Allied Warships

HMS Wallace (L 64)

Destroyer of the Shakespeare class


HMS Wallace as Fast Escort armed with 4-inch Anti Aircaft guns

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassShakespeare 
PennantL 64 
Built byThornycroft (Southampton, U.K.) 
OrderedApr 1917 
Laid downAug 1917 
Launched26 Oct 1918 
Commissioned29 Jan 1919 
End service20 Mar 1945 
Loss position
 
History

Reconstructed as Fast Escort, reconstruction completed on 14 June 1939.

HMS Wallace served mainly on British east coast escorting coastal convoy's except for a brief period in 1943 when she went to the Mediterranean for the invasion of Sicily. On 16 March 1945 she collided with HMS Farndale off the Humber and considered not worth repairing she was paid off. Being sold to be broken up for scrap 4 days later.

 

Commands listed for HMS Wallace (L 64)

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CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. William Maurice Lloyd Astwood, RN22 Aug 193921 Feb 1940
2Cdr. Ballin Illingworth Robertshaw, RN21 Feb 194011 Sep 1940
3Lt.Cdr. (emergency) Edward Gavin Heywood-Lonsdale, RN11 Sep 194016 Feb 1943
4Lt. Denis Guy Douglas Hall-Wright, RN16 Feb 194318 May 1943
5Lt. Duncan Carson, RN18 May 1943???

6Cdr. Jackson Whayman, RD, RNR4 Jan 194420 Jan 1944
7Lt.Cdr. Robert Sydney Hopper, DSC, RN20 Jan 1944Mar 1945

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Noteable events involving Wallace include:


1 Sep 1939
The Polish destroyers Burza (Lt.Cdr. S. Nahorski, ORP), Grom (Lt.Cdr. A. Hulewicz, ORP) and Blyskawica (Cdr. W. Kodrebski, ORP) were met in the North Sea by British aircraft and the British destroyers HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr. W.M.L. Astwood, RN) and HMS Wanderer (Cdr R.F. Morice, RN). They were escorted to Leith.

13 Sep 1939
HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr. W.M.L. Astwood, RN) is damaged in a in a collision off Lowestoft with the British merchant Redriff (1577 GRT). Wallace is under repair until 23 October.

16 Mar 1945
HMS Wallace collided with HMS Farndale off the Humber and considered not worth repairing she was paid off. Being sold to be broken up for scrap 4 days later.

Media links


British destroyers & frigates

Norman Friedman


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

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