HMS Fury (H76)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Fury.

Fury underway, 1942
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Fury
Ordered17 March 1933
BuilderJ. Samuel White, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Cost£248,538
Laid down19 May 1933
Launched10 September 1934
Commissioned18 May 1935
Fate
  • Damaged by mine and wrecked, 21 June 1944
  • Scrapped beginning 18 September 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeF-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,405 long tons (1,428 t) (
    standard
    )
  • 1,940 long tons (1,970 t) (
    deep load
    )
Length329 ft (100.3 m) o/a
Beam33 ft 3 in (10.13 m)
Draught12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) (deep)
Installed power
  • 36,000 shp (26,800 kW)
  • 3 ×
    Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion2 × shafts; 2 × Parsons geared steam turbines
Speed35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph)
Range6,350 nmi (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement145
Sensors and
processing systems		ASDIC
Armament

HMS Fury was an

Norwegian Campaign of 1940. Fury was sent to Gibraltar in mid-1940 and formed part of Force H where she participated in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir and the Battle of Dakar. The ship escorted numerous convoys to Malta in 1940–41 and Arctic convoys
during 1942.

Fury was briefly transferred to the Mediterranean in August 1942 to participate in

Operation Neptune, the Allied invasion of France. The ship provided naval gunfire support during the landings until she struck a mine during a storm on 21 June and was then blown ashore. She was deemed uneconomical to repair and scrapping
began in September.

Description

The F-class ships were repeats of the preceding

Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). Fury carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 6,350 nautical miles (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.[1]

The ships mounted four

21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.[2] One depth charge rack and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.[3]

Wartime modifications

Fury refueling from an oiler in Iceland, February–March 1943

Between October 1940 and April 1941, Fury had her rear torpedo tube mount replaced by a

mainmast.[1] By February 1943 photographic evidence shows that a pair of Oerlikons had replaced her Vickers .50 machine guns. During her early 1944 refit, another pair of Oerlikons was added and her 12-pounder gun was removed.[5] Photos taken of the ship in July 1944 show her with a Type 271 radar
mounted on her searchlight platform that was probably installed during her last refit.

Construction and career

Fury was built by

Non-Intervention Committee. The flotilla was renumbered the 8th Destroyer Flotilla in April 1939, five months before the start of World War II. Fury remained assigned to it until June 1940, escorting the larger ships of the fleet and conducting anti-submarine patrols.[10]

On 15 September, Fury was one of the destroyers that relieved her sisters escorting the aircraft carrier Ark Royal after they had sunk the German submarine U-39 after it attacked the carrier. Two months later, she was escorting the battleship Nelson when the latter struck a magnetic mine as they were entering Loch Ewe on 4 December. Fury remained there for a time in case any further mining attempts were made. In February 1940, she was one of the escorts for Convoy TC 3 carrying troops from Canada to the UK.[11] On 17 April, Fury screened the damaged heavy cruiser Suffolk as she returned to Scapa Flow after bombarding the airbase at Stavanger, Norway.[10]

Fury passing troops at their stations during a boat drill on board Oronsay heading for the Norwegian campaign in 1940. She is lying off Gourock at the mouth of the River Clyde.

Beginning on 23 April, the ship was one of the escorts for the aircraft carriers Ark Royal and Glorious as they conducted air operations off the coast of Norway in support of Allied operations ashore. Glorious was detached to refuel at Scapa Flow on the 27th and was escorted by Fury and seven other destroyers. Three days later, she screened the battleship Valiant as the latter rendezvoused with Ark Royal. On 9 May, Fury, her sister Foresight, and three other destroyers were detached from the escort of the battlecruiser Repulse in an attempt to intercept a German force of E-boats that was expected. Other forces searching for German minelayers nearby also failed to locate their quarry. During this time, the destroyers Kelly and Kandahar were detached from the screen of the light cruiser Birmingham to pursue a possible submarine contact and Kelly was torpedoed by S-31 in the darkness later that night. The destroyer Bulldog came up to assist and towed Kelly[12] most of the way to Hebburn, escorted by Fury, Kandahar and the destroyer Gallant.[13] On 18 May, Fury and her sisters Foresight and Fortune were transferred to the Humber to counter the threat of E-boats and minelayers in the North Sea.[14]

Force H, 1940–1941

On 29 June, Fury sailed from Scapa to

Operation Hats).[16] On 13 September, Force H rendezvoused with a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture Dakar from the Vichy French. Ten days later, they attacked Dakar, but were driven off by the Vichy French defences.[17] During the battle on 24 September, Fury, the destroyer Greyhound, and the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia engaged the Vichy French destroyer L'Audacieux which was set on fire and forced to beach itself.[18] In early October, Fury escorted a troop convoy from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to French Cameroon.[19]

She returned to Gibraltar on 19 October, together with her sisters Faulknor and

freighter SS Bangkok, supposedly laden with 3,000 metric tons (3,000 long tons; 3,300 short tons) of rubber, which had already been unloaded. Her sister Fearless was ordered to board and capture Bangkok, but she was thwarted by gunfire from a coast-defence battery off the port of Nemours, Algeria.[23] A few days later, Fury and four other destroyers escorted Sheffield, Renown, and Ark Royal in Operation Winch, which delivered a dozen Hurricane fighters to Malta.[24] Beginning on 24 April, Fury and Force H covered Argus flying off more Hurricanes as well as the destroyers of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla sailing to Malta.[25]

In early May she was part of the destroyer screen with five other destroyers for the battleship

tracked down and sunk. In early June the destroyer participated in two more aircraft delivery missions to Malta (Operations Rocket and Tracer). On 22 June, the 8th DF was tasked to intercept a German supply ship spotted heading towards the French coast. The next day they intercepted MV Alstertor which was scuttled by her crew upon the approach of the British ships. They rescued 78 British POWs taken from ships sunk by German raiders and the crew. In late June, Fury screened Ark Royal and Furious as they flew off more fighters for Malta in Operation Railway.[27]

Another Malta convoy (Operation Substance) was conducted in mid-July, heavily escorted by Force H and elements of the Home Fleet and another in early August (Operation Style), albeit with only Force H covering the convoy.[28] Several weeks later, Fury participated in Operation Mincemeat, during which Force H escorted a minelayer to Livorno to lay its mines while Ark Royal's aircraft attacked Northern Sardinia as a diversion.[29] In late September, the destroyer escorted another convoy to Malta in Operation Halberd.[10]

Arctic Waters 1942–1943

A flotilla of destroyers led by Fury at Scapa Flow, 1942

Fury was transferred home in October and briefly joined the

Kola Inlet where they arrived the following morning.[32]

Fury remained in Murmansk until 10 March, when she screened Convoy QP 10 through to Iceland. She escorted the distant cover force of the Home Fleet as Trinidad attempted to sail home from Murmansk in mid-May, but the cruiser was sunk en route by German bombers. Fury then was a part of the screen of Home Fleet as it provided distant cover for Convoys PQ 16 and QP 12 later in the month.[33] The ship was assigned as part of the close escort for Convoy QP 17 at the end of June. En route she made an unsuccessful attack on U-456 with the destroyer Wilton and corvette Lotus on 2 July, before the convoy was ordered to disperse under the threat of German surface attack.[34]

Fury returned to the Mediterranean in early August, and was one of the close escorts of Force X for

Sicilian Narrows between Tunisia and Sicily, the ship used her TSDS gear to sweep for mines. During the early morning of 13 August, she unsuccessfully attempted to engage the Italian motor torpedo boat MS 31 as the latter was firing two torpedoes that sank the freighter SS Glenorchy.[35] Fury then escorted the damaged Nelson back to the UK for repairs.[5]

On 9 September 1942 she joined the escort for Convoy PQ 18, but was detached from it on 17 September to escort the returning Convoy QP 14.[36] The ship was given a brief refit on the Humber in November before resuming convoys to Russia.[5] The following month, Fury escorted the Convoys JW 51A and RA 51 to and from Murmansk then Convoy RA 53 in February 1943.[37]

1943–1944

In mid-March recent successes by U-boats caused the Admiralty to transfer destroyers from the Home Fleet to escort duties in the North Atlantic. Fury was one of these and was assigned to the 4th Escort Group. In April the group escorted Convoys HX 231, HX 234 and ONS 5 (where they drove off attacking U-boat wolfpacks). In May she escorted ON 184[38] before beginning a brief refit on the Humber.[5]

On 17 June, Fury escorted Home Fleet units to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet for the

surrender of Italy, Fury was one of the ships that escorted units of the Italian Fleet into Malta for their surrender and then to Alexandria, Egypt, arriving on 17 September.[40]

A few days later, the ship was assigned to support Allied forces in the Dodecanese Campaign. On 20–21 September, she loaded 53 long tons (54 t) of supplies and 340 men of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment at Haifa, Palestine, to reinforce the British garrison on Leros. Fury, Faulknor and Eclipse were diverted from the campaign on 1 October to escort the battleships King George V and Howe from Alexandria to Malta. Six days later, the three destroyers screened the light cruisers Penelope and Sirius as they patrolled the Dodecanese searching for German shipping, although Eclipse had to return to Alexandria early for repairs to her steering. On the morning of 7 October, they encountered a small convoy south of Levitha. The cruisers sank the escorting trawler Uj 2111 while the destroyers sank the 5,216-GRT freighter SS Olympos; all of the ships engaged the barges at very short range and sank six of the seven. As the ships withdrew, they were repeatedly attacked by German aircraft which damaged Penelope.[41] On the night of 15/16 November she bombarded Leros with the destroyers Exmoor and ORP Krakowiak[42] On 29 November, Fury helped to escort the recently torpedoed Birmingham to Alexandria.[43]

Fury (in the foreground) and Ashanti laying a smoke screen during manoeuvres in preparation for the Second Front. Photograph taken from Faulknor.

In December she was converted at Gibraltar for use as a convoy escort in a refit that lasted until February 1944.

3rd Canadian Infantry Division and No. 48 (Royal Marine) Commando assaulting the beach.[45]

Fury and Faulknor left the

Courseulles and then gunfire support as requested. The ship returned to Portsmouth periodically to reammunition and resupply as needed.[46]

Arromanches
after she had been mined and driven ashore in a gale on 21 June

At 10:38 on the morning of 21 June, Fury detonated a ground mine off Juno Beach during a

petrol and ammunition ships before she was driven ashore at 01:30. Her crew was able to walk to Arromanches at about 05:30 once the tide went out.[47]

She was subsequently refloated on 5 July and towed back to the UK.

constructive total loss, and the ship was sold to Thos. W. Ward by BISCO. Fury was towed to Briton Ferry to be scrapped, arriving there on 18 September 1944.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Lenton, p. 156
  2. ^ Whitley, p. 103
  3. ^ English, p. 141
  4. ^ Friedman, p. 241
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i English, p. 87
  6. ^ English, pp. 75–76
  7. ^ Colledge, p. 135
  8. ^ English, pp. 76–77, 86
  9. ^ Pigott, p. 62
  10. ^ a b c d English, p. 86
  11. ^ Smith, pp. 24, 33, 35
  12. ^ Haarr 2010, pp. 143, 150, 187–89
  13. ^ Langtree, p. 71
  14. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2003, p. 59
  15. ^ Smith, pp. 58–60
  16. ^ Rohwer, p. 37–38
  17. ^ Rohwer, p. 42
  18. ^ English, p. 100
  19. ^ Rohwer, p. 43
  20. ^ Smith, p. 67
  21. ^ Rohwer, pp. 47, 49–50, 54; Smith, pp. 70–75
  22. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2002, pp. 48–53
  23. ^ Smith, p. 86
  24. ^ Rohwer, p. 67
  25. ^ Smith, p. 90
  26. ^ Rohwer, p. 72; Smith, pp. 91–96
  27. ^ Smith, pp. 96–106
  28. ^ Smith, p. 110
  29. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2002, p. 163; Rohwer, p. 94
  30. ^ Rohwer, p. 149
  31. ^ Smith, pp. 126–27
  32. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2007, pp. 25, 28–31, 33
  33. ^ Rohwer, pp. 158, 165–66; Smith, p. 130
  34. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2007, pp. 56–57; Rohwer, p. 175
  35. ^ O'Hara, pp. 180–81, 188, 190, 192
  36. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2007, pp. 76, 80
  37. ^ Admiralty Historical Section 2007, pp. 89, 102, 106
  38. ^ Rohwer, pp. 239, 243, 245, 251
  39. ^ Rohwer, p. 262
  40. ^ Smith, p. 186–92
  41. ^ Rohwer, p. 278; Smith, pp. 196–97, 199–201
  42. ^ Rohwer, p. 287
  43. ^ Smith, p. 222
  44. ^ Smith, pp. 234–35
  45. ^ Rohwer, p. 331; Smith, p. 237
  46. ^ Smith, pp. 237–39, 247
  47. ^ Evans, pp. 195–96
  48. ^ Evans, p. 196

Bibliography

External links

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