Allied Warships

HMS Campbeltown (I 42)

Destroyer of the Town class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Town
Pennant	I 42
Built by	Bath Iron Works (Bath, Maine, U.S.A.)
Ordered
Laid down	29 Jun 1918
Launched	2 Jan 1919
Commissioned	9 Sep 1940
Lost	28 Mar 1942
History	Upon her arrival at Devonport, England, 29 September 1940, HMS Campbeltown was allocated to the 7th Escort Group, Liverpool, in the Western Approaches Comm and. In January 1941 she was provisionally allocated to the Royal Netherlands Navy, but reverted to the Royal Navy in September 1941. Between September 1941 and March 1942 she served with Atlantic convoys and was attacked on several occasions by enemy U-boats and aircraft, but escaped without damage. On 15 September 1941 she picked up the survivors of the Norwegian motor tanker Vinga, damaged by an enemy air attack. Destroyed as explosive vessel against the gate of the massive dry dock Normandie at St. Nazaire, France (to deny large German surface ships the use of it for repair). The commander of the destroyer, Lt. Cdr. Stephen Halden Beattie, RN, who was taken prisoner of war, was awarded the Victoria Cross for this raid.
Former name	USS Buchanan (DD 131)

Commands listed for HMS Campbeltown (I 42)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt. Isaac William Trant Beloe, RN	9 Sep 1940	Jan 1941

2	Lt.Cdr. (emergency) Lord Teynham, RN	29 Oct 1941	13 Mar 1942
3	Lt.Cdr. Stephen Halden Beattie, RN	13 Mar 1942	28 Mar 1942

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Notable events involving Campbeltown include:

29 Nov 1940
HMS Campbeltown rammed and sank the British merchant ship Fiddown (319 GRT) in the Mersey estuary. The Fiddown was later raised.

4 Nov 1941
HrMs O 9 (Lt. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Alisma (A/Lt.Cdr. M.G. Rose, RANVR), HMS Chelsea (Lt.Cdr. A.F.C. Layard, RN), HMS Exmoor (Lt.Cdr. L.StG. Rich, RN) and HMS Campbeltown (Lt.Cdr.(Emgy.) Lord Teynham, RN). (1)

16 Nov 1941
HMS H 44 (Lt. J.S. Stevens, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Dahlia (T/Lt. M.S. Work, RNR) and HMS Campbeltown (Lt.Cdr.(Emgy.) Lord Teynham, RN). (2)

28 Mar 1942
HMS Campbeltown was used as an explosive vessel against the massive dry-dock / entrance lock dock at St. Nazaire, France (to deny large German surface ships the use of it for repair). (3)