Defender: Motto: fendendo vince: 'By defence I conquer"                                                     The HMS Defender (H07) was a British "D" class Destroyer laid down                                                     at the Vickers Armstrong, Yard, Barrow-n-Furness at Yard No. 674 on                                                     22 June 1931 and launched on 07 April 1932 as the 6th ship to carry the                                                     name. She was commissioned on 31 October 1932 at a cost of 223,979                                                     GBP (excluding Admiralty supplied equipment such as guns, ammunition,                                                     and wireless outfits). The ship was 1,890 tons, 329-feet in length, and                                                     33-feet in beam.                                                     Her career history shows that the she served in the 1st Destroyer Flotilla                                                     in the Mediterranean early in 1933, recommissioned in April 1934 after a                                                     refit in Devonport, served with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla on the China Station in the Far East during pre-war years. Repairs were conducted in Singapore and Hong Kong due to machinery defects, and just before the outbreak of WWII the Flotilla was re-designated the 21st Destroyer Flotilla. In September of 1939 she trasferred to the Mediterranean Fleet for and took passage to Alexandria with her flotilla, joing the Fleet on 19 September. She performed contraband control duties and patrols in the Mediterranean before transferring to Gibralter for Anti-submarine duties. In February of 1940 she was transferred to the West Africa command based at Freetown for Convoy protection from 23 April until May 1940 when she transferred to the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean for convoy defence and screening durites escorting Convoy US-2. In June 1940 the flotilla was transferred to the Mediterranean prepaing for Italy's entrance into the war where she performed convoy defence until her sinking 11 November 1941. Destroyer of the Daring, or "D" Class At 1300 on 10 July 1941, under command of Lt.Cdr. Gilbert Lescombe Farnfield,RN,Defender sailed from Tobruk for Alexandria in company with HMAS Vendetta. Within a few hours, taking advantage of a clear and moonlit night, a single JU-88 of I/LG.1 (Lt. Gerd Stamp), on a reconnaissance flight along the coast, attacked the destroyers. At 0518 a heavy bomb scored a near-miss on Defender, detonating beneath the machinery spaces. The shock deformed the stern and flooded the engine rooms and one boiler room. Vendetta took Defender in tow, but despite determined attempts, Vendetta was unable to make much headway. It appears Defender's back was broken, and as she was deep in the water from flooding, the tow caused much strain on Vendetta's 1917-vintage engines. The decision was then made to scuttle the crippled destroyer, and Vendetta carried out a torpedo attack at 1145, barely 7 nm north of Sidi Barrani at 31.45N/25.31E. There was no loss of life onboard Defender and all 271 men were transferred to the Vendetta which arrived safely in Alexandria. A first-hand account of the loss of the Defender by the Captian of the Vendetta may be read at the Naval Historical Society of Austrailia website Convoys served on and Battle Honors: 12 May 1940-Convoy US-2 (Carrying ANZAC troops to the Mid-East via Red Sea) 27 June 1940 Convoys MF1 and MS2- (Operation MA3..evacuating personnel from Malta to Egypt..Assisted             in atacking and sinking Italian submarines Console and possibly Argonauta 07 June 1940-Sailed on a repeat of the above Convoys-Naval engagement with Italian heavy squadron of 16              Cruisers and 4 Destroyers at the Battle of Calabria 08 October 1940-Operation MB-6 (Alexandria to Malta) 06 November 1940-Convoy MW3 and ME3 (Egypt to Malta, Operation MB8, and return to Port Said on 14              November) 23-27 November 1940-assigned screening duties 29 November 1940-Convoy ME4 (passage to Malta) 07 January 1941-Convoy MW5J (Malta to Alexandria..HMS Northhampton damaged by Italian aircraft and             had to be sunk) 04 Feb-24 Mar 1941-Refit at Malta by HM Dockyard 27-29 March 1941-Screening duties for convoys to Greece, and taking part in the Battle of Cape Matapan. 24 April 1941-Convoy GA14 (Operation Demon..evacuation of alied troops from Greece). June 1941-Transferred to the Inshore Squadron for the defence of convoys to Tobruk (damaged off             Tobruk 29 June by air attacks, HMS Waterhen is damaged and capsizes while in tow by Defender.