HMS ''Wishart'' (D67) was a Modified W-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

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 ...

that saw service in

World War II 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 ...

. She spent most of her wartime career based at

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 ...

, engaged in

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

defence, but also served in various naval and military operations in the

Mediterranean Sea 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 Eur ...

Construction and commissioning

''Wishart'', the first Royal Navy ship of the name, was ordered in January 1918 as part of the 13th Order of the 1918–1919 Naval Programme, 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 ...

on 18 May 1918 by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. The pace of her construction slowed after the

Armistice with Germany {{Short description, none This is a list of armistices signed by the German Empire (1871–1918) or Nazi Germany (1933–1945). An armistice is a temporary agreement to cease hostilities. The period of an armistice may be used to negotiate a peace t ...

brought

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 ...

to an end on 11 November 1918, but she was launched on 18 July 1919 and completed in June 1920.

Service history

Interwar

Upon completion, ''Wishart'' was commissioned in June 1920. During the interwar period she served first in the Atlantic Fleet and then in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

, and while in the latter had

Lord Louis Mountbatten Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was a British statesman, Royal Navy off ...

as her

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

for a time. ''Wishart'' was in waters off

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

when the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

was heavily damaged by fire while at sea on 14 March 1934. ''Wishart'' and the

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

SS ''Tsinan'' took off ''Fulton''s crew, three of whom had suffered minor injuries, and took them to the

Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial c ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, and ''Wishart''s

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 ...

stood by ''Fulton'' until a salvage party could put the fire out. The

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenr ...

later passed thanks to British naval authorities for the assistance ''Wishart'' and ''Whitshed'' provided to ''Fulton'' and her crew.

World War II

1939–1940

When the United Kingdom entered

in September 1939, ''Wishart'' was stationed at

, tasked with contraband control duties and trade defence in the

and

North Atlantic Ocean 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 se ...

. On 27 December 1939 she intercepted the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

''Glickburg'', and ''Glickburg''s crew ran their ship aground on the coast of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

near the

Chipiona Light Chipiona Lighthouse (), also known as Punta del Perro Light, is an active 19th-century lighthouse in Chipiona, in the province of Cádiz, Spain. At a height of it is the seventeenth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the ...

Chipiona Chipiona is a town and municipality located on the Atlantic coast in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2012 census, the city has a population of 18,849 inhabitants, but this amount increases greatly during the summer holiday perio ...

. On 29 December 1939, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer departed Gibraltar with Convoy HG 13F, bound for

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 ...

, remaining with the convoy as its escort until detaching on 3 January 1940 to return to Gibraltar. On 1 February 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer escorted Convoy OG 16F on the first leg of its voyage to the United Kingdom. ''Wishart'' also escorted Convoy OG 18 on the first segment of its voyage when it departed Gibraltar on 4 February 1940, detaching to return to Gibraltar on 5 February 1940. On 14 February 1940, she rendezvoused with Convoy HG 19F, escorted by two

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

destroyers, and escorted it to Gibraltar, where it arrived on 18 February 1940. On 25 February 1940, ''Wishart'' and the sloops and departed Gibraltar as the escort of

Convoy OG 19F A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

on the first leg of its voyage to Liverpool, detaching on 27 February 1940 and returning to Gibraltar. From 14 to 17 March 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyer joined two French destroyers in escorting Convoy OG 21 on the first leg of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool. From 21 to 24 March 1940, ''Wishart'' again joined two French destroyers as escort for Convoy OG 22 during the first segment of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool. In April 1940, she performed similar duties, joining the destroyers and as the escort for Convoy OG24 from its departure from Gibraltar on 2 April until 4 April, and joining ''Aberdeen'' and the destroyer in escorting Convoy OG 25F during the first portion of its voyage from Gibraltar from 9 until 12 April. ''Wishart'' continued her convoy escort and patrol activities until 31 July 1940, when she became part of the escort for

Force H Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in late-June 1940, to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. The force occupied an odd place ...

units covering the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

as ''Argus'' delivered aircraft 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 ...

in Operation Hurry. ''Wishart'' then remained with Force H as the aircraft carrier launched airstrikes against

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

airfields at

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

on 2 August 1940. At the end of August 1940, she again operated with Force H, forming part of the screen on 30 August 1940 for the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

, the aircraft carrier , and the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

s and , which were steaming to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

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 ...

, to reinforce the

in Operation Hats, and detaching on 31 August 1940 along with ''Velox'' to transmit radio signals in an attempt to confuse Italian listening stations as to the heading of the other ships. In September 1940, ''Wishart'' returned to her convoy duties at Gibraltar, but she returned to Force H on 7 November 1940 as part of the escort for forces covering the passage of the battleship , the

heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...

, the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , and during their passage to Alexandria, Egypt, to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet there in

Operation Coat Operation MB8 was a British Royal Navy operation in the Mediterranean Sea from 4 to 11 November 1940. It was made up of six forces comprising two aircraft carriers, five battleships, 10 cruisers and 30 destroyers, including much of Force H from ...

. She again left her convoy duties on 15 November 1940 to participate in

Operation White Operation White (15–18 November 1940) was a British attempt to deliver fourteen aircraft, twelve Hawker Hurricane Fighter aircraft, fighters and two Blackburn Skua, Skua fighter–dive bombers, to Malta from the aircraft carrier . White was one ...

, escorting Force H forces covering ''Argus'' while she delivered more aircraft to Malta. On 24 November 1940, ''Wishart'' and the destroyers ''Encounter'', , and of the

13th Destroyer Flotilla The British 13th Destroyer Flotilla, or Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from November 1915 – November 1918 and again from September 1939 to January 1944. History World War One The flotilla was first form ...

began operations with Force H, joining Force H ships – ''Ark Royal'', the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of att ...

, the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , , , and – covering a convoy and reinforcements bound from Gibraltar to Alexandria in Operation Collar. On 27 November 1940, aircraft sighted heavy units of the Italian battlefleet at sea attempting to intercept the convoy, and the other ships detached to engage the Italians – resulting in the

Battle of Cape Spartivento The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War, fought between naval forces of the Royal Navy and the Italian '' Regia Marina'' o ...

, a brief exchange of gunfire before the Italian fleet returned to base – while ''Wishart'' and ''Vidette'' remained behind to protect the convoy. On 20 December 1940, ''Wishart'' again left her routine duties to operate with Force H in Operation Hide, covering a convoy of empty

s, the battleship , and the destroyers and as it steamed from Malta to Gibraltar.

1941

''Wishart'' spent the first quarter of 1941 operating on North Atlantic convoy duty from Gibraltar. In March 1941, the Royal Navy selected her for transfer to local convoy escort duty 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 ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. Accordingly, she departed Gibraltar on 2 April 1941 as part of the escort for Convoy WS 7 bound for Freetown, and remained there after the convoy arrived on 4 April. On 7 April 1941, she rejoined WS 7 when it departed Freetown on the next leg of its voyage, forming part of its escort with the destroyers and ''Vidette'' until detaching from the convoy on 9 April 1940 to return to Freetown. Later in April, she rescued 41 survivors of the British merchant ship ''St. Helena'', which the German

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

''U-124'' had sunk on 12 April 1941 about southwest of Freetown at . From 5 to 9 May 1941 she joined ''Duncan'' in providing local escort for Convoy WS 8A during the final segment of its voyage to Freetown, after which she joined ''Duncan'' and the destroyers and in escorting the convoy from its departure on 14 May on the next leg of its journey until she and ''Boreas'' detached to return to Freetown the following day. In June 1941, ''Wishart'' returned to Gibraltar to resume her convoy escort duties there. On 13 June 1941 she was detached for duty with Force H, escorting a force covering the delivery of aircraft to Malta by the aircraft carriers ''Ark Royal'' and in

Operation Tracer Operation Tracer was a secret Second World War Royal Navy military operation in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory and military base. The impetus for the stay-behind plan was the 1940 scheme by Germany to capture Gibraltar, code-named Oper ...

. She again was selected for duty with Force H on 26 June 1941 for another Malta aircraft delivery operation, but she quickly was replaced in this duty by the destroyer and remained on duty at Gibraltar instead. On 27 June 1941, she sank the in the North Atlantic west of Gibraltar at . In July 1941, ''Wishart'' returned to the United Kingdom for refit and conversion into a long-range escort, and she was in shipyard hands for the rest of the year.

1942

Upon completing her refit and conversion, ''Wishart'' passed her acceptance trials in January 1942 and in February 1942 – the month in which the civil community of

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, "adopted" her as the result of a

Warship Week Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the aim of a Royal Navy warship being adopted by a civil community. During the early parts of the war, the Royal Navy not only had lost many capital ships but ...

National Savings campaign – proceeded to Gibraltar. In March 1942, she resumed her convoy escort duties there. On 20 March 1942, ''Wishart'' detached from those duties to operate with Force H in Operation Picket I, joining ''Malaya'', the light cruiser , and the destroyers , , , , ''Duncan'', , and in covering the aircraft carriers ''Argus'' and as the latter ships delivered aircraft to Malta. On 27 March 1942, she detached from her normal duties again to participate with the same ships in Operation Picket II, another such aircraft delivery. On 19 April 1942, she detached from her convoy duties to take part with the British 3rd and

s and two

destroyers in escorting ''Renown'' and the light cruisers and as they covered the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier while she delivered aircraft to Malta in

Operation Calendar Operation Calendar (14–26 April 1942) was an Anglo–American operation in the Second World War to deliver 52 Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft to Malta. Spitfires were necessary to challenge Axis air superiority over Malta because they ...

. ''Wishart'', the destroyer , and aircraft of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

s No. 202 Squadron sank the German submarine ''U-74'' with all hands east of Cartagena, Spain, in a

depth-charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarines by detonating in the water near the target and subjecting it to a destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosives with a fuze set to deto ...

attack at position on 2 May 1942. On 8 May 1942, she detached for duty with Force H, joining destroyers of the

in escorting ''Renown'', ''Charybdis'', ''Eagle'', and ''Wasp'' as ''Eagle'' and ''Wasp'' delivered aircraft to Malta in

Operation Bowery Operation Bowery was an Anglo-American operation during the Second World War to deliver fighter aircraft to Malta, an operation known informally as a Club Run. Spitfires were needed to replace the remaining obsolete Hawker Hurricane, Hurricane fi ...

. She again detached on 18 May 1942 to operate with Force H, providing the escort along with ''Charybdis'' and the destroyers , , , ''Vidette'', , and ''Wrestler'' for ''Argus'' and ''Eagle'' as they delivered aircraft to Malta in Operation LB. Her assignment to Force H continued into June, and she began a deployment in support of Operation Style on 2 June 1942, joining ''Charybdis'', ''Antelope'', ''Ithuriel'', ''Partridge'', and ''Westcott'' in covering ''Eagle'' as she delivered aircraft to Malta. On 8 June, ''Wishart'' began another such operation, Operation Salient, this time participating in a covering force consisting of ''Cairo'', ''Wrestler'', and the ships which had taken part in Operation Style as ''Eagle'' again delivered aircraft to Malta. On 11 June, she joined Force W to take part in Operation Harpoon, joining ''Malaya'', ''Argus'', ''Eagle'', ''Charybdis'', ''Antelope'', ''Vidette'', ''Westcott'', ''Wrestler'', the light cruisers and , the

destroyer leader Destroyer leader (DL) was the United States Navy designation for large destroyers from 9 February 1951 through the early years of the Cold War. United States ships with hull classification symbol DL were officially frigates from 1 January 1955Blac ...

, and the destroyers and in covering a Malta-bound convoy as far as the

Sicilian Narrows 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 Tyr ...

. ''Wishart'' returned to convoy escort duties at Gibraltar on 18 June 1942. On 26 June she joined

Convoy WS 20 A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

and was detached to escort the merchant ship SS ''Narkunda'' into Gibraltar. She continued on such duties until 10 August 1942, when she again detached from them to take part in

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 ...

as a part of

Force Z Force Z was a British naval squadron during the Second World War, consisting of the battleship , the battlecruiser and accompanying destroyers. Assembled in 1941, the purpose of the group was to reinforce the British colonial garrisons in the ...

, supporting another Malta-bound convoy by joining ''Antelope'', ''Ithuriel'', and the destroyers , , and as the screen for the convoys covering force, consisting of the aircraft carriers ''Eagle'', , and ''Victorious'', the battleships and , and the light cruisers ''Charybdis'', and . When the convoy reached the Skerki Banks in the central Mediterranean on 13 August 1942, she and the rest of Force Z detached and returned to Gibraltar, where ''Wishart'' resumed routine convoy escort duty. She again left these duties on 28 October 1942 to take part in Operation Train, joining the light cruiser and the destroyers , , , , , and ''Westcott'' and the

Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...

destroyer ORP ''Błyskawica'' in covering the aircraft carrier as ''Furious'' made the final aircraft delivery run to Malta. In November 1942, ''Wishart'' was assigned to duty escorting military convoys in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean carrying troops and supplies for

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 ...

, the Allied invasion of

French North Africa French North Africa (, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is a term often applied to the three territories that were controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast to French ...

. On 7 November, she, ''Velox'', and the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

joined the escort of an assault convoy bound for North Africa for the invasion and detached to stand by the U.S. Navy

attack transport Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the Merchant navy, merchant fleet &ndash ...

after an

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

submarine

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 ''Thomas Stone''; after the troops had disembarked into

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

or been taken aboard ''Spey'', ''Wishart'' escorted ''Thomas Stone'' while a

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

towed her to

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 ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

for repairs. On 21 December 1942, ''Wishart'' assisted in

search-and-rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

operations after the German submarine ''U-562'' torpedoed and sank the

troop transport Troop transport may be: * Troopship * Military Railway Service (United States) * Military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used ...

MV ''Strathallan'' in the Mediterranean at , killing 16 of those aboard and leaving 5,106 survivors.

1943–1945

During the first half of 1943, ''Wishart'' continued her convoy escort duties at Gibraltar but also supported Allied military operations ashore in

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 19 May 1943 she mistook the

Free French Naval Forces The Free French Naval Forces (, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier. History In the wake of the Armistice and the Appeal of 18 June, Charles de Ga ...

for a German U-boat in darkness in the Mediterranean Sea and attacked her. ''La Vestal'' lost a large portion of her

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

and suffered one killed and several wounded. ''La Vestal'' was

towed Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. ...

into port and repaired. In July 1943, ''Wishart'' was assigned to support

Operation Husky 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 ...

, the Allied invasion of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, and was present during the

amphibious landing 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 conducted ...

s southwest of

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

on 10 July 1943, the first day of the invasion. For the rest of 1943, she was deployed for convoy defence in the western and central Mediterranean. In January 1944, ''Wishart'' was deployed for convoy escort duty at Gibraltar. On 24 February 1944, after a U.S. Navy

PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the O ...

aircraft of Patrol Squadron 63 using magnetic anomaly detection equipment detected the German submarine ''U-761'' near

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

while ''U-761'' was attempting to transit the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...

, a U.S. Navy PV Ventura aircraft of Bombing Squadron 127 and a British Catalina of the Royal Air Forces No. 202 Squadron attacked the submarine and forced her to surface. ''Wishart'' and ''Anthony'' then approached ''U-761'', and the submarine scuttled herself within sight of the destroyers, suffering nine dead. ''Wishart'' and ''Anthony'' captured her 48 survivors.uboat.net U-761
/ref> ''Wishart'' remained on convoy defence duty at Gibraltar until January 1945, when the Royal Navy decided to withdraw her from service and she steamed to the United Kingdom for deactivation.

Decommissioning and disposal

''Wishart'' was decommissioned in February 1945. On 20 March 1945, she was sold for scrapping by

Thos. W. Ward Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, business primarily working steel, engineering and cement. It began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture ...

Inverkeithing Inverkeithing ( ; ) is a coastal town, parish and historic Royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town lies on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, northwest of Edinburgh city centre and south of Dunfermline. A town of ancient origin, Inverke ...

, Scotland. The ship arrived at the shipbreakers yard under tow sometime after the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

brought World War II to a close on 15 August 1945.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

HMS ''WISHART'' (D 67) – V & W-class Destroyer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wishart (D67) 1919 establishments in England V and W-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built in Southampton 1919 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Gibraltar in World War II Friendly fire incidents of World War II Maritime incidents in May 1943 Lord Mountbatten