HMS Grenville – R97 – D-Day – Battle of Normandy

HMS Grenville history

The U-class destroyer HMS Grenville was launched on 12 October 1942 following the British Army’s emergency weapons program.

After its sea trials, it is deployed northwest of the Spanish coast to cover demining operations carried out by the 5th Canadian support group. Subsequently, it carried out multiple actions to block French ports (Operation Tunnel) before being hit and slightly damaged in October 1943 during an engagement with an enemy destroyer.

In November of the same year, the Grenville is engaged in the Mediterranean Sea in the 24th fleet of destroyers and participates in the amphibious operations before Anzio.

In May 1944 it returned to the English Channel to integrate Bombarding Force K, which was under the responsibility of Task Force G as part of Operation Neptune. On the night of June 5-6, 1944, it crossed the Channel in the direction of Gold Beach and provided fire support throughout D-Day for the benefit of the English land forces.

In January 1945, it was posted to the 26th fleet of destroyers operating in the Pacific. In particular, it is involved in the bombing of Japanese-controlled islands such as Sumatra and Okinawa.

After the war, HMS Grenville was used in training for the Royal Air Force. Three sailors are killed and four others missing in the destroyer’s collision with an Italian ship, the Alceo, off Start Point in Devon. Transformed and re-armed between 1953 and 1954 to be converted into a frigate (Type 15), it was modernized before being retired from active service and scrapped in 1983.

HMS Grenville technical sheet

Creator/User: Great-Britain
Denomination: R 97 – H.M.S. Grenville
Class: U-class destroyer

Crew: 180-225 sailors

Armament (1944): 4x 120 mm Mk IX guns, 2x 40 mm Bofors guns, 6x 20 mm Oerlikon guns, 8x 530 mm torpedo tubes

Displacement: 2,058 tons
Speed : 37 knots
Length: 111 m
Beam: 10,87 m
Draught : 3 m