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Allied Warships

HMS Eclipse (H 08)

Destroyer of the E class


HMS Eclipse during the Second World War

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassE 
PennantH 08 
Built byWilliam Denny & Brothers (Dumbarton, Scotland) 
Ordered 
Laid down22 Mar, 1933 
Launched12 Apr, 1934 
Commissioned29 Nov, 1934 
Lost24 Oct, 1943 
Loss position37.01N, 27.11E (See a map)
 
HistoryOn 24 October 1943 HMS Eclipse (Cdr. Edward Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) was mined and sunk east of Kalymnos Island, Greece in position 37º01'N, 27º11'E.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. Eric Langton Woodhall, RN
31 July 1939 - 9 November 1939

Lt.Cdr. Ivo Thomas Clark, RN
9 November 1939 - 10 January 1942

Lt.Cdr. Edward Mack, DSC, RN
10 January 1942 - 24 October 1943
Promoted to Cdr. on 30 June 1943
DSO awarded on 19 June 1942 


Noteable events involving Eclipse include:

23 Jul, 1943
The Italian submarine Ascianghi (offsite link) was sunk off Augusta, Sicily by the British destroyers HMS Eclipse and HMS Laforey.

22 Aug, 1943
The German torpedo boat TA 12 (970 tons, former French Baliste) is heavily damaged by the British destroyer HMS Eclipse (Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN). The TA 12 is beached off Cape Prasonesi, Rhodos, Greece and finally destoyed on 24 November by US Bombers.

23 Sep, 1943
On this day HMS Eclipse (Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) damaged the the German torpedo boat TA 10 (Oberleutnant Jobst Hahndorff) (former French torpedo boat La Pomone and later Italian FR 42) and sank the merchant Gaetano Donizetti, carrying Italian POWs, south west of Rhodes. The Gaetano Donizetti went down with her entire crew and at least 1.576 Italian POWs. (Italian sources speak of 1.835 POWs on board the Gaetano Donizetti) The POW's were mostly sailors and airmen from the Garrison of Rhodes. The heavily damaged TA 10 is towed back to Rhodes but is scuttled a few days later.


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