Allied Warships

HMS Sturdy (i) (H 28)

Destroyer of the Admiralty S class

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Admiralty S
Pennant	H 28
Built by	Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (Greenock, Scotland)
Ordered	Jun 1917
Laid down	Mar 1918
Launched	25 Jun 1919
Commissioned	15 Oct 1919
Lost	30 Oct 1940
Loss position	56° 29'N, 6° 59'W

History	HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. George Tyndale Cooper, RN) was grounded and wrecked off Tiree Island, western Scotland in position 56º29'N, 06º59'W. Five members of the crew drowned when they tried to reach the shore. They are buried at the Soroby burial ground.

Commands listed for HMS Sturdy (i) (H 28)

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and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. George Tyndale Cooper, RN	31 Jul 1939	30 Oct 1940

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Notable events involving Sturdy (i) include:

31 Aug 1939
HMS Courageous (Capt. W.T. Makeig-Jones, RN) departed Portsmouth for Portland. She was escorted by HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN).

HMS Courageous had been commissioned with full completment from the Reserve Fleet on 31 July 1939. In late August 1939 it was decided that Courageous was to join forces with HMS Ramillies and that they would be sent to Freetown. On 3 September it was decided that the should join the Channel Force instead. (1)

1 Sep 1939
HMS Courageous (Capt. W.T. Makeig-Jones, RN), and her escort, HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN), arrived at Portland.

2 Sep 1939
HMS Courageous (Capt. W.T. Makeig-Jones, RN), still escorted by HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN), shifted from Portland to Plymouth.

20 Sep 1939
ORP Wilk (Lt. B. Krawczyk, ORP) arrived in Britain and entered the harbour of Rosyth under escort of the British destroyer HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN). (2)

2 Oct 1939
The aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. M.L. Clarke, DSC, RN) departed Rosyth for Loch Ewe where she was to join the Home Fleet. She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Jervis (Capt. P.J. Mack, RN), HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN), HMS Jupiter (Lt.Cdr. D.B. Wyburd, RN) and HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN). (3)

3 Oct 1939
HMS Furious (Capt. M.L. Clarke, DSC, RN), HMS Jervis (Capt. P.J. Mack, RN), HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN), HMS Jupiter (Lt.Cdr. D.B. Wyburd, RN) and HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN) arrived at Loch Ewe.

The 'J'-class destroyers departed later the same day to return to Rosyth. (3)

9 Oct 1939
HMS Royal Oak (Capt. W.G. Benn, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral H.E.C. Blagrove, RN) departed Scapa Flow to patrol to the west of the Fair Isle Channel. She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Matabele (Cdr. G.K. Whitmy-Smith, RN) and HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN).

10 Oct 1939
In very heavy seas, HMS Royal Oak (Capt. W.G. Benn, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral H.E.C. Blagrove, RN), had lost touch with her escorting destroyers HMS Matabele (Cdr. G.K. Whitmy-Smith, RN) and HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN). Course was therefore set to return to Scapa Flow.

21 Apr 1940
HMAS Stuart (Cdr. H.M.L. Waller, RAN) departed Malta for gunnery and A/S exercises but she was recalled and the exercises were cancelled.

HMAS Stuart then embarked ammunition for the aircraft carrier HMS Argus (Capt. H.C. Bovell, RN) which was operating of southern France on flying training duties.

In the evening HMAS Stuart departed Malta to escort the transports Dilwara (British, 11080 GRT, built 1936) and Lancashire (British, 9557 GRT, built 1917). These transports were approaching Malta coming from the east (Alexandria and Port Said respectively).

On joining the transports course was set for Marseilles where they arrived on the 25th.

HMAS Stuart then made rendezvous with HMS Argus and her attendant destroyer HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN) near Hyères to transfer the supplies.

Orders for HMS Argus had meanwhile been changed and she set course for Malta escorted by HMAS Stuart and HMS Sturdy. They arrived at Malta on the 27th. (4)

20 Oct 1940
HMS Sturdy (Lt.Cdr. G.T. Cooper, RN) picks up three survivors from the British merchant Whitford Point that was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-47 about 90 nautical miles south-west of Rockall.