For “Battle Honours” only those awarded to the ship while Bob was serving in her are noted. The prime source for these is Ben Warlow’s “Battle Honours of the Royal Navy”, (ibid - Bibliography).
My prime sources for information on each ship or shore establishment are “Ships of the Royal Navy Volumes 1 & 2”, J J Colledge & Ben Warlow. (ibid - Bibliography) and “Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy” Lt. Cdr. B Warlow (ibid - Bibliography). Where Cruisers are involved information on them sourced from the authorative “British Cruisers of World War Two” by Raven & Roberts (ibid - Bibliography) is given pre-eminence.
In regard to images I have attempted to include images of the various ships listed here that are as near as possible to the same time period as Bob’s service in them.
See general footnotes at the conclusion of this chronicle for definitions of tonnages such as “Displacement”
1) HMS Pembroke
08/07/1929 – 31/12/1929Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. (Note 1)
 |
| HMS Pembroke Badge of the Royal Naval establishment at Chatham, Kent |
By the outbreak of the First World War Chatham had become one of the Royal Navy's three ‘manning ports' with over a third of the navy, some 205 ships, manned by men allocated to the Chatham Division, a role that continued until the advent of central manning in 1956. The cruiser HMS Ajax, the seventh of her name and one of the two subjects of this website, was a Chatham manned ship. The other subject, Robert (Bob) Sharplin, was a Chatham based sailor hence his service in her.
Government expenditure cuts forced the closure of the Barracks on 29th October 1983.
(Refer Notes 1, 2, 3 & 4 to Entry # 32)
2) HMS Marlborough
01/01/1930 – 22/08/1930
Shore establishment (Note <a>).
HMS Marlborough was a Torpedo Training School and a Stokers Training School establishment in Eastbourne at both Eastbourne College in College Road and at Chelmsford Hall close by in Grange Road.
Bob’s Training Class Certificate states “Pass Rate of 87.9%”, remarks “Very Creditable”
No image of the establishment has yet been found.
Notes:
a. Six ships have borne this name between 1706 and 2005 and one "non warship", a trawler hired
as a Boom Defence Vessel between 1916 - 1919, It was hired again between November 1939
- 3rd January 1940 as an Auxiliary Patrol Vessel and for a third time between 1945 - June 1946
(role undefined).
The name was used twice for this shore establishment, firstly including the above period but its
opening and closing dates have yet to be found. Opened again during WW 2 between December
1941 and 30th June 1947.
3) HMS Pembroke
23/08/1930 – 02/10/1930Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
 |
| HMS Pembroke Royal Naval Barracks, Main Gate |
4) HMS Hermes
03/10/1930 – 06/09/1933Aircraft Carrier. (9th of her name)
 |
| HMS Hermes Off Yantai, China, 1931 |
This vessel was a world first by any Navy in being designed and built as an aircraft carrier. Originally designed for 15 aircraft this was eventually increased reaching 20 by 1938.
Over this period was part of the Far East Fleet based on Hong Kong & Shanghai
 |
| HMS Hermes Scapa Flow, 1925 |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Armstrong Whitworth, ElswickOrdered: July 1917
Laid down: 15th January 1918
Launched: 11th September 1919, work suspended and towed to HM Dockyard, Devonport for
completion
Commissioned: 18th February 1924
Displacement: 10,950 tons, full load approx. 12,900 tons
Particulars: Length 598ft
Beam 70ft 9ins (outside bilges)
Mean draught 18ft 9ins.
Machinery: Steam. Geared turbines, Shaft HP 40,000 with 2 shafts. Speed 25 knots.
Pennant No. 95
Fate: Sunk by Japanese aircraft 9th April 1942 off Ceylon. Reports state that she had no
serviceable aircraft due to enemy bombing raids the previous day and that she sank after
suffering some 40 hits by 250lb bombs. 306 of her 1,575 crew were lost.
5) HMS Pembroke
07/09/1933 – 15/10/1935Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. (See entry # 1.)
 |
| HMS Pembroke Stand Easy, Parade Ground |
6) HMS Ramillies
16/10/1935 - 31/12/1936
"Royal Sovereign" Class Battleship, 8 x 15" guns in four twin turrets (5th of her name - Note <a>)
 |
| HMS Ramillies After 1932 -1933 refit |
Ship’s details:
Builder: William Beardmore & Co., Dalmuir, ScotlandOrdered: 1913
Laid down:12th November 1913
Launched: 12th June 1916
Commissioned: 1st September 1917
Displacement: 25,750 tons, loaded 29,150tons
Particulars: Length 620.8ft o/a, 580ft pp.
Beam 88.5ft
Pennant No. 07
On the night of 11/12/October 1940 Ramillies as part of the screening force, which also included Ajax (with Bob Sharplin on board), covering two Convoys, MF-3 from Egypt to Malta and AS4 from Greece plus Operation MB6, an air attack on Leros, when this screen was attacked by the 1st Italian Torpedo Boat Flotilla. In the resulting action, Ajax sank the Italian ships Airone and Alcione and a little later when the Italian 11th Destroyer joined the fray the destroyer Artiglere was heavily damaged by radar directed gunfire from Ajax then later sunk by gunfire by the British Cruiser York. During this action Ajax received 7 hits. The Italians refer to this actioin as the Battle of Cape Passero.
Fate: Last employment was as an Accommodation Ship and for training April to August 1945.
Decommissioned 1946. Sold 20 February 1948 for breaking up. Arrived 23 April under tow
at Cairn Ryan where de-equipped and hulk towed to Troon October 1948 where broken up.
Notes:
a. Prior to Ramillies V commissioning this name was used between 3rd August 1914 - 30th August
1916 for a 2,935 ton vessel hired into service and fitted out as a Mine Carrier. It was not
included by the Admiralty as a member of the Ramillies naming lineage.
7) HMS Pembroke
01/01/1937 (One day)
Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. (See entry # 1.)
 |
| HMS Pembroke Rum being unshipped in Chatham Dockyard for the Pembroke Royal Naval Barracks |
8) HMS Drake
02/01/1937 – 09/12/1938Royal Navy Barracks, Devonport. (See Note <a>)
Formerly HMS Vivid, the building of which was completed in 1886 but not opened until 4 June 1889.
Renamed HMS Drake 1st January 1934.
 |
| HMS Drake Royal Naval Barracks |
a. This is one of the oldest Ships names in Royal Navy, the first being a 16-gun 146bm vessel in
service between 1653 and 1691. A total of 20 ships have borne this name.
9) HMS Pembroke
 |
| HMS Pembroke Barrack Room |
Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
10) HMS Cornwall
15/03/1939 – 09/02/1940“Kent” Subclass of County Class Heavy Cruiser, 8-inch guns in four twin turrets. (7th of her name).
 |
| HMS Cornwall |
Declaration of war found her deployed as Flagship of 5th Cruiser Squadron, China Station with cruisers Kent, Dorsetshire and Birmingham.
Docked in Colombo for repairs October 6th - 11th. Participated in search for the German raider Admiral Graf Spee to south of Ceylon. December transfered to South Atlantic Station for patrol duties from Capetown and Freetown. Bob drafted out of her in Freetown from where he was probably taken by a passing troop ship back to England .
Ship’s details:
Builder: Royal Naval Dockyard, Devonport, Devon
Ordered: 2nd June 1924
Laid down:9th October 1924
Launched: 11th March 1926
Commissioned: 8th May 1928
Displacement – As built: 9,750 tons
Fully loaded: 13,400 tons
Particulars: Length 630ft o/a, 590ft pp
Beam: 68.5ft
Machinery: Steam. Parsons geared turbines, four shafts 80,000 Shaft HP = 31.5 knots.
Eight Admiralty 3-drum boilers, max working pressure 250psi
Pennant No.
Fate: Heavily bombed 5th April 1942 by Japanese aircraft operating from carriers Akagi, Soryu
and Hiryu west of Ceylon. Sank within 15 minutes of being hit, 190 crew listed as dead or
missing. Accompanying Cruiser Dorsetshire was sunk 6 minutes later by similar attacks.
11) HMS Pembroke
10/02/1940 – 18/03/1940Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
 |
| HMS Pembroke HM King George VI making a then “secret’ wartime visit to the Barracks on 16 April 1942 inspecting ratings on the parade ground accompanied by Commodore Nicholson RN |
12) HMS Ajax
19/03/1940 – 30/09/1941“Leander” Class Light Cruiser, 8 x 6-inch guns in four twin turrets. Pennant No. 22.
(7th of her name - Note 3)
 |
| HMS Ajax In a Mediterranean Gale |
Bob joined her at Chatham Dockyard where she was completing seven months of repairs following heavy damage inflicted by “Admiral Graf Spee” at the Battle of the River Plate bringing Ajax to global attention thus becoming one of the modern Royal Navy’s most well known ships (Note 1).
Sailed 21st August 1940 as part escort of a convoy bound for Middle East via South Africa. He saw service in Ajax when as part of the Mediterranean Fleet’s 7th Cruiser Squadron. She participated in the Malta Convoys, the Battles of Matapan & Crete and the North African Campaign where Ajax was seriously damaged.
Bob spoke of their experience when on earlier convoy protection duty (12th October 1940) Ajax had found herself in a melee with a small force of Italian destroyers which had been sent out to deliver a night attack on the convoy (MF4). In the lively action which followed Ajax had acquitted herself well by sinking two of the destroyers, Airone and Ariel and damaging a third, the Artigliere. Ajax suffered seven shell hits resulting in 35 casualties including 13 killed. The Artigliere was subsequently sunk by the Cruiser HMS York as the Italians attempted to tow her away. (Note 2)
He was also greatly moved by a night action during the German sea borne invasion stage of the Battle of Crete where orders were given to conserve ammunition and sink native caiques that were being used to transport German troops to Crete by ramming them. One he recalls imbedded itself in Ajax’s bow such that she arrived back in Alexandria still wearing the wreckage.
The night-time “Battle of Matapan “where the Royal Navy blew three Italian cruisers and two destroyers out of the water without any loss, Bob described as “having caught the Italian fleet by such surprise they reacted like startled rabbits trapped in a car’s headlights”.
The subject of the Painting, which is the feature of this website, the action of 21st May 1941, is fully described under the Tab “The Painting and The Action”.
Ship’s details:
Builder: Vickers Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness. Yard No. 682Ordered: 1st Oct 1932
Laid down: 7th Feb 1933
Launched: 1st Mar 1934 Sponsor at launching Ceremony was Lady Chatfield, Wife of the First
Sea Lord Admiral Alfred Ernle Montacute Chatfield.
Completed: 12th Apr 1935
Commissioned: 15th Apr 1935
Displacement – As built: 7,259 tons
Fully loaded: 9,653 tons (Oct 1942)
Pennant No. 22
Fate: De commissioned at Chatham 16 Feb 1948. Placed on Disposal List. Laid up in River Fal.
After frustrated sale to Chile, towed from River Fal 8 Nov 1949 to Cashmore’s, Newport
(Mon) Yard, where she arrived on 18th to be broken up.
BATTLE HONOURS WON BY HMS AJAX WHILE BOB WAS SERVING IN HER:
Mediterranean 1940-41
Matapan 1941
Greece 1941
Crete 1941
Malta Convoys 1941
Note:
1. During this period in Chatham Dockyard the following modifications were made:
a. 46ft catapult replaced by 56ft. Walrus aircraft mounted
b. Type 279 radar fitted
c. Masts replaced with tripod design
d. Zarebas fitted to 4” guns
2. Ibid - “Daily War Diary for Ajax”, 12th October 1940, Convoy MF4 to Alexandria.
3. Two other vessels of this name appear in the Navy list, neither rated as warships:
- A tug hired between July 1914 - 7th August 1914
- A drifter (Ajax II) hired 1914, sunk by German torpedo 27th October 1916
13) HMS Valiant
01/10/1941 – 16/05/1942“Queen Elizabeth” Class Battleship, 8 x15-inch guns. (5th of her name - Note 4)
 |
| HMS Valiant |
During this period Valiant was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet. She was seriously damaged on 19 December 1941 while in Alexandria harbour by Italian manned torpedoes. This action (Note 1) by the Italian Navy's 10th Light Flotilla resulted in a dramatic shift in the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean away from the Royal Navy.
At 2047 that evening about one mile off of Alexandria the Italian submarine “Sciré”, commanded by Prince Julio Borghese, dropped three manned slow moving torpedoes (Siluro Lenta Corsa = SLC) known as “Maiales" or "sea pigs" by their crews because of their difficulty to handle, each had a two-man crew. One of them, SLC 221, piloted by Lieutenant Commander De la Penne was targeted for the Valiant. All three penetrated the harbour defences by fortuitously arriving just in time to catch the boom net defences being opened to allow some Royal Navy cruisers and destroyers to enter the harbour. These ships had actually been attached to Admiral Vian’s 15th Cruiser Squadron and were returning from escorting the supply ship Breconshire to Malta.
De la Penne arrived safely at the Valiant but had trouble in submerging losing his diver, Petty Officer Bianchi, and control in the process finishing up with his SLC stuck in the mud on the harbour bottom. Single-handed he managed to pull the torpedo's 270kg warhead filled with TNT underneath the Valiant some 5ft beneath the ship’s hull then surfaced to find Bianchi clinging to a nearby buoy, both were spotted at 0325hrs from the Valiant and taken aboard as prisoners. Having refused to reveal their mission they finished up imprisoned below while Valiant, suspecting their intent, cleared all crew from the lower decks. The order was given “Close all X and Y doors” followed by “All hands on deck”.
Bob reminisced that there was no time to evacuate the ship so he stood among the crew on the main deck after all hands had been cleared from lower decks, waiting for the explosions. Their suspicions proved correct when at 0547hrs a terrific nearby explosion blew the stern of another of the Italian target’s, the 7,554 ton fleet oil tanker Sagona, badly damaging the destroyer Jervis lying alongside her. This was closely followed at 0606hrs by another such explosion under their own ship which shuddered then slowly sank onto the bottom. Fortunately the depth below the keel was only a few feet so the ship settled upright on her keel and no crew were recorded as injured. The explosion occurred under the port bulge near “A” turret tearing a 60ft by 30ft hole in the bulge causing considerable internal damage. De la Penne had been brought up to the main deck to the sounds of a third explosion at 0610hrs from under the fleet flagship, the battleship Queen Elizabeth which initially took a heavy list to starboard and settled on the bottom, like the Valiant in just a few feet of water and on her keel. All three Italian Chariot crews had successfully accomplished their mission but all were captured.
Later that morning Valiant was towed into the Admiralty Floating Dock AFD 5 to commence temporary repairs before sailing on April 8th to Durban for further repairs. All in all she was disabled for five months.
The damage to Queen Elizabeth was much more severe. 11,000 square feet of her hull was damaged, “A”, “B” and “Y” boiler rooms were flooded to main deck level with extensive damage to machinery. After temporary repairs in Alexandria’s floating dock she was sent to the Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia and was out of action for nearly eighteen months.
This attack dramatically turned the strategic naval balance of power in favour of the Italians as suddenly Admiral Cunningham, as Commander -in-Chief Mediterranean, found his fleet had been reduced to Admiral Vian’s 15th Cruiser squadron, Naiad, Euryalus and Dido, the anti-aircraft cruiser Carlisle, the cruisers Penelope and Ajax in Malta with the latter out of action for repairs, plus some destroyers. The attack could not have come at a worse time for Britain. On every front the news was bad. Cunningham wrote that his fleet now "should have to leave it to the Royal Air Force to try if they could dispute the control of the Central Mediterranean with the enemy's fleet". Thus it looked as if the Royal Navy could no longer operate in the central Mediterranean. He wrote to the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, “We are having shock after shock out here. The damage to the battleships at this time is a disaster”.
Even Churchill was moved to praise this Italian operation as an example of "extraordinary courage and ingenuity" then summed up the resulting strategic situation in saying "Six Italians, dressed in rather unusual diving suits and equipped with materials of laughably little cost, have swung the balance of power in the Mediterranean in favour of the Axis".
The critical saving grace was that the British managed to conceal the fact that so much damage had been inflicted on both ships and as all of the Italian Crews had been captured neither the Italians or the Germans became aware of just how tenuous the tactical situation had suddenly become for the Royal Navy.
Ship’s details:
Builder: FairfieldsLaid down: 31st January 1913
Launched: 4th November 1914
Commissioned: 19th February 1916
Displacement: 27,500 tons
Pennant No: 02
Fate: Decommissioned July 1945. Sold 19th March 1948 for scrap, arrived under tow 16 August
1948 at Arnott Young, Cairnryan. Hulk taken to Troon March 1950.
Notes:
1. “The Battle for the Mediterranean”, Donald Macintyre, P33-34, Ibid - Bibliography.
"Task Force", John Parker, P188, Ibid - Bibliography.
“Underwater Warriors”, Paul Kemp, P29-33, Ibid - Bibliography.
HMS Valiant's War Diary.
2. “The Battle for the Mediterranean” Donald Macintyre, P121-123, Ibid -bibliography.
3. Bob’s original hand written Service Record shows that on 16 May 1942 he was in the Valiant
and the following day was at HMS Pembroke, the Royal naval Barracks at Chatham, Kent
prompting a non Naval reader to question how could this be so? Quite simply it is a matter of
how the Royal Navy maintained its personnel’s records. Moving from one ship or establishment
to another was called a “draft”. It could be as quick as if in dock walking from one ship to the
next or, as in this case, travelling halfway around the world. When “drafted” the record shows
the date on which you left your ship or establishment. The next day it will show the name of the
ship or establishment which you are to join (drafted to) irrespective as to how long it may take
you to reach it.
Following the temporary repairs necessitated by the 19 December attack on her, Valiant
according to her War Diary, sailed from Alexandria on 8 April 1942. She called at Aden on the
13 April possibly to refuel and reached Durban in South Africa on 21 April where she “was
taken in hand for repair and refit”. A change in her commanding officer took place on 7 May
when Captain Leslie Haliburton Ashmore RN took over. Bob left her on 16 May conceivably
following a decision to reduce her crew to a minimum whilst the ship underwent lengthy major
repairs. There is no apparent record as to how Bob got back to England. Presumably he together
with other ex Valiant crew members were transported back by one of the regular troop ships
running through the Cape at that period. Valiant did not emerge from repairs until three months
later in mid July destined to join the 3rd Battle Squadron on the East African coast.
4. Two other vessels of this name appear in the Navy list prior to this ship but neither rated as
warships:
- A lugger hired into service between 1794 - 1801.
- A yacht (Valiant II) hired into service as an Auxiliary Patrol Vessel between 18th
November 1914 - 6th February 1919 and fitted with 4 - 12 Pndr guns.
14) HMS Pembroke
17/05/1942 – 18/04/1944Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
Refer to Note 3 under HMS Valiant, entry # 13 above regarding Bob's drafting from the Valiant to Pembroke Naval Barracks.
a) Lent to HMS Ajax 25/08/1942 (One day) which was in Chatham Dockyard for repair & refit.
b) Over the period of her repair and refit from 27 May – 24 Oct 1942 the following modifications were made:
I. 3 single 20mm guns added. 0.5” Machine guns removed
II. 2 quadruple pom-pom guns fitted
III. The quadruple pom-pom guns formerly fitted in what had been the catapult’s position
removed
IV. 2 HACS directors fitted, one on each side of bridge
V. Types 272, 284, and 285 radar fitted
Ship’s details: - Previously recorded at entry # 12 q.v.
 |
| HMS Ajax Date unknown – camouflage pattern is not that of 1941 or 1942 |
c) Lent to HMS Ajax 01/10/1942 – 13/10/1942
See above entry
Ship’s details: - Previously recorded at entry # 12 q.v.
 |
| HMS Ajax Date unknown, possibly off breakers yard |
d) Lent to HMS Purnbell 01/04/1944 – 10/04/1945
No record yet found of this vessel. Anyone with details or information is invited to contact me.
15) HMS Mauritius
19/04/1944 – 13/03/1945“Fiji” Class Heavy Cruiser, 12 x 6-inch guns in four triple turrets. (1st of her name)
 |
| HMS Mauritius |
Bob joined her while she was in Chatham dockyard for repair and refit (between 14 April and 10 May 1944) during which the following modifications were made:
I. Port side aircraft crane removed
II. Type 650 missile jamming gear fitted
III. Type 273 Surface warning radar fitted
IV. Type 289 Aircraft warning radar replaced by Type 281
At June “D-Day” Normandy invasion (June 1944) as part of Force D off Sword Beach where she was slightly damaged by German shore batteries then carried out offensive patrols off the Brittany coast in August to mop up remnants of German shipping in the area. Sank a German minesweeper off Ile
de Yeux on 15 August. Operating with destroyers HMS Ursa and HMCS Iroquois she sank Sperrbrecher 157 and five Vorpostenboote (Patrol Boats), V702, V717, V720, V729 and V730 on 25 August. Returned to Home Fleet and covered raids by aircraft carriers along the Norwegian coast making anti-shipping strikes herself. In January 1945 in company with the cruiser Diadem she fought an action with German destroyers in which the German Z31 was badly damaged and in return received one hit.
Following this action she was refitted at Cammell-Laird’s between 25 February 1945 and March 1946.
Bob left her at Cammell-Laird’s, Birkenhead, on 13 March 1945
Ship’s details:
Builder: Swan Hunter, Tyne & WeirLaid down: 31st March 1938
Launched: 19th July 1939
Commissioned: 1st April 1940
Displacement- As built: 8,256 tons
Fully loaded: 10,736 tons
Pennant No. 80
Fate: Decommissioned 1952 went into a refit for several months then placed in Reserve. The
expense of the unnecessary refit suffered criticism from a Parliamentary Select Committee.
Placed on Disposal List and sold to BISCO, arrived 27 March 1965 T.W. Ward
Ltd, Inverkeithing and broken up.
BATTLE HONOURS WON BY HMS MAURITIUS WHILE BOB WAS SERVING IN HER:
Normandy 1944
16) HMS Pembroke
14/03/1945 – 09/08/1945Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
a) Lent to HMS Stoymer
19/03/1945 – 25/03/1945
No record yet found of this vessel. Anyone with details or information is invited to contact me.
b) Lent to HMS Holderness
04/04/1945 – 07/04/1945
“Type 1 Hunt” Class Escort Destroyer. (3rd of her name)
I. Built under the 1939 Programme with 9 other Type 1 destroyers.
II. The ship was adopted by the civil community of Amman Valley, Wales after a National
Savings Warship Week campaign in March 1942.
III. Remained in commission after VJ Day, continued service in Chatham Local Flotilla until
1946 when Paid-Off and reduced to Reserve status. Laid-up at Harwich. 1953 transferred to
Barrow for armament and other equipment to be preserved. Placed on Disposal List 1956.
Sold to BISCO for demolition.
 |
| HMS Holderness 1944 |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on TyneLaid down: 29 June 1939
Launched: 8 February 1940
Commissioned: 10 August 1940 (?)
Displacement – As built: 1,000 tons
Fully loaded:
Pennant No. F148
Fate: Arrived Ward, Preston, 20 November 1956 where broken up
c) Lent to HMS Brocklesby 09/04/1945 – 17/04 /1945
“Type 2 Hunt” Class Destroyer. (1st of her name)
I. Ordered 4 September 1939 under the War Emergency Programs
II. March 1942 after successful Warship Week National Savings campaign was adopted by civil
community of Belper, Derbyshire
III. Paid off Portsmouth 1 May 1946. Laid up until 1951 when refitted and converted to a sonar
trials ship. Paid off June 1968.
 |
| HMS Brocklesby 1942 |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, Job 3561Laid down: 18 November 1939
Launched: 30 September 1940
Completed: 9 April 1941
Commissioned: 9 May 1941
Displacement: 1,000 tons
Pennant No. L42
Fate: Paid off June 1968. Arrived Faslane, River Clyde, 28 October 1968 where broken up. She
was the last of the Hunt Class to be scrapped.
d) Lent to HMS Jacinta 27/04/1945 (one day).
In Bob's record this misspelt and stated as Jacinter.
Armed Trawler. (1st of her name)
I. Hired into service as Admiralty Trawler 1915-19. Fitted with one 6 pounder gun.
II. Requisitioned May 1940 as Auxiliary Patrol Trawler, fitted with one 12 pounder gun. Later
purchased (date not known).
III. March 1942 converted to Mine Sweeper.
IV. January 1944 assigned to Wreck Dispersal
V. May 1946 sold
 |
| HMS Jacinta |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Not knownLaid down: Not known
Launched: 1915
Commissioned: Not known
Displacement – As built: 290 tons
Fully loaded: ? tons
Pennant No. 4.138
Fate: Sold May 1946.
e) Lent to HMS Co Deila 11/05/1945 (One day)
No record yet found of this vessel. Anyone with details or information is invited to contact me.
f) Lent to HMS Caicos
17/05/1945 – 18/05/1945
“Colony” Class Frigate K505, (1st of her name)
The only aircraft direction detection frigate of WW2, patrolled North Sea to detect Nazi V-1 Buzz Bombs (early cruise missiles). This Class comprised 21 frigates of the Royal Navy, constructed between 1943 and 1944 in the USA. Delivered and renamed under the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement under which the USA supplied the United Kingdom and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945.
 |
| HMS Caicos |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Walsh Kaiser Yard, Providence, Rhode Island, USALaid down: 23 April 1943
Launched: 6 September as USS Hannam, delivered (and renamed) to the U.K. 1943.
Commissioned:
Displacement: 1,318 tons
Pennant No. K505
Fate: Returned to the US Navy 12 December 1943. Transferred1947 to the Argentine Navy as
“Santissima Trinidad” and converted to a survey ship. Renamed 1963 as “Comodoro
Augusto Laserre”. Broken up 1970.
g) Lent to HMS Torrington 14/06/1945 – 24/06/1945
TE (Turbo Electric) “Captain” Class Frigate. (4th of her name)
This Class comprised 46 frigates of the Royal Navy, constructed in the USA,
Delivered to the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Lend Lease agreement under which the USA supplied the United Kingdom and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945.
 |
| HMS Torrington |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Bethlehem Steel, Hingham, USALaid down:
Launched: 27 November 1943, delivered (and renamed) to the U.K. 31 December 1943.
Commissioned: either 31 December 1943 or 2 January 1944
Displacement: 1300 tons
Pennant No. ?577
Fate: Returned to US Navy, 1946
17) HMS Liverpool
10/08/1945 – 09/10/1945“Southampton” (“Town”) Class Cruiser, 12 x 6” guns in four triple turrets. (7th of her name)
 |
| HMS Liverpool in drydock Rosyth, 1943 |
Those repairs were completed in July 1943 and extended into an extensive refit and maintenance period. As part of this her anti aircraft defensive capability was greatly increased to 28 pom-poms in six quadruple and four single mountings, 7 Bofors 40mm guns in single mountings and 5 more 20mmm Oerlikon guns. The Royal Navy had certainly learnt a lesson in anti aircraft defence since the Battle for Crete in May 1941. However she was prevented from re-entering service until October 1945 as insufficient crew were available.
Recommissioned, but without Bob, in that month to join the 15th Cruiser Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet.
 |
| HMS Liverpool October 1941 |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, Govan, ScotlandOrdered: 11 November 1935
Laid down: 17 February 1936
Launched: 24 March 1937
Commissioned: 2 November 1938
Displacement - As built 9,252 tons (15 Oct 1938)
Fully Loaded: 12,675 (16 Jul 1945)
Pennant No: C11
Fate: Decommissioned 1952, placed into reserve. Placed on Disposal List 1957. Sold to BISCO,
arrived 2 July 1958 McLellan, Bo’ness for breaking up.
18) HMS Pembroke
10/10/1945 – 17/11/1945Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
 |
| HMS Pembroke Figureheads in the grounds of the Barracks from early Royal Navy “Days of Sail” warships |
19) HMS Suffolk
18/11/1945 – 25/04/1946“Kent” Subclass of “County” Class Heavy Cruiser, 8 x 8-inch guns in four twin turrets. (6th of her name)
After World War 2, HMS Suffolk was used to bring repatriated military and civil personnel from Australia and sailed for her first trip on 26th August 1945. On return in November she underwent repair at HM Dockyard Chatham where Bob joined her on 18 November. With repairs completed in January 1946 she then made a second trooping trip to Australia and returned in April when Bob was drafted out of her on the 25th.
 |
| HMS Suffolk |
Ship’s details:
Builder: HM Dockyard, PortsmouthLaid down: 30 September 1924
Launched: 16 February 1926
Completed: 7 Feb 1928
Commissioned: 31 May 1928
Displacement – As built: 9,495 tons
Fully loaded: 13,450 tons
Pennant No. 55
Fate: Sold for breaking up 25 Mar 1948. Broken up June 1948 Cashmore’s, Newport (Mon) Yard
20) HMS Pembroke
26/04/1946 – 30/9/1946Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
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| HMS Pembroke The Drill Shed, flanking northern side of parade ground |
21) HMS Sussex
01/10/1946 – 16/07/1948“London” Subclass of “County” Class Heavy Cruiser, 8 x 8-inch gun in four triple turrets. (4th of her name) Eastern Fleet.
Bob’s Personal “Employment & Ability Record” record variously reads “Supervision / In Charge – boiler room and engine room machinery”
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| HMS Sussex As Built |
That task completed she paid off at Devonport to undergo a refit. She was re-commissioned in April 1947 for service with the 5th Cruiser Squadron, British Pacific Fleet joining the Fleet in the Far East as Flagship. The historical record then shows her as being replaced by the cruiser Belfast and returning to Portsmouth at the end of 1948 to pay off and go into reserve.
Bob’s record shows him as leaving Sussex on 16 July 1948 joining his next ship Encore a Fleet Tug next day, both ships being on the Far East station (presumed to be Hong Kong) at that time.
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| HMS Sussex After World War II |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Hawthorn Leslie & Co, Hebburn- on-TyneLaid down: 1 Feb 1926
Launched: 22 Feb 1928
Commissioned: 19 Mar 1929
Displacement – As built: 9,500 tons
Fully loaded: 13,290 tons
Pennant No. 96
Fate: Decommissioned (paid off) 3 Jan 1949. De-equipped February 1949 and placed on Disposal
List . Sold for breaking up 3 January 1950 to BISCO. Arrived under tow 23 February 1950
at Arnott Young, Dalmuir, arrived Troon July 1950.
22) HMS Encore
17/07/1948 – 25/12/1948“Envoy” Class Armed Fleet Tug. (2nd of her name)
This class of armed Rescue Tugs consisting of six vessels Enchanter, Encore, Enforcer, Enigma, Enticer and Envoy, were built and completed in 1944 by Cochrane of Selby, North Yorkshire. They were each fitted with one 3”deck gun, two Oerlikon guns and two Colt machine guns for defence when on escort or rescue duty. After the war they were all sold into commercial service.
Bob’s records show him as leaving Encore on 25 December and four days later joining Sussex for one day, both ships being on the Far East station (presumed to be Hong Kong) at that time.
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| HMS Encore |
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| Model of an “Envoy” Class armed fleet tug |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Cochrane & Sons, Selby, North YorkshireLaid down:
Launched: 2 Dec 1944
Commissioned: 11 May 1945
Displacement: 868 tons
Pennant No: W179.
Fate: On sale list 1967, believed sold into private hands.
23) HMS Sussex
29/12/1948 – 30/12/1948For ship’s details see entry # 21
24) HMS Belfast
31/12/1948 – 17/04/1949“Modified Town” Class Light Cruiser, 12 x 6-inch guns in four triple turrets. (1st of her name)
Part of 5th Cruiser Squadron Far East during Malaysian communist uprising.
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| HMS Belfast Post 1945 |
Bob’s Personal “Employment & Ability Record” record reads “Chief of engine room watch at sea”.
Bob’s record show him as leaving Sussex on 30 December and joining Belfast next day. Belfast had just arrived to relieve Sussex as Flagship 5th Cruiser Squadron, British Pacific Fleet.
On 17 April 1949 Bob was drafted to HMS Pembroke at Chatham but there is no record as to how he was moved from the Belfast in Hong Kong to Chatham or as to how long that took.
(Refer to Note 3 re “drafted” under Item 13 “HMS Valiant”)
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| HMS Belfast As a Museum Ship at Tower Bridge, London |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Harland & Wolff, BelfastLaid down: 10 Dec 1936
Launched: 17 Mar 1938
Completed 3 Aug 1939:
Commissioned: 5 Aug 1939 (Captain G.A. Scott RN DSC)
Displacement – As built: 10,300 tons
Fully loaded: 13,285 tons
Pennant No. C35
Fate: Decommissioned 24 August 1963 Devonport and paid off into reserve. From May 1966 to
1970 she was an accommodation ship, moored in Fareham Creek, for the Reserve Division
at Portsmouth. On 4 May 1971 Belfast was 'reduced to disposal' to await being broken up
but was then transferred in July 1971 to the HMS Belfast Trust. The Trust had been formed
jointly by the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of
Defence, who then preserved her as a Museum Ship at Tower Bridge, River Thames,
London, opened to the public 21 October 1971.
25) HMS Pembroke
18/04/1949 – 18/08/1949Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
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| St George’s Centre, Chatham, Kent in 2012. Formerly HMS Pembroke’s Barracks Church. On its walls are the names of all personnel of the Royal Navy Chatham Port Division who lost their lives in both World Wars |
26) HMS Steepholm
18/08/1949 – 29/09/1950“Isles” Class Minesweeper. (1st of her name)
Converted 1946 to a Wreck Disposal Vessel (DV17).
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| HMS Steepholm Post 1946 |
Ship’s details:
Builder: John Lewis & SonsLaid down:
Launched: 15 July 1943
Completed :
Commissioned:
Displacement – As built:
Fully loaded:
Pennant No. DV17, (1946)
Fate: Arrived Antwerp 18 June1960 for breaking up.
27) HMS Pembroke
30/09/1950 – 12/10/1950Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
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| Parades. All “spit and polish”. |
28) HMS Neptune
13/10/1950 – 14/01/1952 (Pensioned No. 29299, 07/07/1951)Shore Base. Chatham Reserve Fleet Division.
Nominal Depot Ship: Motor Mine Sweeper 1775 (ex 275).
The name “Neptune” was carried forward on 1 July 1950 for the Chatham Reserve Fleet Division having previously been held by the Leander Class Cruiser and sister ship to Ajax tragically sunk in an unmarked minefield off Tripoli on 19 December 1941 with only one survivor, Midshipman Frank Wade (refer Bibliography “A Midshipman’s War…”). The name was used at Chatham until paid off 11 May 1960.
Later, on 10 August 1967 the name was given to a shore based facility at Faslane which appears to have been open since 30 June 1966 with responsibility for accommodation, food supplies etc at the Clyde Submarine Base, HMNB Clyde. The future** of this base is now open to question being dependant upon the result of the Scottish Referendum to be held on 18 September 2014 to determine if Scotland will remain part of the United Kingdom. (** Source - "Daily Record and Sunday Mail", 3 March 2014)
a. Lent to HMS Gillingham Group 13/10/1950 – 30/09/1951
b. Lent to HMS Cambrian 01/10/1951 – 14/01/1952. Refitting at private yard. (5th of her name)
“C” Class Destroyer (R85).
Originally laid down as HMS Spitfire. 1 of 32 ordered 1942, plus 8 (only 2 named) ordered in
1943 but redesignated as “Weapon” Class.
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| HMS Cambrian |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Scotts, Greenock, ScotlandOrdered: 24 Mar 1942
Laid down: 14 Aug 1942
Launched: 10 Dec 1943
Completed:
Commissioned: 17 July 1944 by Messrs John Brown
Displacement – As built: 1,710 tons
Fully loaded: tons
Pennant No. R85
Fate: Paid off Dec 1968. Sold to Ward. Arrived Briton Ferry 3 September 1971 for breaking up.
29) HMS Superb
15/01/1952 – 02/06/1952“Swiftsure (Minotaur)” Class Light Cruiser, 9 x 6 inch guns in three triple turrets. (10th of her name).
Commissioned into service 17 July 1944 at the aftermath of World War 2 she led a somewhat unremarkable and short life.
Her only taste of conflict came in the Corfu Channel Incident of 15 May 1946 when Superb and the Light Cruiser Orion came under fire from Albanian fortifications while crossing the channel but without any damage. Another later incident in October saw two destroyers, Saumarez and Volage hitting mines each incurring serious damage with 44 crew killed and another 44 injured.
There were plans for Superb to undergo a modernisation but when the parsimonious Conservative Government of the time released "Duncan Sands1957 Defence Review" it cancelled all Cruiser modernisations in favour of new guided missile ships. Superb was thus placed into reserve in August 1957 to be scrapped just three years later.
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| HMS Superb |
Ship’s details:
Builder: Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, WallsendLaid down: 23 June 1942
Launched: 31 August 1943
Completed: 16 November 1945
Commissioned: 16 November 1945
Displacement – As built: 9,066 tons
Fully loaded: 11,851 tons (Oct 1950)
Pennant No.C 25
Fate: Decommissioned August 1957and placed into Reserve. Sold for scrap, scrapped at Dalmuir
by Arnott Young, arriving there on 8 August 1960.
30) HMS Pembroke
03/06/1952 – 23/07/1952Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
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| HMS Pembroke Divisions |
31) HMS Mars
24/07/1952 – 06/11/1952Aircraft Maintenance & Repair Carrier. (8th of her "Mars" name).
Ordered as Ethalion, laid down as Pioneer, name changed (1942) to Mars.
One of 16 ships ordered as Colossus Class Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers, all were laid down of which only eight were built with just four entering service before the end of WW2. Final two (Perseus and Pioneer (Mars) ) were fitted out as Aircraft Maintenance & Repair Carriers being without aircraft catapaults or landing arrestor gear.
The design of the remaining six was modified to become the Majestic sub-class and sold to foreign navies one being Australia who named their ship HMAS Sydney and became their fleet flagship.
Non saw action in WW2.
Ship’s details:
Builder: Vickers Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness.
Originally to be named “Ethalion”, renamed and laid down as Pioneer, renamed Mars
in 1942
Ordered: 7 August 1942 as Ethalion
Laid down: 2 December 1942 as Pioneer
Launched: 20 May 1944 as Mars (renamed 1942)
Completed: 8 February 1945
Commissioned: 1July 1950
Displacement : 12,265 tons standard
16,500 tons deep loading
Length: 695ft
Beam: 80ft
Pennant No.R76
Placed early to mid 1946 in Reserve Fleet, Harwich, Essex.
Commissioned: As Depot Ship 1 July 1950
Reserve Fleet closed 28 March 1954
Paid Off and decommissioned: 31 March 1954
Fate: Arrived September 1954 at Ward, Inverkeithing, presumed for breaking up .
32) HMS Pembroke
07/11/1952 – 12/02/1953Royal Navy Barracks. Chatham Division Depot. See entry # 1.
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| HMS Pembroke Haul Down Ceremony upon final closure (Notes 1 & 2) |
Notes:
1. HMS Pembroke has been a much used name by the Royal Navy having been given to 11 warships
since 1655, the most recent being a Batch 2 "Sandown" Class Minehunter launched in 1997,
commissioned 6 October 1998. The name has also been used for 9 shore establishments as
supplementaries to the 1903 Barracks and Depot and once for a Royal Naval Air Station at
Eastchurch between 1913 and 1918.
This HMS Pembroke was first commissioned on 1 April 1873 as a Royal Navy Depot being
accommodated in three hulks, the Pembroke, Royal Adelaide and Forte. The building of the
Barracks on shore commenced in May 1897, the first messes being actually taken over on
26 March 1902 with the official opening on 30 April 1903. It was closed on 29 October 1983 as a
result of government expenditure cuts. Those same cuts had forced the closure of the adjacent HM
Dockyard Chatham just a month before on 30 September ending 436 years of service to the Royal
Navy, an industrial complex that had at one time been the world’s largest.
The official closure of Chatham Dockyard together with that of the Chatham Naval Base, the
abolition of the joint Command of Naval Flag Officer Medway and Port Admiral
Chatham, were all celebrated in a single public (Flag) Haul Down Ceremony on 30 September
1983 attended by its Flag Officer Rear Admiral W A Higgins CBE. (See Note 2).
(Ibid - Bibliography ,"Haul Down Ceremony").
Other datelines ** were:
- May 1983, The Royal Marine "Fleet Band" under Captain Ted Whealing RM moved to
Northolt.
- 3 June 1983, the Band returned for the Barracks final Ceremonial Divisions.
- 8 August 1983, last service held in St. Georges Church.
- 29 October 1983, last Barracks Commanding Officer, Captain Paddy Sheehan RN left
his post.
- 18 February 1984, the "Closure Party" under Commander R Wilson RN gathered outside
the Wardroom and the White Ensign was lowered for the last time. (See Note 2).
(** Sources - "Kent's Historical Sites" & Mr Eddie Lane, Gillingham, Kent)
Following the closures the combined Dockyard and Barracks sites were broken into three
zones. One which included most of the former Dockyard was handed to the then newly formed
Chatham Dockyard Historic Trust, the second zone disposed of for private and commercial
development including private housing and the third including most of the Barracks buildings
was taken over by the Universities of Greenwich and Kent with some since having been
demolished and other new buildings erected.
2. Other facilities at Pembroke continued to operate for some time after the Barracks 1983
"closure". These included the Supply & Secretariat's Branch School and the Royal Naval Cookery
School. The latter had baked the wedding cake for the marriage in 1981 of Prince Charles to Lady
Diana Spencer, a task which comprised three cakes, two being spares in the event of any damage,
and which occupied fourteen weeks.
3. The frame of the establishment's Badge had earlier been changed to a diamond (date of change
not known) before its closure.
4. HM Dockyard Chatham was founded in 1547 when the Admiralty rented a storehouse on
"Jillyingham (now Gillingham) Water". The Royal Navy's connections with Chatham actually
started much earlier in 1488 when the Grace Dieu was built there, even then she was the fourth
Naval ship to bear that name. With a tonnage of 600/1,000 bm she was the first two-decker built
for the Navy and fitted out with 100 guns. By 1550 Chatham was in regular use by Naval
ships. The first ship to be actually built in Chatham Dockyard was the pinnace "Marlyne" ** of
50bm in 1579, her name was later changed in 1603 to "Merlin".
(** Source - Chatham Dockyard Historical Society notice, February 2014. There is however a
contradiction to this in Colledge & Warlow's "Ships of the Royal Navy" P256 which refers to it
only as Merlin and states that this ship was not listed after 1601 and ).
5. There are thought to be several more than the 9 listed in his official service papers.
Bob Sharplin Released (retired) from Service
12/02/1953
Length of service: 23 years, 7 months and 4 days.
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| Proposed Admiralty Anchor. A design submitted by Captain Rodgers R.N. to the Admiralty 1852 Committee on Anchor Designs |
__________________________________________________________________________
General Notes:
Displacement tonnages.
a) Standard displacement, also known as Washington Displacement, is a term defined by the
Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. It is defined as the displacement of the ship complete, fully
manned, engined, and equipped ready for sea, including all armament and ammunition, equipment,
outfit, provisions and fresh water for crew, miscellaneous stores, and implements of every
description that are intended to be carried in war, but without fuel or reserve boiler feed water on
board. The omission of fuel and water was to avoid penalizing the British, who had great global
commitments and required greater fuel loads, and especially the United States, which had global
commitments almost as great but with fewer bases to provide fuelling than the Royal Navy.
Source: Wikipedia
b) Displacement tonnage is the weight of the water that a ship displaces when it is floating; the term
is ordinarily defined such that the ship's fuel tanks are full and all stores are aboard. The term is
usually applied to naval vessels. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight,
such as loaded displacement, full load displacement and designated displacement. As a
measurement of weight, displacement should not be confused with similarly named measurements
of volume or capacity such as net tonnage or gross tonnage.
