HMS Grove (L77)

HMS Grove (L77) was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She had been completed in early 1942 at the Swan Hunter yard at Wallsend-on-Tyne.

History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Grove
Builder: Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Laid down: 28 August 1940
Launched: 29 May 1941
Commissioned: 5 February 1942
Honours and
awards:
  • ATLANTIC 1942
  • LIBYA 1942
  • ARCTIC 1942
Fate: Torpedoed on 12 June 1942
Badge: On a Field per fess wavy Red and Blue within a spur rowel upwards White, an escallop Gold
General characteristics
Class and type: Type II Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard
  • 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) full load
Length: 279 ft 10 in (85.29 m) o/a
Beam: 31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
Draught: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
  • 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph) full
Range: 3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)
Complement: 164
Armament:

Service history

Initial success

Grove, along with other ships of the 2nd Escort Group, namely Aldenham, Volunteer and Leamington, had sunk the German submarine U-587. This followed a 'Huff Duff' (High frequency Direction finding) interception.

Loss

While escorting convoy MW-11, Grove was hit by two torpedoes fired by U-77 on 12 June 1942. The ship sank with the loss of 110 men.[1] The destroyer Tetcott rescued 79 survivors. She had been returning to Alexandria from Tobruk, having run aground at Tobruk, damaging the port propeller shaft and the screw itself; her speed had been reduced to 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph).[2]

References
  1. Guðmundur Helgason. "HMS Grove (L 77)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  2. Lt Cdr Geoffrey B Mason. "HMS GROVE - Type II, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Retrieved 16 May 2009.


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