HMS Escort (H66)

HMS Escort ( H66 ) was an E class destroyer of the British Royal Navy during the Second World War.

The ship was launched on March 29, 1934 as the sixth of a class of eight destroyers at Scotts in Greenock from the stack. Put into service, it was on 30 August 1934.

Along with her ​​sister ships HMS Escort formed the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, which was assigned to the Home Fleet. Shortly before the Second World War, the ships were replaced by the new tapered destroyers of the K class.

In the Athenia incident HMS Escort saved together with other ships, the survivors of the torpedoed passenger steamer. In 1940, the destroyer was then used to cover the convoys to Norway. It could be sunk on February 25, together with HMS Inglefield and HMS Imogen, the German submarine U 63.

In the Norway - company ( companies Weserübung ) in April, the ship was used several times to cover battleships and aircraft carriers of the Home Fleet. Two months later pointed to the Admiralty HMS Escort Force H newly formed, which was stationed in Gibraltar.

The first task of the new association was the neutralization of the French Navy at Mers -el- Kebir (Operation Catapult ). A few days later, the Force H came again before the Mediterranean to divert the Italians from a convoy, the approach was from the east. On the march back from this surgery HMS Escort was hit by a torpedo of Italian submarine Marconi in the boiler room. The ship sank on July 11, 1940 east of Gibraltar after an unsuccessful towing test.