HMS Abdiel

On 22 March 1941, Abdiel (Captain Hon. Edward Pleydell-Bouverie) had acceptance trials interrupted and was ordered to lay mines with the objective of preventing the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau breaking out from Brest. In operation 'GV', 'GX' and 'GY', Abdiel with the destroyers Intrepid, Impulsive and Icarus escorted by Kipling, Kelly and Jackal on 23 and 28 March laid mines in the vicinity of Little Sole Bank and 40 mi (64 km) WSW of Brest. From 17 to 30 April 1941 Abdiel attempted to complete her trials programme but this was again abandoned when the ship was ordered to join the cruiser Dido and the destroyers Kelly, Kipling, Kelvin, Jackal and Jersey. This group was then transferred from Plymouth to Gibraltar, having loaded military stores destined for Malta. The ships subsequently joined the Mediterranean Fleet.

On 24 to 28 April 1941 they formed part of "Operation Dunlop", Dido, Abdiel and destroyers Janus, Jervis and Nubian, having discharged naval stores at Malta proceeded to Alexandria. On 21 May 1941 Abdiel (Captain Hon. Edward Pleydell-Bouverie) laid a field of 150 mines off Akra Dhoukaton (Cape Dukato, southern tip of Lefkada island, Ionian sea). On the field were later the same day lost the Italian destroyer Carlo Mirabello (1,840 tons) and the gunboat Pellegrino Matteucci and the German transports Kybfels (7764 GRT) and Marburg (7564 BRT). On the night of the 26–27 May, Abdiel, escorted by the destroyer Hero (Commander H. W. Biggs, RN) and the Australian destroyer Nizam (Lieutenant Commander M. J. Clark, RAN), landed 800 Commandos at Suda Bay. On 31 May 1941 Abdiel sailed from Alexandria for Sfakia, Crete, with the light cruiser Phoebe (Captain G. Grantham) and three destroyers. During the following night these ships removed 4,000 troops from Crete. Between December 1942 and April 1943 Abdiel, in cooperation with the minelaying submarine Rorqual and Abdiel's sister ship Welshman laid several minefields with about 2,000 mines, in the Strait of Sicily. On 9 January 1943 after having laid a minefield across the Axis evacuation route from Tunisia, an Italian convoy ran into it, and the destroyer Corsaro (1,645 tons) was sunk, while the destroyer Maestrale (1,440 tons) was severely damaged. On 3 February 1943 another Italian convoy fouled another of her minefields, south of Marettimo island, off the western tip of Sicily, losing the destroyer Saetta (1,225 tons) and the torpedo boat Uragano (910 tons). On 8 March 1943 Abdiel again laid a minefield on the Axis evacuation route, 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) north of Cap Bon, Tunisia. On 24 March a convoy entered the field, and the Italian destroyers Ascari (1,645 tons) and Lanzerotto Malocello (2,125 tons) were lost. On 3 April 1943 Abdiel laid a minefield between the Italian fields X-2 and X-3, whose location was known to the Allies through Ultra intercepts and captured documents. On 7 March a convoy ran afoul the field, losing the Italian torpedo boat Ciclone (910 tons).

Abdiel, commanded by Captain David Orr-Ewing, DSO, was sunk by mines in Taranto harbour, Italy on 10 September 1943, during Operation Slapstick. The mines had been laid just a few hours earlier by two German torpedo boats (S-54 and S-61), as they left the harbour. Abdiel, carrying troops of the British 1st Airborne Division (6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion), took the berth which had been declined earlier by the captain of the US cruiser USS Boise. Shortly after midnight, two ground mines detonated beneath Abdiel and the minelayer sank in three minutes, with great loss of life among both sailors and soldiers. The 1st Airborne Division lost 58 dead and around 150 injured and 48 crew were lost. There is a rumour that the ship's degaussing equipment had been turned off to reduce noise and to allow troops to sleep better.

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Known Crew Details :

Name

Start of Service

End of Service

Known Date

Alington, Rupert H.

9th September 1943

Barfield, John F.

9th September 1943

Bidder, Walter T.

9th September 1943

Barnacle, John G.

9th September 1943

Booth, Michael

9th September 1943

Bovard, William J.

9th September 1943

Brown, Anthony H.

9th September 1943

Butterworth, Keneth

9th September 1943

Cromie, David

9th September 1943

Dabb, Robert

9th September 1943

Dean, Peter J.A.

9th September 1943

Dent, Digby MacA.

9th September 1943

Dooley, Andrew

9th September 1943

Edwards, Alec

9th September 1943

Fisher, William H.

9th September 1943

Fletcher, Joseph C.

9th September 1943

Forsyth, James J.

9th September 1943

Glen, Robertson G.

9th September 1943

Harris, Norman

9th September 1943

Harrison, Joseph

9th September 1943

Humphries, Cyril H.A.

9th September 1943

Hutchinson, Hugh

9th September 1943

Kidd, Ernest W.

9th September 1943

Knight, Norman W.

9th September 1943

Le Maitre, Percy J.W.

9th September 1943

McDonald, William

9th September 1943

Meek, John H.

9th September 1943

Meltham, William E.

9th September 1943

Miller, George

9th September 1943

Mitchell, David

9th September 1943

Oakford, Eric L.

9th September 1943

Oats, William H.C.K.

9th September 1943

Parry, Owen

9th September 1943

Prince, Leonard H.

9th September 1943

Richards, Christopher N.

9th September 1943

Seddon, Edward

9th September 1943

Shepherd, Donald

9th September 1943

Skinner, Raymond A.

9th September 1943

Sparks, William C.

9th September 1943

Stevens, John J.H.

9th September 1943

Terwillegar, Norman A.

9th September 1943

Thomas, George E.

9th September 1943

Thomas, Myrddyn J.

9th September 1943

Toms, Stanley H.

9th September 1943

Travis, David A.S.

9th September 1943

Trumble, James R.

9th September 1943

Westray, James W.

9th September 1943

Wight, Harry C.

9th September 1943

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