HMS Antelope (H36)
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HMS Antelope (H36) was an A-class destroyer built by Hawthorn Leslie. Her keel was laid down July 11, 1928. She was launched July 27, 1929, completed March 20, 1930, and assigned to the 18th Destroyer Flotilla, Channel Force, Home Fleet.
In February 1940, Antelope sank U-41 in the South West Approaches. The U-boat had attacked an outward-bound convoy on February 5 and sunk Beaverburn. It was the only U-boat at sea at the time in the area and was the first to be sunk underwater by a single destroyer.
In April 1940, Antelope escorted the French ship Emile Bertin, flagship of Admiral Derrien, to Scapa Flow after it was damaged off Namsos, Norway.
On June 13, 1940, Antelope collided with Electra off Trondheim, Norway, and had to return to the Tyne for repair. She then returned to her base at Harwich.
In August 1940, Antelope sailed in convoy to take part in Operation Menace, the raid on Dakar, but after HMS Fiji was torpedoed on September 1 1940, she escorted her back to the Clyde, Scotland.
On October 31, 1940, Antelope sank U-31 off northwestern Ireland. She rescued 43 survivors and returned them to the Clyde.
In May 1941, in the chase for the German battleship Bismarck after the battle of the Denmark Strait, Antelope searched for survivors from the sinking of HMS Hood, and later was escort to HMS Victorious.
In August 1941, Antelope took part in Operation Gauntlet, an operation that succeeded in destroying the coaling facilities on Spitzbergen, thus denying the coal to the enemy.
In 1942 and 1943, Antelope participated in various operations to get supplies to Malta, including Operation Pedestal in August 1943. In March 1943, she escorted Empress of Canada, but the liner was sunk on March 13. In 1944, she conducted numerous patrols and anti-submarine operations. In August 1945, she returned to the United Kingdom.
In 1946, she was sold and broken up by Hughes, Bolkow.
General Characteristics
- Displacement: 1350 tons
- Speed: 35 knots (65 km/h)
- Complement : 138
- Armament:
- * four 4.7 in (120 mm) guns (4x1)
- * eight 50 cal machine guns (2x4)
- * two banks of four torpedo tubes
| A-class destroyer |
| Royal Navy |
| Acasta | Achates | Acheron | Active | Antelope | Anthony | Ardent | Arrow | Codrington |
| Royal Canadian Navy |
| Saguenay | Skeena |
|
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy |
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