HMS Verulam

History: HMS Verulam was a V-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. HMS Verulam began her service in late 1943 by joining the 26th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Home Fleet, stationed in the North Atlantic. The flotilla was supported by the depot ship, HMS Tyne.[1] The flotilla's first role during 'work up' was to participate in an offensive patrol of the Norwegian coast. In February 1944, the flotilla then escorted convoy RA56 returning from Murmansk. The same month HMS Verulam and the flotilla was part of the escort group attached to convoy JW57 along with the light cruiser, HMS Black Prince and the escort carrier, HMS Chaser. On 28 February the convoy reached the Kola Inlet with the loss of one destroyer, HMS Mahratta and the destruction of two U-boats. She returned with the escort group as part of convoy RA57, arriving at Loch Ewe on 7 March 1944.

In April 1944, the 26th Destroyer Flotilla took part in Operation Tungsten; the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz and the distant cover of the convoy JW58 which was bound for the Kola Inlet. On 28 April, Verulam embarked seventeen personnel and joined convoy RA59; returning to home waters on 3 May. During May 1944, Verulam participated in preparations for Operation Neptune as part of Force S. The following month, on 5 June, she entered the Solent and began her part in the Normandy landings; bombarding targets around Lion-sur-Mer on 6 June.

She participated in the Battle of the Malacca Strait with the destroyers Saumarez, Venus, Vigilant, and Virago which culminated in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser Haguro on 16 May 1945.

Class: The U and V class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1942–1943. They were constructed in two flotillas, each with names beginning with "U-" or "V-" (although there was a return to the pre-war practice of naming the designated flotilla leader after a famous naval figure from history to honour the lost ships Grenville and Hardy). The flotillas constituted the 7th Emergency Flotilla and 8th Emergency Flotilla, built under the War Emergency Programme. These ships used the Fuze Keeping Clock HA Fire Control Computer.

Nationality: The United Kingdom, made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is an island nation in northwestern Europe. England – birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles – is home to the capital, London, a globally influential centre of finance and culture. England is also site of Neolithic Stonehenge, Bath’s Roman spa and centuries-old universities at Oxford and Cambridge.