Military Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Question book-new

This article does not contain any citations or references. Please improve this article by adding a reference. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation.

HMS Vidette (D48)
HMS Vidette
Career RN Ensign
Name: HMS Vidette
Builder: Alexander Stephens & Sons Limited
Laid down: 1 February 1917
Launched: 28 February 1918
Completed: 27 April 1918
Fate: Sold for scrapping, 1947
General characteristics
Class & type: Admiralty V class destroyer
Service record
Part of: 16th Destroyer Flotilla
13th Destroyer Flotilla
Mid-Ocean Escort Force group B7
Operations: World War II
Attack on Mers-el-Kébir
Battle of the Atlantic
Victories: U 531
U 274
U 282
U 413
U 630

HMS Vidette (D48) was an Admiralty V class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Alexander Stephens & Sons Limited in Linthouse, Govan on 1 February 1917, was launched on 28 February 1918, and completed on 27 April 1918.

She spent most of the 1920s and 1930s in reserve, but was brought back to active service in 1939 for World War II. In the picture, taken probably in 1939, she is wearing the funnel bands of the 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Portsmouth; one red over one white. Early in the war she would have landed the after set of torpedo tubes and shipped a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun in lieu.

For the first three years of war she was based at Gibraltar, as part of the 13th Destroyer Flotilla. She took part in the attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir in July 1940, but spent most of her time escorting Atlantic convoys into and out of Gibraltar.

She was converted to a long-range escort destroyer in September 1942 and served with Peter Gretton's 'B7' escort group in the crucial battles around convoys HX-231, ONS-5 and SC-130 in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945). She helped to sink four submarines: U 531, U 274, U 282, U 413 and U 630.

Vidette was sold for scrapping in 1947.

References[]

  • Preston, Antony (1971). 'V & W' Class Destroyers 1917-1945. London: Macdonald. OCLC 464542895. 
  • Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1979). 'V' and 'W' Class Destroyers. Man o' War. 2. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 0-85368-233-X. 
All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at HMS Vidette (D48) and the edit history here.
Advertisement