Allied Warships

HMS Opportune (G 80)

Destroyer of the O class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	O
Pennant	G 80
Built by	Thornycroft (Southampton, U.K.)
Ordered	3 Sep 1939
Laid down	28 Mar 1940
Launched	21 Feb 1942
Commissioned	14 Aug 1942
End service
History	Scrapped at Milford Haven on 25 November 1955.

Commands listed for HMS Opportune (G 80)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Cdr. Manley Lawrence Power, OBE, RN	9 Jun 1942	26 Sep 1942
2	Cdr. John Lee-Barber, DSO, RN	26 Sep 1942	14 Aug 1944
3	Cdr. Robert Edward Dudley Ryder, VC, RN	14 Aug 1944	4 Sep 1945
4	Cdr. Colin William McMullen, DSC, RN	4 Sep 1945	Nov 1945

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Notable events involving Opportune include:

29 Aug 1942
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P.H. Oakley, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS Onslow (Capt H.T. Armstrong, DSC and Bar, RN) and HMS Opportune (Cdr. M.L. Power, OBE, RN). (1)

2 Sep 1942
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P.H. Oakley, DSC, RN) conducted exercises off Scapa Flow. These exercises included a practice attack on the battleship HMS Anson (Capt. H.R.G. Kinahan, CBE, RN) and her screen of six destroyers; HMS Onslow (Capt H.T. Armstrong, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Onslaught (Cdr. W.H. Selby, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. M.L. Power, OBE, RN), HMS Eskimo (Cdr. E.G. Le Geyt, RN), HMS Tartar (Cdr. St.J.R.J. Tyrwhitt, DSC, RN) and HMS Echo (Lt.Cdr. N. Lanyon, RN). (2)

30 Mar 1943
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P. Angell, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN). (3)

12 May 1943
German U-boat U-456 was almost certainly sunk in an diving accident on 12 May, 1943 in the North Atlantic, in position 46°39'N, 26°54'W, while facing the British destroyer HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO, RN) after being badly damaged by a Fido homing torpedo from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn 86/B).

24 Jun 1943
During the morning, HMS Truant (Lt.Cdr. J.G. Hopkins, RN), carries out A/S exercises with HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN).

During the afternoon A/S exercises were carried out with HMS Roebuck (Cdr. J.T. Lean, DSO, RN) and HMS Onslaught (Cdr. W.H. Selby, DSC, RN). (4)

2 Aug 1943
HMS Stoic (Lt. P.B. Marriott, DSO, RN) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with (at least) HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN). (5)

3 Dec 1943
HMS Telemachus (Cdr. W.D.A. King, DSO, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Scapa Flow together with HMS Meteor (Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMIS Cauvery (A/Cdr. A.W. Beeton, RIN). (6)

23 Mar 1944
HMS Ursula (Lt. A.G. Davies, RN) conducted A/S exercises at Scapa Flow with HMS Meteor (Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN), HMS Wakeful (Lt.Cdr. G.D. Pound, DSC, RN), HMS Milne (Capt. I.M.R. Campbell, DSO, RN) and HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN). (7)

11 May 1944
HMS Voracious (Lt. F.D.G. Challis, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises at/off Scapa Flow with HMS Onslow (Capt. J.A. McCoy, DSO, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Obedient (Lt.Cdr. H. Unwin, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Oribi (Lt.Cdr. J.C.A. Ingram, DSC and Bar, RN) and HMS Speedy (A/Lt.Cdr. W.L.G. Dutton, RNR). (8)

20 May 1944
HMS Voracious (Lt. F.D.G. Challis, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises at/off Scapa Flow with HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Ulysses (Lt.Cdr. R.J. Hanson, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Verulam (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Thomas, DSC, RN) and HMS Nubian (Lt.Cdr. T.A. Pack-Beresford, RN).

Upon completion of these exercises HMS Voracious departed Scapa Flow for Holy Loch. She was escorted by HMS Sardonyx (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E. Playne, RNVR). (8)

15 Jan 1945
HrMs Zeehond (Lt.Cdr. Baron D.T. Mackay, RNN) conducted A/S exercises off Scapa Flow with HMS Opportune (Cdr. R.E.D. Ryder, VC, RN), HMS Cavendish (Cdr. R.H. Maurice, DSO, RN) and HMS Cavalier (Lt.Cdr. D.T. McBarnet, RN). (9)