Navy | The Royal Navy |
Type | Escort destroyer |
Class | Hunt (Type I) |
Pennant | L 25 |
Built by | J.S. White & Co. (Cowes, U.K.) |
Ordered | 11 Apr 1939 |
Laid down | 22 Aug 1939 |
Launched | 5 Jul 1940 |
Commissioned | 8 Nov 1940 |
End service | |
History | Sold to be broken up for scrap on 1 November 1956 and scrapped at Barrow. |
Commands listed for HMS Southdown (L 25)
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 | Cdr. Edward Reignier Conder, DSO, DSC, RN | 10 Sep 1940 | 5 Feb 1941 |
2 | Cdr. Geoffrey Neame Loriston-Clarke, RN | 5 Feb 1941 | 15 Jan 1942 |
3 | Lt. James Bogue Marjoribanks, RN | 15 Jan 1942 | 22 Aug 1942 |
4 | Capt. Selwyn Victor Jephson, RN | 22 Aug 1942 | 29 Sep 1942 |
5 | Lt. James Bogue Marjoribanks, RN | 29 Sep 1942 | Aug 1943 |
6 | Lt. Timothy Claude Upton Fanshawe, RN | Aug 1943 | Feb 1945 |
7 | Lt.Cdr. Alfred Thomas Morgan, DSC, RNVR | Feb 1945 | 11 Sep 1945 |
8 | Lt. Archibald Norman MacPherson, RN | 11 Sep 1945 | early 1946 |
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Notable events involving Southdown include:
27 Nov 1940
HMS Kenya (Capt. M.M. Denny, CB, RN) conducted 4" AA gunnery exercises off Scapa Flow. These were followed by a ranging exercise during which HMS Southdown (Cdr. E.R. Condor, DSO, DSC, RN) served as the target. (1)
12 Dec 1940
After a delay of 24 hours due to a reported enemy submarine the British battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth (Capt. C.B. Barry, DSO, RN) departed Portsmouth for Rosyth where she was to complete her reconstruction.
She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Kashmir (Cdr. H.A. King, RN), HMS Kipling (Cdr. A. St. Clair-Ford, RN), HMS Jupiter (Lt.Cdr. N.V.J.T. Thew, RN) and HMS Punjabi (Cdr. J.T. Lean, DSO, RN) and the escort destroyers HMS Cattistock (Lt.Cdr R.A. Ewing, RN), HMS Cleveland (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Clouston, RN), HMS Fernie (Lt.Cdr. R.McC.P. Jonas, RN) and HMS Holderness (Lt.Cdr. D.E. Holland-Martin, DSC, RN).
Around 1600A/13 the original escort was relieved by the destroyer HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. F.C. Brodrick, RN) and the escort destroyers HMS Exmoor (Lt.Cdr. R.T. Lampard, RN), HMS Pytchley (Lt.Cdr. H. Unwin, DSC, RN) and HMS Southdown (Cdr. E.R. Condor, DSO, DSC, RN).
At 1630A/14 the light cruiser HMS Nigeria (Capt. J.G.L. Dundas, RN) and the AA cruiser HMS Curacoa (Capt. C.C. Hughes-Hallett, RN) joined the escort coming from Scapa Flow.
The battleship and her escort arrived at Rosyth around 1330A/15. HMS Nigeria had parted company around 1115A/15 and arrived back at Scapa Flow later the same day.
23 Dec 1940
The battleship HMS King George V (Capt. W.R. Patterson, CVO, RN), light cruiser HMS Phoebe (Capt. G. Grantham, RN), destroyers HMS Churchill (Cdr.(Retd.) G.R. Cousins, RN), HMS Lincoln (Cdr. A.M. Sheffield, RN) and the escort destroyers HMS Blencathra (Cdr. H.W.S. Browning, RN) and HMS Southdown (Cdr. E.R. Condor, DSO, DSC, RN) conducted trials and exercises off Scapa Flow. (2)
27 Dec 1940
Around 1500A/27, HMS Mauritius (Capt. L.C.A. Curzon-Howe, RN) departed North Shields for Greenock. On leaving the Tyne at 1555A/27, she was joined by the escort destroyers HMS Southdown (Cdr. E.R. Condor, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Tynedale (Lt.Cdr. H.E.F. Tweedie, RN) which had departed Scapa Flow around 2000A/26 for this purpose.
At 0948A/28, in the Pentland Firth, the destroyers HMS Vimy (Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN) and HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. F.J.G. Hewitt, RN) relieved the current escort which then proceeded to Scapa Flow. HMS Vimy and HMS Bulldog had departed Scapa Flow around 0845A/28.
HMS Mauritius, HMS Vimy and HMS Bulldog arrived at Greenock around 1100A/29. (3)
16 Apr 1941
HMS Naiad (Capt. M.H.A. Kelsey, DSC, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral E.L.S. King, CB, MVO, RN) departed the Tyne for Scapa Flow.
At the same time the new aircraft carrier HMS Victorious (Capt. H.C. Bovell, RN) departed the Tyne for Rosyth escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Liddesdale (Cdr. A.G. West, RN), HMS Quantock (Lt.Cdr. D.J.A. Heber-Percy, RN) and HMS Southdown (Cdr. G.N. Loriston-Clarke, RN). HMS Naiad proceeded with them until the Firth of Forth when she was detached to continue her passage to Scapa Flow where she arrived later the same day. (4)
20 Nov 1942
Around 1030A/20, the heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire (Capt. J.T. Borrett, OBE, RN) departed Greenock for Sheerness.
Around 1500A/21, she was joined by the escort destroyers HMS Garth (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Scatchard, DSC, RN) and HMS Southdown (Lt. J.B. Marjoribanks, RN).
HMS Shropshire arrived at Sheerness around 1615A/22. The escort destroyers had parted company with her at the boom defence entrance. (5)
Sources
- ADM 53/112536
- ADM 53/112543 + ADM 53/112973
- ADM 53/112692 + ADM 199/376
- ADM 53/114749
- ADM 53/116655
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.