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Allied Warships

HMS Paladin (G 69)

Destroyer of the P class


HMS Paladin refueling at sea from an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean in 1945.

Photograph with thanks to Howard Bell, whose father served aboard HMS Paladin during that time.

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassP 
PennantG 69 
Built byJohn Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland) 
Ordered20 Oct, 1939 
Laid down22 Jul, 1940 
Launched11 Jun, 1941 
Commissioned12 Dec, 1941 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryScrapped at Dunston on 25 October 1962.

Commanding Officers:
Cdr. Anthony Follett Pugsley, RN
25 September 1941 – 4 January 1943

Lt.Cdr. Lawrence St George Rich, RN
4 January 1943 – 14 July 1943

Lt.Edward Anthony Savile Bailey, DSC, RN
14 July 1943 – June 1944

Lt.Cdr. M.C. Morris, RN
June 1944 – Early 1945

Lt. R.J.R. Cundall, RN
Early 1945 – 24 April 1945

A/Lt.Cdr. H.R. Hewlett, RN
24 April 1945 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List 


Noteable events involving Paladin include:

17 Feb, 1943
The German submarine U-205 was sunk in the Mediterranean near the northernmost point of Cyrene, in position 32º56'N, 22º01'E, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Paladin, assisted by a South African Bisley (Blenheim) aircraft (see map)

16 Apr, 1943
While intercepting an Italian convoy south-west of Marsala the British destroyers HMS Pakenham (Cdr. Basil Jones, DSC, RN) and HMS Paladin (Lt.Cdr. L.St.G. Rich, RN) were engaged in a battle with the Italian torpedo boats Cigno and Cassiopea. In the resulting battle the Cigno was sunk and the Cassiopea was damaged but not before Pakenham was badly damaged herself. Paladin took Pakenham in tow but as Pakenham was beyond salvage she was eventually scuttled by Paladin north of Pantelleria.

30 Apr, 1943
The British destroyers HMS Nubian (Cdr. D.E. Holland-Martin, DSC, RN) and HMS Paladin (Lt.Cdr. L.StG. Rich, RN) intercept the small Italian transport ship Fauna (575 GRT) about 20 nautical miles south of Capo San Marco, Sicily, Italy and sink it with gunfire.

4 May, 1943
The British destroyers HMS Nubian (Cdr. D.E. Holland-Martin, DSC, RN), HMS Paladin (Lt.Cdr. L.St.G. Rich, RN) and HMS Petard (Lt.Cdr. R.C. Egan, RN) sinks the Italian transport ship Campo Basso (3566 GRT) and its escort the Italian torpedo boat Perseo (652 tons) about 8 nautical miles east of Kelibia, Tunisia.

, 1945

Crew of HMS Paladin 1945/1946.

Photograph with thanks to Howard Bell, whose father served aboard HMS Paladin during that time.

15 Jun, 1945
HMS Penn (Lt.Cdr. A.H. Diack, DSC, RN) and HMS Paladin (Lt.Cdr. H.R. Hewlett, RNVR) intercept a Japanese landing craft and sink it with gunfire off the north-west coast of Sumatra.


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