Hit by a Japanese kamikaze pilot on 26 July 1945 and subsequently scuttled
Badge
A sacred flame which was brought to Rome by Aeneas, and was then tended to by Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth. The patch is blue; with a gold altar with a flame.[1]
Vestal was the only British ship to be sunk by kamikaze attack[7] and the last Royal Navy ship to be lost in the Second World War.[8] She was sunk whilst partaking in Operation Livery. Vestal was commanded by Lt. Charles William Porter, DSC, from 26 July 1943 until 26 July 1945, when the ship was sunk.[9] Her engine was provided by Paxman.[10]
Design and description
The turbine-powered group displaced 850 long tons (860 t) at standard load and 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) at deep load. The ships measured 225 feet (68.6 m) long overall with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). They had a draught of 11 feet (3.4 m). The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.[11]
The ships had two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). They carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[11]
The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk Vanti-aircraft gun[12] and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm gun mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges.[11]
Construction
The ship was laid down at the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast on 11 January 1943. She was launched on 19 June that year and commissioned on 10 September, a build time of just seven months and three days.[13]
Vestal was deployed as a part of the East Indies Fleet, along with Pincher, Plucky, Recruit, Pickle, Rifleman, and Chameleon.[14] On 24 July, Squirrel hit a mine, which killed seven men. The ship was scuttled by Rotherham, and the survivors were rescued by Vestal, and taken to the battleshipNelson.[15]
Vestal was sunk on 26 July 1945 whilst participating in Operation Livery. At around 18:25, an alarm was sounded as three unidentified planes had been spotted coming over Phuket Island, and were soon followed by several more.[16]Vestal was hit by a kamikaze, sustaining critical damage and killing twenty men. She was the last Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the Second World War.[8] As the ship was hit close to Thailand, which was a Japanese ally, the crew were taken off and the ship was scuttled[8] by the destroyer HMS Racehorse.[17]
Wreck
The wreck of Vestal currently lies off Phuket at 72 metres (236 ft) below sea level.[8]
^"HMS Vestal (J215)". Warships of World War II. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
United Kingdom
