Allied Warships

HMS Winchester (L 55)

Destroyer of the Admiralty V & W class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty V & W 
PennantL 55 
ModFast escort 
Built byJ.S. White & Co. (Cowes, U.K.) 
Ordered9 Dec 1916 
Laid down12 Jun 1917 
Launched1 Feb 1918 
Commissioned29 Apr 1918 
End service 
History

Reconstruction to Fast Escort at Portsmouth Dockyard was completed on 9 April 1940.

HMS Winchester is not listed as active unit in the January 1945 Navy List

Sold to be broken up for scrap on 5 March 1946.

 

Commands listed for HMS Winchester (L 55)

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
1Lt.Cdr. Stuart Erskine Crewe-Read, RN9 Mar 1940Jan 1941
2Lt. Robert Andrew Morgan, RNJan 19413 Feb 1941
3Lt.Cdr. Dermod James Boris Jewitt, RN3 Feb 194131 May 1942
4Lt. John Ronald Gower, RN31 May 194217 Aug 1943
5Lt. John Kenneth Lyon, RN17 Aug 1943late 1944

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Notable events involving Winchester include:


10 May 1940
HMS Valentine (Cdr. H.J. Buchanan, RAN) and HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) departed Dover for Dunkirk where they arrived later the same day.

11 May 1940
The British (AA) destroyers HMS Valentine (Cdr. H.J. Buchanan, RAN), HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) and the French destroyers Sirocco (Lt.Cdr. G.R.C.M.J.M. de Toulouse-Lautrec) and Cyclone (Capt. Y.F.C.A.M. Urvoy de Portzamparc) departed Dunkirk for Flushing escorting the French transport Côte d'Argent (3047 GRT, built 1933).

After arrival early in the afternoon HMS Valentine and HMS Winchester gave AA protection to the Breskens - Flushing ferry until dusk.

Also the French transports Pavon (4128 GRT, built 1930) and Newhaven (1656 GRT, built 1911) were escorted in the Scheldt estuary.

12 May 1940
HMS Valentine (Cdr. H.J. Buchanan, RAN), HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) shifted from Flushing to Dunkirk.

13 May 1940
HMS Valentine (Cdr. H.J. Buchanan, RAN), HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) shifted from Dunkirk to Nieuport. HMS Winchester later returned to Dunkirk to replenish with ammunition on completion of which she proceeded to Flushing. Late on the day HMS Valentine also returned to Dunkirk to replenish with ammunition.

15 May 1940
HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) was damaged during German air attacks while supporting Allied land forces off the Dutch coast. Repairs were completed ca. mid June.

15 May 1940
HMS Valentine (Cdr. H.J. Buchanan, RAN), HMS Whitley (Lt.Cdr. G.N. Rolfe, RN) and HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN) were operating off Flushing during the night of 14/15 May 1940.

Early in the afternoon of the 15th, HMS Valentine and HMS Whitley were ordered to give AA protection to the Terneuzen - Hoedekenskerke ferry but they came under air attack and HMS Valentine was badly damaged and had to be beached near Terneuzen after which her wreck was scuttled by HMS Whitley. HMS Whitley then returned to Flushing.

25 Jun 1940
HMS Sealion (Lt.Cdr. B. Bryant, DSC, RN) departed Rosyth for her 9th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Skagerrak. Before proceeding on patrol two practice attacks were made on HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. S.E. Crewe-Read, RN).

For the daily and attack positions of HMS Sealion during this patrol see the map below.

(1)

15 Sep 1941
Around 0730A/15, the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (Capt. A.J.L. Phillips, RN) departed North Shields for Scapa Flow. She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Winchester ( Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN) and HMS Windsor (Lt.Cdr. J.M.G. Waldegrave, DSC, RN).

At 1200A/15, HMS Winchester was detached as was HMS Windsor 15 minutes later.

HMS Norfolk arrived at Scapa Flow around 1905A/15. Shortly before arrival a full power trial had been carried out. (2)

5 Feb 1942
The heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland (Capt. A.H. Maxwell-Hyslop, AM, RN) departed Rosyth for Sheerness. She is being escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Winchester (Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN) and HMS Cotswold (Lt.Cdr. R.C. Egan, RN). (3)

27 May 1943
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) conducted A/S exercises in the Firth of Forth with HMS Winchester (Lt. J.R. Gower, RN) and local defence craft. (4)

6 Jun 1943
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) conducted A/S exercises in the Firth of Forth with HMS Lady Beryl, HMS Brimness (Skr. A.E. Larner, RNR) and HMS Winchester (Lt. J.R. Gower, RN). (4)

Media links


British destroyers & frigates

Norman Friedman


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

Sources

  1. ADM 199/1835
  2. ADM 53/114813
  3. ADM 53/115682
  4. File 2.12.03.6390 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)

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


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