Watch these short videos about the Wildfire Destroyers.
The Channel Dash: https://youtu.be/-mtOXFnLVo8
Sheerness Destroyers at D-day https://youtu.be/iftqjOj89Xg
Scott-Class Flotilla Leaders were enlarged to carry additional crew, offices and signaling equipment and to allow a fifth gun to be carried.
Displacement: 1,580 tons.
Length: 322 feet 6 inches (98.30 metres)
Beam: 31 feet 9 inches (9.68 metres)
Draught: 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 metres)
Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h)
Range: 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 kilometres) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Power: 3 x water-tube boilers.
Propulsion: 4 Yarrow-type boilers, Parsons single reduction turbines, 2 shafts.
Complement: 164 Officers and men.
Torpedo tubes: 2 × triple tubes for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.
Guns: 2 × BL 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark I guns. 3 x QF 6-pounder (57 mm) 10 cwt. guns. 1 × QF 3-inch (76 mm) 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun.
Sept 39. Joined 19th Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich for convoy escort duty in the North Sea.
Feb 1940. HMS Campbell refitting until 12 Feb 40 (Captain F C Bradley from early Feb),
Feb 40. Escort duties for East Coast convoys.
25 March 40. Escort duties with Convoy OG23 on passage to Gibraltar. Convoy OG23 was a large convoy of 51 merchant ships and 8 escorts.
27 March 40. Detached from OG23 for escort duties with return Convoy HG23 on passage to Liverpool. Convoy HG23 consisted of 37 merchants and 5 escorts and contained cargoes of Wine, Oranges, Tea, Rice, Timber, Iron Ore, Phosphates and even (empty) sand bags.
April-June 40. Detached to support operations off Norway, the Norwegian Campaign.
22 April 40. Sailed from Rosyth with 60 troops and stores for landings at Molde and Andalsnes situated on the Hardangerfjord 140 miles SSW of Oslo.
23 April 40. Landed troops and stores at Andalsnes, Norway.
24 April 40. Returned to UK from Norway.
June 40. Escort evacuation convoy from Harstad, 33 miles north west of Narvick, Norway. After which continued East Coast convoy defence duties.
July to October.Convoy defence duty and anti-invasion patrols. Destroyers from the Nore Command including from Sheerness Campbell, Garth, Vesper, Holderness and Venetia patrolled the French coast attacking vessels that were building up for the planned German Invasion of England.
12 Sep 40. 21st Destroyer flotilla from Sheerness Campbell, Garth and Vesper operated off the Dutch coast attacking invasion vessels.
19 Nov 40. In action with E-Boats off Southwold, Suffolk where Sheerness Destroyer HMS Campbell rammed and sank E-Boat S23, a Type 1939/40 Schnellboot. Nineteen of the crew were rescued and became prisoners of war. This was the first E-boat to be sunk by the Royal Navy.
While escorting Convoy FS50 (FS650) departing Methil on 18 Nov 1941, arriving at Southend on the 20 Nov 1941, consisting of upwards of fifty ships it came under attack by e-boats. The SS Aruba and SS Waldinge were sunk by Schnellboote S41 and S105. The tanker War Mehtar at 5,502 tons was torpedoed and sunk by the S104 (Captain Rebensburg.) The Convoy was escorted by the Vesper, Verdun, Wolsey, Campbell, Garth, Hambledon, Quorm, Kittiwake and Widgeon.
Vesper and Garth were close to the War Mehtar when she was attacked near buoy 56 and went in pursuit of three e-boats. During the battle, in the darkness HMS Garth was damaged by gun fire from HMS Campbell.
The S41 was sunk in a collision with S105. In all three merchant ships and three e-boats were sunk.
January 1942. HMS Campbell joins the Sheerness 21st Destroyer Flotilla. Takes up North Sea convoy patrol with HM Destroyers Vivacious and Worcester.
12 Feb 1942. While taking part in Flotilla exercises with Vivacious of 21st Destroyer Flotilla (Sheerness) and Mackay, Worcester Whitshed and Walpole of 16th Destroyer Flotilla (Harwich), and seven Hunt class destroyers which were on standby, were ordered to intercept the German Battle Fleet consisting of the SCHARNHORST, GNEISENAU and PRINZ EUGEN with supporting, Destroyers, e-boats and aircraft.
Under heavy fire from ships and planes the Destroyer flotilla (from Sheerness and Harwich) attacked the German Battle fleet and fired torpedoes without success. The Worchester was hit seven times by enemy shells and stopped dead in the water with 26 of her crew killed and 45 injured.
Both on the way to intercept the German Battle Fleet and on the return, the British Destroyers were attacked by British planes. Luckily no one was killed or injured in these attacks.
2 Aug 1942. Escorted Convoy PQ18 from Loch Ewe to Russia. Convoy PQ18 departed from Loch Ewe in Scotland on the 2 September 1942 and arrived at Archangel in Russia on the 21 September 1942. It was a massive convoy of 48 merchant ships and a formidable 74 escorts vessels. Even so 13 merchant ships and one Royal Navy ship was sunk. Three U-boats were destroyed and 40 German aircraft were shot down.
The Convoy losses were; the Africander (Panama). Empire Beaumont (British). Empire Stevenson (British) John Penn II (US) these were sunk by aircraft. The Atheltemplar (British) was torpedoed by U475 with the loss of three of her 61 crew. The Kentucky (US), Macbeth (Panama), Mary Luckenbach (US) her cargo of 1,000 tons of TNT exploded. All 24 Gunners and 41 crewmen were killed. Oliver Ellsworth (US). Oregonian (US). Stalingrad (Russian) with the loss of 21 of her 88 crew. Sukhona (Russian) and Virginia Dare (US) were all sunk.
HMS Somali was torpedoed and was taken in tow but broke her back with the loss of 67 of the 105 crew and passengers on board.
The rescue ship HMS Copeland saved 205 survivors.
The losses were great but the Artic Convoy route which had effectively been closed since the disastrous Convoy PQ17 had been reopened.
29 Nov. 1942. HMS Campbell was in action against E-Boats with HMS Garth in which the German Schnellboote S38 was shelled and sunk.
24 Oct 1943. While escorting Convoy FN1160 with Pytchley, Wochester, Eglinton and Mackay was in action against E-Boats attacking convoy.
May 1944. Designated for duty with Force S for the D-Day Allied landings in Normandy. Selected to escort convoys from the Thames Estuary to beach head area as Escort Group 113 with HMS Vivacious.
June. Passage to Sheerness to join flotilla.
3 June 1944. Joined escort for Convoy S13, comprising of four Landing Ships and four Rhino Ships with HMS Vivacious and HM Trawlers Northern Gem and Hugh Walpole.
4 June 1944. Escorted convoy to Spithead in preparation for D-Day landings. D-Day delayed for 24 hours due to bad weather.
5 June 1944. Escort Convoy S13 through swept Channel to D-day landing beaches.
The minesweepers had left with the advance units on the 4th June, but with the weather deteriorating they were recalled. Having to keep radio silence they did not respond. The admiralty was concerned that all ships had not received the recall.
The 14th Mining Flotilla had come across an unknown minefield in the path of the D-day convoys so did not return but stayed to clear it.
The Campbell thinking the mining Flotilla had not got the message closed on the minesweepers to send a signal by semaphore to find themselves surrounded by floating mines which had just been cut!
6 June 1944 D-DAY. HMS Campbell arrived with a convoy of major landing craft at Sword Beach.
7 June 1944. Returned to Sheerness and continued NEPTUNE escort duties in pre-arranged cycle.
July. After release from NEPTUNE resumed convoy escort duties in the North Sea.
May-Aug 1945. Patrol duties in support of military re-occupation operations.
OFFICERS from Navy List November 1940
(Rank. Name, Date joined ship.)
Captain C. T. M. Pizey 24 June 40.
Secretary Paym. Lieut. O. M. Lewin 24 June 40.
Lieut.-Com. (A/S) R. P. C. O'Sullivan 24 June 40. (For Flotilla duties.)
Lieutenant. T. F. Taylor.5 Jan 40.
Lieutenant. P. E. Yonge 24 June 40. (For Flotilla duties.)
Lieutenant. P. W. W. Graham 24 June 40. (And for Flotilla and W/T duties.)
Lieutenant. A. D. Fry. 24 June 40. (In lieu of Specialist (T) Officer.)
Lieutenant. M. M. Collings. 24 June 1940.
Surg. Lieut, C. A. Roberts, MRCS, LRCP 21 Feb 40.
Sub-Lieut, W. A. P. Lottie. 27 Jan 40.
Sub-Lieut, I. R. Johnston. 27 Jan 40.
Sub-Lieut, J. A. C. Knott. 8 Aug 40.
Sub-Lieut, RNR. V. R. Helps (act). 2 Feb 40.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut., R. M. Raikes (proby) 11 Jan 40.
Tempy. Paym. Sub-Lieut., D. B. Duckson 19 Aug 40.
Cd. Engineer. F. Richards. 4 May 40.
Gunner, (T) F. C. Terry (act) 24 June 40.
Gunner, A. J. Newby (act) 5 July 40.
Wt. Teleg. S. F. Claxton (act). 22 June 40.
OFFICERS from Navy List June 1942
Captain C. T. M. Pizey, CB, DSO. 24 June 40.
Secretary Paym. Lieut. O. M. Lewin, RNR 24 June 40.
Lieut.-Com. C. E. R. Sharp. 9 Dec 40. For Flotilla duties.
Lieutenant G. W. McKendrick 12 Jan 42.
Lieutenant. M. M. Collings 24 June 40. For Flotilla duties.
Lieutenant. A. E. Fanning, DSC. Jan 42.
Lieutenant. G. D. W. Ram. 11 Apr 42 (For Flotilla and W/T duties)
Lieutenant. F.D. Edwards, DSC. Jan 42 (In lieu of Specialist (T) Officer.)
Tempy. Surg. Lieut., R.N.V.R. . A. G. Gumming, MB, CHB. 11 Feb 42.
Tampy. Paym. Lieut., R.N.V.R. D. B. Dickson. 19 Aug 40.
Tampy. Paym. Lieut., R.N.V.R. L. R. P. Pugh. 9 Apr 42.
Sub-Lieut. A. A. Rae-Smith. 12 May 41.
Act. Sub-Lieut. E. K. Burch. 13 April 42.
Cd. Engineer. F. J. Sharman. Dec 40.
Gunner. F. C. Terry 24 June 40.
Gunner. A. J. Newby 5 July 40.
Midshipman, R.N.R. C. A. Kroon. 8 Dec 41.
OFFICERS from Navy List June 1944
Commander. E. C. Coats, DSO, DSC (act) Oct 42.
Lieut. Com. W. P. Bush, DSC (act) 28 Oct 43.
Lieutenant. A. G. McCrum. 9 Nov 42.
Lieutenant. J. Raban-Wlliams. June 43.
Tempy. Lieut. R.N.R. F. Haugsted. 23 Feb 44.
Tempy. Lieut. R.N.V.R. F. B. Andrews. 18 Nov 42.
Lieutenant (E) H. A. MacDonald (act). 6 June 44.
Tempy. Surg.-Lieut.. R.N.V.R. Tickner, MB, BS. 5 Apr 43.
Sub-Lieut. B. H. Wainwright. 16 Dec 43.
Sub-Lieut. E. K. Burch. 13 Apr 42.
Sub-Lieut. C. A. Kroon. 8 Dec 41.
Tempy. Sub-Lieut. J.G.Bennett 2 Dec 43.
Gunner. F. Harden, DSM (act). 7 Feb 44.
HMS Campbell was sold for breaking up on the 18 February 1947.
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Motto
‘Dinna forget’
A World War One Destroyer HMS Campbell is Scott-Class Flotilla Leader. It was laid down on I0th November 1917 and launched on 21st September 1918. The Campbell served in the Atlantic Fleet until 1925 placed into Reserve and returned to service in 1939. She was adopted by the community of Caithness in Scotland in May 1942.
HMS Campbell D60 is a Scott-Class Flotilla Leader.
HMS CAMPBELL (D 60) Scott-class Destroyer Flotilla Leader .
BATTLE HONOURS
NORWAY 1940 - ATLANTIC 1942-43 - NORTH SEA 1941-45 - DOVER STRAIT 1942 - ARCTIC 1942 - NORMANDY 1944.
Badge: On a Field Black, a boar's head Gold, languid and armed Silver.