HMS Kelly (F01)

Casualty List

Navy: Royal Navy
Type: Destroyer
Class:
Pennant: F 01 
Mod: Flotilla leader 
Built by: Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (Hebburn-on-Tyne, U.K.) 
Laid down: 26 Aug, 1937 
Launched: 25 Oct, 1938 
Commissioned: 23 Aug, 1939 
Complement: 183
Lost: 23 May, 1941 HMS Kelly (Capt. Lord Louis Mountbatten, RN.) was bombed and sunk by German Stuka dive bombers off Crete. was the commanding officer of this destroyer, killing 9 Officers & 121 crew.
Later to be Commander of Combined Operations (Commandos) and Last Viceroy of India.  
    Hebburn Cemetery
History: 14 Dec, 1939
HMS Kelly is badly damaged by a German mine laid by German destroyers off the Tyne.

9 May, 1940
During the night of 9/10 May, the destroyer was hit amidships by one torpedo from the German MTB S-31(Oblt.z.S. Opdenhoff). She was searching for German minelayers in the Skagerrak together with one cruiser and six destroyers when the Task Force was attacked by five MTBs.Killing 27 crew The badly damaged ship was towed to Newcastle by the HMS Bulldog (H 91).

Fredrick Hill - Survivor . photo courtsey of son John Hill

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