HMS Matabele (F26)

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Matabele
HMS Matabele.jpg
Ship data
flag United KingdomUnited Kingdom (Naval War Flag) United Kingdom
Ship type destroyer
class Tribal class
Shipyard Scotts , Greenock
Build number 568
Order June 19, 1936
Keel laying October 1, 1936
Launch October 6, 1937
Commissioning January 25, 1939
Whereabouts Sunk in the North Sea on January 17, 1942
Ship dimensions and crew
length
114.9 m ( Lüa )
108.4 m ( Lpp )
width 11.12 m
Draft Max. 2.75 m
displacement Standard : 1,854 ts
maximum: 2,519 ts
 
crew 190-217 men
Machine system
machine 3 Admiralty three drum boilers
2 Parsons - geared turbines
Machine
performance 		44,000
Top
speed 		36 kn (67 km / h)
propeller 2
Armament

last

for 1 × 2 120 mm L / 45 Mk XII ( X position)

additionally

The HMS Matabele ( identification : F26 / G26 / L26) was a (second) Tribal class destroyer of the British Royal Navy . The ship used by the Home Fleet was torpedoed by a German submarine on January 17, 1942 as an escort of the Northern Sea Convoy PQ-8 northeast of Murmansk and sank within a few minutes. Only two crew members could be saved.

The history of the ship

During the second order distribution for destroyers of the new tribal class on June 19, 1936, two newbuildings were commissioned from the Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock , which were completed with the construction numbers 568/569 as Matabele and Punjabi . The keel of the first new building took place on October 1, 1936, which was named Matabele when it was launched on October 6, 1937 and was part of the "2nd Tribal destroyer flotilla" of the Home Fleet, the later "6. Destroyer Flotilla ”, was put into service. The name came from the people of the Ndebele who now live in Zimbabwe , whose kingdom the British destroyed in the Second Matabele War .

Before the outbreak of the Second World War , the ship completed training trips and port visits, such as Cherbourg on May 3 with the sister ships Eskimo and Ashanti . On May 12, 1939, Matabele led the Empress of Australia with King George VI, launched in 1913 as Admiral von Tirpitz in Stettin . and Queen Elizabeth on board through the English Channel on a state visit to Canada.

War missions

Her first action after the outbreak of war was the securing of the Spearfish , which had been badly damaged by German combat ships, on September 26, 1939, off Horns Rev with the sister ships Somali and Mashona . The 2nd cruiser squadron with four cruisers and three other destroyers was also sent to search for the boat. To secure the repatriation, the Home Fleet was also at sea with four heavy ships, the carrier Ark Royal and other units. Although this association suffered hardly any damage from a German air attack, German propaganda reported the sinking of the British carrier and a successful use of the new Junkers Ju 88 fighter aircraft . After a stay in the shipyard in Devonport with repairs similar to those of the sister ships (faulty turbine blades, structural weaknesses in supply lines and on the hull) at the beginning of 1940, she returned to the Home Fleet in March and was one of the first British units off Norway to defend against the Germans Occupation and for the attack formation of four cruisers and the destroyers Afridi , Gurkha , Sikh , Mohawk , Somali and Mashona for the planned attack on Bergen , which was carried out on the 9th after heavy German air raids by 47 Junkers Ju 88 des KG 30 and 41  Heinkel He 111 des KG 26 was canceled, in which the Gurkha was lost. Then she transported troops and equipment to Norway. On April 14, she landed with the cruisers Glasgow and Sheffield and the destroyers Afridi , Somali , Nubian , Sikh and Mashona advance divisions at Namsos . She ran aground off Norway on April 18, but was able to escape on her own. On the 26th she brought the French supply convoy FS with the French destroyers Brestois and Boulonnais . 1 of three freighters to Namsos that delivered material, but also embarked troops.
On May 17, the light cruiser Effingham escorted by Matabele ran onto a reef while trying to bring reinforcements to Bodø . After the takeover of troops and equipment by the cruisers Coventry and Cairo and the destroyers Matabele and Echo , the Matabele sank the cruiser with torpedoes and gunfire, which, however, protruded partly from the water until the end of the war. In late May 1940, the Matabele returned to Falmouth Harbor for repairs that were due . During this work, which lasted until mid-August, the armament was strengthened by replacing the turret in the 'X' position with a twin turret with 4-inch guns more suitable for air defense .

On the night of October 23 to 24, 1940, she was back in front of Norway and sank the German weather observation ship Adolf Vinnen there together with her sister ships Somali and Punjabi . This was followed by further missions off Norway, in particular securing mine-laying operations near the Norwegian coast.

From mid-April to mid-August 1941 the destroyer was at the Barrow shipyard , with the rear funnel shortened and the rear mast removed to improve the anti-aircraft weapon fire areas. The long stay in the shipyard was caused by a grounding during initial tests. From August 30 to September 15, the Matabele ran with her sister ships Punjabi and Somali to Murmansk and back to Scapa. They accompanied the heavy cruiser Shropshire and the old carrier Argus with Hawker Hurricanes and RAF personnel for Russia.

The end of the matabele

HMS Harrier

On January 17, 1942 , while she was escorting the Northern Sea Convoy PQ-8 with the Somali , the Matabele was taken off the Kola Peninsula by the German submarine U 454 northeast of Murmansk at position 69 ° 21 ′ 0 ″  N , 35 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  E coordinates: 69 ° 21 ′ 0 ″  N , 35 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  O torpedoed and sank within a few minutes. Although most of the crew could still jump overboard, most of them froze to death in the freezing water. Only two crew members could be rescued by the mine sweeper Harrier, who is also part of the security .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rohwer: Sea War. P. 17.
  2. ^ Rohwer / WLB Stuttgart: Sea War. (2007), 7–8. April 1940, Norway
  3. ^ Rohwer / WLB Stuttgart, April 9, 1940, Norway
  4. ↑ Rohwer, p. 39
  5. ↑ Rohwer, p. 41
  6. ↑ Rohwer, p. 45
  7. ^ Rohwer, p. 48
  8. ↑ June 5th, 1941
  9. ^ Rohwer, p. 213

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