HMS Jersey (F72)

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HMS Jersey was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy.

Construction and career

On 25 March 1937, the British Admiralty placed orders for the eight destroyers of the J class, including one ship, Jersey to be built by J. Samuel White and Company at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Jersey was laid down on 20 September 1937 and launched on 26 September 1938.<ref name="English p71">English 2001, p. 71.</ref> Jersey was commissioned on 28 April 1939.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Following commissioning, Jersey worked up at Portland through to July 1939. On 12 August 1939, Jersey joined the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.<ref name="English p78">English 2001, p. 78.</ref>

7 December 1939

Jersey was torpedoed off Haisborough Sands by the Template:Ship, which was returning unseen from laying a minefield.<ref name=SK1239>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ten of the ship's company were killed and extensive damage caused. The ship's hull was repaired at the Henry Robb shipyard in Leith in around 25 days, but she had to return 24 hours after relaunch when the propeller became entangled in the defence nets around the harbour mouth. She was eventually relaunched safely on 30 December 1939.<ref>Leith-Built Ships on War Service ECL YHE 56567</ref>

Following further damage in 1940 Jersey was towed to the Humber for repairs and did not return to her flotilla until 28 October 1940.

2 May 1941

Jersey struck an Italian aircraft-dropped mine off Malta's Grand Harbour and sank next to the Grand Harbour breakwater.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Thirty-five crew members were killed.<ref name="navhist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

When Jersey sank it blocked the entrance to Malta's Grand Harbour, meaning movements into and out of the harbour were impossible for several days. The destroyers Template:HMS, Template:HMS and Template:HMS were left marooned in the harbour until the wreck was cleared. Some of the ships that rescued the surviving crew had to take passage to Gibraltar. On 5 May the wreck broke into two sections. It was only after 1946 that the after section was cleared from the entrance, in a series of controlled demolitions carried out between 1946 and 1949.<ref name="navhist"/> Further salvage and clearance work was done in 1968 to make the harbour safe for large vessels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

About the wreck

• Ship sunk at: Valletta, Malta
• Position: 35° 54'N, 14° 30'E
• Depth (m.): 19 max. / 15.8 min.
• Orientation: 175°<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

• {{#invoke:template wrapper|{{#if:|list|wrap}}|_template=cite book

|_exclude=case, year, _debug
| last1 = Colledge
| first1 = J. J. 
| author-link1= J. J. Colledge
| last2 = Warlow
| first2 = Ben
| date = 2006
| orig-date = 1969
| title = Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present
| edition = Rev.
| location = London
| publisher = Chatham Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-86176-281-8
| OCLC = 67375475

}}

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