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HMS Wakeful (R59)
Encyclopedia
HMS Wakeful was a W-class destroyer
of the Royal Navy
launched in 1943. She saw service during the Second World War and was later converted into a Type 15
fast anti-submarine frigate
. She was sold for scrap in 1971.
destroyer ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
, Govan
, Glasgow
on 3 December 1941 as part of the 9th Emergency Flotilla. She was laid down on 3 June 1942 under the provisional name of HMS Zebra, but was renamed HMS Wakeful in January 1943, exchanging names with a destroyer also under construction, which was subsequently launched as . She became the second ship of the name, the first being an Admiralty W-class destroyer
sunk by a German E-Boat
off Dunkirk in 1940 during Operation Dynamo
, the evacuation from Dunkirk.
, where she served as an escort vessel during the air raids on the German battleship Tirpitz
in Altenfjord. In May 1944 the Wakeful served as an escort during air attacks on German shipping off Narvik
and Stadlandet, Norway
as part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla.
Throughout June and July 1944 the she was refitted for redeployment to the Eastern Fleet remaining with the 27th Destroyer Flotilla for operations in the Indian Ocean based at Trincomalee
. In October 1944 the Eastern Fleet initiated diversionary air attacks on the Nicobar Islands
during the US amphibious assault of Leyte
. In November 1944 Wakeful, with the remainder of the Flotilla, was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet
upon its formation.
In January 1945 'she took part in Operation Meridian One
as an escort during air attacks on refineries at Pladjoe, and then took part in Operation Meridian Two
as an escort during air raids on Soengi-Gerong near Palembang
. In March 1945 the British Pacific Fleet joined Admiral Raymond Spruance's United States Fifth Fleet, before joining Admiral William Halsey's United States Third Fleet in May 1945. During August 1945 Wakeful was on escort duties during the Royal Navy
and United States Navy
's air raids on Hokkaido and North Honshū. She was in Tokyo Bay
during the formal surrender and was available to support the occupation of Japan
, remaining in Japanese waters to help with the repatriation of allied nationals before departing for Sydney
. She returned to the UK in December 1945, having received the battle honour
s 'North Sea 1944' and 'East Indies 1944' for her wartime service.
anti-submarine warfare
frigate, a process completed by 1953. She was assigned the new pennant number F159 and served as a part of the 5th Frigate Squadron until 1957. She was then used a radar training ship, followed by trials using satellite communications equipment in 1967. On 25 February 1960 she was used for the burial at sea
of Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
off the coast of Portsmouth
. In 1970 Wakeful was put on the Disposal List, and was sold for scrap on 10 June 1971.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of 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...
launched in 1943. She saw service during the Second World War and was later converted into a Type 15
Type 15 frigate
The Type 15 frigate was a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were conversions based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers built to the standard War Emergency Programme "utility" design.-History:...
fast anti-submarine frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
. She was sold for scrap in 1971.
Construction
HMS Wakeful was a W-classW and Z class destroyer
The W and Z class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1943–1944. They were constructed as two flotillas, with names beginning with "W-" and "Z-", respectively, although, like the preceding U and V class, two of the flotilla leaders were named after historical naval...
destroyer ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the...
, Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on 3 December 1941 as part of the 9th Emergency Flotilla. She was laid down on 3 June 1942 under the provisional name of HMS Zebra, but was renamed HMS Wakeful in January 1943, exchanging names with a destroyer also under construction, which was subsequently launched as . She became the second ship of the name, the first being an Admiralty W-class destroyer
V and W class destroyer
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...
sunk by a German E-Boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
off Dunkirk in 1940 during Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
, the evacuation from Dunkirk.
Second World War
Wakeful joined the Home Fleet on 17 February 1944 for sea trials and working up, before entering active service in March and forming part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla when more ships of the class became available. While serving with the Home Fleet the Flotilla was deployed to support Operation TungstenOperation Tungsten
Operation Tungsten was a British naval operation during World War II. it was one of a number of aerial attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz while she was in Norwegian waters...
, where she served as an escort vessel during the air raids on the German battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
in Altenfjord. In May 1944 the Wakeful served as an escort during air attacks on German shipping off Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
and Stadlandet, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
as part of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla.
Throughout June and July 1944 the she was refitted for redeployment to the Eastern Fleet remaining with the 27th Destroyer Flotilla for operations in the Indian Ocean based at Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. In October 1944 the Eastern Fleet initiated diversionary air attacks on the Nicobar Islands
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...
during the US amphibious assault of Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
. In November 1944 Wakeful, with the remainder of the Flotilla, was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
upon its formation.
In January 1945 'she took part in Operation Meridian One
Operation Meridian
During World War II, Operation Meridian was a series of British air attacks conducted on 24 January and 29 January 1945 on Japanese-held oil refineries at Palembang, on Sumatra...
as an escort during air attacks on refineries at Pladjoe, and then took part in Operation Meridian Two
Operation Meridian
During World War II, Operation Meridian was a series of British air attacks conducted on 24 January and 29 January 1945 on Japanese-held oil refineries at Palembang, on Sumatra...
as an escort during air raids on Soengi-Gerong near Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
. In March 1945 the British Pacific Fleet joined Admiral Raymond Spruance's United States Fifth Fleet, before joining Admiral William Halsey's United States Third Fleet in May 1945. During August 1945 Wakeful was on escort duties during 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...
and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's air raids on Hokkaido and North Honshū. She was in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
during the formal surrender and was available to support the occupation of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, remaining in Japanese waters to help with the repatriation of allied nationals before departing for Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. She returned to the UK in December 1945, having received the battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s 'North Sea 1944' and 'East Indies 1944' for her wartime service.
Post war
Wakeful was used as a Boys Training ship until she was refitted as a Type 15Type 15 frigate
The Type 15 frigate was a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were conversions based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers built to the standard War Emergency Programme "utility" design.-History:...
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
frigate, a process completed by 1953. She was assigned the new pennant number F159 and served as a part of the 5th Frigate Squadron until 1957. She was then used a radar training ship, followed by trials using satellite communications equipment in 1967. On 25 February 1960 she was used for the burial at sea
Burial at sea
Burial at sea describes the procedure of disposing of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, but also can be done by private citizens in many countries.-By religion:...
of Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma,, GBE, DCVO, CI, DStJ was an English heiress, socialite, relief-worker, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and last Vicereine of India.- Lineage and wealth :Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma...
off the coast of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. In 1970 Wakeful was put on the Disposal List, and was sold for scrap on 10 June 1971.