Force K ( eng. Force K ) is a Royal Navy task force formed and operating during World War II . During the war, the formation changed its location and composition of ships several times. It was first formed in 1939 in Freetown ( Sierra Leone ), from 1941 to 1943 it was based in Malta .
Content
- 1 First connection K
- 2 Second compound K
- 3 Third compound K
- 4 See also
- 5 notes
- 6 Literature
First Connection K
In 1939, an operational group of British ships was formed in Freetown, whose task was to intercept the German raiders operating in the Atlantic .
Composition of compound K
- Battlecruiser Renown ,
- aircraft carrier Ark Royal ,
- destroyers Hardy , Hostile , Hereward and Hasty .
On December 13, 1939, British cruisers severely damaged the German raider Admiral Graf Spee , after which he took refuge in Montevideo and was blocked there by the British. Compound K was sent to Montevideo, but the Germans managed to flood the heavy cruiser before the arrival of British reinforcements. The connection was disbanded and Ark Royal went to Britain with the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter .
Second Compound K
On October 21, 1941, the compound was formed for the second time. This time, the formation ships were based in Malta, acting from there against Italian convoys delivering military supplies to North Africa.
The new compound included:
- Light cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Penelope ;
- destroyers HMS Lively and HMS Lance
On November 8–9, Compound K defeated the enemy Duisburg convoy, forcing the Italian command to recognize Tripoli as “practically blocked.” Soon, Compound K was strengthened by Compound B ships (light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMS Neptune and a couple of destroyers). The combined connection was so effective that it was able to sink 60% of all cargo transported by Italians to North Africa .
On September 19, 1941, while chasing another convoy, the ships of the combined compound ran into a minefield, having suffered serious losses. The Neptune cruiser sank, Aurora suffered serious damage [1] . Soon, a HMS Kandahar destroyer was blown up in a mine, trying to help the sinking Neptune . The next day, Kandahar was sunk by the destroyer HMS Jaguar .
The losses suffered and the renewed bombing of Malta forced the British to withdraw their surface ships from the island. In the port there was only a badly damaged Penelope cruiser, which lost speed. Frequent air raids riddled the ship so that it received from the sailors the nickname His Majesty's Ship “Pepperbox” ( HMS Pepperpot ). On April 8, 1942, Penelope left the harbor, thus completing the story of the second compound K.
Third Compound K
Compound K was re-formed in November 1942. The compound included the light cruisers HMS Dido and HMS Euryalus , as well as the 14th destroyer flotilla, which arrived in Malta in the guarding of the convoy (Operation Stone Age) [2] .
See also
- Compound H
- Maltese convoys
Notes
- ↑ BBC - History - The Siege of Malta in World War Two
- ↑ Richard Woodman. Malta Convoys 1940-1943. - John Murray. - P. 461. - ISBN 0-7195-6408-5 .
Literature
- Groves, Eric. Sea Battles in Close-Up. - 1993 .-- T. II. - ISBN 0 7110 2118 X.
- Roskill, Stephen. The War at Sea 1939-1945. - 1954. - T. I.
- Smith, Peter C .; Walker, Edwin. The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces. - London, 1974. - ISBN 0711005281 .