HMS Mackay (D70)
HMS Mackay
| |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Mackay |
Builder | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
Laid down | 5 March 1918 |
Launched | 21 December 1918 |
Commissioned | June 1919 |
Fate | Scrapped June 1949 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Admiralty-type flotilla leader |
Displacement | 1,801 long tons (1,830 t) |
Length | 332 ft 6 in (101.35 m) |
Beam | 31 ft 9 in (9.68 m) |
Draught | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) |
Installed power | 40,000 shp (30,000 kW) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 36.5 knots |
Armament |
|
HMS Mackay was an
Mackay took part in the
Design and construction
HMS Mackay was one of five Admiralty type flotilla leaders ordered from Cammell Laird in April 1917.[1][a] The Admiralty type,[2] or Scott class,[1] were designed to meet a requirement from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, for a large, fast and heavily armed leader to match and outclass rumoured large German destroyers.[3]
The ship was 320 feet 0 inches (97.54 m)
The class had a main gun armament consisted of five
Mackay was laid down with the name Calverhouse at Laird's Birkenhead shipyard on 5 March 1918.[9][10] The ship was renamed Mackay (after the Scottish clan[11]) on 18 December 1918,[12] and was launched on 21 December that year. She was commissioned in June 1919.[9][10]
Modifications
While Mackay had only limited modifications between the wars,
Service
1919–1939
Mackay joined the
From April to June 1921, Mackay was deployed to Pembroke Dock as a response to industrial unrest in South Wales. The ship was refitted at Chatham Dockyard from July to August that year.[12] In 1921, the destroyer forces of the Atlantic Fleet were reorganised into six smaller flotillas that were easier to manage than the earlier, larger flotillas, with Mackay serving as leader of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla by the end of 1921.[21] Mackay was under repair at Chatham in January 1923 before recommissioning with the 4th Flotilla for deployment to the Dardanelles. She was damaged when leaving a fuelling jetty at Chatham on 7 February, this delaying her departure until 23 February. Mackay operated in the Dardanelles and eastern Mediterranean from March to August 1923, before returning to Chatham for another refit.[22] In December 1923, Mackay transferred to the 9th Destroyer Flotilla,[22] based at Rosyth with reduced crews,[23][24] where she served until November 1925.[22]
In June 1927, Mackay recommissioned as leader of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, replacing Wallace which was having her turbines repaired. Mackay left the 5th Flotilla in November 1927 and entered refit at Sheerness Dockyard, which continued until April 1928, and then went into reserve. In June 1929, Mackay returned to active service, recommissioning at Devonport for service with the 1st Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean.[22] In 1933, it was proposed to transfer Mackay to the Royal Australian Navy to replace Anzac, but in the end, Stuart was transferred instead.[25][26]
Mackay left the Mediterranean for British waters in March 1933, joining the
Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Mackay joined the
On 26 May 1940,
Mackay continued operations with the 11th Flotilla until October 1940, when she underwent a period of refit and repair at Devonport, with her boilers being replaced. On completion of this refit, in April 1941, Mackay joined the 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich,[22] mainly operating in the North Sea, with duties including escorting convoys off the East coast of Britain.[13] On 12 February 1942, Mackay, along with Whitshed, Walpole, Worcester of the 16th Flotilla and Campbell and Vivacious of the 21st Destroyer Flotilla, was exercising off Harwich, when the six ships were ordered to intercept the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which were heading up the English Channel from France towards Germany in what became known as the Channel Dash. Walpole turned back due to mechanical problems before the remaining ships encountered the German force off the Scheldt estuary. The British ships came under heavy German fire as they attempted torpedo attacks, with Worcester being hit and badly damaged by German shells. All five British ships launched torpedoes at the German ships at a range of 4,000–2,400 yards (3,700–2,200 m), with Mackay launching her torpedoes from 4000 yards, but all the torpedoes missed.[48][49]
On 29 August 1942, Mackay was temporarily detached to the Home Fleet in support of the
On the night of 7/8 March 1943, Mackay, together with the
In June 1944, Mackay was deployed in support of the
Disposal
Mackay was allocated by BISCO to Metal Industries, Limited for disposal on 18 February 1947 and scrapped at their Charlestown breaking yard from June 1949.[22]
Pennant numbers
Pennant number[58] | From | To |
---|---|---|
FA6 | June 1919 | |
D70 | 1919 | 1940 |
I70 | 1940 | 1947 |
Notes
- ^ The other four ships were Montrose, Malcolm, Campbell and Stuart. Three more ships of the class Scott, Bruce and Douglas had been ordered earlier.[1]
- BL(Breech Loading) indicated that a separate, bagged, charge was used.
- London Gazette refers to Mackay engaging E-boats with 6-pounders on the night of 24/25 October.[17]
- ^ Cheyenne's crew were picked up by the Norwegian merchant ship Ida Bakke.[34]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 83.
- ^ Manning 1961, p. 130
- ^ Friedman 2009, pp. 166, 281, fn. 37
- ^ a b Friedman 2009, p. 298
- ^ Lenton 1970, p. 43
- ^ Preston 1971, p. 101
- ^ Preston 1971, pp. 99, 101
- ^ Friedman 2009, pp. 166–167, 298
- ^ a b Friedman 2009, p. 314
- ^ a b English 2019, p. 23
- ^ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 281
- ^ a b c English 2019, p. 27
- ^ a b c d e f Whitley 2000, p. 86
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 242
- ^ a b Friedman 2009, p. 252
- ^ Friedman 2009, pp. 254, 286–287 fn 27
- ^ "No. 38432". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 October 1948. p. 5502.
- ^ "I.–Atlantic Fleet: Destroyers". The Navy List. September 1919. p. 702. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ Preston 1971, p. 35
- ^ Bennett 2002, pp. 180–181, 182–184
- ^ Preston 1971, pp. 35–36
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q English 2019, p. 28
- ^ Manning 1961, p. 28
- ^ Preston 1971, p. 36
- ^ "Five R.N. Destroyers: H.M.S. Mackay, Flotilla Leader". The Adelaide Chronicle. 23 March 1923. p. 46. Retrieved 5 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ Lyons, Joseph Aloysius (25 May 1933). "Australian Destroyer Flotilla". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: House of Representatives. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Explosion on Submarine". Kalgoorlie Miner. Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. 10 October 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 5 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "I.–Home Fleet". The Navy List. February 1939. p. 200. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ "I.–Home Fleet". The Navy List. September 1939. p. 241. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ Kindell, Don (9 April 2012). "Royal Navy Ships, September 1939". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Royal Navy Ships, Naval Events, April 1940 (Part 1 of 4): Monday 1st – Sunday 7th". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Cheyenne: British Motor Tanker". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Naval Events September 1939 (Part 2 of 2): Friday 15th - Saturday 30th". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "San Alberto: British Motor Tanker". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Naval Events December 1939 (Part 1 of 2): Friday 1st - Thursday 14th". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Cairnross: British Steam merchant". uboat.net. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Naval Events January 1940 (Part 2 of 2): Tuesday 16th - Wednesday 31st". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 13
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Naval Events May 1940 (Part 4 of 4): Wednesday 22nd – Friday 31st". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 92
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 17
- ^ Winser 1999, pp. 43–44
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 46
- ^ Kindell, Don (7 April 2012). "Naval Events June 1940 (Part 4 of 4): Saturday 22nd - Sunday 30th". British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day. Naval-History.net. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Winser 1999, p. 54
- ^ Barnett 2000, pp. 447–452
- ^ Roskill 1956, p. 157
- ^ a b "Home Fleet Destroyer Command – April to December 1942". Admiralty War Diaries of World War 2 - ADM 199/427. Naval-history.net. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, pp. 43, 45
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 198
- ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 242
- ^ "No. 38432". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 October 1948. p. 5500.
- ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 254
- ^ Roskill 1960, p. 293
- ^ Winser 1994, p. 106
- ^ English 2019, p. 135
References
- Barnett, Correlli (2000). Engage the Enemy More Closely: The Royal Navy in the Second World War. Classic Penguin. ISBN 0-141-39008-5.
- Bennett, Geoffrey (2002). Freeing the Baltic. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 1-84341-001-X.
- "Coastal Forces Actions". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 38432. 18 October 1948.
- Dittmar, F. J.; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
- English, John (2019). Grand Fleet Destroyers: Part I: Flotilla Leaders and 'V/W' Class Destroyers. Windsor, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 978-0-9650769-8-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link - Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Lenton, H. T. (1970). British Fleet and Escort Destroyers: Volume One. London: Macdonald & Co. ISBN 0-356-02950-6.
- Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam.
- Manning, T. D.; Walker, C. F. (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam.
- Preston, Antony (1971). 'V & W' Class Destroyers 1917–1945. London: Macdonald. OCLC 464542895.
- Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-117-7.
- Roskill, Stephen (1956). The War at Sea 1939–1945: Volume II: The Period of Balance. History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series. London: HMSO. Retrieved 1 March 2020 – via Hyperwar.
- Roskill, Stephen (1960). The War at Sea 1939–1945: Volume III: The Offensive: Part I. History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series. London: HMSO.
- Ruegg, Bob; Hague, Arnold (1993). Convoys to Russia: 1941–1945. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-66-5.
- Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
- Winser, John de S. (1999). B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk. Gravesend, Kent, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-91-6.
- Winser, John de S. (1994). The D-Day Ships: Neptune: the Greatest Amphibious Operation in History. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-75-4.