Allied Warships

HMS Eglinton (L 87)

Escort destroyer of the Hunt (Type I) class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeEscort destroyer
ClassHunt (Type I) 
PennantL 87 
Built byVickers Armstrong (Newcastle-on-Tyne, U.K.): Parsons 
Ordered21 Mar 1939 
Laid down8 Jun 1939 
Launched28 Dec 1939 
Commissioned28 Aug 1940 
End service 
History

Scrapped at Blyth on 28 May 1956.

Named after a Hunt in Ayrshire, Scotland.
First ship of with this name in the Royal Navy.

Battle Honours:
Atlantic 1940
English Channel 1940-1944
North Sea 1941-44
Normandy 1944

 

Commands listed for HMS Eglinton (L 87)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Cdr. Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux, RAN20 May 194017 Aug 1941
2Cdr. Charles Arthur de Winton Kitcat, RN17 Aug 194116 May 1942
3Lt.Cdr. Joseph Mansergh Palmer, RN16 May 194221 Feb 1944
4Lt.Cdr. Frank Maclear Graves, RN21 Feb 1944Nov 1944
5Capt. Jocelyn Stuart Cambridge Salter, DSO, OBE, RNNov 194426 Jun 1945
6Lt.Cdr. Charles Douglas Theodore Williams, RN26 Jun 1945late 1945

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Notable events involving Eglinton include:


4 Sep 1940
The aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. T.H. Troubridge, RN) conducted flying exercises off Scapa Flow. She was, most likely, escorted by the destroyer HMS Somali (Capt. C. Caslon, RN) and escort destroyer HMS Eglinton (Cdr. E.F.V. Dechaineux, RAN). (1)

5 Sep 1940
The aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. T.H. Troubridge, RN) conducted flying exercises off Scapa Flow. She was, most likely, escorted by the destroyer HMS Somali (Capt. C. Caslon, RN), HMS Punjabi (Cdr. J.T. Lean, DSO, RN), HMS Matabele (Cdr. R.St.V. Sherbrooke, DSO, RN) and the escort destroyer HMS Eglinton (Cdr. E.F.V. Dechaineux, RAN). Not all these escorts were not with the carrier the entire time. (1)

8 Sep 1940
The aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. T.H. Troubridge, RN) conducted flying exercises off Scapa Flow. She was, most likely, escorted by the destroyers HMS Tartar (Cdr. L.P. Skipwith, RN), HMS Punjabi (Cdr. J.T. Lean, DSO, RN) and escort destroyer HMS Eglinton (Cdr. E.F.V. Dechaineux, RAN). (2)

7 Jun 1944

Convoy EWP 1.

This convoy departed Portsmouth on 7 June 1944 and arrived on 8 June 1944 off the Normandy beaches.

It was made up of the transports; Batavier II (Dutch, 1573 GRT, built 1920), Biarritz (British, 2388 GRT, built 1915), Cameronia (British, 16297 GRT, built 1920), Devonshire (British, 11275 GRT, built 1939), Empire Arquebus (British, 7177 GRT, built 1944), Empire Crossbow (British, 7177 GRT, built 1944), Leopoldville (Belgian, 11509 GRT, built 1929), Neuralia (British, 9182 GRT, built 1912), New Bedford (British, 1595 GRT, built 1928) and Worcestershire (British, 11402 GRT, built 1931).

The depot / headquarters ships, HMS Adventure (A/Capt. A.M. Sheffield, RN), HMS Despatch (Cdr. R.T. White, DSO, RN) and Southern Prince (Capt. (Retd.) R.H.F. de Salis, DSC, OBE, RN) were also with this convoy.

The convoy was escorted by the escort destroyer HMS Eglinton (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Graves, RN), sloops HMS Redpole (Lt.Cdr. I.M. Carrs, RN), HMS Stork (Cdr.(Retd.) G.W.E. Castens, DSO, RN) and the frigates HMS Duff (T/A/Lt.Cdr. F. Brock, RCNVR) and HMS Hotham (A/Lt.Cdr. S. Ayles, RNR).

28 Jun 1944
HMS Hotham (A/Lt.Cdr. S. Ayles, RNR) and HMS Eglinton (Lt.Cdr. F.M. Graves, RN) pick up survivors from the British landing ship infantry Maid of Orleans that had been sunk by the German U-boat U-988 southeast of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight in position 50°06'N, 00°41'W.

Sources

  1. ADM 53/111566 + ADM 53/112273
  2. ADM 53/112273 + ADM 53/112299

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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