clark, RN) and Léopard (Lt.Cdr. J. Evenou) joined the convoy; Léopard already being detached later on the 25th. Destroyer HMS Mistral (Cdr. C.H. Brooks, RAN) joined the convoy on the 26th. Destroyer HMS Churchill (Cdr.(Retd.) G.R. Cousins, RN) also escorted the convoy in the Western Approaches. The convoy reached the Minches in the evening of 26 February. Light cruiser HMS Edinburg with the destroyers HMS Inglefield, HMS Echo and HMS Eclipse then proceeded to Scapa Flow arriving at 0100/27.

Light cruiser HMS Aurora with the destroyers Mistral and HMS Churchill took the convoy into the Clyde and arrived at Greenock on the 27th.

9 May 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. W.N.R. Knox, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Campbeltown with HMS Mistral (Lt.Cdr. G.D. Anderson, RN). (1)

9 Jul 1941
HMS H 32 (Lt. B.G. Heslop, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Campbeltown with HMS Mistral (Lt.Cdr. G.D. Anderson, RN) and HMS La Cordeliere. (2)

7 May 1944
HMS Unrivalled (Lt. D.S. Brown, RNVR) departed Rothesay for Heysham. She was escorted by HMS Mistral (Lt. J.H.M. Sowry, RNVR). (3)

1 Sep 1944
HMS Ultor (Lt. G.E. Hunt, DSC and Bar, RN) departed Holy Loch for Blyth. She was escorted by HMS Mistral (Lt. J.H.M. Sowry, RNVR) until 2130/2 when HMS Hamlet (A/Skr.Lt. J.A. MacTean, RNR) took over the escort. (4)

1 Nov 1944
HMS Safari (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) J.R.G. Harvey, RN) conducted attack exercises for the C.O.Q.C. (Commanding Officers Qualifying Course) in the Clyde area during which HMS Keppel (Cdr. I.J. Tyson, DSO, DSC, RNR), HMS Milford (Lt.Cdr. G.G. Slade, RN) and HMS Mistral (Lt. J.H.M. Sowry, RNVR) served as targets. (5)

13 Nov 1944
HMS Safari (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) J.R.G. Harvey, RN) conducted attack exercises for the C.O.Q.C. (Commanding Officers Qualifying Course) in the Clyde area during which HMS Mistral (Lt. J.H.M. Sowry, RNVR) served as target. (5)

Sources

  1. ADM 173/16781
  2. ADM 173/16741
  3. ADM 173/19223
  4. ADM 173/19172
  5. ADM 173/18627

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


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