View source for HMS Keith

{{short description|Destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{good article}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Dd hms keith prewar.jpg
|Ship caption=''Keith'' at anchor
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= United Kingdom
|Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Keith''
|Ship namesake=[[George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith|Lord Keith]]
|Ship ordered=22 March 1929
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Vickers-Armstrongs]], [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=656
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=1 October 1929
|Ship launched=10 July 1930
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed= 20 March 1931
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: D06<ref name=w78/>
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate= Sunk by German aircraft, 1 June 1940
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
 {{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass2|B|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1400|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (standard)
*{{convert|1821|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|323|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam={{convert|32|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|34000|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
*3 × [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4800|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=175
|Ship sensors=Type 119 [[ASDIC]]
|Ship armament=*4 × single [[4.7 inch QF Mark XII|4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk IX gun]]s
*2 × single [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk II]] [[anti-aircraft gun|AA guns]]
*2 × quadruple [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} torpedo]] [[torpedo tube|tubes]]
*20 × [[depth charge]]s, 1 rail and 2 throwers
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Keith''''' was a {{sclass2|B|destroyer}} [[flotilla leader]] built for the [[Royal Navy]] around 1930. Initially assigned to the [[Mediterranean Fleet]], she was placed in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] in 1937, after repairs from a collision were completed. During the [[Spanish Civil War]] of 1936–1939, the ship was reactivated and spent some time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. ''Keith'' escorted convoys and conducted [[anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine patrols]] early in [[World War II]] before being sunk at [[Dunkirk evacuation|Dunkirk]] by German aircraft.

==Description==
''Keith'' displaced {{convert|1400|LT|t|0}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load and {{convert|1821|LT|t|0}} at [[deep load]]. The ship had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|323|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|32|ft|3|in|m|1}} and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|12|ft|3|in|m|1}}. She was powered by [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, driving two shafts, which developed a total of {{convert|34000|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}. Steam for the turbines was provided by three [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s. ''Keith'' carried a maximum of {{convert|390|LT|t|0}} of [[fuel oil]] that gave her a range of {{convert|4800|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn}}. The ship's complement was 175 officers and men.<ref name=w78>Whitley, p. 99</ref>

The ship mounted four 45-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[4.7 inch QF Mark XII|QF 4.7-inch Mk IX guns]] in single mounts. For [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) defence, ''Keith'' had two {{convert|40|mm|1|adj=on}} [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder Mk II]] AA guns mounted on a platform between her [[funnel (ship)|funnels]]. She was fitted with two above-water quadruple [[torpedo tube]] mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] torpedoes.<ref>Friedman, p. 298</ref> One [[depth charge]] rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.<ref>English, p. 141</ref>

==Career==
The ship was ordered, the first ship of her name in the Royal Navy,<ref>Colledge, p. 183</ref> on 22 March 1929 from [[Vickers-Armstrongs]] at [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]], under the 1928 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 1 October 1929 and launched on 10 July 1930. ''Keith'' was completed on 20 March 1931 at a cost of £219,800, excluding items supplied by the Admiralty such as guns, ammunition and communications equipment. After her commissioning, she was assigned to the [[4th Destroyer Flotilla]] as its flotilla leader. Aside from a refit at [[Chatham Dockyard]] between 4 September and 18 October 1933, the ship remained with the Mediterranean Fleet until 1936. ''Keith'' collided with the Greek steamship, ''Atonis G. Lemos'', in thick fog in the [[English Channel]] on 24 August 1936 whilst en route from [[Gibraltar]] to [[Portsmouth]] for another refit. The refit was not completed until 13 February 1937 and she then spent six months in reserve at [[Sheerness]]. The ship was recommissioned on 14 August 1937 to replace the flotilla leader of the [[6th Destroyer Flotilla]], {{HMS|Faulknor|H62|2}}, whilst the latter ship was being repaired after a collision. ''Keith'' spent several months deployed off the Spanish Biscay coast during the Spanish Civil War and was later based in [[Gibraltar]]. The ship returned to Sheerness on 4 November and was reduced to reserve again. She received a brief refit at Chatham from 9 May to 16 June 1938. Upon its completion, ''Keith'' rejoined the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, which was now assigned to [[Home Fleet]]. She was transferred, taking on the crew of {{HMS|Electra|H27|2}}, to the [[5th Destroyer Flotilla]] at Gibraltar on 17 January 1939. The ship remained with the 5th Flotilla until April and then she returned home. ''Keith'' was refitted at Chatham between 11 May and 15 July and placed in reserve again on 31 July.<ref>English, pp. 29–31</ref>

Shortly before the war began in September, the ship was recommissioned and assigned to the [[17th Destroyer Flotilla]] of Home Fleet. On 3 September, she was transferred to [[Western Approaches Command]] for anti-submarine patrols, based at [[Milford Haven]].<ref name=e1/> On 10 September, ''Keith'' escorted a convoy carrying the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF) to France.<ref>Winser, p. 6</ref> On 29 October she was transferred to the [[22nd Destroyer Flotilla]] at [[Harwich Dockyard|Harwich]] and became its flotilla leader five days later. In December, ''Keith'' had repairs made to her propellers at [[HMNB Devonport|HM Dockyard Devonport]] that lasted until 10 January 1940. She was transferred to the [[19th Destroyer Flotilla]] in February and ''Keith'' escorted her [[sister ship|sister]] {{HMS|Boadicea|H65|2}} on 5 March as she towed the damaged [[oil tanker]] ''John F. Meyer'' to [[Southampton]]. The ship resumed her escort and patrol duties until May when the [[Battle of France|Germans attacked]].<ref name=e1>English, p. 31</ref>

===Battle of France===
On 10 May 1940, the Germans launched their [[Battle of France|invasion of France]] and the [[Low Countries]]. That day ''Keith'' and her sister {{HMS|Boreas|H77|2}} escorted the [[light cruiser]]s {{HMS|Arethusa|26|2}} and {{HMS|Galatea|71|2}} as they carried [[bullion]] from the Dutch port of [[IJmuiden]] to the [[United Kingdom]] for safe-keeping. On 12 May, she returned to the [[Hook of Holland]] in the [[Netherlands]] to evacuate Allied troops.<ref name=e1/> After the destroyer {{HMS|Whitley|L23|2}} had to be run aground on 19 May after she was damaged by German aircraft, she was [[scuttled]] by ''Keith''.<ref>Rohwer, p. 23</ref> On 21 May, ''Keith'' was one of three destroyers that evacuated 468 civilians from France. Two days later the ship was in [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]], loading British troops to be evacuated, when she was attacked by German troops. She was hit by a [[mortar bomb]] and [[machine gun]] fire that killed her [[Captain (nautical)|captain]] and wounded many others. ''Keith'' sailed for the UK immediately afterwards.<ref>Winser, pp. 11–12</ref>

On the night of 30/31 May, the ship joined [[Dunkirk evacuation|Operation Dynamo]] when she helped to evacuate 992 Allied troops from Dunkirk to [[Dover]].<ref>Winser, p. 89</ref> She returned in the morning to [[De Panne]] and became [[flagship]] of [[Rear-Admiral]] [[Frederic Wake-Walker]], commander of the evacuation.<ref name=g7>Gardner, p. 67</ref> The ship was attacked by aircraft later that morning; a first attack damaged her steering gear, and a later attack sent a bomb  down the aft funnel which exploded in the No. 2 boiler room, killing everyone inside and starting a fire. With no power available, she anchored and the abandon ship command was ordered. ''Keith'' sank  at 09:45 at position {{coord|51|04|46|N|02|26|47|E}}. Three officers and 33 ratings were killed during the attacks, and eight officers and 123 crewmen were saved.<ref name=e1/>

''Keith's'' wreck was surveyed in 2016 and 2019, but found to be degraded significantly in 2023.<ref>{{cite news| title=Survey Shows Striking Legacy of 'Operation Dynamo' on the Seabed off Dunkirk | publisher=Historic England | date=16 October 2023 | url=https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/survey-shows-striking-legacy-of-operation-dynamo/}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s|year=1993|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Kendal, England|isbn=0-905617-64-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2009|isbn=978-1-59114-081-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Gardner|first=W. J. R.|title=The Evacuation from Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo, 26 May-4 June 1940|publisher=Frank Cass|location=London|date=2000|isbn=0-7146-5120-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War 2|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland}}
* {{cite book|last=Winser|first=John de D.|title=B.E.F. Ships Before, At and After Dunkirk|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Gravesend, Kent|date=1999|isbn=0-905617-91-6}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|date=1998|isbn=1-55750-048-7}}
* {{cite book|last=March|first=Edgar J.|title=British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans|year=1966|publisher=Seeley Service|location=London |oclc=164893555}}

{{A class destroyer}}
{{1936 shipwrecks}}
{{June 1940 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith (H06)}}
[[Category:A- and B-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1930 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1936]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1940]]
[[Category:Destroyers sunk by aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German aircraft]]