| | Career |
 | | Ordered: | 1931 Naval Programme | | Laid down: | 15 March 1933 | | Launched: | 15 February 1934 | | Commissioned: | 15 September 1934 | | Fate: | Sunk, Battle of the Java Sea, 27 February 1942 | | Struck: | Officially stricken 1 January 1946 | | General Characteristics | | Displacement: | 1350-1405 tons standard
1886-1940 tons deep | | Length: | 318 ft 3 in (97 m) between perpendiculars
329 ft (100.25 m) overall | | Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) | | Draught: | 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) | | Propulsion: | 3 Admiralty 3-drum boilers;
300 psi, 620 degrees F
2 shaft Parsons geared turbines
36,000 shp | | Speed: | 36 knots | | Range: | 471 tons oil, 6000 nautical miles at 15 kts. | | Complement: | 145 (173 in 1942) | | Armament: | 4 x 4.7 inch/45 MK XVIII (4x1)
8 x 50 cal. machine guns (2x4)
5 x .303 inch machine guns (5x1)
8 x 21 inch torpedo tubes (2x4)
2 x depth charge racks
60 depth charges
1940:
4-21 inch torpedo tubes replaced by
1 x 3 inch/50 and 2 x 20mm Oerlikon (2x1) | | Motto: | | HMS Electra, which carried the pennant number H27, was launched on 15 February 1934 at the Hawthorne Leslie shipyard at Hebburn, Tyneside. She was one of 16 'E' and 'F' class destroyers (plus two flotilla leaders) to be built. She was similar to the 'C' and 'D' classes of 1931, but with an improved hull form, modified bridge, 3 boiler rooms instead of 2, and 4.7 inch guns that could elevate to 40 degrees (vs. 30 degrees on earlier classes). The costs to build the ship have been given as approximately 300,000 (Janes) or 247,000 (navalhistory.flixco.info web site) British Pounds. The source for an SVG image of the White Ensign can be found at User:David Newton/SVG Graphics/White Ensign. ...
March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ...
1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ...
The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied ships suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in action over several days in February-March 1942. ...
February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
This article is about the year. ...
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ...
1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ...
WWII era steam turbine used for ship propulsion. ...
A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...
Torpedo tubes of the French SNLE Redoutable A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction. ...
Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ...
February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Hebburn (54º5809. ...
Tyneside is a conurbation in northern England, covering part of the area of Tyne and Wear. ...
The E and F class was a class of eighteen destroyers of the Royal Navy (three later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, one to the Royal Hellenic Navy and one to the Dominican Navy) launched in 1934. ...
USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ...
The C and D class was a class of fourteen destroyers of the Royal Navy. ...
1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...
A hull is the body or frame of a ship or boat. ...
A log bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle. ...
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ...
For details of notes and coins, see British coinage and British banknotes. ...
Upon commissioning, she was attached to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, along with the rest of her E-class sister ships.
Early War Service
At the beginning of World War II, Electra was attached to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla. On 3 September 1939, Electra participated in the rescue of survivors of the liner Athenia, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-30. The Captain of Electra, LCDR Sammy A. Buss, was Senior Officer Present, so he took charge. He sent the destroyer HMS Fame on an anti-submarine sweep of the area, while Electra, another destroyer HMS Escort, the Swedish yacht Southern Cross, the Norwegian cargo ship Knut Nelson, and the American tanker City of Flint rescued the survivors. Between the ships, about 980 passengers and crew were rescued; only 112 people were lost, and Athenia sank the next morning. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...
September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ...
1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The S.S. Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Germany in World War II. Athenia was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd. ...
Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ...
SS City of Flint, a freighter of the United States Merchant Marine, was the first American ship captured by the Germans during World War II. Under the command of Captain Joseph H. Gainard, City of Flint first became involved in the war when she rescued 200 survivors of the torpedoed...
Her next assignment was to escort a convoy out of Pentland Firth, along with HMS Exmouth and HMS Inglefield. During a violent storm which lasted over 2 days, an ammunition locker on the forecastle broke loose, and was sliding around the deck. The locker was full of shells, and needed to be secured. After a short time, several volunteers managed to corral the loose object. Electra continued escorting convoys and hunting U-boats in the Western Approaches area until April, 1940. A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ...
The Pentland Firth, which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness, which is in the far north of the Highland area of Scotland. ...
HMS Inglefield (D02), named for Captain John Nicholson Inglefield (1748–1828) and his son Rear-Admiral Samuel Hood Inglefield (1783–1848), was an I-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Cammel Laird and Company at Birkenhead on 29 April 1936, launched on 15 October 1936 and commissioned...
Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ...
forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Forecastle also spelled focsle (pronounced ) originally meant the upper deck of a sailing ship, forward of the foremast. ...
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of the United Kingdom. ...
Norway In early April, 1940, Electra escorted 2 convoys to Norway and back. The first trip, which also included HMS Escapade and the cruiser HMS Southampton, was uneventful. On the second trip, the convoy was attacked by German bombers. An ex-Polish liner serving as a transport was sunk, but the rest of the convoy safely arrived. After the convoy was delivered, Electra was tasked to drop off two Army officers at a desolate location. During this time, Electra shot down a German bomber with her 4.7 inch guns. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
A few days later, Electra, being equipped with Two-Speed Destroyer Sweep minesweeping gear, was directed to lead the battleship HMS Warspite into Narvik, clearing a path through the minefields for her. However, Admiral Whitworth decided to risk the mines, and left Electra outside, guarding the entrance to the fjord. (For more information, see the Wikipedia article Battles of Narvik). A minesweeper is a military ship designed to locate and destroy naval mines placed in the sea by enemies. ...
HMS Victory in 1884 In naval warfare, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. ...
HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. ...
Narvik is a town in the county of Nordland, Norway. ...
A naval mine is a stationary self-contained explosive device placed in water, to destroy ships and/or submarines. ...
Whitworth may refer to: Joseph Whitworth Whitworth, County Durham A village in Lancashire NW England This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The Battles of Narvik were naval battles between the Royal Navy (the United Kingdom) and the Kriegsmarine (Germany) that occurred in April 1940, during the Second World War. ...
On June 13, 1940, she escorted HMS Ark Royal when she launched an air attack on Trondheim, Norway. As Ark Royal turned into the wind to launch aircraft in foggy conditions, another destroyer, HMS Antelope appeared, cutting across the bows of Electra. With no time to stop, Electra hit Antelope aft, in the wardroom pantry. One man from Antelope climbed up Electra's anchor chain to get away from the damaged area. Her bow was severly damaged, and it took Electra 4 days to get back to England at slow speed. She was refitted at the Ailsa Shipbilding Company yard at Troon. Ailsa was noted primarily for the yachts it has built, and Electra was the largest repair job it had handled to date. Here she had her bow repaired, as well as having her after bank of torpedo tubes replaced by a 3-inch anti-aircraft gun and 2 - 20mm Oerlikons. Also, during the refit and repair time, the wardroom was painted the team colors of the Glasgow Rangers football (soccer) team, which was the favorite team of the yard manager heading up the repair work. June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ...
1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honor of the flagship of the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada. ...
County Sør-Trøndelag Landscape Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area - Total - Land - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ...
HMS Antelope (H36) was an A-class destroyer built by Hawthorn Leslie. ...
The Wardroom is the officers mess in a warship. ...
A ships or boats anchor is used to attach the vessel to the bottom at a specific point. ...
Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ...
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, Scotland. ...
Torpedo tubes of the French SNLE Redoutable A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction. ...
American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...
Oerlikon is a Swiss anti-aircraft artillery manufacturer made famous by its Oerlikon 20 mm autocannon design of 1914, used in the First and Second World Wars, and still today. ...
Rangers Football Club is a football club from Glasgow, Scotland which plays in the Scottish Premier League. ...
Her first assignment after her repair work was completed was to participate in a hunt for a German surface raider that had been reported as breaking out into the North Atlantic. The force consisted of the battlecruiser HMS Hood, light cruiser HMS Edinburgh, and destroyers Electra, Escapade, Echo, and Cossack. After spending a week at sea, including Christmas Day, after the report turned out to be false, she returned to port on New Years Eve. It was here that they got word that the ship's current Captain, LCDR Sammy A. Buss, was promoted to Commander and transferred off, and the ship received a new Captain, LCDR Cecil Wakeford May, who would be her captain until she was sunk. A few days after this, Electra was sent into the Arctic for a mission to find surface raiders, returning through the Denmark Strait and refueling from a cruiser in heavy seas on the way. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...
HMS Hood (left) and HMS Barham (right), in Malta, 1937. ...
HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy. ...
A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...
His Majestys Ship Edinburgh (commissioned 1936, sunk 2nd May 1942) was a [[Town-class]] light cruiser of Britains Royal Navy. ...
HMS Cossack (L-03/F-03/G-03) was a Tribal-class destroyer which became famous for the boarding of the German supply ship Altmark in Norwegian waters, and the associated rescue of sailors originally captured by the Admiral Graf Spee. ...
Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...
New Years Eve is a celebration held the day before New Years Day, on December 31, the final day of the year. ...
The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region border The Arctic is the area around the Earths North Pole. ...
The Denmark Strait is a strait between Greenland and Iceland. ...
The first 4 months of 1941 saw Electra performing mostly convoy work around the British Isles and Bristol Channel, mostly in cold weather and heavy seas. One of the trips was as escort to convoy HX 122, which left Halifax on April 20 and arrived in Liverpool on 8 May. On one of the trips, she rescued the crew of a coastal Command Anson patrol aircraft that had crashed into the ocean. Starting on 23 January, Electra participated in Operation Rubble, the escape of several Norwegian merchant ships from Goteborg, Sweden. In March, Electra and Inglefield escorted the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth in a search for the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ...
The location of the Bristol Channel The Severn Bridge and Bristol Channel, looking northwestward from England towards Wales The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from South West...
April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ...
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Northwest England, on the north side of the Mersey estuary. ...
May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ...
Coastal Command was an organization within the Royal Air Force tasked with protecting the United Kingdom from naval threats. ...
Anson is the name of several places in the United States: Anson in Maine Anson in Texas Anson in Wisconsin This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg [jøːtəbɔrj]) is a city and a municipality on the western coast of Sweden, in the County of Västra Götaland. ...
HMS Queen Elizabeth was the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth-class of Dreadnought battleships, named in honour of Elizabeth I of England. ...
Scharnhorst was a 31,500 tonne Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named the Prussian general and army reformer Gerhard von Scharnhorst and to commemorate the World War I armored cruiser SMS Scharnhorst. ...
Gneisenau was a 31,100 ton Gneisenau class battlecruiser of the German Kriegsmarine, named to commemorate the World War I armored cruiser SMS Gneisenau, which was in turn named after the Prussian general August von Gneisenau. ...
Bismarck Episode In early May, the British Admiralty was on the alert that the German battleship Bismarck may attempt to break out into the North Atlantic; so Electra was ordered to Scapa Flow for possible deployment against the Germans. On 22 May, just after midnight, Electra sailed along with the destroyers Achates, Antelope, Anthony, Echo, and Icarus, escorting the Hood and Prince Of Wales to cover the northern approaches. The intention was that the force would refuel in Hvalfjord, Iceland, and then sail again to watch the Denmark Strait. On the evening of 23 May, weather started getting bad. At 2055 hrs., Admiral Lancelot Holland aboard the Hood signalled the destroyers "If you are unable to maintain this speed I will have to go on without you. You should follow at your best speed." At 0215 on the morning of 24 May, the destroyers were ordered to spread out at 15 mile intervals to search to the north. Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...
Bismarck was a German battleship during World War II. She was named after Otto von Bismarck and is famous for sinking HMS Hood in 1941, and for the subsequent pursuit which ended with her destruction just three days later. ...
For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...
Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom. ...
May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ...
HMS Achates was an A-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched on 4 October 1929 and commissioned on 27 March 1930. ...
HMS Icarus (D03) was an I-class destroyer laid down by John Brown and Company, Limited, at Clydebank in Scotland on 9 March 1936, launched on 26 November 1936 and commissioned on 1 May 1937. ...
HMS Prince Of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy, built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, England. ...
May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ...
Lancelot Ernest Holland (September 13, 1887–May 24, 1941) was an admiral who commanded the British force in the Battle of Denmark Strait in May, 1941 against the German battleship Bismarck. ...
May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ...
At about 0535, the German forces were sighted by the Hood, and shortly after, the Germans sighted the British ships. Firing commencted at 0552. At 0601, Hood took a 38 cm (15 inch) shell from Bismarck in the after magazine, which caused a massive explosion, sinking the ship within 2 minutes. Electra and other destroyers were about 60 miles away at the time. Upon hearing that the Hood had sunk, Electra raced to the area, arriving about 2 hours after the Hood went down. They were expecting to find many survivors, prepared hot coffee and rum, set up the medical facilities for the casualties, rigged scrambling nets and heaving lines, and placed life belts on the deck where they could be quickly thrown in. From the 94 officers and 1321 enlisted men who were aboard the Hood, only 3 survivors were found. Electra rescued these 3 survivors, and continued searching. Shortly thereafter, Icarus and Anthony joined in the search, and the 3 ships searched the area for more survivors. No more survivors were found, only driftwood, debris, clothing, personal effects, broken rafts, and a desk drawer filled with documents. After several hours searching, they left the area. With the sea as cold as it was, survival in the water is measured in minutes; there was little probability that anyone was left alive in the water. (For more information, see the Wikipedia article Battle of the Denmark Strait). The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a World War II naval engagement fought between the British battleship Prince of Wales, and battlecruiser Hood and the German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen which were attempting to break out into the North Atlantic to destroy Allied merchant shipping. ...
After dropping the survivors off in Iceland, she refueled, and then sailed immediately again to escort the damaged Prince Of Wales to Rosyth. After arriving, the men went on a quick shore leave, their first in many months. Then in a period of two weeks, she went to Scapa Flow, then made a run down the West Coast of England, then to Ireland, then refueled at Londonderry, then escorted a troop convoy into the Atlantic. Rosyth (pronounced Ross-sythe) (Scottish Gaelic: Ros Saoithe) is located on the Firth of Forth on Scotlands east coast, a mile (1. ...
Derry or Londonderry (in Irish , Doire Cholm Chille or Doire), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. ...
After this, she went into refit in London for 6 weeks, escorting a convoy to Sheerness on the way. When she came out of the yard, she sported a new camoflage paint scheme of blues, greens, and grays. Just 2 days out of the yard, she was on convoy duty again, escorting a convoy through what was called "Bomb Alley". They came under heavy attack by German aircraft, but suffered no losses. She then went on to Scapa Flow for assignment. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben London and the Regions of England London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of approximately 13,945,000 [1]. Londons population includes...
Map sources for Sheerness at grid reference TQ919749 Sheerness is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. ...
Anolis caroliensis showing blending camouflage and counter-shading. ...
Russian Convoy Shortly after arriving at Scapa Flow, she was detailed to serve as Senior Escort for the first convoy to Russia (PQ-1), called Operation Dervish, which consisted of 13 merchantmen, escorted by Electra, Anthony, 3 Algerian-class minesweepers, and 6 trawlers. The convoy kept well to the west of Norway, and made a wide sweep to avoid the German bases in northern Norway, before turning south to Archangel. There were no losses on the trip to Russia, or on the return trip in October with 11 merchantmen. (For more information, see the Wikipedia article Arctic convoys of World War II). An Archangel is a superior or higher-ranking angel. ...
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the USA and the United Kingdom to the northern ports of the USSR - Archangel and Murmansk. ...
While in Russia, the crew did get a little shore leave, after numerous requests and put-offs by the local government officials, and the ship did get several Russian visitors and served as host to a Royal Air Force Air Vice Marshall and several RAF officers. One of the officers remarked about Electra's camouflage scheme, and stated that only 1 out of 12 aircraft covering the convoy identified the ship. The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...
To the Far East On Monday, 20 October 1941, the crew of Electra got word that they, along with HMS Express would be escorting HMS Prince Of Wales to the Far East under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Tom Philips. Over the next 3 days, they filled up with supplies and ammunition, and returned their load of parkas they had obtained for their Russian trip. On 23 October, they sailed out of Scapa Flow for Greenock, and on 25 October, they sailed for the Far East. This force would be known as Force G until they reached the Far East; then they would be re-designated Force Z. They were accompanied by HMS Hesperus, loaned by Western Approaches Command, for the first part of the trip. The destroyers refueled from the Prince Of Wales south of Ireland. Two days later, another destroyer, HMS Legion, was detached from a convoy to cover the Prince Of Wales while Electra and Express refueled again from a tanker in Ponta del Garda in the Azores. After Electra and Express returned the following day, Hesperus and Legion departed for Gibraltar. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ...
The HMS Express (H.61) was an E-Class destroyer with the Royal Navy. ...
HMS Prince Of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy, built at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, England. ...
Far East is an inexact term often used for East Asia and Southeast Asia combined, sometimes including also the easternmost territories of Russia, i. ...
October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ...
Greenock (Grianaig in Scottish Gaelic) is a town (burgh of barony) in the district of Inverclyde in Western Scotland. ...
October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ...
Two World War II military groups were called Force Z An Allied force attached to General Sir Archibald Wavells Middle East Command in 1941, consisting of Nos. ...
HMS Hesperus (H57) was an H-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. ...
Location Motto of the autonomous region: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Portuguese: Rather die free than peacefully subjected) Official language Portuguese Capitals Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the autonomous government), Angra do HeroÃsmo (Supreme Court), Horta (Legislative Assembly) Other towns Praia da Vitória, Ribeira Grande Area 2333...
On 2 November, the three ships put into Freetown. They had shore leave, and left the next day. They refueled again on the way, and arrived at Capetown on 16 November, with the destroyers putting into Simonstown Naval Base. The crew had shore leave again, but several events, including press interviews were cancelled. They left Capetown on 18 November and arrived at Colombo, Ceylon, on 28 November, stopping at Mauritius and Addu Atoll to refuel on the way. While at Addu Atoll, the crew of the Prince Of Wales cooked the Addu detachment of Royal Marines a Christmas dinner, and sent ashore fresh fruit, meat, vegatables, beer, and Navy rum. November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ...
Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope Cape Town (Afrikaans, Dutch: Kaapstad; Xhosa: eKapa or SaseKapa), is one of South Africas three capital cities serving as the legislative capital (executive capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital). ...
November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ...
November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ...
Towers of downtown Colombo Colombo (derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means harbour with mango trees, altered by the Portuguese to honour Christopher Columbus), population 737,396 (Colombo metropolitan area: 2,234,289) (2001), is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. ...
November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Addu or Seenu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives. ...
The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core component of the countrys Rapid Deployment Force. ...
On 29 November, the destroyers HMS Encounter and HMS Jupiter, detached from the Mediterranean Fleet, joined up at Colombo, and the 5 ships sailed later that day. They rendezvoused with HMS Repulse at sea, and set course for Singapore, where they arrived on 2 December. They spent a few days there with shore leave and refit, while waiting for orders. On 1 December, it was announced that Sir Tom Philips had been promoted to full Admiral, and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet. A few days later, Repulse started on a trip to Australia with the Vampire and Tenedos, but the force was recalled. November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
HMS Jupiter (F85) was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by the Yarrow Shipbuilding Company, Limited, at Scotstoun in Glasgow on 28 September 1937, launched on 27 October 1938 and commissioned on 25 June 1939. ...
HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser, the second to last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. ...
December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II. It operated in the Indian Ocean and was based in Trincomalee in Ceylon. ...
Force Z at Singapore Early in the morning of 8 December (Singapore time), Singapore came under attack by Japanese aircraft. Prince Of Wales and Repulse shot back with anti-aircraft fire; no planes were shot down, and the ships sustained no damage. After receiving the reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor and invasions of Siam by the Japanese, Force Z put to sea at 1730 hrs. on 8 December. Force Z at this time consisted of the Prince Of Wales and Repulse, escorted by the destroyers Electra, Express, Vampire, and Tenedos. At about 1830 on 9 December, the Tenedos was detached to return to Singapore, because of her limited fuel capacity. That night, Electra sighted and reported a flare to the north. This caused the British force to turn away to the southeast. The flare was dropped by a Japanese aircraft over their own ships by mistake, and caused the Japanese force to turn away to the northeast. At this point, the two forces were only about 5 miles apart. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...
The Imperial Japanese Navy made its attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. ...
For the country formerly called Siam see Thailand SIAM is an acronym for Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. ...
December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
At 2055, Admiral Philips cancelled the operation, and ordered the force to return to Singapore. On the way back, they were spotted and reported by the Japanese submarine I-58. The next morning, 10 December, they received a report of Japanese landings at Kuantan, and Express was sent to investigate the area, finding nothing. That afternoon, Prince Of Wales and Repulse were sunk by 85 Japanese aircraft off Kuantan aircraft from the 22nd Air Flotilla based at Saigon. (For more information, see the Wikipedia article Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse). Repulse was sunk by 5 torpedoes in 20 minutes, and Electra and Vampire moved in to rescue survivors of Repulse, while Express rescued survivors of the Prince Of Wales. December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Teluk Cempedak Beach, Kuantan Kuantan (population 340,000) is a town in Malaysia, and is the state capital of Pahang, the largest state in the peninsular, covering around 36,000 km². It is in Peninsular Malaysia, facing the South China Sea and at the mouth of the Kuantan River about...
Teluk Cempedak Beach, Kuantan Kuantan (population 340,000) is a town in Malaysia, and is the state capital of Pahang, the largest state in the peninsular, covering around 36,000 km². It is in Peninsular Malaysia, facing the South China Sea and at the mouth of the Kuantan River about...
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam and, as Saigon (Vietnamese: Sài Gòn), was the capital of South Vietnam from 1954 to 1976. ...
The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ...
Electra sent out radio messages that Repulse and Prince Of Wales had sunk. Even after they were rescued, some survivors of the Repulse manned Action Stations on Electra, to free the Electra sailors to rescue more survivors. In particular, Repulse gunners manned the 'X' and 'Y' 4.7-inch mounts, and the ship's dentist of the Repulse even assisted the Electra's medical teams with the wounded. In total, nearly 1000 survivors of the Repulse were rescued, of which Electra saved 571. Electra and the other destroyers then returned to Singapore to drop off the survivors, refuel, and replenish their ammunition.
Convoy Duty The next 3 weeks or so saw Electra escorting convoys, and resting in Singapore in between. She had 'crossed the line' (equator) so many times that the crew stopped keeping count. One of her frequent consorts in these escort operations was the light cruiser HMAS Hobart. In the last week of January, Electra was part of the escort for a troop convoy, BM-11, consisting of the American transports West Point and Wakefield, and the British ships Duchess Of Bedford, Empress of Japan, and Empire Star, which was carrying troops from Bombay, India, to Singapore. This convoy was brought into Singapore on 29 January via Berhala Strait, Durian Strait, and Philips Channel, and then proceeded to Keppel Harbor. Here, at about 1100 on 31 January, Electra cama alongside West Point and transferred 20 naval dockyard personnel, 8 women, one Free French officer, and an RAF officer to West Point for passage to Ceylon. (One of these women gave birth to a baby on board West Point on 4 February). The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ...
HMS Apollo at Miami, Florida, 1 February 1938 The first HMAS Hobart was a Leander class light cruiser, obtained from the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo and renamed. ...
This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ...
January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
Keppel Harbour (Chinese: å‰å®æ¸¯å£) is a stretch of water in Singapore between the mainland and the southern islands of Pulau Brani and Sentosa. ...
January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
Some of the convoys that Electra was known to have escorted included:
- BM-9B, which left Bombay 22 December 1941; Electra escorted this convoy from 3 January 1942 until its arrival at Singapore on 6 January. December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
- BM-10, which left Bombay 8 January 1942; Electra was part of the escort between 10 January and 22 January. January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
- BM-11, (mentioned above) which left Bombay 19 January 1942; Electra was part of the escort from 24 January until its arrival at Singapore on 29 January. January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
- BM-12 Return trip to Bombay; Electra was part of the escort from 7 February to 9 February while the convoy went through the Sunda Strait. February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
The Sunda Strait is the strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. ...
Later, they also had the task of towing an I-class destroyer which had been undergoing refit from Singapore to Java. They were attacked by a Japanese high-level bomber on the way, but sustained no damage. (T. J. Cain in his book HMS Electra states that it was an I class destroyer, and that Electra was the tow ship; Steve Gartland in an article in "The Sun" states that the destroyer being towed was HMAS Vendetta, that the tow ship was a tug named Ping Wo, and that Electra was an escort out of Tanjong Priok starting on 17 February.) Just before Singapore fell, Electra and other destroyers escorted the remaining merchant ships to Tanjong Priok, Java. Two ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named Vendetta. ...
February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Battle of the Java Sea On 26 February 1942, Electra arrived at Surabaya from Tanjong Priok, along with HMS Exeter, HMAS Perth, the Netherlands light cruiser Java, and the destroyers Jupiter and Encounter. Dauntless, Danae, and Hobart remained at Tanjong Priok. On 27 February, the striking force left Surabaya, the three British destroyers in the lead, with Electra in the center, Jupiter to port, and Encounter to starboard; followed by HNLMS DeRuyter, Exeter, Houston, Perth, and Java; followed by 2 Dutch and 4 American destroyers. (For more information, see the Wikipedia article Battle of the Java Sea.) February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
This article is about the year. ...
Surabaya (formerly Soerabaja) is Indonesias second-largest city, and the capital of the province of East Java. ...
The fourth and best known HMS Exeter (68), was a County-class heavy cruiser of the York subclass that served in World War II. She was built by Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, Devon. ...
HMAS Perth, the first to be named after the city of Perth, was a modified Leander class cruiser, laid down by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth on 26 June 1933, launched on 26 July 1934 by the Marchioness of Titchfield, completed in July 1936 and commissioned at Portsmouth on 15 June...
HNLMS Java was a Sumatra-class light cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. ...
February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
The second USS Houston (CA-30) (originally CL-30), nicknamed the Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast, was a Northampton-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy. ...
The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied ships suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in action over several days in February-March 1942. ...
That afternoon, they made contact with the enemy. Electra managed to evade the shells and torpedoes in the first round. At 1715, Exeter received a hit which destroyed a 4-inch gun mount and then exploded in a boiler room, causing her to lose speed. At 1725, seeing that the Exeter was in trouble, Electra headed toward the enemy ships, followed by the other two British destroyers, to cover the Exeter's escape. After several near misses from gunfire from the Japanese light cruiser Jintsu, Electra fired back, scoring several hits on the Jintsu and the destroyer Asagumo. During this slugging match, Electra sustained several hits, which knocked out A and X gun mounts, wrecked the electrical system forward, cut off all communications, destroyed a searchlight platform, damaged the after boiler room, and ruptured the main steam line. Electra came to a stop, fired off her torpedoes, and started to list to port. After a fire started under B gun mount and Y mount ran out of ammunition, abandon ship was ordered. One surviving whaleboat got away after being loaded with wounded, but it was destroyed by a shell shortly after. She sank shortly later on the afternoon of 27 February 1942, bow first, with the White Ensign still flying. A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...
February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
This article is about the year. ...
Survivors That night, about 0235hrs. in the morning of 28 February, 54 survivors of the 173 men on board were picked up by the United States submarine USS S-38 (SS-143), and were taken to Surabaya. When the submarine surfaced in the middle of the survivors, they weren't sure if it was friendly or enemy. One of the survivors recognized the submarine as being friendly, because it had an 'Admiralty' type anchor; and at that time, only United States submarines still had this type of anchor. One of the survivors died on the submarine on the way. After treatment in a Dutch hospital, 42 survivors were taken to Australia by the inter-island steamer Verspeck, where they arrived March 10. One more survivor died at the hospital, and 10 others in critical condition were left at the hospital. February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
USS S-38 (SS-143) was a S-class submarine of the United States Navy. ...
March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ...
After spending some time there recovering, many of the survivors were put on the liner Nankin, bound for Ceylon, and ultimately, home to Britain. On the way, the Nankin was attacked and sunk by the German raider Thor. The survivors, after spending 7 weeks on the raider's suppply ship Regensburg, were handed over to the Japanese, where they spent the rest of the war in a Japanese prison camp. Thor was a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II. Categories: Naval ship stubs | World War II German ships ...
Regensburg (English formerly Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona) is a city (population 150,212 in 2004) in Bavaria, south-east Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. ...
Prisoner of War camps Contents // Categories: Substubs | Prisons and detention centres ...
On 29 March 1947, a stained glass window at the Church of St. George at the Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham, was dedicated to the crew of the Electra. March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ...
1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Strictly speaking, stained glass is glass that has been painted with silver stain and then fired. ...
Church of St. ...
The Wreck In August 2003, the M/V Empress located the wreck of the Electra. It is lying on its port side in approximately 160 feet (49m) of water, completely covered with fishing nets. What is interesting is that she is located nowhere near the Allied battle maps put her sinking, but is close to where the Japanese battle maps put her. 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
References - LCDR Timothy J. Cain, HMS Electra (Frederick Miller, LTD, London, 1959), ISBN 0-8600-7300-0. LCDR Cain (then a Warrant Officer Gunner, "Guns") was the senior surviving officer of Electra when it went down.
- H. T. Lenton, British Fleet and Escort Destroyers, Volume I (Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1970)
- Robert Gardiner, ed., Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922 - 1946 (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1980) ISBN 0-85177-146-7
- Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II (Janes Publishing, London, 1946) ISBN 0-517-67963-9
- Ernle Bradford, The Mighty Hood (World Publishing Company, Cleveland, 1959)
- Dan Van der Vat, The Atlantic Campaign: World War II's Great Struggle at Sea (Harper and Row, New York, 1988) ISBN 0-06-015967-7
- Correlli Barnett, Engage the Enemy More Closely (W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1991) ISBN 0-393-02918-2
- Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahoney, Battleship: The Sinking of the Prince Of Wales and the Repulse, (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1979)
- Edwin P. Hoyt, The Lonely Ships: The Life and Death of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet (Pinnacle Books, Los Angeles, 1977), ISBN 0-52340-162-0
- W. G. Winslow, The Ghost that Died at Sunda Strait, (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1989), ISBN 0-87021-218-4
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