Allied Warships

HMS Mansfield (G 76)

Destroyer of the Town class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassTown 
PennantG 76 
Built byBath Iron Works (Bath, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down28 Dec 1917 
Launched30 Oct 1918 
Commissioned23 Oct 1940 
End service22 Jun 1944 
History

From December 1940 to March 1942 loaned to Royal Norwegian Navy as HNoMS Mansfield (G 76).
from September 1942 to June 1944 loaned to Royal Canadian Navy
decommissioned on 22 June 1944 and sold for scrap at Vancouver.  

Former nameUSS Evans (DD 78)

Commands listed for HMS Mansfield (G 76)

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. William Archibald Rosebery Cartwright, RN23 Oct 1940Dec 1940

2Lt.Cdr. Leonard Charles Hill, OBE, RNRMar 19427 Jul 1943
3Lt.Cdr. Frederick John Gwynn Jones, RD, RNR7 Jul 1943late 1943

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Notable events involving Mansfield include:


27 May 1942
Around 1115Z/27, the light cruiser HMS Colombo (Capt. W.P. Carne, RN) departed Bathurst for the U.K. via the Azores.

Around 1450Z/27, she joined the troop transport Empress of Russia (British, 16810 GRT, built 1913) and her escort, made up of the destroyer HMS Wild Swan (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, RN) and the ocean boarding vessel HMS Largs (Cdr. E.A. Divers, RNR). They had departed Freetown around 0645Z/26.

Around 1600Z/28, HMS Wild Swan parted company to proceed to Bathurst to fuel.

Around 1700Z/31, HMS Colombo parted company with the other ships to proceed to the Azores.

On HMS Colombo rejoining the troop transport on 1 June 1942, HMS Largs parted company.

On 3 June 1942, the destroyers HMS Charlestown (Lt.Cdr. N.R. Murch, RN), HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) and HMS Salisbury (Lt.Cdr. H.M.R. Crichton, RN) joined in approximate position 47°35'N, 21°34'W. HMS Colombo then parted company to proceed to Plymouth where she arrived on 5 June 1942.

The Empress of Russia and HMS Mansfield arrived at Liverpool on 6 June 1942. HMS Charlestown arrived at londonderry on 5 June and HMS Salisbury at Greenock also on 5 June having been detached. (1)

31 Jul 1942
The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle (Capt. L.D. Mackintosh, DSC, RN) and AA cruisers HMS Charybdis (Capt. G.A.W. Voelcker, RN) conducted exercises off Gibraltar. They were escorted by destroyer but their names are currently not known to us except for one being HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR).

The exercises were later cancelled and all ships returned to Gibraltar. (2)

5 Aug 1942
After temporary repairs at Gibraltar around 2300 hours, HMS Liverpool (Capt. W.R. Slayter, DSC, RN) departed that port for Rosyth where full repairs were to be made. She was escorted by HMS Georgetown (Lt.Cdr. P.G. MacIver, RNR) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR).

HMS Georgetown was detached to Londonderry around 1800/9.

HMS Mansfield was detached to Liverpool around 1800/10. HMS Sennen (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Abram, RN) had been sailed from Londonderry on the 10th to join HMS Liverpool. Most likely she joined before HMS Mansfield was detached but there is no mention in the log of Liverpool of Sennen joining the escort.

At 1552/11 HMS Liverpool was joined by HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Avon Vale (Lt.Cdr. P.A.R. Withers, DSO, RN) but at 1831 hours, HMS Walpole, took over from Avon Vale. (3)

17 Mar 1943

HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) picks up 61 survivors from the Dutch merchant Terkoelei that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-631 in the North Atlantic in position 51°45'N, 31°15'W.

HMS Mansfield also picks up 16 survivors from the American merchant Ir?n?e Du Pont that was torpedoed and damaged by German U-boat U-600 in the North Atlantic in position 50°36'N, 34°30'W. The abandoned Ir?n?e Du Pont was later sunk by German U-boat U-91 in position 50°38'N, 34°46'W.

5 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Aberdeen (Lt.Cdr. H. Day, RN), HMS Vanquisher (Lt.Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN), HMS Wrestler (Lt. R.W.B. Lacon, DSC, RN) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR). (4)

7 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) and HMS Vanquisher (Lt.Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN). (4)

14 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Amazon (Lt.Cdr. D.H.P. Gardiner, DSC, RN), HMS Witherington (Lt.Cdr. R.B.S. Tennant, RN), HMS Folkestone (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, OBE, RN) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR). (4)

Media links


British destroyers & frigates

Norman Friedman


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

Sources

  1. ADM 53/115648 + ADM 53/116155 + ADM 199/2241 + ADM 199/2242
  2. ADM 53/115576 + ADM 53/116163
  3. ADM 53/116164
  4. ADM 173/17783

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


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