Allied Warships

HMS Mansfield (G 76)

Destroyer of the Town class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Town
Pennant	G 76
Built by	Bath Iron Works (Bath, Maine, U.S.A.)
Ordered
Laid down	28 Dec 1917
Launched	30 Oct 1918
Commissioned	23 Oct 1940
End service	22 Jun 1944
History	From December 1940 to March 1942 loaned to Royal Norwegian Navy as HNoMS Mansfield (G 76). from September 1942 to June 1944 loaned to Royal Canadian Navy decommissioned on 22 June 1944 and sold for scrap at Vancouver.
Former name	USS Evans (DD 78)

Commands listed for HMS Mansfield (G 76)

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.Cdr. William Archibald Rosebery Cartwright, RN	23 Oct 1940	Dec 1940

2	Lt.Cdr. Leonard Charles Hill, OBE, RNR	Mar 1942	7 Jul 1943
3	Lt.Cdr. Frederick John Gwynn Jones, RD, RNR	7 Jul 1943	late 1943

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Notable events involving Mansfield include:

27 May 1942
Around 1115Z/27, the light cruiser HMS Colombo (Capt. W.P. Carne, RN) departed Bathurst for the U.K. via the Azores.

Around 1450Z/27, she joined the troop transport Empress of Russia (British, 16810 GRT, built 1913) and her escort, made up of the destroyer HMS Wild Swan (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, RN) and the ocean boarding vessel HMS Largs (Cdr. E.A. Divers, RNR). They had departed Freetown around 0645Z/26.

Around 1600Z/28, HMS Wild Swan parted company to proceed to Bathurst to fuel.

Around 1700Z/31, HMS Colombo parted company with the other ships to proceed to the Azores.

On HMS Colombo rejoining the troop transport on 1 June 1942, HMS Largs parted company.

On 3 June 1942, the destroyers HMS Charlestown (Lt.Cdr. N.R. Murch, RN), HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) and HMS Salisbury (Lt.Cdr. H.M.R. Crichton, RN) joined in approximate position 47°35'N, 21°34'W. HMS Colombo then parted company to proceed to Plymouth where she arrived on 5 June 1942.

The Empress of Russia and HMS Mansfield arrived at Liverpool on 6 June 1942. HMS Charlestown arrived at londonderry on 5 June and HMS Salisbury at Greenock also on 5 June having been detached. (1)

1 Jun 1942

Convoy WS 19P.

This convoy was assembled off Oversay on 1 June 1942.

This convoy was made up of the following troopships / transports; Andes (British, 25689 GRT, built 1939), Aquitania (British, 44786 GRT, built 1914) Arawa (British, 14462 GRT, built 1922), Britannic (British, 26943 GRT, built 1930), Cathay (British, 15225 GRT, built 1925), Christiaan Huygens (Dutch, 16287 GRT, built 1927), Cristobal (American, 10021 GRT, built 1939), J.W. McAndrew (American, 7997 GRT, built 1940), Java (Dutch, 9250 GRT, built 1939), Laconia (British, 19695 GRT, built 1922), Mexico (American, 5236 GRT, built 1932), New Zealand Star (British, 12436 GRT, built 1935), Orcades (British, 23456 GRT, built 1937), Orontes (British, 20097 GRT, built 1929), Otranto (British, 20026 GRT, built 1925), Poelau Roebiah (Dutch, 9251 GRT, built 1928), Santa Elena (American, 9135 GRT, built 1933), Santa Rosa (American, 9135 GRT, built 1932), Staffordshire (British, 10683 GRT, built 1929), Strathallan (British, 23722 GRT, built 1938), Talisse (Dutch, 8169 GRT, built 1930), Viceroy of India (British, 19627 GRT, built 1929) and Warwick Castle (British, 20107 GRT, built 1930).

On assembly the convoy was escorted by the battleship HMS Nelson (Capt. H.B. Jacomb, RN), aircraft carrier HMS Argus (Capt. G.T. Philip, DSC, RN) and the destroyers HMS Keppel (Cdr. J.E. Broome, RN), HMS Douglas (Lt.Cdr. R.B.S. Tennant, RN), HMS Charlestown (Lt.Cdr. N.R. Murch, RN) [Check if this destroyer was indeed with this convoy], HMS Leamington (Lt. B.M.D. L’Anson, RN), HMS Wells (Lt. L.J. Pearson, RN), HMS Beagle (Cdr. R.C. Medley, RN) and the escort destroyer HMS Derwent (Cdr. R.H. Wright, DSC, RN).

The destroyers HMS Buxton (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) W.A. Moens, RN), HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR), HMS Salisbury (Lt.Cdr. H.M.R. Crichton, RN) had escorted portions of the convoy to the rendezvous and on assembly of the convoy they proceeded to Londonderry / Moville to fuel on completion of which they were to join the convoy. Only HMS Buxton managed to do so around 0200A/3. The other two destroyers failed to overtake the convoy as they were unable to make sufficient speed due to the bad weather conditions.

Around 0800Z/4, HMS Wells parted company with the convoy.

Around 1815Z/4, HMS Keppel and HMS Leamington parted company with the convoy.

Around 0520Z/5, HMS Argus parted company with the convoy to proceed to Gibraltar. She took the destroyers HMS Beagle and HMS Wild Swan (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, RN) as escorts with her. HMS Wild Swan had joined the convoy just before.

Around 0930Z/5, HMS Derwent was detached to fuel at the Azores. She rejoined the convoy around 1515Z/6.

Around 1215Z/6, the destroyer HMS Wivern (Cdr. M.D.C. Meyrick, RN) joined the convoy coming from Ponta Delgada.

Around 1300Z/6, HMS Douglas parted company with the convoy.

Around 2200Z/6, HMS Buxton parted company with the convoy.

Around 1200Z/7, the Aquitania parted company with the convoy to proceed independently to Freetown where she arrived on the 11th.

In the late morning of the 10th, HMS Wivern fuelled from HMS Nelson. 90 Tons was transferred which enabled the destroyer to remain with the convoy until its arrival at Freetown.

Around 0800Z/11, the destroyer HMS Velox (Lt. G.B. Barstow, RN) joined the convoy coming from Bathurst.

The convoy arrived at Freetown on 13 June 1942.

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The convoy departed Freetown on 19 June 1942.

The composition of the convoy was the same as in which it had arrived but there were three additional ships present in the convoy, these were the following; Chateau Thierry (American, 7555 GRT, built 1920), Mariposa (American, 18152 GRT, built 1931) and Santa Paula (American, 9135 GRT, built 1932).

On departure from Freetown the convoy was escorted by the battleships Nelson, HMS Rodney (Capt. J.W. Rivett-Carnac, DSC, RN) and the destroyers HMS Pathfinder (Cdr. E.A. Gibbs, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Penn (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Swain, RN), HMS Quentin (Lt.Cdr. A.H.P. Noble, DSC, RN), HMS Velox and the escort destroyer HMS Derwent.

Around 1030A/21, HMS Velox was detached to return to Freetown.

At 1645A/24, HMS Derwent was detached to fuel at Pointe Noirse.

On the 25th, HMS Nelson fuelled HMS Pathfinder while HMS Rodney fuelled HMS Penn and HMS Quentin.

At 1100A/26, the escort of the convoy was turned over to the heavy cruiser HMS Shropshire (Capt. J.T. Borrett, OBE, RN) in approximate position 12°00'S, 08°00'E. The Admiralty had decided to cancel the deployment of HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney with the Eastern Fleet as they would be required in August for a supply mission to Malta that was being planned.

So the battleships and their escorting destroyers parted company with the convoy to return to Freetown. HMS Derwent was ordered to join them after completion of her fuelling at Pointe Noire.

The convoy meanwhile continued its passage to South Africa.

Around 1000A/30, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Cheshire (A/Capt. H.G. Hopper, RN) joined the convoy in position 31°50'S, 15°43'E.

Around 1700A/30, when in position 33°30'S, 16°47'E, HMS Cheshire took the Capetown section of the convoy with her. This section was made up of the Cathay, J.W. McAndrew, Java, Laconia, Mariposa, Mexico, New Zealand Star, Orontes, Santa Elena, Santa Rosa, Staffordshire and Strathallan. These ships arrived at Capetown on 1 July 1942.

HMS Shropshire continued on with the remaining 13 ships towards Durban where they arrived on 4 July 1942.

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The fast ships of this convoy departed from South Africa in a separate convoy, WS 19L and will not be dealt with here.

On 4 July 1942 the Capetown section of convoy WS 19P departed from Capetown. It was made up of the transports Cathay, Java, Mariposa, New Zealand Star and Staffordshire. The convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Carnarvon Castle (Capt.(Retd.) E.W. Kitson, RN).

They were joined off Durban on the 8th by the Durban section of the convoy which was made up of the transports; Chateau Thierry, Christiaan Huygens, Otranto, Poelau Roebiah, Santa Paula, Talisse.

Around 1230B/9, in position 28°44'S, 37°05'E, the convoy was joined by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Chitral (A/Capt.(Retd.) G.W. Hoare-Smith, RN). HMS Carnarvon Castle was then detached. In the afternoon the AA cruiser HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck (Cdr. E.J. van Holte, RNethN) also joined the convoy.

In the morning of the 12th, around dawn, the transport Laconia joined the convoy. She had been detached the day before by the faster convoy (WS 19L) as she had been unable to keep up with this convoy.

Around 1500D/16, in position 02°04'S, 48°11'E, the light cruiser HMS Enterprise (Capt. G.E.M. O’Donnell, DSO, RN) joined the convoy.

Around 0700D/17, HrMs Jacob van Heemskerck left the convoy to proceed to Kilindini / Mombasa.

Around 1835D/17, the convoy was split into two sections; Convoy WS 19PA was to proceed to the Gulf of Aden and was made up of the transports; Chateau Thierry, Christiaan Huygens, Poelau Roebiah, New Zealand Star and Talisse. They were escorted by HMS Chitral. This convoy was dispersed in the Gulf of Aden on 20 July 1942.

The remaining ships made up convoy WS 19PB and proceeded to Bombay escorted by HMS Enterprise. This convoy arrived at Bombay on 23 July 1942 but on 21 July 1942 the transports Mariposa and Santa Paula had been detached to proceed independently to Karachi. (2)

31 Jul 1942
The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle (Capt. L.D. Mackintosh, DSC, RN) and AA cruisers HMS Charybdis (Capt. G.A.W. Voelcker, RN) conducted exercises off Gibraltar. They were escorted by destroyer but their names are currently not known to us except for one being HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR).

The exercises were later cancelled and all ships returned to Gibraltar. (3)

5 Aug 1942
After temporary repairs at Gibraltar around 2300 hours, HMS Liverpool (Capt. W.R. Slayter, DSC, RN) departed that port for Rosyth where full repairs were to be made. She was escorted by HMS Georgetown (Lt.Cdr. P.G. MacIver, RNR) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR).

HMS Georgetown was detached to Londonderry around 1800/9.

HMS Mansfield was detached to Liverpool around 1800/10. HMS Sennen (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Abram, RN) had been sailed from Londonderry on the 10th to join HMS Liverpool. Most likely she joined before HMS Mansfield was detached but there is no mention in the log of Liverpool of Sennen joining the escort.

At 1552/11 HMS Liverpool was joined by HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. E. Mack, DSO, DSC, RN) and HMS Avon Vale (Lt.Cdr. P.A.R. Withers, DSO, RN) but at 1831 hours, HMS Walpole, took over from Avon Vale. (4)

17 Mar 1943

HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) picks up 61 survivors from the Dutch merchant Terkoelei that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-631 in the North Atlantic in position 51°45'N, 31°15'W.

HMS Mansfield also picks up 16 survivors from the American merchant Ir?n?e Du Pont that was torpedoed and damaged by German U-boat U-600 in the North Atlantic in position 50°36'N, 34°30'W. The abandoned Ir?n?e Du Pont was later sunk by German U-boat U-91 in position 50°38'N, 34°46'W.

5 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Aberdeen (Lt.Cdr. H. Day, RN), HMS Vanquisher (Lt.Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN), HMS Wrestler (Lt. R.W.B. Lacon, DSC, RN) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR). (5)

7 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR) and HMS Vanquisher (Lt.Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN). (5)

14 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Amazon (Lt.Cdr. D.H.P. Gardiner, DSC, RN), HMS Witherington (Lt.Cdr. R.B.S. Tennant, RN), HMS Folkestone (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, OBE, RN) and HMS Mansfield (Lt.Cdr. L.C. Hill, OBE, RNR). (5)