Allied Warships

HMS Wren (i) (D 88)

Destroyer of the Admiralty Modified W class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Admiralty Modified W
Pennant	D 88
Built by	Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. (Scotstoun, Scotland)
Ordered	Jan 1918
Laid down	Jun 1918
Launched	11 Nov 1919
Commissioned	27 Jan 1923
Lost	27 Jul 1940
Loss position	52° 10'N, 2° 06'E

History	HMS Wren was completed by Pembroke Dockyard. HMS Wren (Lt.Cdr. Frederick William George Harker, RN) was bombed and sunk on 27 July 1940 by German aircraft about 20 nautical miles east of Aldeburgh in position 52º10'N, 02º06'E. HMS Montrose was damaged in the same attack.

Commands listed for HMS Wren (i) (D 88)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Cdr. William Halford Selby, RN	31 Jul 1939	13 Jan 1940
2	Cdr. Harold Thomas Armstrong, RN	13 Jan 1940	30 May 1940
3	Lt.Cdr. Frederick William George Harker, RN	30 May 1940	27 Jul 1940 (+)

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Notable events involving Wren (i) include:

6 Feb 1940
HMS Exeter (Capt. F.S. Bell, CB, RN), and her escorts, HMS Renown (Capt. C.E.B. Simeon, RN), HMS Ark Royal (Capt. A.J. Power, RN), HMS Dainty (Cdr. M.S. Thomas, RN) and HMS Diamond (Lt.Cdr. P.A. Cartwright, RN) departed Freetown for Plymouth.

HMS Ark Royal and the destroyers parted company around 1800/9. Ark Royal was to proceed direct to the U.K. while the destroyers were to arrive at Dakar at 0900 (GMT) on the 11th.

Around dawn at 13 February 1940, HMS Renown and HMS Exeter were joined by HMS Hasty (Lt.Cdr. L.R.K. Tyrwhitt, RN).

Around 0900/14 four more destroyers joined, HMS Hearty (Lt.Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN), HMS Ardent (Lt.Cdr. J.F. Barker, RN), HMS Wren (Cdr. H.T. Armstrong, RN) and HMS Wolverine (Cdr. R.H. Craske, RN). (1)

13 May 1940
French troops were landed at Bjervik, Norway today. This is just to the north of Narvik. The town was captured successfully.

Naval ships involved in landing the troops and to provide cover were; battleship HMS Resolution (Capt. O. Bevir, RN), light cruisers HMS Aurora (Capt. L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO, RN), HMS Effingham (Capt. J.M. Howson, RN) which both landed French troops, repair ship HMS Vindictive (Capt. A.R. Halfhide, RN), netlayer HMS Protector (Capt. W.Y la L. Beverley, RN) and the destroyers HMS Somali (Capt. R.S.G. Nicholson, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN), HMS Fame (Cdr. P.N. Walter, RN), HMS Basilisk (Cdr. M. Richmond, OBE, RN) and HMS Wren (Cdr. H.T. Armstrong, RN).

Air cover for this operation was provided, from a distance, by aircraft from HMS Ark Royal (Capt. A.J. Power, RN).

Later this day these ships also bombarded Narvik with the assistance of aircraft from the Ark Royal.