HMS ''Alamein'' (D17) was a Later or 1943 fleet destroyer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She was named in honour of the

Battle of El Alamein There were two Battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The battles occurred during the North African campaign in Egypt, in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein. * First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 ...

, which took place in 1942 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, between

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces and the German

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

. ''Alamein'' was built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Company Limited on the

Tyne Tyne may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography *River Tyne, England *Port of Tyne, the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England * River Tyne, Scotland *River Tyne, a tributary of the South Esk River, Tasmania, Australia Peopl ...

. She was launched on 12 May 1945 and commissioned on 20 March 1946.

Service

In 1946, ''Alamein'' joined the

4th Destroyer Flotilla The British 4th Destroyer Flotilla or Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1909 to July 1951. History In 1907 the Home Fleet had a large formation of destroyers called the Home Fleet Flotilla of destroy ...

, part of the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

.Critchley, Mike, "British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers", Maritime Books: Liskeard, UK, 1982. , page 115-6 In 1948, ''Alamein'', along with her sister-ship , escorted the aircraft carrier for exercises in Northern and Home waters, though she did not join the two on their subsequent visit to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. In 1950, ''Alamein'' deployed on a Home Fleet Spring Cruise, which included many other vessels, such as , two other carriers, the battleship and many smaller vessels. The group visited the Mediterranean, including stops at

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and performed a number of naval exercises and fly-the-flag visits in the region. That same year, ''Alamein'' decommissioned, being placed in Reserve. In May 1956, ''Alamein'', as part of the 4th Destroyer Squadron once more after replacing her sister ship , had spells with the

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

Fleets, taking part in the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

. On 5 November 1958, in Chatham Dockyard, a fire occurred onboard ''Alamein''. which was eventually traced to faulty wiring on radio equipment in the Wardroom, which spread to the Ops Room. Fire Parties from ''Alamein'', HMS ''Corruna'', whom she was alongside, plus Chatham & Gillingham fire brigades fought the blaze. In 1959, ''Alamein'' was decommissioned and placed in Reserve for the final time, being broken up at Blyth in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

in 1964.

References

Publications

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alamein (D17) Battle-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Tyne 1945 ships Cold War destroyers of the United Kingdom