uboat.net

Allied Warships

HMS Witherington (D 76)

Destroyer of the Admiralty Modified W class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty Modified W 
PennantD 76 
Built byJ.S. White & Co. (Cowes, U.K.) 
OrderedJan, 1918 
Laid down27 Sep, 1918 
Launched16 Jan, 1919 
Commissioned10 Oct, 1919 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistorySold to Metal Idustries for breaking up on 20 March 1947. On the 29th April 1947, whilst under tow to the breakers yard at Charlestown, near Rosyth, Scotland, she broke the tow and was wrecked.

The wreck can be dived and lies on the south side of South Shields pier. As you turn south at the pier end turn immediately west. Travelling west alongside the pier you will see some concrete blocks, one of these has what looks like a monkey's face on it, anchor about 10m off this rock. Depth is about 7m. Watch out for fishing line and strong currents.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. G.C. Fryer, RN
31 July 1939 – 4 December 1939

Lt.Cdr. Jack Barrington Palmer, RN
4 December 1939 – April 1941

Lt. W.E.C. Fairchild, RN
April 1941 - 23 October 1941

Lt. Richard Horncastle, RN
23 October 1941 – 2 October 1942

Lt.Cdr. M.H.R. Crighton, RN
2 October 1942 – 19 May 1943

Lt.Cdr. Robert Basil Stewart Tennant, RN
19 May 1943 >

HMS Witherington is not listed as an active unit in the October 1944 Navy List 


Noteable events involving Witherington include:

23 Mar, 1942
HMS Witherington (Lt. R. Horncastle, RN) picks up 47 survivors from the British tanker British Prudence that was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-754 north-east of Halifax in position 45º28'N, 56º13'W.

28 Jul, 1942
HMS Witherington picks up 12 survivors from the American fishing vessel Ebb that was sunk by gunfire from the German submarine U-754 45 nautical miles south-east of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, Canada in position 43º18'N, 63º50'W.

2 Nov, 1943
The German submarine U-340 was sunk at 0430hrs on 2 November 1943 near Tangier, in position 35º33'N, 06º37'W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Fleetwood (Cdr. W.B. Piggott, DSC, RD, RNR) and the British destroyers HMS Active (Lt.Cdr. P.G. Merriman, DSC, RN) and HMS Witherington (Lt.Cdr. R.B.S. Tennant, RN) and by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft (Sqdn. 179/R). (see map)


Return to the Allied Warships section