HMS Berkeley (L17)
Navy: | Royal Navy |
Type: | Escort destroyer |
Class: | Hunt (Type I) |
Pennant: | L 17 |
Built by: | Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, U.K.) 904 tons; |
Laid down: | 8 June, 1939 |
Launched: | 29 Jan, 1940 |
Commissioned: | 6 Jun, 1940 |
Complement: | 146 |
Lost: |
19 Aug,
1942
Western Europe, off Dieppe, northern France in position
(49.59.71N-
01.02.42E)by German fighter-bombers.
Covering
British/Canadian operations raid on Dieppe, 13 Ratings were killed, survivors were rescued by HMS Albrighton. Salvage was out of the question her keel was broken and she was finally sunk (see photo above) |
History |
Lt. J.J.S. Yorke, took part in the Dieppe Raid on August 19th, 1942.
At about 4.50am, the landing on six beaches in Dieppe began, the Navy
covered the troops with gun fire, and the air force providing air
cover.
The raid had for its objectives: 1) testing of what was known as a heavily defended section of the coast on a large scale, 2) destruction of German batteries and important radio-location station, 3) destruction of German military personnel and equipment and the capture of prisoners for interrogation. The troops employed were entirely Canadian, and the fighting was extremely fierce, the Canadians running their tanks ashore from landing craft and forcing their way into the centre of the town, followed by their infantry. The Canadian losses amounted to 170 killed, 633 wounded and 2547 missing, from a military force of about 5.000.A British force destroyed a 6 in. Howitzer battery 4 1/2 miles W from Dieppe, but a second force was driven back by German E-boats. At approximately 12.50pm, HMS Berkeley received a direct hit by a heavy bomb which broke her back and flooded the engine room. |
Battle Honours NORTH SEA 1942 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942 - DIEPPE 1942 |