HMS Wakeful was a W-class destroyer ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Glasgow on 3 December 1941 as part of the 9th Emergency Flotilla. She was laid down on 3 June 1942 under the provisional name of Zebra, but was renamed Wakeful in January 1943, exchanging names with a destroyer also under construction, which was subsequently launched as HMS Zebra. She became the second ship of the name, the first being an Admiralty W-class destroyer sunk by a German E-Boat off Dunkirk in 1940 during Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk.
Service historyedit
Second World Waredit
Wakeful joined the Home Fleet on 17 February 1944 for sea trials and working up, before entering active service in March and forming part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla when more ships of the class became available. While serving with the Home Fleet the Flotilla was deployed to support Operation Tungsten, where she served as an escort vessel during the air raids on the German battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord. In May 1944 Wakeful served as an escort during air attacks on German shipping off Narvik and Stadlandet, Norway as part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla.
Throughout June and July 1944 she was refitted for redeployment to the Eastern Fleet remaining with the 27th Destroyer Flotilla for operations in the Indian Ocean based at Trincomalee. In October 1944 the Eastern Fleet initiated diversionary air attacks on the Nicobar Islands during the US amphibious assault of Leyte. In November 1944 Wakeful, with the remainder of the Flotilla, was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet upon its formation.
In January 1945 she took part in Operation Meridian One as an escort during air attacks on refineries at Pladjoe, and then took part in Operation Meridian Two as an escort during air raids on Soengi-Gerong near Palembang. In March 1945 the British Pacific Fleet joined Admiral Raymond Spruance's United States Fifth Fleet, before joining Admiral William Halsey's United States Third Fleet in May 1945. During August 1945 Wakeful was on escort duties during the Royal Navy and United States Navy's air raids on Hokkaido and North Honshū. The destroyer was in Tokyo Bay during the formal surrender and was available to support the occupation of Japan, remaining in Japanese waters to help with the repatriation of allied nationals before departing for Sydney. She returned to the UK in December 1945, having received the battle honours 'North Sea 1944' and 'East Indies 1944' for her wartime service.
Post waredit
Between 1948 and 1950 her captain was Commander Royston Wright.
She was assigned the new pennant number F159 and served in the Mediterranean as a part of the 5th Frigate Squadron until 1957. During this time she took part in Operation Musketeer, the Anglo-French assault on Port Said to take control of the Suez Canal. In 1959 she recommissioned as leader of the Portsmouth Squadron, as a training tender to the Navigational Training School at HMS Dryad, and as trials ship to the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE). On 25 February 1960 she was used for the burial at sea of Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma off the coast of Portsmouth. On 25 August 1960, the destroyer Battleaxe was carrying out steam trials while moored alongside the minelayer Apollo at Portsmouth, when steam was let into the ship's turbines, driving the ship forward and breaking Apollo's mooring lines. Apollo then collided with Wakeful, which also broke free from her moorings and struck the caisson at the entrance to a dock. Apollo's stem was damaged, while Wakeful suffered buckled plates from the impact by Apollo and a badly damaged bow from the collision with the caisson.[3]
In April 1964 she was part of the 2nd Frigate Squadron and took part in 'Navy Days' in Portsmouth during that year.[4] In the same year Wakeful was used for the filming of the opening scenes of The Bedford Incident, including Sidney Poitier's initial flypast and landing from a Whirlwind helicopter, when her pennant number F159 is clearly visible. (Some interior scenes were filmed in her sister Type 15 frigateTroubridge.)
Between 1966 and 1967 she was fitted with experimental satellite communication equipment and stabilisers for trials. In 1968 she took part in 'Navy Days' at Portsmouth Dockyard and at this time was part of the 2nd Frigate Squadron.[1] On 31 October 1967 she escorted the RMS Queen Mary out of Southampton on her final voyage to Long Beach for retirement. In August 1968 she took part in the Western Fleet Review that sailed 50 ships in a review of the fleet carried out by the newly promoted Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Begg on his retirement.
HMS Wakeful (Commanded by Lt.Cdr. David Whitehead) also went up the Ouistreham Canal for the 25th Anniversary of D Day in June 1969. Later that year she was replaced by Grenville.[5] and Lieutenant Commander David Whitehead was transferred to HMS Grenville as her new commanding officer at this time.
Decommissioning and disposaledit
In 1970 Wakeful was put on the Disposal List, and on 26 February left Portsmouth for de-equipping. She was sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrapping on 10 July 1971 and arrived in tow at Inverkeithing for demolition on 5 July that year.[6]
^Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. p. 76. ISBN0-9506323-9-2.
^Mason, Geoffrey B. (2001). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Wakeful (ii) (R 59) – W-class Destroyer". Retrieved 1 May 2015.
Referencesedit
Barnett, Correlli (2000). Engage the enemy more closely : Royal Navy in the Second World War. London: Penguin Classic Military History. ISBN0-14-139008-5.
de S. Winser, John (1999). B.E.F. ships Before, at and After Dunkirk. World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-91-6.
Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN0-85680-010-4.
Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-326-1.
External linksedit
HMS Wakeful at uboat.net
HMS Wakeful at naval-history.net
April 11, 2024
wakeful, 1943, other, ships, with, same, name, wakeful, wakeful, class, destroyer, royal, navy, launched, 1943, service, during, second, world, later, converted, into, type, fast, anti, submarine, frigate, sold, scrap, 1971, wakeful, underway, february, 1944hi. For other ships with the same name see HMS Wakeful HMS Wakeful was a W class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched in 1943 She saw service during the Second World War and was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti submarine frigate She was sold for scrap in 1971 HMS Wakeful underway on 28 February 1944HistoryUnited KingdomNameHMS WakefulOrdered3 December 1941BuilderFairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Govan ScotlandLaid down3 June 1942Launched30 June 1943Commissioned17 February 1944IdentificationPennant number 1941 1953 R59 1953 1970 F159MottoSi dormiam capiar If I sleep I may be caught FateSold for scrap on 10 June 1971BadgeOn a Black field an eye proper with rays ensuing therefore Gold General characteristics as W classClass and typeW class destroyerDisplacement1 710 tons 1 730 tonnes 2 530 tons full 2 570 tonnes Length362 75 ft 110 57 m o aBeam35 75 ft 10 90 m Draught10 ft 3 0 m Propulsion2 Admiralty 3 drum boilers Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines 40 000 shp 30 MW 2 shaftsSpeed36 knots 67 km h 41 mph 32 knots 59 km h 37 mph fullRange4 675 nautical miles 8 658 km 5 380 mi at 20 knots 37 km h 23 mph Complement179 225 as leader Sensors and processing systemsRadar Type 272 target indication Radar Type 291 air warning Radar Type 285 fire control on director Mk III W Radar Type 282 fire control on 40 mm mount Mk IVArmament4 QF 4 7 inch 120 mm L 45 Mk IX single mounts CP Mk XXII 4 QF 2 pdr Mk VIII quad mount Mk VII or 2 QF 40 mm Bofors twin mount Hazemeyer Mk IV4 A A mountings twin 20 mm Oerlikon Mk V single Bofors 40 mm Mk III or Boffin Mk V single QF 2 pdr Mk XVI8 4x2 tubes for 21 inch 533 mm torpedoes Mk IX 2 racks amp 4 throwers for 70 depth chargesGeneral characteristics Type 15 frigateClass and typeType 15 frigateDisplacement2 300 tons standard Length358 ft 109 m o aBeam37 75 ft 11 51 m Draught14 5 ft 4 4 m Propulsion2 Admiralty 3 drum boilers steam turbines on 2 shafts 40 000 shp 30 MW Speed31 knots 57 km h 36 mph full load Complement174Sensors and processing systemsRadar Type 293Q target indication Type 277Q surface search Type 974 navigation Type 262 fire control on director CRBF Type 1010 Cossor Mark 10 IFF Sonar Type 174 search Type 162 target classification Type 170 attackArmament1 twin 4 in gun Mark 19 1 twin 40mm Bofors Mk 5 2 Squid A S mortar or 2 Limbo Mark 10 A S mortar Contents 1 Construction 2 Service history 2 1 Second World War 2 2 Post war 3 Decommissioning and disposal 4 Affiliations 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksConstruction editHMS Wakeful was a W class destroyer ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Govan Glasgow on 3 December 1941 as part of the 9th Emergency Flotilla She was laid down on 3 June 1942 under the provisional name of Zebra but was renamed Wakeful in January 1943 exchanging names with a destroyer also under construction which was subsequently launched as HMS Zebra She became the second ship of the name the first being an Admiralty W class destroyer sunk by a German E Boat off Dunkirk in 1940 during Operation Dynamo the evacuation from Dunkirk Service history editSecond World War edit Wakeful joined the Home Fleet on 17 February 1944 for sea trials and working up before entering active service in March and forming part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla when more ships of the class became available While serving with the Home Fleet the Flotilla was deployed to support Operation Tungsten where she served as an escort vessel during the air raids on the German battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord In May 1944 Wakeful served as an escort during air attacks on German shipping off Narvik and Stadlandet Norway as part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla Throughout June and July 1944 she was refitted for redeployment to the Eastern Fleet remaining with the 27th Destroyer Flotilla for operations in the Indian Ocean based at Trincomalee In October 1944 the Eastern Fleet initiated diversionary air attacks on the Nicobar Islands during the US amphibious assault of Leyte In November 1944 Wakeful with the remainder of the Flotilla was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet upon its formation In January 1945 she took part in Operation Meridian One as an escort during air attacks on refineries at Pladjoe and then took part in Operation Meridian Two as an escort during air raids on Soengi Gerong near Palembang In March 1945 the British Pacific Fleet joined Admiral Raymond Spruance s United States Fifth Fleet before joining Admiral William Halsey s United States Third Fleet in May 1945 During August 1945 Wakeful was on escort duties during the Royal Navy and United States Navy s air raids on Hokkaido and North Honshu The destroyer was in Tokyo Bay during the formal surrender and was available to support the occupation of Japan remaining in Japanese waters to help with the repatriation of allied nationals before departing for Sydney She returned to the UK in December 1945 having received the battle honours North Sea 1944 and East Indies 1944 for her wartime service Post war edit Between 1948 and 1950 her captain was Commander Royston Wright Wakeful was used as a Boys Training ship until she was converted to a Type 15 anti submarine warfare frigate by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company between 1951 and 1953 1 In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 2 She was assigned the new pennant number F159 and served in the Mediterranean as a part of the 5th Frigate Squadron until 1957 During this time she took part in Operation Musketeer the Anglo French assault on Port Said to take control of the Suez Canal In 1959 she recommissioned as leader of the Portsmouth Squadron as a training tender to the Navigational Training School at HMS Dryad and as trials ship to the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment ASWE On 25 February 1960 she was used for the burial at sea of Edwina Mountbatten Countess Mountbatten of Burma off the coast of Portsmouth On 25 August 1960 the destroyer Battleaxe was carrying out steam trials while moored alongside the minelayer Apollo at Portsmouth when steam was let into the ship s turbines driving the ship forward and breaking Apollo s mooring lines Apollo then collided with Wakeful which also broke free from her moorings and struck the caisson at the entrance to a dock Apollo s stem was damaged while Wakeful suffered buckled plates from the impact by Apollo and a badly damaged bow from the collision with the caisson 3 In April 1964 she was part of the 2nd Frigate Squadron and took part in Navy Days in Portsmouth during that year 4 In the same year Wakeful was used for the filming of the opening scenes of The Bedford Incident including Sidney Poitier s initial flypast and landing from a Whirlwind helicopter when her pennant number F159 is clearly visible Some interior scenes were filmed in her sister Type 15 frigate Troubridge Between 1966 and 1967 she was fitted with experimental satellite communication equipment and stabilisers for trials In 1968 she took part in Navy Days at Portsmouth Dockyard and at this time was part of the 2nd Frigate Squadron 1 On 31 October 1967 she escorted the RMS Queen Mary out of Southampton on her final voyage to Long Beach for retirement In August 1968 she took part in the Western Fleet Review that sailed 50 ships in a review of the fleet carried out by the newly promoted Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Begg on his retirement HMS Wakeful Commanded by Lt Cdr David Whitehead also went up the Ouistreham Canal for the 25th Anniversary of D Day in June 1969 Later that year she was replaced by Grenville 5 and Lieutenant Commander David Whitehead was transferred to HMS Grenville as her new commanding officer at this time Decommissioning and disposal editIn 1970 Wakeful was put on the Disposal List and on 26 February left Portsmouth for de equipping She was sold to Thos W Ward for scrapping on 10 July 1971 and arrived in tow at Inverkeithing for demolition on 5 July that year 6 Affiliations editOfficial affiliationDarwen LancashireNotes edit a b Programme Navy Days at Portsmouth August 31st September 2nd 1968 p 15 Souvenir Programme Coronation Review of the Fleet Spithead 15th June 1953 HMSO Gale and Polden Apollo Torn From Wall by Battleaxe Rams Wakeful Navy News September 1960 p 1 Retrieved 24 August 2018 Programme Navy Days Portsmouth 1965 HMSO Critchley Mike 1982 British Warships Since 1945 Part 3 Destroyers Liskeard UK Maritime Books p 76 ISBN 0 9506323 9 2 Mason Geoffrey B 2001 Gordon Smith ed HMS Wakeful ii R 59 W class Destroyer Retrieved 1 May 2015 References editBarnett Correlli 2000 Engage the enemy more closely Royal Navy in the Second World War London Penguin Classic Military History ISBN 0 14 139008 5 Colledge J J Warlow Ben 2006 1969 Ships of the Royal Navy The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy Rev ed London Chatham Publishing ISBN 978 1 86176 281 8 de S Winser John 1999 B E F ships Before at and After Dunkirk World Ship Society ISBN 0 905617 91 6 Raven Alan Roberts John 1978 War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes London Bivouac Books ISBN 0 85680 010 4 Whitley M J 1988 Destroyers of World War 2 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 326 1 External links editHMS Wakeful at uboat net HMS Wakeful at naval history net Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title HMS Wakeful 1943 amp oldid 1184508665, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
