HMS Garland (H37)

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

Aerial view of Garland in 1945
History
United Kingdom
NameGarland
BuilderFairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan
Laid down22 August 1934
Launched24 October 1935
Completed3 March 1936
IdentificationPennant number: H37
FateLoaned to Polish Navy, 3 May 1940
Poland
NameGarland
Acquired3 May 1940
Commissioned3 May 1940
Decommissioned24 September 1946
FateReturned to Royal Navy, 24 September 1946
United Kingdom
NameGarland
Acquired23 July 1946
Decommissioned23 July 1946
FateSold to Royal Netherlands Navy, 14 November 1946
Netherlands
NameGarland
Acquired14 November 1946
Decommissioned31 January 1964
RenamedMarnix, 16 January 1950
FateScrapped
General characteristics as built
Class and typeG-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,350
    standard
    )
  • 1,883 long tons (1,913 t) (
    deep load
    )
Length323 ft (98.5 m)
Beam33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
Installed power
  • 3
    Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • 34,000 
    kW
    )
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines
Speed36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range5,530 nmi (10,240 km; 6,360 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement137 (peacetime), 146 (wartime)
Sensors and
processing systems
ASDIC
Armament

HMS Garland, also known by her Polish designation ORP Garland, was a

Western Approaches Command in September for escort duties. She escorted a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta during Operation Halberd in September 1941 and escorted Convoy PQ 16 from Iceland to Murmansk
in May 1942. She was badly damaged by a near miss from a German bomber during that operation and required three months of repairs.

Garland was then assigned to the

school ship. Garland was refitted as an anti-submarine training ship in 1948 and renamed Marnix in 1950. Reclassified as a frigate
in 1952, the ship was not decommissioned until 1964 and scrapped afterwards.

Description

Garland displaced 1,350 long tons (1,370 t) at

Admiralty 3-drum boilers. Garland carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5,530 nautical miles (10,240 km; 6,360 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ship's complement was 137 officers and men in peacetime,[1] but in increased to 146 in wartime.[2]

The ship mounted four 45-

21-inch torpedoes.[1] One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.[3] By mid-1940, this had increased to 44 depth charges.[4]

Wartime modifications

Most ships of Garland's class had the rear torpedo tubes replaced by a

mainmast.[6]

History

HMS Garland, 1936–1940

Ordered on 5 March 1934 from

Non-Intervention Committee in 1937 and 1938. The ship was overhauled at Sheerness between 24 May and 5 July 1937 and 31 May to 28 July 1938 during which her low-pressure turbines were repaired. Garland patrolled off Cyprus in July 1939.[8]

When World War II began, the ship was en route to

Polish Constitution of 3 May.[10]

ORP Garland, 1940–1946

After

10th Escort Group. On 13 November, Garland was badly damaged by storm whilst escorting the battleship Revenge and required over a month to make repairs. Two men were lost overboard during the storm. In early January 1941, the ship was fitted with a new ASDIC system. She was transferred to the 14th Escort Group in April and was then briefly attached to the Home Fleet, escorting a tanker, during the Allied landing on Spitsbergen in July. Upon her return, Garland was assigned to Escort Group B3 for escort duties in the North Atlantic.[10]

In late September, she joined the Polish-manned destroyer Piorun in Operation Halberd, escorting a large convoy to Malta. The two ships escorted the battleship Nelson back to Gibraltar after she had been torpedoed during the operation. Garland then rejoined Escort Group B3. The ship was refitted between 28 February and 5 May 1942 in Middlesbrough and was assigned to escort Convoy PQ 16 in late May after working up. On 27 May, a bomb was dropped by a Junkers Ju 88 bomber 10 yards (9.1 m) off the starboard side of the ship, that decimated the crews of 'A' and 'B' guns and the starboard Oerlikon and .50-calibre machine guns (22 killed and 37 wounded). The ship's fire-control director and rangefinder were destroyed and she was ordered to proceed independently to Murmansk for temporary repairs. These took over a month to complete and Garland sailed on 4 July for Troon,[10] as part of the escort for Convoy QP 13,[12] for permanent repairs that were not completed until 21 September.[10]

The ship rejoined Escort Group B3 until she began a lengthy refit in May 1943 that lasted until 8 September.[13] Garland was assigned to the 8th Support Group after working up and escorted several small convoys transporting Allied troops to the Azores to build airbases after the Portuguese gave their consent in late September.[14] From November to April 1944, the ship was based in Freetown to escort convoys between Freetown and Gibraltar. In May she was assigned to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet where she escorted convoys and supported Allied operations in the Aegean. On 19 September 1944, together with two other British destroyers, she sank the German submarine U-407 off Santorini. The following month Garland supported the Allied liberation of Greece after the German withdrawal.[13]

On 20 November, the ship sailed for the UK to begin a lengthy refit at

Western Approaches Command, but had barely finished working up when the war ended in May. The ship transported emergency supplies to Belgium and the Netherlands immediately afterwards. At the end of 1945, Garland took part in Operation Deadlight, the scuttling of captured German U-boats. In early 1946, the ship patrolled Norwegian waters and then was assigned to the Polish Squadron at Rosyth through June. In late July she was ordered to be paid off and the loan terminated. The ship was disarmed in late August before entering Category C reserve.[13]

HNLMS Marnix, 1946–1964

On 14 November 1946, Garland was sold "as is" to the Royal Netherlands Navy for £9,000 and was initially used as a school ship. She was refurbished in 1948 as an anti-submarine training ship.[13] This is probably when Garland was rearmed with two 105-millimetre (4.1 in) anti-aircraft guns in 'A' and 'X' positions, a Hedgehog in 'B' position and six 20-millimetre Oerlikons. She carried four depth charge throwers and two depth charge rails.[15] The ship was renamed HNLMS Marnix on 16 January 1950 and made port visits in southern British ports the following March. Marnix was reclassified as a frigate in 1952 and received a thorough overhaul in 1955–56. She was decommissioned on 31 January 1964 and later scrapped.[13]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Whitley, pp. 107–08
  2. ^ English, p. 89
  3. ^ English, p. 141
  4. ^ Friedman, p. 235
  5. ^ Friedman, pp. 237, 242
  6. ^ Lenton, p. 159
  7. ^ English, pp. 89–90
  8. ^ a b English, p. 92
  9. ^ "List of Refugees Evacuated". The Times. No. 47442. 1 August 1936. p. 11.
  10. ^ a b c d English, p. 93
  11. ^ Rohwer, p. 30
  12. ^ Rohwer, p. 175
  13. ^ a b c d e English, p. 94
  14. ^ Rohwer, p. 279
  15. ^ Friedman, p. 263

References
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