HMS Winchelsea (D46) was a W Class destroyer

W class destroyer

Two classes of destroyers of the Royal Navy are known as the W class:*Ships beginning with "W" of the V and W class, built late in World War I.*Ships beginning with "W" of the W and Z class launched in 1943–1944....

 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...

, ordered 9 December 1916 from J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...

 at Cowes

Cowes

Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...

 during the 1916-17 Build Programme.

Winchelsea was then launched 15 December 1917 and was the 7th 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...

 ship to carry this name, which was introduced in 1694 and named after the 6th Earl of Winchelsea (1647–1730)

In March 1945 she was de-commissioned and sold for scrap.

Events in history

July 27, 1940 - 84 survivors were picked up from the British merchant ships Sambre and Thiara. The boats had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine , south-south-west of Rockall

Rockall

Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....

.

17 September 1940 - 25 survivors were picked up from the British merchant Crown Arun. The boat had been torpedoed and was then sunk with gunfire by the German submarine , north of Rockall.

2 November 1942 - 24 survivors were picked up from the British merchant Hartington. The boat had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-521, approximately 450 nautical miles (833.4 km) east of Belle Isle

Belle Isle

- Places :In Canada* Belle Isle , an island and strait In England, UK* Belle Isle, an area of Leeds, West Yorkshire* Belle Isle , an island in Lake District, Cumbria...

.