HMS Glaisdale
 The escort destroyer Glaisdale
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Glaisdale |
| Namesake | Hunting forest of Glaisdale in North Yorkshire |
| Ordered | 23 August 1940 |
| Builder | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
| Laid down | 4 February 1941 |
| Launched | 5 January 1942 |
| Completed | 12 June 1942 |
| Fate | Transferred to Norway on 23 December 1943 |
 Norway | |
| Name | HNoMS Glaisdale |
| Acquired | 23 December 1943 |
| Decommissioned | August 1944 |
| Identification | L44 |
| Fate |
|
| Norway | |
| Name | HNoMS Narvik |
| Acquired | 23 October 1946 |
| Commissioned | February 1947 |
| Reclassified | Frigate, 1956 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1962 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class & type | Type III Hunt-class destroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) (overall) |
| Beam | 10.16 m (33 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) (normal) |
| Range | 2,350 nmi (4,350 km; 2,700 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 168 |
| Armament |
|
HNoMS Glaisdale (L44) was a Type III Hunt-class escort destroyer in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy during the Second World War. Originally constructed by the United Kingdom as HMS Glaisdale, she was transferred to Norway before being launched in 1942 and commissioned as HNoMS Glaisdale, operating with the Royal Navy but crewed by Norwegian sailors. The ship was badly damaged by a naval mine during the Normandy landings on 23 June 1944 and was returned to the United Kingdom on 2 August, remaining laid up at Hartlepool. Post-war, the vessel was repaired and sold to Norway, re-entering service as HNoMS Narvik. She was reclassified as a frigate in 1956 and broken up in 1962.
Design and construction
[edit]Glaisdale was ordered on 23 August 1940 from Cammell Laird of Birkenhead under the 1940 Emergency Programme. Her keel was laid down on 4 February 1941. Like all Hunt-class escort destroyers, she was named after a British fox hunt or hunting region, in this case, Glaisdale, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire. [2] She was the only Royal Navy warship to bear the name.
The ship was transferred to the Norwegian government-in-exile on 23 December 1941, prior to her launch on 5 January 1942, and was commissioned into the Royal Norwegian Navy as HNoMS Glaisdale. Construction was completed on 12 June 1942.[3]
Operational history
[edit]1942
[edit]After completing sea trials, Glaisdale proceeded to Scapa Flow in June 1942 to join the Home Fleet for final fitting‑out. Upon completion she transferred to Portsmouth to join the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, undertaking convoy escort and patrol duties in the English Channel and Western Approaches.[3]
On 13 October 1942, Glaisdale took part in an operation to intercept the German auxiliary cruiser Komet in the Channel, operating alongside destroyers HMS Cottesmore, Quorn, Albrighton and Eskdale, in co‑ordination with motor torpedo boats (MTBs). Komet was sunk by gunfire from Eskdale and torpedoes from MTB 236 at 49°44′N 01°32′W / 49.733°N 1.533°W, with no survivors.[3][4][5]
From late October until 26 November, she escorted convoys to the Mediterranean in support of Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa, before returning to Portsmouth for further operations in home waters.[3][6][7]
1943
[edit]Throughout 1943, Glaisdale continued escort duties in the Channel and Western Approaches. On 14 April, while escorting Convoy PW 232 with Eskdale and five armed trawlers, the group was attacked by German E-boats 12 miles (19 km) east‑northeast of The Lizard; Eskdale was torpedoed by S 90, immobilised and subsequently sunk by a second torpedo from S 112 at 50°03′N 05°46′W / 50.050°N 5.767°W.[3]
On 9 October, Glaisdale, together with Wensleydale and Melbreak, intercepted an enemy convoy off Ushant, sinking the German minesweeper M 135. During the action Glaisdale sustained light damage from E‑boat gunfire.[3]
1944
[edit]In May 1944, Glaisdale was assigned to Force J for Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Normandy landings. After joint training and final rehearsals with Forces G and S at Spithead, she formed part of the fire‑support group in June alongside Kempenfelt, Faulknor, Venus, Fury, Canadian destroyers Algonquin and Sioux, Bleasdale, Stevenstone and Free French destroyer La Combattante, providing naval gunfire support off beaches Nan, White and Red.[3][8][9]
On 5 June she escorted Convoy J10 through cleared channels to Juno Beach alongside Kempenfelt and Bleasdale. On D‑Day (6 June 1944), she delivered naval gunfire support at Nan beach, thereafter maintaining patrol and support operations off Juno. On 10 June she engaged enemy E‑boats attempting to lay mines offshore.[3][8][9]
On 23 June she struck an acoustic mine, severely damaging her starboard engine, and returned to Portsmouth on 24 June for assessment. On 2 August 1944 she was decommissioned from Royal Norwegian Navy service and returned to the UK, remaining laid up in reserve at Hartlepool until the end of the war.[3]
Post‑war service as HNoMS Narvik
[edit]In August 1946, Glaisdale was sold outright to Norway and renamed HNoMS Narvik on 23 October. Following a refit at Chatham, she re‑entered service with the Royal Norwegian Navy as an escort destroyer in February 1947. Reclassified as a frigate in 1956, she served until decommissioning on 9 May 1962, after which she was sold for scrap.[3]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Lenton 1970, p. 87
- ^ "Goathland & Glaisdale Hunt". Wildlife Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mason, Geoffrey B. (2004). Gordon Smith (ed.). "HNorMS Glaisdale (L44) – Type III, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer". naval-history.net. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ Scott 2009
- ^ Smith 1984
- ^ Barnett 1991
- ^ Winser 2002
- ^ a b Edwards 2015
- ^ a b Winser 1972
Bibliography
[edit]- Barnett, Corelli (1991). Engage the Enemy More Closely – The Royal Navy in the Second World War. W. W. Norton Co. ISBN 978-0393029185.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (1969). Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.
- Edwards, Kenneth (2015). Operation Neptune: The Normandy Landing, 1944. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1781551271.
- English, John (1987). The Hunts: A history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-44-4.
- Gardiner, Robert (1987). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Lenton, H.T. (1970). Navies of the Second World War: British Fleet & Escort Destroyers: Volume Two. London: Macdonad & Co. ISBN 0-356-03122-5.
- Scott, Peter (2009). The Battle of the Narrow Seas: The History of the Light Coastal Forces in the Channel and North Sea 1939-1945. London: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848320352.
- Smith, Peter C. (1984). Hold the Narrow Seas: Naval Warfare in the English Channel 1939-1945. Moorland Publishing. ISBN 9780870219382.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two - an international encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 0-85368-910-5.
- Winser, John de S. (2002). British Invasion Fleets: The Mediterranean and Beyond 1942-1945. World Ship Society. ISBN 9780954331009.
- Winser, John de S. (1972). D-day Ships. World Ship Society. ISBN 9780905617756.
