Allied Warships

HMS Roxborough ( I 07)

Destroyer of the Town class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Town
Pennant	I 07
Built by	Fore River Shipbuilding Co. (Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)
Ordered
Laid down	7 Aug 1918
Launched	14 Dec 1918
Commissioned	23 Sep 1940
End service	1 Aug 1944
History	Commissioned as HMS Roxborough 23 September 1940, the destroyer crossed the Atlantic to join the Western Approaches Command, guarding convoys during the dangerous last leg of their voyages into British ports. In March 1942, Roxborough took up western Atlantic escort duty out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Returning to the Tyne 10 January 1944, Roxborough lay in reserve there until transferred to Russia 1 August 1944. She was returned to Great Britain 7 February. She was scrapped in 1952.
Former name	USS Foote (DD 169)
Career notes	to Soviet Union as USSR Doblestnyj

Commands listed for HMS Roxborough ( I 07)

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	Commander	From	To
1	Lt. Vere Alison Wight-Boycott, RN	23 Sep 1940	May 1942
2	Lt.Cdr. Alfred Christopher Price, RN	May 1942	15 Jan 1943 (+)
3	T/Lt. Gerald Maurice Greenwood, RCNVR	15 Jan 1943	20 Jan 1943
4	Lt. Michael Charles Morris, RN	Jan 1943	Sep 1943
5	Lt. Francis Louis Boyer, RN	Sep 1943	27 Dec 1943
6	Cdr. Edgar George Skinner, DSC, RD, RCNR	27 Dec 1943	Jan 1944

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Notable events involving Roxborough include:

23 Mar 1941

Convoy SL 69.

This convoy departed Freetown on 23 March 1941 and arrived at Liverpool on 18 April 1941.

On departure from Freetown this convoy was made up of the following ships; Agioi Victores (Greek, 4344 GRT, built 1918), Alberte le Borgne (British, 3921 GRT, built 1914), Anna (Greek, 5173 GRT, built 1919), Aurillac (British, 4733 GRT, built 1921), Baron Napier (British, 3559 GRT, built 1930), Baronesa (British, 8663 GRT, built 1918), British Justice (British (tanker), 6932 GRT, built 1928), Bulysses (British, 7519 GRT, built 1927), Christine Marie (British, 3895 GRT, built 1919), City of Bath (British, 5079 GRT, built 1926), City of Wellington (British, 5732 GRT, built 1925), Clan Maquarrie (British, 6471 GRT, built 1913), Corilla (Dutch (tanker), 8096 GRT, built 1939), Dago II (British, 1993 GRT, built 1917), Daru (British, 3854 GRT, built 1927), Dornoch (British, 5186 GRT, built 1939), Empire Advocate (British, 5787 GRT, built 1913), Floristan (British, 5478 GRT, built 1928), Glenaffric (British, 7782 GRT, built 1920), Glenbeg (British, 9461 GRT, built 1922), Harpalycus (British, 5629 GRT, built 1935), Hopecastle (British, 5178 GRT, built 1937), L.A. Christensen (Norwegian, 4362 GRT, built 1925), Lekhaven (Dutch, 4802 GRT, built 1921), Madras City (British, 5080 GRT, built 1940), Marton (British, 4969 GRT, built 1933), Mobeka (Belgian, 6111 GRT, built 1937), Mountpark (British, 4648 GRT, built 1938), Narkunda (British, 16632 GRT, built 1920), Nijkerk (Dutch, 5843 GRT, built 1915), Palembang (Dutch, 7070 GRT, built 1921), Pantelis (Greek, 3845 GRT, built 1911), Pontfield (British (tanker), 8319 GRT, built 1940), Roumanie (Belgian, 3658 GRT, built 1906), Salland (Dutch, 6447 GRT, built 1920), San Francisco (Swedish, 4933 GRT, built 1915), Sangara (British, 4174 GRT, built 1939), Sarthe (British, 5271 GRT, built 1920), Selvistan (British, 5136 GRT, built 1924), St. Usk (British, 5472 GRT, built 1909), Swedru (British, 5379 GRT, built 1937) and Tekoa (British, 8695 GRT, built 1922).

On departure from Freetown the convoy was escorted by the light cruiser HMS Mauritius (Capt. W.D. Stephens, RN), armed merchant cruiser HMS Arawa (A/Capt. G.R. Deverell, RN), sloop Commandant Domine and the corvettes HMS Clematis (Cdr. Y.M. Cleeves, DSC, RD, RNR) and HMS Cyclamen (Lt. H.N. Lawson, RNR).

In the morning of March 25, HMS Mauritius is ordered to proceed to position 07°24'N, 24°35'W and investigate a raider report.

At 1359/25, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse (Capt. W.G. Tennant, CB, MVO, RN) was ordered to complete with fuel and then depart Freetown to overtake the convoy to join the escort. HMS Repulse arrived near the convoy around 1700/27 and then started to provide 'distant' cover.

At 1941/25, the aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. A.G. Talbot, DSO, RN and the destroyers HMS Duncan (Lt.Cdr. A.N. Rowell, RN) and HMS Foxhound (Cdr. G.H. Peters, DSC, RN) were ordered to leave Freetown at 0700/26 and to overtake and join the convoy as well. This order was cancelled at 0301/26 but at 1121/26 the ships were ordered to sail as soon as possible to overtake the convoy wich they did around 2300/27 after which the destroyers returned to Freetown.

On 26 March 1941 the convoy was joined by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Bulolo (Capt.(Retd.) R.L. Hamer, RN). She remained with the convoy until March, 29th as did the corvettes HMS Clematis and HMS Cyclamen.

On 29 March, HMS Repulse, HMS Furious, HMS Duncan, HMS Foxhound parted company with the convoy escorting the troopship Narkunda to Gibraltar where they arrived on 3 April.

HMS Mauritius had been ordered to rejoin the convoy when Repulse would leave it. She remained with the convoy until 5 April 1941 when she was relieved by the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh (Capt. C.M. Blackman, DSO, RN).

On 14 April HMS Edinburgh and HMS Arawa parted company with the convoy when the destroyers HMS Roxborough (Lt. V.A. Wight-Boycott, OBE, RN), HMS Sherwood (Lt.Cdr. S.W.F. Bennetts, RN), sloop HMS Weston (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G. Sutton, RN), and the corvettes HMS Clarkia (Lt.Cdr. F.J.G. Jones, RNR) and HMS Gladiolus (Lt.Cdr. H.M.C. Sanders, DSC, RNR) joined. The next day the two more destroyers; HMS Saladin (Lt.Cdr. L.J. Dover, RN) and HMS Salisbury (Lt.Cdr. H.M.R. Crichton, RN) also joined.

The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 16 April 1941.

23 Apr 1941
HrMs O 10 (Lt. J.H. Geijs, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Keppel (Cdr. A.M. Sheffield, RN), HMS Douglas (Cdr. W.E. Banks, DSC, RN), HMS Roxborough (Lt. V.A. Wight-Boycott, OBE, RN), HMS Gladiolus (Lt.Cdr. H.M.C. Sanders, DSC, RNR), HMS Veronica (Lt.Cdr. (retired) D.F. White, RNR), HMS St. Elstan (T/Lt. G. Butcher, RNVR) and HMS Vizalma (T/Lt. M.M. Firth, RNVR). (1)

9 May 1941
HrMs O 10 (Lt. J.H. Geijs, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Roxborough (Lt. V.A. Wight-Boycott, OBE, RN), HMS St. Elstan (T/Lt. G. Butcher, RNVR) and HMS St. Zeno (T/Lt. J.K. Craig, RNVR). (1)

1 Jul 1941
HMS H 34 (Lt. H. Winter, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Boadicea (A/Cdr. E.C.L. Turner, RN), HMS Beagle (Cdr. R.T. White, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Roxborough (Lt. V.A. Wight-Boycott, OBE, RN), HMS Orchis (T/Lt. H. Vernon, RNR) and aircraft. (2)

15 Jan 1943
The Commanding Officer of HMS Roxborough, Lt.Cdr. Alfred Christopher Price, RN dies when a huge wave crushed the ships bridge. 2 other crewmembers were also killed in this incident.