Name HMS Venus Laid down 12 January 1942 Construction started 12 January 1942 Length 111 m | Ordered 1 September 1941 Commissioned 28 August 1943 Launched 23 February 1943 | |
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Identification Pennant numberR50
Later F50 Honours and
awards Arctic 1943-44
Normandy 1944
Malaya 1945
Burma 1945 Builder Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company | ||
HMS Venus was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, of Govan, Scotland and launched on 23 February 1943.
Contents
Second World War service
She participated in the Battle of the Malacca Strait with the destroyers Saumarez, Verulam, Vigilant, and Virago which culminated in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser Haguro on 16 May 1945.
Post war service
Between 1946 and 1949 Venus was part of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, based in the Mediterranean. This included work as part of the Royal Navy patrols preventing illegal Jewish immigration into Mandatory Palestine. In June 1946 she intercepted Josiah Wedgewood. In the same year Venus and Virago participated in the rescue of crew from the British Tanker Empire Cross, which caught fire, exploded and sank at Haifa, Palestine, with the loss of up to 25 lives.
Between 1949 and 1951 she was held in reserve at Devonport Dockyard. Between 1951 and 1952 she was converted at Devonport into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F50. Following conversion she became leader of the 6th Frigate Squadron. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955 she was refitted for work as part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron.
Decommissioning and disposal
In 1964 Venus went to reserve and in October 1969 was in use as a target to measure the effects of ship to ship use of the Sea Dart missile system. She was sold to Thos W Ward for scrapping and arrived at their Briton Ferry yard on 20 December 1972 to be broken up.
Commanding officers
1958 - 1960 Captain P N Howes DSC