HMS Jervis – F00 – D-Day – Battle of Normandy

HMS Jervis history

The class J destroyer “HMS Jervis” was launched on September 9, 1938. When World War II broke out, it was at the head of the 7th destroyer fleet based in Humber. Its first missions were to patrol and escort convoys in the English Channel. In March 1940 it struck the Swedish SS Tor and had to be repaired for three months.

Once again operational, it was engaged in the Mediterranean Sea for two years and carried out numerous missions of bombing, interception, escort and patrol, participating in particular in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. HMS Jervis was immobilized for six weeks following the attack of an Italian human torpedo. During 1943, the Jervis participated in the landing operations in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and in the Adriatic.

In 1944, the destroyer went back to the waters of the English Channel to be modernized. In the night of June 5-6, 1944, HMS Jervis (then commanded by Lieutenant Commander Roger Hill) headed for Gold Beach. It carried out fire support missions for the benefit of the British troops throughout D-Day.

After Operation Neptune, the destroyer was placed in reserve at Chatham for later modernization. It was operational again in March 1945 and completed its engagement in the Second World War in the Mediterranean Sea. From 1946 to 1954, it was used for the benefit of the Royal Navy cadets before being sold for scrap.

The destroyer HMS Jervis is known within the British Navy as a lucky war ship. Indeed, during its thirteen major engagements and during its five and a half years of war, no crew member was killed.

HMS Jervis technical sheet

Creator/User: Great-Britain
Denomination: F 00 – H.M.S. Jervis
Class: J-class destroyer

Crew: 183-218 sailors

Armament (1944): 3x 120 mm Mk IX/L45 guns, 1x 101, 6 mm gun, 1x four-barrel 40 mm Bofors guns, 4x 20 mm Oerlikon guns, 8x 533 mm torpedo tubes

Displacement: 2,400 tons
Speed: 36 knots
Length: 109 m
Beam: 10,87 m
Draught : 2,7 m