Allied Warships

HMS Havant (H 32)

Destroyer of the Havant class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Havant
Pennant	H 32
Built by	J.S. White & Co. (Cowes, U.K.)
Ordered
Laid down	30 Mar 1938
Launched	17 Jul 1939
Commissioned	19 Dec 1939
Lost	1 Jun 1940
Loss position	51° 08'N, 2° 15'E

History	Requisitioned by the Royal Navy on 4 September 1939 while being built for the Brazilian Navy. Named HMS Havant. HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. Anthony Frank Burnell-Nugent, DSC, RN) was heavily damaged by German aircraft off Dunkirk during the evacutation there. Havant was sunk by the minesweeper HMS Saltash (Lt.Cdr. T.R. Fowke, RN). The wreck lies in 27 meters of water in position 51º07'57"N, 02º15'44"E.
Former name	Brazilian Javary

Commands listed for HMS Havant (H 32)

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and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. Anthony Frank Burnell-Nugent, RN	21 Nov 1939	1 Jun 1940

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Notable events involving Havant include:

16 Mar 1940
HMS Tarpon (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Caldwell, RN) departed the Clyde area for Portsmouth. She was escorted by HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN) and HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN). (1)

12 Apr 1940
Around 1840A/12, HMS Suffolk (Capt. J.W. Durnford, RN), departed Greenock with about 250 Marines on board which were to be taken to the Faeroer Islands.

The destroyers HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Hesperus (Lt.Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN) had arrived at Thorshavn on this day to inform the Governor of the Faroes Islands that a garrison of Royal Marines would be garrisoned there to repel a possible German invasion. The destroyers then went out to sea to await the arrival of HMS Suffolk. They made rendezvous at 1450A/13 and arrived at Thorshavn around 1630A/13.

The armed boarding vessels HMS Northern Foam (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Houchen, RNR) and HMS Northern Sky (Lt. J.E. Bromley, RNR) which were already waiting there then went alongside HMS Suffolk to take over the Marines.

The operation was completed late in the evening of the 13th when HMS Suffolk departed for the Vestfjord area near Narvik, Norway. HMS Havant and HMS Hesperus departed for Scapa Flow arriving there around 1030A/14. HMS Northern Sky resumed duties with the Northern Patrol. HMS Northern Foam remained at Thorshavn for the moment. (2)

17 Apr 1940
HMS Repulse (Capt. E.J. Spooner, DSO, RN), HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN), HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Fame (Cdr. P.N. Walter, RN) departed Scapa Flow to provide cover for the French troop convoy FP 1 to Narvik.

22 Apr 1940
HMS Repulse (Capt. E.J. Spooner, DSO, RN), HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN), HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Fame (Cdr. P.N. Walter, RN) arrived at Scapa Flow.

2 May 1940
The battleship HMS Resolution (Capt. O. Bevir, RN) fuelled the following destroyers while anchored in the 'Narvik area'; HMS Campbell (Lt.Cdr. R.M. Aubrey, RN), HMS Witch (Lt.Cdr. J.R. Barnes, RN), HMS Acasta (Cdr. C.E. Glasfurd, RN), HMS Ardent (Lt.Cdr. J.F. Barker, RN), HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Havelock (Capt. E.B.K. Stevens, DSC, RN).

In the evening HMS Resolution fired some 6" shells against German troop concentrations. (3)