View source for HMS Hereward (H93)

{{Short description|H-class destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Hereward (H93) underway on 20 December 1939.jpg
|Ship caption=''Hereward'' underway, 20 December 1939
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Hereward''
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Vickers-Armstrongs]], [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne|High Walker]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=28 February 1935
|Ship launched=10 March 1936
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=9 December 1936
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: H93
|Ship motto= 'Vigila et ora' ('Watch and pray')
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Sunk by aircraft, 29 May 1941
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=as built
|Ship class=[[G and H-class destroyer|H-class]] [[destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1350|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|1883|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|323|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*3 [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
*{{convert|34000|shp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts, 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|5530|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=137 (peacetime), 146 (wartime)
|Ship sensors=[[ASDIC]]
|Ship armament=*4 × single [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX|4.7 in (120&nbsp;mm) guns]]
*2 × quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|.50 cal (12.7&nbsp;mm) machine gun]]s
*2 × quadruple [[British 21 inch torpedo|21 in (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tubes]]
*1 × [[depth charge]] rail, 2 throwers and 20 × depth charges
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Hereward''''', named after [[Hereward the Wake]], was an [[G and H-class destroyer|H-class]] [[destroyer]] built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the mid-1930s. She was assigned to the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] before and the ship spent four months during the [[Spanish Civil War]] in mid-1937 in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. When the [[World War II|Second World War]] began in September 1939, the ship was in the Mediterranean, but was shortly transferred to the [[South Atlantic]] to hunt for German [[commerce raider]]s and [[blockade runner]]s, capturing one of the latter in November. ''Hereward'' was transferred to the [[Home Fleet]] in May 1940 and rescued [[Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]] after the [[Battle of the Netherlands|Germans had invaded]].

The ship was transferred back to the Mediterranean Fleet later that month, and escorted [[Malta convoys|convoys to Malta]] as well as escorting the larger ships of the fleet. She sank an Italian submarine in December before sinking the Italian [[torpedo boat]] {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Vega||2}} the following month. ''Hereward'' took part in the [[Battle of Cape Matapan]] in March 1941, and helped to [[Operation Demon|evacuate Allied troops from Greece]] in April. In May the ship sank several small ships of a German convoy attempting to [[Battle of Crete|land troops on Crete]]. Later that month, she was bombed and sunk by German [[dive bomber]]s as she was [[Battle of Crete#Evacuation, 28 May – 1 June|evacuating Allied troops from Crete]]. Her survivors and a number of evacuees were rescued by Italian vessels and they became [[prisoners of war]].

==Description==
''Hereward'' displaced {{convert|1350|LT|t}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load and {{convert|1883|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. The ship had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|323|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|33|ft|m|1}} and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|12|ft|5|in|m|1}}. She was powered by [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, driving two shafts, which developed a total of {{convert|34000|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}. Steam for the turbines was provided by three Admiralty 3-drum [[water-tube boiler]]s. ''Hereward'' carried a maximum of {{convert|470|LT|t}} of [[fuel oil]] that gave her a range of {{convert|5530|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn}}. The ship's complement was 137 officers and men in peacetime,<ref name=w78>Whitley, p. 109</ref> but this increased to 146 in wartime.<ref>English, pp. 89, 102</ref>

The ship mounted four 45-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[4.7 inch QF Mark XII|4.7-inch (120&nbsp;mm) Mk IX guns]] in single mounts. For [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) defence, ''Hereward'' had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5&nbsp;inch Vickers Mk III]] [[machine gun]]. She was fitted with two above-water quadruple [[torpedo tube]] mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch]] torpedoes.<ref name=w78/> One [[depth charge]] rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.<ref>English, p. 141</ref> Beginning in mid-1940, the ship's anti-aircraft armament was increased, although when exactly the modifications were made is not known. The rear set of torpedo tubes was replaced by a [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|12-pounder]] AA gun.<ref name=w0>Whitley, p. 110</ref>

==Service==
The ship was [[Keel laying|laid down]] by the [[Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne|High Walker]] Yard of [[Vickers Armstrong]] at [[Newcastle-on-Tyne]] on 28 February 1935, [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 10 March 1936 and completed on 9 December 1936. Excluding government-furnished equipment like the armament, the ship cost £249,591.<ref>English, pp. 102–03</ref> She tested the twin-gun mounting intended for use on the {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer (1936)|0}} destroyers in January–March 1937 at [[Gibraltar]]. It was removed at the end of the trials and her two forward guns were replaced immediately afterwards. The ship was then assigned to the [[2nd Destroyer Flotilla]] of the Mediterranean Fleet and began patrolling Spanish waters in the Mediterranean enforcing the [[Non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War|Non-Intervention Agreement]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]]. ''Hereward'' was refitted in Malta from 30 September to 30 October 1937 and again a year later, this time in [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth Dockyard]] in June–July 1939 and she returned to the Mediterranean afterwards.<ref name=e67>English, pp. 106–07</ref>

''Hereward'' was transferred to [[Freetown]] to hunt for German commerce raiders in the South Atlantic with Force K in October. The ship and her [[sister ship|sisters]], {{HMS|Hardy|H87|2}}, {{HMS|Hasty|H24|2}}, and {{HMS|Hostile|H55|2}}, rendezvoused with the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Renown|1916|2}}, the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Ark Royal|91|2}}, and the [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Neptune|20|2}} on 17 December. They refueled in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, before proceeding to the estuary of the [[Río de la Plata|River Plate]] in case the damaged German [[pocket battleship]] {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Graf Spee||2}} attempted to escape from [[Montevideo]], Uruguay, where she had taken refuge after losing the [[Battle of the River Plate]]. ''Hereward'' captured the German blockade runner ''Uhenfels'' on 5 November.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 7–8, 11</ref> The ship was based at [[Trinidad]] from 20 November to 23 January 1940 and blockaded the German merchant ship ''Arauca'' in [[Port Everglades]], [[Florida]], whilst based there. She escorted the [[battleship]] {{HMS|Valiant|1914|2}} to [[CFB Halifax|Halifax]], but suffered weather damage en route that required three weeks for repairs. ''Hereward'' then escorted the [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Orion|85|2}} to the UK as the latter carried the ashes of [[John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir|John Buchan]], [[Governor General of Canada]], home. She required further repairs at Portsmouth upon arrival and missed the [[Battles of Narvik]] in April.<ref name=e67/>

''Hereward'' escorted ships into [[Scheveningen]], [[Netherlands]] on 11 May to evacuate British citizens after the Germans invaded the previous day.<ref name=e7>English, p. 107</ref> She evacuated Queen Wilhelmina and her family from the Netherlands on 13 May,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uNoLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5VQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4072,3472155&dq=wilhelmina+of+netherlands+and+escape ''Holland's Queen Barely Escaped,''] ''The Evening Independent'' (St. Petersburg, Florida). 17 May 1940</ref> and was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet a few days later. The ship arrived at [[Alexandria]] on 24 May and began escorting convoys and larger ships of the fleet.<ref name=e7/> ''Hereward'' took part in the [[Battle of Calabria]] in July 1940, where she was hit by splinters from a near-miss of the Italian battleship {{ship|Italian battleship|Giulio Cesare||2}}.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Jordan, John|last=O'Hara|first=Vincent|chapter=The Action off Calabria and the Myth of Moral Ascendancy|publisher=Conway|place=London|date=2008|title=Warship 2008|isbn=978-1-84486-062-3}}</ref> The ship escorted a convoy during [[Operation Collar (Convoy)|Operation Collar]] and then fired at retreating Italians in [[Cyrenaica]] after the [[Battle of Sidi Barrani]]. Together with her [[sister ship|sister]] {{HMS|Hyperion|H97|2}}, she sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Naiade}} on 13 December. ''Hereward'' escorted the [[battleship]]s of the Mediterranean Fleet as they bombarded [[Vlorë|Valona]] on 19 December and then sortied into the North Atlantic when Convoy WS-5A reported that it had been attacked by the {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Hipper}} on 25 December. She escorted three of the convoy's ship to Gibraltar on 29 December.<ref name=e7/>

[[File:Pictures For Illustrating Ritchie Ii Book. November and December 1942, Alexandria, Pictures of Paintings by Lieutenant Commander R Langmaid, Rn, Official Fleet Artist. These Pictures Are For Illustrating a Nava A13637.jpg|thumb|left|''Hereward'' (foreground) depicted on the day of her sinking in a painting by [[Rowland Langmaid]]]]
The ship took part in [[Operation Excess]] in early January 1941 and sank the {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Vega||6}} on 10 January with a torpedo in the [[Strait of Sicily]].<ref name=e7/> Together with the destroyer {{HMS|Decoy|H75|2}} and the [[gunboat]] {{HMS|Ladybird|1916|2}}, ''Hereward'' landed commandos on the island of [[Kastelorizo]] as part of [[Operation Abstention]], but they were overwhelmed by an Italian counter-attack. Only a few survivors were taken off two days later.<ref>Rohwer, p. 61</ref> The ship took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan in early March 1941 and the evacuation of Greece in April 1941. ''Hereward'', her [[sister ship]] {{HMS|Hero|H99|2}}, the destroyer {{HMS|Defender|H07|2}} and cruiser {{HMS|Phoebe|43|2}} rescued all the crew and all 2,600 troops from the Dutch [[Troopship|troop ship]] {{SS|Costa Rica||2}} on 27 April.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4104-31APR02.htm |last=Kindell |first=Don |title=Naval Events, April 1941 (Part 2 of 2) |work=British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day |publisher=Naval-History.net |access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref> She sank a number of fishing boats transporting German troops to Crete on 21 May, and helped evacuate the Allied garrison of [[Heraklion]] on 29 May<ref name=e7/> carrying 450 troops on board. Later that day she was attacked by [[Germany|German]] [[Junkers Ju 87|Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka"]] dive bombers and hit by one bomb just in front of her forward [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]. She turned towards the nearby coast of Crete, but was sunk by further air attacks off Cape [[Sideros]].<ref name=scm>Shores, Cull and Malizi, p. 391</ref> The bomb that sank the ship was dropped by a Ju 87 belonging to III./[[Sturzkampfgeschwader 2|''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 2]] (StG 2–Dive Bomber Wing 2).<ref>Weal, p. 39</ref> Four officers and 72 crewmen were killed, but the 89 survivors, along with the majority of the evacuees were rescued and taken prisoner by Italian [[MAS (ship)|MAS torpedo boats]]<ref name="e7" /><ref name=scm/> and the destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Francesco Crispi||2}}.<ref>Alexiades, p. 57</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{Cite book|title=Target Corinth Canal: 1940–1944|last=Alexiades|first=Platon|publisher=Pen & Sword|year=2015|isbn=978-1-47385-956-2}}
* {{cite book |last=English |first=John |year=1993 |title=Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s |place=Kendal |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0-905617-64-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Rohwer |first=Jürgen |year=2005 |title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |edition=Third Revised |place=Annapolis, MD |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=1-59114-119-2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shores |first1=Christopher |last2=Cull |first2=Brian |last3=Malizia |first3=Nicola |year=1987 |title=Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece, and Crete |place=London |publisher=Grub Street |isbn=0-948817-07-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Whitley |first=M.J. |year=1988 |title=Destroyers of World War 2 |place=Annapolis, MD |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-326-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Weal |first=John |year=2008 |title=Junkers Ju 87 Stukageschwader of the Russian Front |place=Oxford |publisher=Osprey |isbn=978-1-84603-308-7}}

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{{G and H class destroyer}}
{{May 1941 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hereward (H93)}}
[[Category:G and H-class destroyers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Tyne]]
[[Category:1936 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1941]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Crete]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German aircraft]]
[[Category:Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Ships built by Vickers Armstrong]]
[[Category:Destroyers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Greece]]