HMS Malcolm (D19)
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HMS ''Malcolm'' was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders (known as ''Scott''-class
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s) built for the
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 ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. She was the first of only two Royal Navy ships to carry the name ''Malcolm'', although was originally planned to bear the name. She was one of two Admiralty-type leaders to miss the First World War (the other being ) but saw service in, and survived, 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 ...
. Her
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
was changed from D19 to I19 in May 1940. She was
broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...
in 1945.


Construction

In April 1916, an Admiralty type destroyer
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
() was ordered in what would unofficially become known as the ''Scott'' class. Two more were ordered in December of that year, and in April 1917, ''Malcolm'' and four others were ordered.
Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...
built most of the class, including ''Malcolm''. Although two more were ordered in 1918, they were both cancelled and ''Malcolm'' became the last of the class to be completed. By the time she was launched, on 29 May 1919, the war she was built for was over and one of her class, ''Scott'', has been sunk. In the early 1920s, she served as part of the
5th Destroyer Flotilla The British 5th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from 1910 to 1942 and again from 1947 to 1951. History The flotilla was formed in February 1910 and disbanded in 1942. Its first commander ...
, and was later put into reserve as the
flotilla leader A flotilla leader was a warship of late 19th century and early 20th century navies suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer (known as a destroyer leader). The floti ...
of the reserve fleet.


Second World War

In September 1939, ''Malcolm'' was deployed as leader of the 16th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Portsmouth and on antisubmarine patrol of the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
and
Southwest Approaches The Southwest Approaches is the name given to the offshore waters to the southwest of Great Britain and Ireland. The area includes the Celtic Sea, the Bristol Channel and sea areas off southwest Ireland. The area is bordered on the north by the ...
. She stayed in this role until May 1940, when she was transferred to Dover Command to assist with the evacuation of the Netherlands. On 14 May 1940, she helped to transfer the Navy attaché Admiral Sir
Gerald Charles Dickens Admiral Sir Gerald Louis Charles Dickens (13 October 1879 – 19 November 1962) was a senior Royal Navy officer and the grandson of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. Early life and career Born in Kensington, London, Dickens was the son of M ...
and two Dutch radar researchers (J.L.C.W Von Weiler and M. Staal) from
Scheveningen Scheveningen () is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict () of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is popular ...
to
the Hook The Hook, or the Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a r ...
, where they were transferred to . On 15 May 1940, she was deployed as part of ''Operation Ordnance'' off
the Hook The Hook, or the Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a r ...
in South Holland. From 26 May to 4 June she assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk, making eight runs between
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
and England. The ship's then commander, Sir Thomas Halsey, was appointed a
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typicall ...
on 7 June 1940 "for good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk". In July, ''Malcolm'' was reassigned to anti-invasion patrol with . On 14 August 1940, ''Malcolm'' and were attacked by six
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the World War I, Fir ...
and three
E-boats E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat"; plural ''Schnellboote'') of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a pat ...
. One E-boat and one trawler were sunk in the engagement. On 10 September 1940, she attacked invasion barges in
Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...
with and . A few days later, the same three ships shelled
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
in a sweep along the French coast. At the end of the year, she was deployed to the
Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
Escort Force for Atlantic convoy defence. In this role ''Malcolm'' was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking U-boats which attacked ships in convoy and rescuing survivors. In twelve months service ''Malcolm'' escorted 29 Atlantic and 3 Gibraltar convoys, of which 10 were attacked and she was involved in two major convoy battles. In February 1941 ''Malcolm'' joined the newly formed 8th Escort Group as senior ship, her captain, Cdr C D Howard–Johnston, being Senior Officer Escort (SOE).Blair p 286 On 10 May, ''Malcolm'' rescued the eleven survivors from , which had been
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
ed and sunk by . They were later landed at
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
. In May convoy HX 126 came under attack, losing 6 ships; ''Malcolm'' and 8 EG were sent as reinforcement, repelling further attacks and preventing further losses. During the action was badly damaged and forced to return to base. In June 1941 ''Malcolm'' and her group were assigned to HX 133, which had lost five ships in one night. Over the next four days the group fought off further attacks, and on 29 June 1941, ''Malcolm'' helped to sink the German U-boat .Blair p313 45 of her crew were later rescued and interrogated by the
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...
. On 3 February 1942, she collided with the HMS ''Burnham''. Neither ship was badly damaged and both continued in their convoy defence roles. On 11 August 1942, she was transferred to
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
and assigned to escort the aircraft carrier from Malta after delivering
Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...
to the besieged island. Whilst escorting the carrier, on 12 August, she came under attack by the . The submarine was later rammed and destroyed by . On 7 September her next escort duty was the
Arctic convoy The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...
PQ 18 to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in which she was leader of the close escort. She arrived in
Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...
on 21 September 1942 after a seven-day running battle, in which 13 ships were sunk, while 3 U-boats were destroyed and 40 aircraft claimed shot down. In October she was in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
to have extra armour plating added to her bridge and bow in preparation for the invasion of
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
. On 8 November 1942 ''Malcolm'' and were part of
Operation Terminal Operation Terminal was an Allied operation during World War II. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of French North Africa, 8 November 1942) it involved a direct landing of infantry into the Vichy French port of Algiers with the intentio ...
: an
amphibious assault Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...
on the port of
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
. It was hoped, and expected by some of the operation's planners, that the
Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...
would choose not to fire on the approaching British ships, but they were proved wrong when the shore batteries opened up on both ships. ''Malcolm'' tried to break through the boom but was hit and severely damaged by a shell fired from the shore. Ten of her crew were killed, many more were injured and three of her four boilers were extinguished, cutting her speed to . She was forced to retreat and played no further part in the operation. Although the operation did not go well, the main objective to take Algiers Harbour, before it could be destroyed, was achieved. ''Malcolm'' was repaired and returned in her convoy escorting role on 22 January 1943, escorting convoys in the
South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...
from
Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
to Gibraltar. Between 30 June and 24 August ''Malcolm'' was at Southampton for engine and general repairs. On 4 October ''Malcolm'' was deployed at
Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...
for convoy defence. In August 1944 she left Freetown and was deployed at Gibraltar for convoy defence until 11 June 1945. On 14 June 1945 she arrived in Plymouth, at the end of July she arrived in tow at Barrow Breakers' Yard.


Convoys escorted

HMS ''Malcolm'' escorted the following convoys during the war. KJ 002, FS 238, OB 236, HX 082, OB 239, OB 245, HX 85/1, OG 50, HG 50, OB 283, HX 106, OB 289, HX 109, OG 58, OB 311, HX 121, SC 29, HX 124, HX 126, HX 128, OB 338, HX 133, OB 344, ON 1, HX 140, ON 6, HX 143, ON 11, SC 41, ON 16, HX 149, ON 23, HX 153, ON 30, SC 51, PQ 18, KX 4A, KMF 1, TS 40F, SR 5/1, CG 37, KMF 24, MKF 24, RS 10, SR 6/1, RS 11, SR 7/1, RS 12, SR 8, SR 9, RS 14, SR 10, RS 15, SR 12, RS 16, SR 13, RS 17, STL 23, STL 26, LTS 27 and MKF 41.


Notes


References

* Clay Blair : ''Hitler's U-Boat War Vol I'' (1996) * * * ''With Utmost Spirit: Allied Naval Operations in the Mediterranean, 1942–1945'', Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2004, * Arctic Victory: Story of Convoy PQ 18 (1994) *


External links


HMS Malcolm at naval histories



U-651 at ubootwaffe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm Ships built on the River Mersey 1919 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Admiralty type flotilla leaders