HMS Pakenham (G06)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Pakenham.

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Pakenham
Namesake:	Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham
Ordered:	20 October 1939
Builder:	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn
Laid down:	6 February 1940
Launched:	28 January 1941
Completed:	4 February 1942
Honours and awards:	Battle honours: Diego Suarez 1942 Mediterranean 1942–43
Fate:	Scuttled off Sicily after surface action on 16 April 1943
General characteristics
Class & type:	P-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,690 long tons (1,720 t) standard 2,250 long tons (2,290 t) full load
Length:	345 ft (105 m) o/a
Beam:	35 ft (10.7 m)
Draught:	9 ft (2.7 m)
Installed power:	40,000 shp (30,000 kW) 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:	2 shafts; Parsons geared steam turbines
Speed:	36.75 knots (68.06 km/h; 42.29 mph)
Range:	3,850 nmi (7,130 km; 4,430 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Armament:	5 × single QF 4 in Mk.V (102 mm) guns 1 × quadruple QF 2-pdr Mk.VIII AA guns Up to 6 × single QF 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns 1 × quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes 4 × throwers and 2 × racks for 70 depth charges

HMS Pakenham (G06) was a P-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy built and operated during World War II. Commissioned in early 1942, she took part in the invasion of Madagascar, and several Malta Convoys, before being badly damaged in a battle with Italian torpedo boats in April 1943, and scuttled.

Service history

Pakenham was ordered from Hawthorn Leslie and Company at Hebburn on 2 October 1939, as part of the War Emergency Programme, and laid down as Onslow on 6 February 1940. She was launched on 28 January 1941. In August 1941, during construction, her name was changed to Pakenham. She was fitted with additional facilities to act as flotilla leader, and was finally completed on 4 February 1942.

Under the command of Captain Eric Barry Kenyon Stevens, Pakenham sailed to the Indian Ocean in April 1942 to take part in "Operation Ironclad", the amphibious landing to capture of the port of Diego Suarez, at the start of the British campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island of Madagascar.

Pakenham was then transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria, and took part in "Operation Vigorous", a failed attempt to escort a convoy taking supplies to the besieged island of Malta. In August she took part in a diversionary operation during "Operation Pedestal", which succeeded in getting several supply ships to Malta despite heavy losses.

In October Pakenham was one the ships that attacked and forced to the surface the German submarine U-559. Abandoned by her crew, the submarine was boarded by men from Petard and vital codebooks were recovered before she sank.

In November and December she took part in two successful convoys to Malta ("Operation Stone Age" and "Operation Portcullis").

Pakenham had a series of successes in January 1943. In company with Hursley she sank the Italian Squalo-class submarine Narvalo on the 14th; sank the Italian naval auxiliary Tanaro on the 16th; and with Nubian and the Greek Vasilissa Olga, sank the Italian transport ship Stromboli on the 18th.

Sinking

Main article: Battle of the Cigno Convoy

Now under the command of Commander Basil Jones, early on 16 April Pakenham and Paladin engaged the Italian Spica-class torpedo boat Cigno and Cassiopea, which were escorting the transport ship Belluno. While Belluno slipped away, the warships fought a short action, in which Cigno was disabled by gunfire, then torpedoed and sunk. Cassiopea limped away badly damaged. However, Pakenham was hit by shell fire six times, disabling her engines. Paladin attempted to tow her to Malta, but by morning the threat of enemy air attacks forced her to embark Pakenham's crew, and then sank her by torpedo east of Sicily at position .