History
Winchelsea during World War II
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Winchelsea (D46)
Ordered	9 December 1916
Builder	J. Samuel White
Laid down	25 May 1917
Launched	15 December 1917
Decommissioned	March 1945
Fate	Scrapped August 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	W class destroyer

HMS Winchelsea (D46) was an Admiralty W-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, ordered 9 December 1916 from J. Samuel White at Cowes during the 1916–17 Build Programme.

Winchelsea was launched on 15 December 1917 and was the 7th Royal Navy ship to carry this name, introduced in 1694 and named after the 6th Earl of Winchilsea (1647–1730)^[1]

In March 1945 she was decommissioned and sold for scrap.^[2]

Events in history

September 1939 — with the 11th Destroyer Flotilla.

26 May–4 June 1940 — the Dunkirk evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo.

27 July 1940 — 84 survivors from the British freighters Sambre and Thiara were picked up. They had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-34 (1936), south-south-west of Rockall.

13-17 September 1940 — Escorts Convoy OB 213. After Winchelsea leaves, two ships in the convoy, including the child evacuation ship SS City of Benares, were attacked by a submarine. 260 people, including 258 passengers and crew from the Benares, are killed.

17 September 1940 — 25 survivors from the British freighter Crown Arun were picked up after the ship had been torpedoed and then sunk with gunfire by the German submarine U-99, north of Rockall.

2 November 1942 — 24 survivors were picked up after the British freighter Hartington had been torpedoed and sunk by U-521, approximately 450 nautical miles (830 km) east of Belle Isle.^[3]

Notes

Bibliography

Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
Cocker, Maurice. Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893–1981. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1075-7.
Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
Preston, Antony (1971). 'V & W' Class Destroyers 1917–1945. London: Macdonald. OCLC 464542895.
Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1979). 'V' and 'W' Class Destroyers. Man o'War. Vol. 2. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 0-85368-233-X.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
Whinney, Bob (2000). The U-boat Peril: A Fight for Survival. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35132-6.
Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
Winser, John de D. (1999). B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-91-6.

V- and W- class destroyers

Admiralty

V class leaders

Royal Navy	Malcolm / Valkyrie Bruce / Valentine Montrose / Valorous Wallace / Vampire Douglas / Valhalla
Royal Australian Navy	Vampire

V class

Royal Navy	Vanoc Vimiera Vehement Vanquisher Verdun Vega Violent Vendetta Vectis Venturous Verulam Vortigern Venetia Vittoria Versatile Vivacious Velox Vesper Vancouver / Vimy Vivien Vidette Vanessa Vanity
Royal Australian Navy	Vendetta

W class

Royal Navy

Completed	Westminster Wakeful Watchman Walker Whirlwind Winchelsea Walrus Warwick Winchester Walpole Westcott Wrestler Wessex Wolfhound Waterhen Whitby / Whitley Voyager Wryneck Windsor
Cancelled	Wayfarer Woodpecker

Royal Australian Navy

Modified W class

Completed

Cancelled

Vantage / Vimy
Vashon
Vengeful
Vigo
Vigorous / Wistful
Virulent
Volage
Volcano
Votary
Wager
Wake
Waldegrave
Walton
Warren
Watson
Wave
Weazel
Welcome
Welfare
Wellesley
Werewolf
Westphal
Westward Ho
Willoughby
Wheeler
Whelp
Whip
Whippet
Whitaker
White Bear
Whitehead
Winter
Wrangler
Wye
Yeoman
Zealous
Zebra
Zodiac

Thornycroft

V class	Viceroy Viscount
W class	Wolsey Woolston
Modified W class	Wishart Witch

Preceded by: S class
Followed by: Scott class

List of destroyers of the Royal Navy

Events in history

See also

Notes

Bibliography