Rainbow to RoverPage last Updated:
4-Jan-2008
| Name | Class | Pennant | Crew | Built | Builder
| Disposal Date | Method |
Rainbow | 50 | N16 | 50 |
14 May 30 | HMDY Chatham | 15-Oct-40 | War Loss |
Far East until 1940, then Med. (Lt. Cdr. L.P. Moore,
R.N.) left Alexandria on 23 September 1940. Though the
details of her loss cannot be proved, it has been concluded that she was rammed and sunk by the
Italian merchant Antonietta Costa off Durazzo in the Adriatic on 4 Oct 1940. It is often stated that HMS Rainbow was sunk by
the Italian
submarine Enrico Toti in the Gulf of Taranto, south of Calabria,
Italy on 15 October 1940. However after research in 1988 it was concluded
that this action resulted in the loss of HMS Triad. Interesting and detailed report at
UBoat.net.
|
Regent | R | N41 | 50 |
11 Jul 30 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 18-Apr-43 | War Loss |
 The Regent, Regulus and Rover were all launched on the same day.
(Lt.Cdr. H.C. Browne, RN) 5 Oct 1940
rammed and sank the Italian sailing vessel Maria Grazia (188 GRT) off Bari, Italy in position 41º05'N, 17º45'E.
9 Oct 1940 torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Antonietta Costa (5900 GRT) about 20 nm west of Durazzo,
Albania. The Antonietta Costa - the same ship that probably rammed and sunk the Rainbow - is grounded in position 41º17'N, 19º25'E.
The ship was beyond salvage.
15 Jan 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Città di Messina (2472 GRT) about 45 nm east of Tripoli,
Libya in position 32º59'N, 14º11'E.
22 Feb 41, torpedoed and damaged the German merchant Menes (5609 GRT) about 55 nm north-north-west of Tripoli,
Libya in position 33º41'N 12º48'E. Regent was damaged by depth charges during a counter attack by the Italian destroyer Saetta.
1 Aug 41, sank the Italian auxiliary minesweeper B23/Igea (160 BRT) with gunfire about 33 nm south of Benghazi in position
31°35'N, 19°56'E.
1 Dec 41, (Lt. W.N.R. Knox, RN) torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Enrico (2350 BRT) about 10 nm south-east of
Marettimo island, Italy in position 37º52'N, 11º52'E.
Sailed from Malta on 12 Apr 43, to patrol in the southern Adriatic. Sightings of a submarine on 13, 15 and 16 April off
Calabria were thought to be Regent. At 1545 on 18 April, Regent
fired a torpedo at the merchant ship Balcic but missed. This attack
took place five miles north of Monopoli. She was mined north of Monopoli on 18 Apr 1943. That
evening a large explosion was heard in that area, which is believed to have
been HMS Regent striking a mine. Reported overdue at
Beirut on 1 May 1943. Lost with all hands. More details. |
Regulus | R | N88 | 50 |
11 Jul 30 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 26-Nov-40 | War Loss |
 Cdr. JM Money, RN, 15 Jan 39 – 31 Jul 40; Lt.Cdr. FB Currie, RN, 31 Jul 40 - 6 Dec 40.
On 18 Nov 40, HMS Regulus left Alexandria for a patrol in the Adriatic. Her failure
to return on 6 Dec signalled her loss with all hands. It is believed that
she stuck a mine in the Straits of Taranto, although the Italians claimed to
have sunk a submarine on 26 November; the former explanation is believed
more likely.
|
Rorqual | Porpoise | N74 | 55 |
21 Jul 36 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 17-Mar-46 | Scrap |
Minelayer. Lt.Cdr Ronald Hugh Dewhurst, RN, 25 August 1939 - 1 June 1941
21 Aug 40 Attacked a convoy in Med, but
failed to hit, depth-charged by Italian torpedo boat Generale Achille
Papa.
5 Dec 40, and 23 Dec 40, mines laid by Rorqual claimed Italian torpedo boats
Calipso and Fratelli Cairoli, respectively, North of Libya.
28 Jul 41, laid a minefield off Ancona, Italy.
Attacked the tug Ursus and a floating battery in the Adriatic
north west of Dubrovnik, after completing an operation to lay mines off
Fiume. Details.
25 Mar 41, laid minefield off
Capo Gallo, Sicily, leading to the sinking of two ships from a convoy (the ships Verde (1432 GRT) and Ticino (1470 GRT)), and
then on 28 Mar 41, sank Italian torpedo boat Generale Antonio Chinotto.
30 Mar 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian tanker Laura Corrado (3645 GRT) off Capo Gallo, Sicily, Italy in position 38º45'N, 12º20'E.
31 Mar 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian submarine Pier Capponi (770 tons) south of Stromboli, Italy in position 38.23N, 15.15E.
11 May 41, layid 50 mines in the Gulf of Saloniki.
12 May 41, sank two Greek sailing vessels with gunfire off Lemnos, Greece.
Lt. L.W. Napier, RN
25 Aug 41, laid 50 mines off Cap Skinari, Greece.
28 Aug 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Cilicia (2747 GRT) about 40 nm SSW of Schiza Island in position 36º25'N, 21º01'E.
30 Aug 41, torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Monstella (5311 GRT) north-west of Paxi island, Greece, 39º32'N, 19º53'E.
The damaged vessel was towed to Corfu.
8 Oct 41, laid 50 mines in the Gulf of Athens.
20 Oct 41, The Italian torpedo boats Altair and Aldebaran (both 647 tons) hit a minefield laid by Rorqual on 8 Oct 41
and sank south of the Gulf of Athens, Greece in position 37º22'N, 23º52'E.
21 Oct 41, laid 10 mines off Isola dei Cavoli off south-east Sardinia.
22 Oct 41, laid 40 mines off Capo Ferrato, south-east Sardinia.
19 Nov 41, laid 50 mines in the Bay of Biscay near La Rochelle, France. The same day the French fishing vessel Coligny (600 GRT)
hit one of these mines and sank.
9 Feb 42, the Italian merchant Salpi (2715 GRT) hit a mine and sank 2 nm off Cape Ferrato, Sardinia, Italy. The mine had been laid 22 Oct 41
by Rorqual.
8 Dec 42, laid 33 mines off Bizerte, Tunisia.
13 Dec 42, laid 11 mines off Isola d'Ischia near Naples, Italy.
18 Dec 42, torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Piero Foscari (3423 GRT) in the Gulf of Gaeta, Italy north-east of
Ischia island in position 40º53'N, 13º39'E. The damaged Italian vessel was towed to port.
21 Dec 42, the Italian auxiliary minesweeper AS99/Zani sank off La Golette on a mine laid by Rorqual.
18 Jan 43, the German troop transport Ankara (4768 GRT) sinks about 5 nm NE of Cani Island on a mine laid the same day
by Rorqual. Rorqual laid 48 mines that day.
24 Feb 43, laid 50 mines off Isola Marettimo, to the west of Sicily, Italy.
22 Mar 43, laid 50 mines off Trapani, Sicily, Italy.
4 Apr 43, the Italian merchant Carbonello A. (1593 GRT) was damaged when she hit a mine off Trapani, Sicily, Italy. The mine had been
laid by Rorqual.
22 Apr 43, laid 50 mines off Isola Favignana west of Sicily, Italy.
30 Apr 43, laid 50 mines off Isola Marettimo, to the west of Sicily, Italy.
15 May 43, laid 50 mines off Punta Stilo, Calabria, Italy.
2 Jul 43, laid 29 mines off the Gulf of Kassandra, Greece.
3 Jul 43, laid her remaining 21 mines in the Skiathos Channel.
7 Jul 43, torpedoed and sank the German tanker Wilhemsburg (7020 GRT, former Greek Petrakis Nomikou) about 5 nm west of
Tenedos Island, Greece in position 39º55'N, 25º50'E.
5 Aug 43, laid 29 mines off the Gulf of Saloniki, Greece.
6 Aug 43, laid her remaining 21 mines off Lemnos, Greece.
7 Aug 43, torpedoed and sank the French merchant (in German service) Nantaise (1798 GRT) in the Aegean Sea in
position 38º05'N, 25º48'E.
7 Sep 43, the French merchant (in German service) P.L.M. 24 (5391 GRT) sank in the Aegean 10 nm
north of Skiathos in position 39º22'N, 23º25'E on a mine laid by Rorqual.
9 Sep 43, laid 15 mines off Trikeri, Greece.
10 Sep 43, laid another 15 mines in the Skiathos Channel.
11 Sep 43, laid 20 mines off Lemnos, Greece.
Lt. J.P.H. Oakley, DSC, RN
3 Jan 45, laid 50 mines (minefield ML 022) off Phuket, Siam.
4 Jan 45, laid 10 mines (minefield ML 023) off Phuket, Siam. These mines were laid from the torpedo tubes.
22 Jan 45, laid 50 mines (minefield ML 026) off the Ritchies Archipelago to the east of Andaman Island.
23 Jan 45, laid 12 mines from her torpedo tubes (minefield ML 027) off the Andaman Islands.
25 Mar 45, sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire west of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies.
27 Mar 45, sank two Japanese coasters and damaged a third with gunfire west of Sumatra.
2 Apr 45, sank two Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire west of Sumatra.
10 May 45, laid a minefield off Batavia, Java.
11 May 45, sank a Japanese coaster with gunfire in the western part of the Java Sea.
Sold to be broken up for scrap on 19 December 1945. Scrapped at Newport on 17 March 1946. The rather daunting list above of
operations - mostly not 'attractive' - goes to show the enormous amount of work done by the minelaying boats.
 |
Rover | R | N62 | 50 |
11 Jul 30 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 30 Jul 46 | Scrap |
| Lt Cdr H.A.L. Marsham RN. 7 Jan 41 attacked the Italian merchant Edda(6107 GRT) with four torpedoes
about 15 nautical miles west-north-west of Tobruk, Libya in
position 32º13'N, 23º40'E. All torpedoes missed and Rover was damaged by depth charges from the Italian torpedo
boats Clio and Castore. 14 Feb 1941 torpedoed and damaged the Italian tanker Cesco (6161 GRT) about 17 nm
south-east of Capo Rizzuto in position 38º45'N, 17º25'E. At Battle of Matapan, March 1941. April 41, sent from Alexandria to supply
electrical power to the damaged cruiser HMS
York, at Suda Bay, Crete, but on 24 April 1941 the submarine was severely damaged by an air attack
and the decision was taken to abandon any attempt at salvage.
Scrapped at Durban, South Africa, 1946. 
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Safari to Scotsman