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HMS Fowey (L15)
Encyclopedia
HMS Fowey was a Shoreham-class
Shoreham class sloop
The Shoreham-class sloops were a class of eight small British warships built in the early 1930s.Developed from the Bridgewater-class sloops, with a longer hull, the Shoreham-class sloops were laid down between 1929 and 1931 at Chatham and Devonport Naval Dockyards.-Ships:*HMS Shoreham was launched...
sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She served during the Second World War.
Construction and commissioning
Fowey was ordered on 4 December 1929 under the 1929 Programme. She was laid down at Devonport DockyardHMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
on 24 March 1930, and was launched on 4 November that year by a Mrs Treffery. She was commissioned on 11 September 1931 and was initially manned by the Devonport Port Division. She was then assigned to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, and served there until August 1939. She then spent a period under repair at Bombay, before being manned by the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Port Division. She was adopted by the civil community of Wincanton
Wincanton
Wincanton is a small town in south Somerset, southwest England. The town lies on the A303 road, the main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in March 1942 following a successful Warship Week
Warship Week
Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the adoption of a Royal Navy warship by a civil community. A level of savings would be set to raise enough money to provide the cost of building a particular naval ship...
National Savings campaign.
Early duties and successes
Fowey was transferred to serve in the Mediterranean on 9 September after her repairs had been completed. By October she was engaged on contraband patrols, before being transferred to FreetownFreetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
to join Atlantic convoy defence efforts. She sailed for Freetown in November and was deployed on her first convoy on 2 December, escorting Convoy SL-11 to the UK. She was detached from the convoy on 18 December and sailed for Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. On arrival she began a refit in a commercial shipyard. Upon her return to service in January, Fowey was nominated to serve with Western Approaches Command
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in the Western...
, and deployed out of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
on convoy escort duties. Her first success came on 30 January, when she took part in the sinking of U-55
German submarine U-55 (1939)
German submarine U-55 was a Type VIIB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered 16 July 1937 and laid down on 2 November 1938 at Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel...
, together with HMS Whitshed
HMS Whitshed (D77)
HMS Whitshed was a V and W class escort destroyer of the Royal Navy, laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Wallsend on 3 June 1918, launched in 1919, and commissioned on 11 July of that year...
and RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
aircraft from No. 228 Squadron
No. 228 Squadron RAF
No. 228 Squadron RAF was a unit that during the greatest part of its existence flew over water, doing so in World War I, World War II and beyond, performing anti-submarine, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue tasks.-Formation and World War I:...
. The U-55 had attacked a convoy south west of the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
, sinking two ships but was sunk herself with only one of her crew lost.
Escorting the Atlantic convoys
Fowey remained on the Western ApproachesWestern Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
throughout February and into March. On 14 March she was deployed with her sister HMS Bideford and the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMS Wrestler in escorting the outward bound Convoy OG-22F through the Western Approaches on its way to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Fowey was detached on 19 March and returned to port. She deployed again on 5 April, this time with Bideford and HMS Watchman, escorting the inward bound Convoy HG-25 through the South Western Approaches from Gibraltar to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. She was detached on 15 April and returned to Plymouth. She was at sea again on 26 April, with the sloops HMS Deptford and HMS Folkestone
HMS Folkestone (L22)
HMS Folkestone was a Hastings class sloop of the Royal Navy that saw action in World War II. She was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. of Wallsend-on-Tyne, laid down on 21 May 1929 and launched on 12 February 1930...
, and the destroyer HMS Vivacious, escorting the outward Convoy OG-27. She was detached on 27 April and returned again to Plymouth.
May saw Fowey under refit at Devonport, during which time her pennant was changed to U15. She carried out post refit trials in June and rejoined Western Approaches Command at Liverpool in July. On 15 June she picked up 16 survivors from the Norwegian tanker SS Italia, that had been torpedoed and sunk by U-38 60 miles (96.6 km) west of the Scilly Isles. On 21 June she and HMS Sandwich picked up 49 survivors from the British tanker SS San Fernando, that had been torpedoed by U-47 some 50 miles (80.5 km) south-south-west of Cape Clear.
The attack on convoy SC-7
Fowey spent August and September escorting convoys in the Western Approaches. She put to sea with the corvetteCorvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
HMS Bluebell
HMS Bluebell (K80)
HMS Bluebell was a that served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Ordered from Fleming & Ferguson at Paisley on 27 July 1939, she was launched on 24 April 1940 and commissioned in July 1940. She served in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Arctic, escorting several convoys to Russia, and also...
on 16 October to come to the aid of Convoy SC-7
Convoy SC-7
SC-7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, the convoy was intercepted by one of the German Navy's...
which was under heavy U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
attack. They joined the sole escort, the sloop HMS Scarborough
HMS Scarborough (U25)
HMS Scarborough was a Hastings-class sloop of the Royal Navy launched in 1930. She saw active service during the Second World War, especially as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic.-Construction and commissioning:...
, and on 18 October they were further reinforced by the sloop HMS Leith
HMS Leith (U36)
HMS Leith was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.-Construction, commissioning and early service:...
and the corvette HMS Heartsease
HMS Heartsease (K15)
HMS Heartsease was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. She served with both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during the Second World War, with the latter navy as USS Courage...
. Despite these measures, 17 of the 35 ships of the convoy were lost to U-boat attacks. On 19 October Fowey picked up 35 survivors from the British merchant SS Empire Brigade
SS Empire Brigade
Empire Brigade was a 5,184 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1912 as Hannington Court. She served through the First World War and was sold in 1936 to Achille Lauro, being renamed Elios. In 1940, she was interned by the United Kingdom as a result of war being declared against Italy...
, sunk by U-99, and 36 survivors from the British merchant SS Shekatika, sunk by U-123. In November Fowey was transferred to the Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
escort force and was deployed for convoy defence in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and North Western Approaches in December. By now she had been equipped with Type 286M Modified RAF radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
outfit.
Refitted and reassigned
She spent January to May 1941 on these duties, before being transferred to the ClydeRiver Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
to operate in the Atlantic. She was nominated for a refit in June and sailed for Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. She spent July under refit, where she had her Radar Type 286M replaced by a Type 286P, and two 20mm Oerlikon guns fitted for close range defence. She resumed her convoy defence duties in August, and was deployed on them throughout September and into October. In October she joined the sloop HMS Rochester and the corvettes HMS Bluebell, Campanula, Carnation, HMS Heliotrope, Mallow
HMS Mallow (K81)
HMS Mallow was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy. She also served in the Yugoslav Royal Navy and the SFR Yugoslav Navy under the names Nada and Partizanka, and the Egyptian Navy as El Sudan....
, Stonecrop and La Malouine
HMS La Malouine (K46)
HMS La Malouine was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, serving during the Second World War.-Origin:La Malouine was one of four Flower-class corvettes ordered by the French Navy . Only two of these were delivered to the Marine Nationale. One of these ships was La Malouine the other La...
in the 37th Escort Group.
Fowey deployed with this group for the rest of 1941, until February 1942. She spent between March and April under refit in Liverpool and after post refit trials in May, rejoined the group in June. July to September was spent with the group, followed by another refit in Liverpool in October, when she was fitted with the Type 271 surface warning radar. She then returned to the group and her convoy protection duties. She was taken in hand for a major refit at Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
in January 1943, which lasted until April. She was fitted with the Hedgehog Anti-Submarine Mortar Outfit
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
and four additional 20mm guns, which replaced her 0.5 inch machine guns. She trialled these new improvements in May, rejoining the group in June. She spent the rest of the year in the Atlantic, and was nominated for service in the Mediterranean in December. On 20 November she picked up 67 survivors from the British merchant SS Grangepark that had been torpedoed and sunk west of Gibraltar by U-263
Mediterranean and the end of the war
Fowey sailed to the Mediterranean in January 1944. She spent February and March under repair at AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, before returning to the UK in April. She underwent further repairs at Milford Haven which lasted until August. She then resumed convoy defence in the Atlantic. In September she joined the B23 Escort Group and was deployed in the North Western Approaches. She spent the rest of the war patrolling in Home waters with the group. After VE Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
Fowey was withdrawn from operational use and was sent to Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
to serve as a guardship. She carried out this duty at Stranraer and Lame. During this period the surrendered German U-boats were being collected in Loch Ryan
Loch Ryan
Loch Ryan is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland...
prior to their destruction in Operation Deadlight
Operation Deadlight
Operation Deadlight was the code name for the scuttling of U-boats surrendered to the Allies after the defeat of Germany near the end of World War II....
.
Post war career
Fowey remained the Stranraer guardship until December 1946, when she was sent to Portsmouth. She had been selected to be transferred to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in early 1946 and was under refit from May 1946. This transfer was subsequently cancelled and she was put up for disposal. She was sold to Wheelock Marsden & Co Ltd for use as a merchant vessel. She was renamed SS Rowlock and continued in commercial service until 1950. She was then sold for scrapping in Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
.