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Grove (L77):
The HMS Grove (L77) was a Type II Hunt Class Escort Destroyer of 1,050 GRT and 85.3 meters in length completed 05 February 1942 for the British Royal Navy by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Wallsend-on-Tyne, Sunderland under the War Emergency Programme. Laid down as Admiralty No. J4199 on 28 August 1949 and launched 29 May 1941 as the first RN ship to carry the name of a fox-hunt in Nottinghamshire. She was one of 16 ships of this class ordered by the Royal Navy in 1939. She carried an as built complement of 170 officers and crew.
Picture of the Hunt Class Type II Destroyer
On 12 June 1942, under the command of CDR. J. W. Reynolds, the HMS Grove was escorting supply convoy MW-11 from alexandria to Malta. The convoy was spotted by enemy aircraft and attacked by bombers, submarines, and units of the Italian Navy. The HMS Grove was hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-77 (Kptlt. Heinrich Schonder) which blew off the bow of the ship which floated perpendicular in the water behind the ship's main superstructure. Listing strongly to port and with the stern down, the ship sank in only minutes at location 32.05N/25.30E in over 2500 meters of water. Two officers and 108 ratings (crew) went down with the ship. There were 65 survivors.
The convoy was forced to return to Alexandria as a result of the attack. Also sunk during the attack was the HMS Hermione. |
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