What was the ship doing when it went down?

[SandraC]

Is there a way to find out where & why a ship was sunk during WWII?

I know that my great uncle died on board HMS Grove in June 1942 & that he was an Able Seaman.  He is remembered on the Chatham Memorial.

My mother, uncle & I would be interested to know where HMS Grove was in June 1942 & what the circumstances were of uncle George's death.

Thanks

SandraC

[manmack]

sandra,HMS grove was a escort destroyer,she was operating in the mediteranean in june 1942,i think it was something to do with the siege at tobruk,she was engaged in operation vigorous at the time of her sinking,she was torpedoed by U77 in the medeterranean on 12-6-42,the U.boat was commanded by kapitan.schonder,mack

[Wendi]

Hi SandraC,

If you google brackets open (") HMS Grove close brackets (") there are quite a few references you might find of interest.  According to some of these sites it was involved in an Operation Vigorous to supply Malta

Wendi

[liverpool annie]

Hi Sandra

Found this!

http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4650.html

and

HMS Grove (L77)

Navy:   Royal Navy
Type:   Escort destroyer
Class:   Hunt (Type II)
Pennant:   L 77
Builtby       Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. (Wallsend-on-Tyne, U.K.)
Laiddown:   28 Aug, 1940
Launched:   29 May, 1941
Commissioned:   5 Feb, 1942
Complement:   168
Lost:   
12 June 1942 at 0537hours (Cdr. J. W. Rylands, RN.) (32.05'N, 25.30'E.) hit by two torpedoes from German U-77 (Schonder).and sunk north of Sollum in position Two officers and 108 ratings were lost, there were 60 survivors. The destroyer had been part of the eastern convoy MW-11 under Rear Admiral P.J. Vian during the Operation Vigorous, a supply convoy to Malta.

History

On 27 March 1942 the German submarine U-587 was sunk in position 47.21N, 21.39W by depth charges by the British escort destroyers HMS Grove and HMS Aldenham and the British destroyers HMS Volunteer and HMS Leamington of the 2nd Escort Group, escorting the troop convoy WS-17. The u-boat was found after a HF/DF fix by the British destroyer HMS Keppel.

You might try this site - it's an old comrade site!

http://www.comradesandcolleagues.com/engines/GBUnits5059.asp

Annie

[SandraC]

Thanks to everyone for the information & hints!

It's good to get a clearer idea of what happened to uncle George.

Thanks again

SandraC