HMS Legion

HMS Legion (G74)

Navy:	Royal Navy
Type:	Destroyer
Class:	L
Pennant:	G 74, F74
Built by:	Hawthorn Leslie & Co. (Hebburn-on-Tyne, U.K.)
Ordered:	31 Mar, 1938
Laid down:	1 Nov, 1938
Launched:	26 Dec, 1939
Commissioned:	19 Dec, 1940
Complement:	224
Lost:	26 Mar, 1942 Damaged, beached. and sunk by aircraft bombs at Central Malta.

History:	The Polish destroyers Piorun, Garland and the British destroyer HMS Legion conduct an offensive patrol against enemy submarines. However, no U-boat was encountered. 14 Apr, 1941 HMS Rodney, HMS Legion, Piorun and Garland composed the escort of two troop ships heading from Iceland to the Clyde. 30 Sep, 1941 Around 1030hours on 30 September 1941 the Italian submarine Adua (offsite link) was sunk north-west of Algiers by the British destroyers HMS Gurkha and HMS Legion. 13 Nov, 1941 On this day the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal was torpedoed by U-81 off Gibraltar and sank. The HMS Legion stopped alongside the Ark Royal to pick up sailors, a very famous photo shows documents this moment. 13 Dec, 1941 The Italian light cruisers Alberico da Barbiano and Alberto di Giussano were torpedoed and sunk off Cape Bon by the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Sikh, HMS Maori, HMS Legion and the Dutch destroyer HrMs Isaac Sweers on a supply mission to Tripoli.