HMS Penylan (L89) facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Penylan |
| Ordered | 23 August 1940 |
| Builder | Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down | 4 June 1941 |
| Launched | 17 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 25 August 1942 |
| Honours and awards |
English Channel, 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 3 December 1942 |
| Badge | On a Field per pale Red and Green, within a horseshoe inverted Gold and a spear head White |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Hunt-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,050 tons standard; 1,435 tons full load |
| Length | 280 ft (85 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) |
| Draught | 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 27 knots (25½ knots full) |
| Range | 2,350 nmi (4,350 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement | 168 |
| Armament |
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HMS Penylan was a special type of warship called a destroyer. She belonged to the Royal Navy, which is the United Kingdom's navy. Penylan was part of the "Hunt-class" destroyers, built to help protect bigger ships. She served during World War II, but sadly, she was sunk by German E-boats in 1942.
Building the Ship
Penylan was ordered on August 23, 1940. She was built by a company called Vickers-Armstrongs in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Workers started building her on June 4, 1941. She was officially launched into the water on March 17, 1942.
Penylan was ready for service on August 25, 1942. After some training, she joined the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. This was a group of destroyers that worked together. The people of Carmarthen in Wales helped support the ship. They "adopted" her during a special event called Warship Week in 1942.
Life at Sea
In September 1942, Penylan sailed to Scapa Flow. This was a naval base where she trained with other ships. Later, she went to Portsmouth. On October 22, she had to go to a shipyard in London for repairs. She had some problems that needed fixing.
After repairs, Penylan returned to Portsmouth on November 9. She then joined her group, the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. Her job was to patrol the English Channel. This channel is the sea between England and France.
Final Mission
On December 1, 1942, Penylan was protecting a group of merchant ships. This group was called convoy PW-257. On December 3, German E-boats attacked the convoy. E-boats were small, fast attack boats. Penylan was hit by a torpedo from an E-boat called S115.
The ship sank about five miles south of Start Point. Five officers and 112 crew members were rescued. Penylan was only in active service for 30 days. This made her the shortest-lived ship of the Hunt-class destroyers. Today, her wreck is a "protected place" under a special law. This means it is kept safe and undisturbed.
