HMS Onslow (G17)
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HMS ''Onslow'' was an O-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 ...
of 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 ...
. The O-class were intermediate destroyers, designed before the outbreak of 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 ...
to meet the likely demands for a large number of destroyers. They had a main gun armament of four 4.7 in (120 mm) guns, and had a design speed of . ''Onslow'' was ordered on 2 October 1939 and was built by
John Brown & Company John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish Naval architecture, marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and ''Queen Elizabeth 2 (ship), Queen Elizabeth 2''. At its heig ...
at their
Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...
,
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
shipyard, launching on 31 March 1941 and completing on 8 October 1941. ''Onslow'' served with 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 ...
during the war, with a major activity being escorting
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 ...
s 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 ...
. She sank the German submarine in September 1942 and in December that year took part in the
Battle of the Barents Sea The Battle of the Barents Sea was a World War II naval engagement on 31 December 1942 between warships of the German Navy (''Kriegsmarine'') and British ships escorting Convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Bar ...
in 1942, while escorting Convoy JW 51B to Russia. The convoy escorts held off attacks from the powerful , with ''Onslow'' being heavily damaged and her captain,
Robert Sherbrooke Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear Admiral Robert St Vincent Sherbrooke, (8 January 1901 – 13 June 1972) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that c ...
, severely injured. She also saw detached service in the
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 ...
, covering the Malta Convoy Operation Harpoon in June 1942, and protected invasion shipping in 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 ...
from German attack before and after the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
in mid-1944. The ship was sold to the
Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...
in 1948, and was renamed ''Tippu Sultan''. ''Tippu Sultan'' was converted to a Type 16 anti-submarine frigate from 1957 to 1959, and took part in the
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
and 1971 wars with India, remaining in service until 1980.


Design

The O-class (and the following P-class) were designed prior to the outbreak of 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 ...
to meet the Royal navy's need for large numbers of destroyers in the event of war occurring. They were an intermediate between the large destroyers designed for fleet operations (such as the Tribal-class) and the smaller and slower Hunt-class escort destroyers. ''Onslow'' was long overall, at the waterline and
between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
, with a beam of and a draught of mean and full load.
Displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
was standard and full load. Two
Admiralty three-drum boiler Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power Steamship, ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although ...
s fed steam at and to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared
steam turbine A steam turbine or steam turbine engine is a machine or heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work utilising a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Par ...
s which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at giving a maximum speed of , corresponding to at deep load of oil was carried, giving a radius of at . ''Onslow'' was configured as a leader for a destroyer flotilla, and as such had a crew of 217 officers and men. ''Onslow'' had a main gun armament of four 45-
calibre In guns, particularly firearms, but not artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or wher ...
4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. The ship was designed to carry two quadruple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, but early experience of the vulnerability of destroyers to air attack off Norway and during the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940 resulted in the armament of the O-class being revised during construction, with the aft set of torpedo-tubes removed and replaced by a single 4 in (102 mm) QF Mark V anti-aircraft gun, although the 4-inch gun was later removed and the second bank of torpedo tubes re-instated. ''Onslow'' was completed with a close-in anti-aircraft armament of one quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" mount together with four single
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...
, with two on the bridge wings and two further aft abreast the searchlight platform. After April 1943, the single Oerlikon mounts abreast the searchlights were replaced by twin mounts. Four depth charge throwers were fitted, with 60 depth charges carried. ''Onslow'' was refitted and rearmed in 1948 as part of her sale to Pakistan. More modern fire control equipment was fitted and the Oerlikon guns were replaced by single
Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to models of 40 mm calibre automatic anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: * Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/43 - developed in the 1930s with market entry in 1934, wid ...
anti-aircraft guns, with a twin Bofors 40 mm mount replacing the quadruple pom-pom. Between 1957 and 1959, the ship was refitted as a
Type 16 frigate The Type 16 frigates were a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers that had been rendered obsolete by rapid advances in technology. They were similar in concept to ...
, which resulted in a completely revised armament being fitted. A twin 4 inch gun was mounted forward with a close-in anti-aircraft armament of five
Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to models of 40 mm calibre automatic anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: * Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/43 - developed in the 1930s with market entry in 1934, wid ...
guns (one twin and three singles). Anti-submarine armament consisted of two
Squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...
anti-submarine mortars, while a quadruple set of 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted.


Service history

The ship was ordered as part of the Second Emergency Flotilla as ''Packenham'' on 2 October 1939, at a contract price of £416,770 (excluding government provided equipment such as armament), and was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
at
John Brown & Company John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish Naval architecture, marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including , , , , , and ''Queen Elizabeth 2 (ship), Queen Elizabeth 2''. At its heig ...
's
Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...
shipyard on 1 July 1940. In early 1941, the ship swapped names with the destroyer ''Onslow'', also under construction, and was launched as ''Onslow'' on 31 March 1941. ''Onslow'' was damaged by a bomb during an air raid on 3 June 1941, delaying completion by about a month. ''Onslow'' commissioned on 23 September 1941, with construction completing on 8 October 1941.


1941

Attached to 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 ...
, ''Onslow'' served mostly as an escort to
Arctic convoys 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 ...
. After work-up, ''Onslow'' joined the 17 Destroyer Flotilla as leader. On 24 November 1941, ''Onslow'', together with
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
and the cruiser , joined
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 ...
Convoy PQ 4, escorting the convoy until being relieved by locally based ships on 27 November. The convoy continued on to
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 ...
, while ''Berwick'', ''Onslow'' and ''Offa'' proceeded to the naval base at
Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
. They were attacked by German bombers on entering the
Kola Inlet Kola Bay () or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta and Kola Rivers discharge into t ...
on 28 November, and ''Onslow'' was slightly damaged by a near miss. On 24 December, ''Onslow'' set out from
Scapa Flow Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...
together with the cruiser , the destroyers ''Offa'', and and and two landing ships as part of
Operation Archery Operation Archery, also known as the Måløy Raid, was a British Combined Operations raid during World War II against German positions on the island of Vågsøy, Norway, on 27 December 1941. British Commandos of No. 3 Commando, two troops o ...
, a
Combined Operations In current military use, combined operations are operations conducted by forces of two or more allied nations acting together for the accomplishment of a common strategy, a strategic and operational and sometimes tactical cooperation. Intera ...
raid on the German-occupied Norwegian islands of
Vågsøy Vågsøy is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The municipality's administrative center was the town Måløy. Other population centers in Vågsøy included ...
and
Måløy Måløy () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in the List of municipalities of Norway, municipality of Kinn in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the southeastern side of the Vågsøy (island), island of Vågsøy, about northea ...
. The force arrived at its destination on 27 December, and while Commandos landed on the islands, ''Onslow'' and ''Oribi'' attacked a coastal convoy, sinking driving aground four merchant ships (, , and ) and boarding the ''Vorpostenboot'' (an armed trawler) ''Föhn'', capturing coding wheels and bigram tables for the Enigma cypher machine, before sinking ''Föhn''. More codebreaking material was captured later that day when ''Offa'' and ''Chiddingfold'' boarded and sunk the armed trawler ''Donner'' while sinking the cargo ship .


1942

On 1 January 1942, ''Onslow'' rescued 23 survivors from the British merchant ship , torpedoed the previous day by the German submarine . In early March 1942, ''Onslow'' sailed with the main body Home Fleet as part of the distant escort to the Arctic Convoys QP 8 and PQ 12. The sortied in an attempt to intercept one of the convoys, while the distant escort, including ''Onslow'', searched for ''Tirpitz''. Poor weather ensured that ''Tirpitz'' failed to find the convoy and the Home Fleet forces failed to find ''Tirpitz'' although the German battleship was later unsuccessfully attacked by aircraft from the carrier . Later that month ''Onslow'' took part in similar distant escort operations for the Arctic Convoys PQ 13 and PQ 14. On 21 May, the Arctic Convoy PQ 16 of 35 Merchant ships left
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
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. It has an ocean escort of six destroyers and four corvettes, with a close covering force of three cruiser and the destroyers ''Onslow'', ''Offa'' and ''Oribi'' joining on 23 May. The cruiser force, including ''Onslow'' left PQ 16 on 26 May to cover the westbound convoy QP 12. In total PQ 16 lost seven merchant ships before it reached Russian ports, while QP 12 was unharmed. In June 1942, much of the Home Fleet was detached to the
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 ...
to take part in Operation Harpoon, an attempt to run one supply convoy to
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
from the west, while a second convoy headed to Malta from
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
(
Operation Vigorous Operation Vigorous (known in Italy as 1942, "the Battle of mid-June 1942") was a British operation during the Second World War, to escort supply Convoy MW 11 from the eastern Mediterranean to Malta, which took place from 11 to 16 June 1942. Vigo ...
). ''Onslow'' was part of Force W, the covering force which also included the battleship , the aircraft carriers and and three cruisers. Force W joined the Harpoon convoy shortly after it entered the Mediterranean on 12 June, and remained with it until turning back, as planned, as the convoy reached the
Strait of Sicily The Strait of Sicily (also known as Sicilian Strait, Sicilian Channel, Channel of Sicily, Sicilian Narrows and Pantelleria Channel; or the ; or , ' or ') is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. The strait is about wide and divides the Ty ...
on the evening of 14 June. After her return to British waters, ''Onslow'' formed part of the distant escort for Arctic convoy PQ 17 and the return convoy QP 13. PQ 17 was ordered to be scattered and its close escort withdrawn based on mistaken intelligence that the ''Tirpitz'' was about to attack the convoy, which resulted in extremely heavy losses to the unprotected merchant ships, with 24 of the 25 merchant ships being sunk by German submarines and aircraft. In August 1942, ''Onslow'' was employed in escorting units of the Home Fleet returning to British waters from Gibraltar after another Malta Convoy,
Operation Pedestal Operation Pedestal (, Battle of mid-August), known in Malta as (), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. British ships, submarines and aircraft from Malta attacked Axis p ...
. September 1942 saw the running of the next Arctic Convoy, PQ 18. The events of PQ 17 resulted in the decision to give the convoy a very strong escort. As well as the normal close escort, for most of the convoy's route it would be accompanied by the Escort carrier , and by a "Fighting Destroyer Escort" consisting of 16 destroyers led by the light cruiser . This force was backed up by a cruiser covering force, with more distant cover provided by the battleships of the Home Fleet. ''Onslow'' formed part of the Fighting Destroyer Escort, which joined the convoy on 9 September. The convoy came under heavy attack by German submarine and aircraft from 13 September, and on 14 September a
Swordfish The swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as the broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are the sole member of the Family (biology), family Xiphiidae. They ...
aircraft from ''Avenger'' spotted the German submarine on the surface. ''Onslow'' was despatched against the submarine and carried out a series of depth charge attacks over three hours, sinking the submarine. The carrier and Fighting Destroyer Escort remained with PQ 18 until 16 September, when it transferred to the westbound
Convoy QP 14 Convoy QP 14 (13–26 September 1942) was an Arctic convoy of the Arctic convoys of World War II, QP series which ran during the Second World War. The convoy was a return journey of Allies of World War II, Allied ships from the port of Archange ...
to escort it through the area of most danger, with ''Onslow'' leaving QP 14 on 25 September. In total, 13 ships out of 40 from PQ 18 were sunk, with the escort sinking three U-boats and claiming 41 German aircraft shot down. Three more merchant ships and a fleet oiler were lost from QP 14. On 8 November 1942, the British and Americans landed in French North Africa in
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...
, with ''Onslow'' being employed in escorting follow-up convoys following the initial assault. In December 1942, ''Onslow'' took part in Arctic Convoy JW 51B, joining the convoy on 25 December, with
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Robert Sherbrooke Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear Admiral Robert St Vincent Sherbrooke, (8 January 1901 – 13 June 1972) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that c ...
taking charge of the convoy's close escort of six destroyers, two corvettes, one minesweeper and two trawlers. Five merchant ships, together with the destroyer ''Oribi'' and one of the trawlers, were separated from the convoy by bad weather shortly afterwards. On 30 December, the convoy was spotted by the German submarine , and in response a German force consisting of the heavy cruisers '' Lützow'' and and six destroyers set out from Altafjord to intercept the convoy. The German force split into two, with ''Hipper'' and three destroyers attacking from the northwest and ''Lutzow'' and the other three destroyers from the south, with the intention that the escort would be drawn off to the first attacker, leaving the convoy unprotected. The Germans attacked on 31 December, in the
Battle of the Barents Sea The Battle of the Barents Sea was a World War II naval engagement on 31 December 1942 between warships of the German Navy (''Kriegsmarine'') and British ships escorting Convoy JW 51B to Kola Inlet in the USSR. The action took place in the Bar ...
. Sherbrooke in ''Onslow'' led the other destroyers in dummy torpedo attacks against ''Hipper'' in order to force the cruiser to keep from closing, while laying a smoke-screen to protect the convoy. After about 40 minutes, ''Onslow'' was hit by three shells from ''Hipper'' and near missed by a fourth, and badly damaged. Two guns were put out of action and a serious fire started, while 17 members of ''Onslow''s crew were killed, and 23 wounded, including Sherbrooke. Later, ''Achates'' sank after being hit by ''Hipper'', and ''Obedient'' damaged, before the arrival of the British cruisers and changed the course of the battle, damaging ''Hipper'' and sinking the destroyer '' Friedrich Eckoldt'' before the Germans withdrew. The convoy had been saved, for the cost of the loss of ''Achates'' and the minesweeper ''Bramble''. Sherbrooke was awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
for his actions in the battle.


1943–45

After temporary repairs at
Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...
, ''Onslow'' returned to Britain as part of Convoy RA 52 at the end of January 1943, then was repaired at a commercial shipyard in
Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...
, rejoining the fleet at the end of April that year. In early November 1943, ''Onslow'' formed part of the distant escort for Convoy RA 54A on its return from Russia, and then took part in the close escort of Convoy JW 54A from 18 to 24 November and in the close escort of the return Convoy RA 54B from 28 November to 5 December, with none of the convoys being attacked by German forces. From 22 to 29 December, ''Onslow'' formed part of the escort for
Convoy JW 55B Convoy JW 55B was an Arctic convoy sent from Great Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late December 1943, reaching the Soviet northern ports at the end of the month. All ships arrived safely. ...
. An attempt by the to attack the convoy resulted in the
Battle of the North Cape The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle that occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic campaign. The , on an operation to attack Arctic convoys of war materiel from the western Allies to the Soviet Union, ...
on 26 December, when ''Scharnhorst'' was sunk by the battleship . The convoy itself was not affected. ''Onslow'' returned to Britain as part of the escort of Convoy RA 55B from 1 January to 7 January 1944. ''Onslow'' was refitted 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 ...
from 18 January to 22 February 1944. In March, she carried out operations in 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 ...
before returning to the Home Fleet to form part of the very strong escort for the Arctic
Convoy JW 58 Convoy JW 58 was an Arctic convoy sent from Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in March 1944, reaching the Soviet northern ports in early April. All ships arrived safely. JW 58 was attacked by G ...
from 29 March to 4 April, and for the return convoy RA 58 from 7 to 13 April. She was then again deployed to the Channel for patrol and escort duties in preparation for the upcoming invasion of France. On the night of 27–28 April 1944, nine German S-boats (motor torpedo boats) attacked a convoy of American landing craft on exercise in
Lyme Bay Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel off the south coast of England. The south western counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay. The exact definitions of the bay vary. The eastern boundary is usually taken to be Portland Bill on ...
, sinking two and damaging another. ''Onslow'', on patrol in the Channel, was diverted in an unsuccessful attempt to search for the German boats, followed by searching for survivors and bodies in Lyme Bay. On 14 and 15 May 1944, ''Onslow'' formed part of the escort for the two aircraft carriers and as they launched attacks against shipping in the ports of
Rørvik Rørvik is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and administrative centre in Nærøysund Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is on the eastern side of the Vikna archipelago on the island of Inner-Vikna. The town has a population ...
and Stadlandet in German-occupied Norway, as part of a series of strikes by British aircraft carriers against Norway with the intention of distracting German attention from Northern France, as well as stopping German coastal shipping. The
Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...
on 6 June 1944, saw ''Onslow'' deployed in screening the invasion force as part of
Operation Neptune Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
. On the night of 6/7 June, ''Onslow'' was near missed by a bomb, causing slight damage, while on the night of 11/12 June, she was on patrol with , ''Offa'' and ''Oribi'' when they clashed with a group of six German S-boats attempting to attack invasion shipping. On 18 June, ''Onslow'' was hit by a German air-dropped torpedo which failed to explode, again causing slight damage, with the ship being under repair (from both this damage and that of 6/7 June) for 5 days. On 12 August, ''Onslow'', together with the cruiser and the destroyer sank the German auxiliary minesweeper ''Sperrbrecher 7'' near
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
. In September 1944, ''Onslow'' returned to duty with the Home Fleet, including continued duty on Arctic convoys. From 22 October to 28 October, ''Onslow'' formed part of the escort of Convoy JW 61, and from 2 November to 7 November, part of the escort for the return convoy RA 61. In December 1944, ''Onslow'' formed part of the escort for Convoy JW 62 and the return convoy RA 62. January 1945 gave a break from convoy duties, when on the night of 11/12 January, the cruisers and , accompanied by the destroyers ''Onslow'', and ''Onslaught'' carried out a sweep through Norwegian coastal waters. They attacked a German convoy off
Egersund Egersund is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town is located along the southwestern coast of Norway, about south of the city of Stavanger (city), Stavanger. The town is situat ...
, sinking the minesweeper and shelling the merchant ships and ''Charlotte'', which were abandoned and sank. In February 1945, ''Onslow'' was part of the escort for Convoy JW 64, which came under heavy air and submarine attack, with 12 German bombers being lost in exchange for the corvette , which was torpedoed by . The return convoy RA 64 was attacked by German submarines on leaving the
Kola Inlet Kola Bay () or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta and Kola Rivers discharge into t ...
on 17 February, with the sloop and the freighter torpedoed and sunk by , and the corvette by . ''Onslow'' rescued one man from ''Bluebell'', the only survivor from the sinking.


Post-War activities

On 12 May 1945, ''Onslow'' sailed as part of Convoy JW 67 to Russia, and on the return Convoy RA 67 which left the Kola Inlet on 23 May. Although the war in Europe had ended on 8 May, these last Arctic convoys were still provided with a substantial escort to guard against attacks from submarines that did not obey the German order to surrender. On 5–7 June 1945, ''Onslow'' escorted the cruiser ''Norfolk'', carrying King
Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957. The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark. He was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess ...
back from exile to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. In August 1945, ''Onslow'' attended the first British Navy week in a foreign port, in Rotterdam. Also there were the cruiser HMS ''Bellona'', and the destroyer ''Garth'' as well as the submarine ''Tuna''. Foreign vessels included two of the
Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
submarines of the T-class, ''Dolfijn'' and ''Zeehond''. In November–December 1945 she was the headquarter ship for Operation Deadlight, supervising the movement U-boats from
Loch Ryan Loch Ryan (, ) is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The town of Stranraer is the largest settlement on its shores, wi ...
for scuttling off the coast of Ireland. She was placed into Care and Maintenance status at Devonport in January 1946, with it being planned to use her as a target ship.


Pakistan service

In 1948, the newly established
Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...
sought to acquire two 4.7-inch gunned destroyers from Britain, and purchased ''Onslow'' and ''Offa'' for a total price of £605,000 for the two ships. ''Onslow'' was transferred to Pakistan on 30 September 1948 at Plymouth, becoming ''Tippu Sultan''. In 1954 she underwent a refit at Malta. Between 1957 and 1959 she underwent conversion to a
Type 16 frigate The Type 16 frigates were a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers that had been rendered obsolete by rapid advances in technology. They were similar in concept to ...
by Grayson Rollo and Clover Docks at
Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...
, England, with the conversion paid for by the US under the
Mutual Defense Assistance Act The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on October 6, 1949. For U.S. foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to ...
. ''Tippu Sultan'' was active during the 1965 war with India, which broke out in September, taking part in a bombardment by the cruiser ''Babur'' and six destroyers of the Indian city of
Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...
on 8 September. She carried out patrols during the 1971 war. ''Tippu Sultan'' was stricken from the Pakistan Navy until 1980, after which her hull was used as a
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
.


Pennant numbers


See also

*
Alan Ross Alan John Ross (6 May 1922 – 14 February 2001) was a British poet, writer, editor and publisher. Early years Ross was born in Calcutta, India, son of John Brackenridge Ross, CBE, a former Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve ( Supply and ...


Notes


Citations


References

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Further reading

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Onslow (G17) O and P-class destroyers Ships built on the River Clyde 1941 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom O-class destroyers of the Pakistan Navy