HMS Dunkirk (D09)

HMS "Dunkirk" (D09) was a later or 1943 Battle-class fleet destroyer of the British Royal Navy (RN). Though there were other ships of the Navy that had been named "Dunkirk", as far back as the 1650s, it held added meaning after the dramatic, and at times, tragic and heroic evacuation from Dunkirk between late May and early June 1940, in which over 300,000 British, as well as French troops, were rescued by a ragtag fleet of ships.

"Dunkirk" was built by Alexander Stephen and Sons of Govan. She was launched on 27 August 1945 and commissioned on 27 November 1946.

In the year of her commissioning, "Dunkirk" joined the 4th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet. In 1950, "Dunkirk" was placed in Reserve, just many of her sister-ships in the 1950s. She subsequently performed a variety of duties and in 1958, while in the Mediterranean, "Dunkirk", in broad daylight, collided with her sister-ship HMS|Jutland|D62|6 during naval manoeuvres off Malta, causing minor damage.

In 1961, "Dunkirk", along with the cruiser HMS|Lion|C34|6 and the frigate HMS|Leopard|F14|6, undertook a tour of the South American continent. Instead of returning home to the UK from the deployment's culmination "Dunkirk" deployed to the Mediterranean where HMS|Broadsword|D31|6, a Weapon-class destroyer, and of the 7th Destroyer Squadron, which was based in the Mediterranean, had experienced some engine problems and therefore had to be replaced. "Dunkirk" finally returned home in 1963. Just two years later, "Dunkirk" was scrapped at Faslane.

References

*Colledge