Allied Warships

HMS Westminster (L 40)

Destroyer of the Admiralty V & W class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassAdmiralty V & W 
PennantL 40 
ModFast escort 
Built byScotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock, Scotland) 
Ordered9 Dec 1916 
Laid downApr 1917 
Launched24 Feb 1918 
Commissioned18 Apr 1918 
End service 
History

Reconstruction to Fast Escort at Devonpost Dockyard was completed on 8 January 1940. Pennant was D 45 changed to L 40 upon completion of this reconstruction.

HMS Westminster is not listed as active unit in the July 1945 Navy List

Sold to be broken up for scrap on 4 March 1947.

 

Commands listed for HMS Westminster (L 40)

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.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. Aymé Arthur Carrington Ouvry, RN20 Dec 193910 Aug 1942
2Lt. Gordon Thomas Seccombe Gray, DSC, RN28 Jan 1941Feb 1941 ?

3Lt.Cdr. Harold Godfrey Bowerman, DSC, RN10 Aug 194217 Jan 1945
4Lt. John Edwin Dyer, DSC, RN17 Jan 1945mid 1945

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Notable events involving Westminster include:


16 Jan 1940
HMS Kipling (Cdr. A. St. Clair-Ford, RN) and HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) escorted the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carinthia (Capt.(Retd.) J.F.B. Barrett, RN) during her gunnery exercises off Portland.

In the afternoon the destroyers carried out gunnery exercises themselves. (1)

21 Jan 1940
HMS H 31 (Lt. P.R. Ward, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Portland with HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN). (2)

7 Feb 1940
The large convoy FS 90 (almost 50 ships) departed the Tyne for Southend where it arrived on 9 February. It was escorted by the AA destroyer HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) and the sloop HMS Londonderry (Cdr. T.L. Beevor, RN). Additionally the destroyer HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) also escorted the convoy part of the way south. HMS Jaguar returned to Rosyth on the 9th.

2 Mar 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

5 Mar 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is undocked. (3)

9 Mar 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

20 Mar 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is undocked. (3)

22 Mar 1940
HMS Tribune (Lt.Cdr. G.P.S. Davies, RN) conducted D/G trials off Rosyth.

These were followed by exercises which included A/S exercises with HMS Whitley (Lt.Cdr. G.N. Rolfe, RN) and HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN). (4)

10 Dec 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is docked in No.2 graving dock at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

13 Dec 1940
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) is undocked. (3)

9 Aug 1941
HMS Penelope (Capt. A.D. Nicholl, RN) shifted from the Tyne to Rosyth. She was escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. A.A.C. Ouvry, RN) and HMS Cattistock (Lt. R.M.W. MacFarlan, RN).

At Rosyth, HMS Penelope is immediately docked in No.1 dock. (5)

3 May 1942
The brand new battleship HMS Anson (Capt. H.R.G. Kinahan, CBE, RN) proceeded from the Tyne to Rosyth for further outfitting by the dockyard there. She is escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Wallace (Lt.Cdr.(Emy.) E.G. Heywood-Lonsdale, RN), HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) and HMS Wolsey (Lt. T.F. Taylor, RN).

At the Rosyth Dockyard HMS Anson was immediately docked in No.1 Dock.

11 Nov 1942
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

17 Nov 1942
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is undocked. (3)

31 May 1943
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

3 Jun 1943
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is undocked. (3)

4 Jun 1943
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. H.A.W. Goossens, RNN) conducted A/S exercises in the Firth of Forth with HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN), HMS Brimness (Skr. A.E. Larner, RNR), HMS Vega (Lt. C.G. Forsberg, RN) and HMS Wallace (Lt. D. Carson, RN). (6)

15 Apr 1944
HMS Ursula (Lt. A.G. Davies, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Methill with HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN), HMS Valorous (Lt. M.G. Macleod, RN), HMS Preston North End (T/Lt. D.K. Bennett, DSC, RNVR), HMS Spurs (A/Skr.Lt. E.J. Day, RNR) and HMS Arab (T/Lt. J.S.H. Lloyd, RNVR). (7)

25 Jan 1945
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is docked in the floating dock (AFD 3) at the Rosyth Dockyard. (3)

3 Feb 1945
HMS Westminster (Lt.Cdr. H.G. Bowerman, DSC, RN) is undocked. (3)

Media links


British destroyers & frigates

Norman Friedman


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.

Sources

  1. ADM 53/112552
  2. ADM 173/16274
  3. Rosyth Dockyard docking register
  4. ADM 173/16620
  5. ADM 53/114494 + ADM 53/114849
  6. File 2.12.03.6390 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
  7. ADM 173/19315

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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