HMS Campbeltown (I42)

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The newly transferred HMS Campbeltown (right) alongside her sister HMS Castleton
History
United States
Name	Buchanan
Namesake	Franklin Buchanan
Builder	Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, US
Laid down	29 June 1918
Launched	2 January 1919
Commissioned	20 January 1919
Decommissioned	In reserve from 1939
Fate	Transferred to the Royal Navy on 3 September 1940
United Kingdom
Name	Campbeltown
Namesake	Campbeltown, Scotland Campbelltown, Pennsylvania
Commissioned	9 September 1940
Honours and awards	Atlantic 1941–42 St Nazaire 1942
Fate	Expended on 28 March 1942 in a special operation against the docks at Saint-Nazaire
Badge	On a Field White, within an annulet Blue charged in base with a mullet White a sprig of myrtle proper.
General characteristics
Class and type	Wickes-class destroyer Town-class destroyer
Displacement	1,260 long tons (1,280 t)
Length	314 ft 4 in (95.81 m)
Beam	30 ft 6 in (9.30 m)
Draught	9 ft (2.7 m) (light) 12 ft (3.7 m) (full load)
Installed power	30,000 shp (22,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Brown-Curtiss single reduction geared steam turbines 4 × Normand return-flame boilers 2 × shafts
Speed	Design: 35.5 kn (40.9 mph; 65.7 km/h) Trials (1919): 39.7 kn (45.7 mph; 73.5 km/h)
Complement	158
Armament	As built: 4 × 4 in (100 mm)/50 cal guns 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/23 cal anti-aircraft gun 6 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes Conversion for St Nazaire Raid: 1 × 12-pounder gun 8 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons 4.5 short tons (4.1 t) amatol explosive charge (consisting of 24 × Mark VII depth charges)

HMS Campbeltown was a Town-class destroyer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was originally US destroyer USS Buchanan, and was one of 50 obsolescent U.S. Navy destroyers transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. Campbeltown became one of the most famous of these ships when she was used in the St Nazaire Raid in 1942.

Service history

As USS Buchanan

USS Buchanan was a

Having been formally commissioned she took passage from Halifax to Plymouth, travelling via St John's, Newfoundland. She arrived at Devonport Dockyard on 29 September and was taken in hand for modifications to fit her for service with the Royal Navy. The refits lasted throughout October, and on completion of the final harbour trials on 1 November 1940 she was nominated to join the 17th Flotilla operating in the Western Approaches.^[1] The next day, while carrying out sea trials she collided with SS Risoy and sustained damage,^[2] but continued and arrived safely at Liverpool, where she underwent repairs from 7 to 24 November. She then joined the flotilla.

On 29 November, she ran down and sank the British coaster Fiddown in the Mersey Estuary.^[3] She began deploying with the flotilla in early December, but on 3 December she collided with SS Comus and had to put into port for repairs again.^[4] The repairs lasted until late March, and involved the shortening of the fourth funnel.

On completion of the work on 28 March 1941, Campbeltown was transferred on loan to the Royal Netherlands Navy as HNLMS Campbeltown, where she joined the 7th Escort Group and deployed with them in April–May. The Dutch proposed to rename her Middelburg, but this was not agreed as it would have been contrary to the naming agreed with the U.S. Navy. She underwent further repairs throughout June and resumed convoy defence with the group in July–August. She was then nominated to be returned to the Royal Navy in September, but remained with the 7th Escort Group. She spent September working up with her Royal Navy crew and rejoined the group in October, where she covered convoys between Britain and West Africa. On 15 September she picked up the survivors of the Norwegian motor tanker Vinga, which had been damaged in an enemy air attack. She carried out escort duties in November–December, before taking passage to Devonport to undergo repairs.

The St Nazaire Raid

This article appears to contradict the article St Nazaire Raid. Please discuss at the talk page and do not remove this message until the contradictions are resolved. (February 2024)

Campbeltown began the Devonport repairs in January. During this time, she was selected for a special operation and was withdrawn from regular service for modifications. She was to be used in Operation Chariot, a planned assault operation on the docks at

An explosive charge consisting of 24 Mark VII depth charges—containing a total of 4.5 short tons (4.1 t) of amatol high explosive—was fitted into steel tanks installed just behind the steel pillar that supported her most forward gun mount. The charges were to be detonated by multiple eight-hour time pencils connected together by cordtex, set before steaming out and cemented in to prevent any interference with the detonation.^[7] Campbeltown steamed from Devonport to Falmouth, Cornwall on 25 March to join the other ships that would take part in the operation. The crew—which would be evacuated with the commandos—was reduced to 75 men, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Stephen Beattie.

A flotilla of 21 vessels—Campbeltown, 16

The preliminary air raid carried out through heavy cloud by 35 Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and 25 Vickers Wellingtons was much smaller than originally planned and was ineffective, merely alerting the defenders of something unusual happening. Nevertheless, by flashing genuine German recognition signals, the force, with Campbeltown flying the flag of the Kriegsmarine, approached to within less than 1 mi (1.6 km) of the harbour before being fired upon. Campbeltown—as the largest target—drew most of the fire. During the final approach, the crew of Campbeltown lowered the emblem of the Kriegsmarine and hoisted the battle ensign of the Royal Navy.

At 01:34 on 28 March, four minutes later than planned, Campbeltown rammed the dock gate. The Commandos and ship's crew came ashore under heavy German fire and set about demolishing the dock machinery. 169 of the raiders were killed (64 commandos and 105 sailors) out of the 611 men in the attacking force. Of the survivors, 215 were captured and 222 were evacuated by the surviving small craft. A further five evaded capture and travelled overland through France to Spain and then to Gibraltar, a British territory.^[8]

The charges in Campbeltown exploded at noon, an hour and a half later than the British had expected. Although the ship had been searched by the Germans, the explosives had not been detected. The explosion killed around 250 German soldiers and French civilians and demolished both the front half of the destroyer and the 160 short tons (150 t)

The 1952 film The Gift Horse was loosely based on the story of HMS Campbeltown.^[13]

Footnotes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Campbeltown (I42).

• ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8
  .
• "HMS Campbeltown – ex-US Destroyer". Geoff Mason's ship histories. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
• "HMS Campbeltown Commemorates the Raid on St Nazaire 28 March 1942". UK Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
• ""The Greatest Raid of All" and other Wartime Memories of the Royal Navy". WW2 People's War (BBC). Retrieved 25 March 2007.
• "HMS Campbeltown (I 42)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 April 2008.

47°16′34″N 2°11′49″W / 47.27611°N 2.19694°W / 47.27611; -2.19694