Guy D'Oyly-Hughes
Encyclopedia
Guy D'Oyly-Hughes, DSO and bar
, DSC
, (died 8 June 1940 aged 48), was an officer in the Royal Navy
.
During the First World War, Lt D'Oyly-Hughes was a submariner
and second in command of HMS E11
which was highly successful in the Dardanelles Campaign. He was awarded the DSC in June 1915 after a patrol in which his captain, Lt. Cdr. Martin Nasmith, was awarded the VC
. Hughes was awarded the DSO in August after swimming ashore from E11 with explosives and blowing up part of the Constantinople-Baghdad Railway.
In June 1939, as a Captain, he was given command of the aircraft carrier
HMS Glorious. D'Oyly-Hughes had learned to fly and continually rejected the advice of the ship's professional aviators, according to Winton. Returning to Britain from the Norwegian Campaign
on June 8, 1940, Glorious and her destroyer escort of HMS Acasta
and Ardent
were surprised and caught by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Norwegian Sea
. All three ships were sunk with the loss of over 1,500 lives. D'Oyly-Hughes went down with his ship.
Glorious had been sighted in conditions of maximum visibility, a condition in which an aircraft carrier would normally have one or more aircraft out on a Combat Air Patrol
. Glorious had no such patrol, and was unable to reach maximum speed before coming in range of the enemy's 11-inch guns. Winton describes D'Oyly-Hughes' lack of belief in the effectiveness of air patrols and the questions raised by numerous commentators, including eyewitnesses from Glorious and Scharnhorst, about the Captain's judgement in this and other matters.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, (died 8 June 1940 aged 48), was an officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
During the First World War, Lt D'Oyly-Hughes was a submariner
Submariner
Submariner can mean:*A sailor who is a crewman of a submarine*Namor the Sub-Mariner, a comic-book character in the Marvel Comics Universe*Rolex Submariner, a make of diver's watch*Submariner an album by Experimental rock band The Dead Science...
and second in command of HMS E11
HMS E11
HMS E11 was an E-class submarine of the Royal Navy launched on 23 April 1914. E11 was one of the most successful submarines in action during the 1915 naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign, sinking over 80 vessels of all sizes in three tours of the Sea of Marmara.-European operations:In...
which was highly successful in the Dardanelles Campaign. He was awarded the DSC in June 1915 after a patrol in which his captain, Lt. Cdr. Martin Nasmith, was awarded the VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. Hughes was awarded the DSO in August after swimming ashore from E11 with explosives and blowing up part of the Constantinople-Baghdad Railway.
In June 1939, as a Captain, he was given command of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
HMS Glorious. D'Oyly-Hughes had learned to fly and continually rejected the advice of the ship's professional aviators, according to Winton. Returning to Britain from the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
on June 8, 1940, Glorious and her destroyer escort of HMS Acasta
HMS Acasta (H09)
HMS Acasta , the third ship to bear that name, launched in 1929, was an A-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She served in the Second World War and was sunk on 8 June 1940 in action against the German warships and , while escorting the aircraft carrier...
and Ardent
HMS Ardent (H41)
HMS Ardent was an A-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War in Home waters and off the Norwegian coast, before becoming an early war loss when she was sunk by the German warships and on 8 June 1940 whilst escorting the aircraft carrier .-Construction and...
were surprised and caught by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
. All three ships were sunk with the loss of over 1,500 lives. D'Oyly-Hughes went down with his ship.
Glorious had been sighted in conditions of maximum visibility, a condition in which an aircraft carrier would normally have one or more aircraft out on a Combat Air Patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
. Glorious had no such patrol, and was unable to reach maximum speed before coming in range of the enemy's 11-inch guns. Winton describes D'Oyly-Hughes' lack of belief in the effectiveness of air patrols and the questions raised by numerous commentators, including eyewitnesses from Glorious and Scharnhorst, about the Captain's judgement in this and other matters.