Allied Warships

HMS Godetia (i) (K 72)

Corvette of the Flower class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeCorvette
ClassFlower 
PennantK 72 
Built bySmiths Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.) 
Ordered25 Jul 1939 
Laid down4 Jan 1940 
Launched8 May 1940 
Commissioned15 Jul 1940 
Lost6 Sep 1940 
Loss position55° 18'N, 5° 57'W
History

HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. George Victor Legassick, RNR) was sunk in a collision with the merchant ship Marsa 3 nautical miles off Altacarry Head in position 55º18'N, 05º57'W.  

Commands listed for HMS Godetia (i) (K 72)

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and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. George Victor Legassick, RNR19 May 19406 Sep 1940

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Notable events involving Godetia (i) include:


16 Jul 1940

Convoy SL 40.

This convoy departed Freetown on 16 July 1940.

It was made up of the following merchant vessels; Aldington Court (British, 4891 GRT, built 1929), Araby (British, 4936 GRT, built 1912), Castalia (British, 6601 GRT, built 1906), Celtic Star (British, 5575 GRT, built 1918), City of Wellington (British, 5732 GRT, built 1925), Dayrose (British, 4113 GRT, built 1928), Dolius (British, 5507 GRT, built 1924), Grangepark (British, 5132 GRT, built 1919), Jersey (British, 4986 GRT, built 1936), Kana (British, 2783 GRT, built 1929), Kirriemoor (Brititsh, 4970 GRT, built 1935), Nagpore (British, 5283 GRT, built 1920), Norman Monarch (British, 4718 GRT, built 1937), Peebles (British, 4982 GRT, built 1936), Pindos (Greek, 4360 GRT, built 1908), Port Adelaide (British, 8422 GRT, built 1919), Port Denison (British, 10334 GRT, built 1918), Richard de Larrinaga (British, 5358 GRT, built 1929), Rydboholm (Swedish, 3197 GRT, built 1933), Sitoebondo (Dutch, 7049 GRT, built 1916), St. Rosario (British, 4312 GRT, built 1937), Sylvia de Larrinaga (British, 5218 GRT, built 1925), Urbino (British, 5198 GRT, built 1918) and Winsum (Dutch, 3224 GRT, built 1921).

On departure from Freetown the convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Asturias (Capt. J.R.S. Haines, RN).

Around 0430Z/1, the City of Wellington and the Grangepark collided and dropped out of the convoy but they were able to rejoin later.

Later on 1 August 1940, Convoy SLF 40, merged with convoy SL 40.

Convoy SLF 40 was made up of the following merchant vessels; Afric Star (British, 11900 GRT, built 1926), Anchises (British, 10000 GRT, built 1911), Bintang (British, 2825 GRT, built 1922), City of Simla (British, 10138 GRT, built 1921), Clan MacNeil (British, 6111 GRT, built 1922), Clytoneus (British, 6278 GRT, built 1930), Cordillera (British, 6865 GRT, built 1920), Cortona (British, 7093 GRT, built 1921), Diomed (British, 10374 GRT, built 1922), Eskbank (British, 5137 GRT, built 1937), Glenfinlas (British, 7479 GRT, built 1917), Jonathan Holt (British, 3793 GRT, built 1938), Llanstephan Castle (British, 11340 GRT, built 1914), Marsdale (British, 4890 GRT, built 1940), Moena (Dutch, 9286 GRT, built 1923), Nanking (British, 5931 GRT, built 1924), Orestes (British, 7748 GRT, built 1926), Otaio (British, 10298 GRT, built 1930), Themistocles (British, 11231 GRT, built 1911), Tiba (Dutch, 5239 GRT, built 1938) and Zaanland (Dutch, 6813 GRT, built 1921).

Convoy SLF 40, had been escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Canton (Capt. G.D. Belben, DSC, RN) which also joined convoy SL 40.

Around 0600A/2, in position 54°37'N, 16°17'W, the sloops HMS Rochester (Cdr. G.F. Renwick, RN), HMS Aberdeen (Cdr. H.P. Currey, RN) and the corvette HMS Periwinkle (Lt.Cdr. H. Row, RNR) joined the convoy. HMS Asturias and HMS Canton then parted company with the convoy and both proceeded independently to Greenock.

Later the destroyer HMS Walker (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Tait, RN) and the corvettes HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) and HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR) joined. The corvettes came direct from the A/S training facility at Tobermory.

The convoy arrived in U.K. waters on 4 August 1940.

Four ships had straggled from the convoy, these were the Kirriemoor, Pindos, Richard de Larrinaga and Sylvia de Larrinaga. The Pindos was sunk on 4 August 1940 by the German submarine U-58 in position 55°22'N, 08°50'W.

23 Jul 1940
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) and HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR). (1)

24 Jul 1940
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) and HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR). (1)

26 Jul 1940
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) and HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR). (1)

29 Jul 1940
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) and HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR). (1)

1 Aug 1940
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR), HMS Primrose (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Sanders, RNVR) and HMS Fandango (T/Lt. F.C. Hopkins, RNR). (1)

25 Aug 1940
HMS Godetia (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR) picks up the sole survivor from the British merchant Empire Merlin and six survivors from the British tanker Athelcrest, which were torpedoed by German U-boat U-48 from the convoy HX-65A east by north of Flannan Isles. The corvette then scuttled the wreck of the tanker with gunfire and later landed the survivors at Rosyth.

Sources

  1. File 2.12.03.6365 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)

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