HMS Imogen (D44)

HMS Imogen was a I-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides as part of the Mediterranean Fleet. After the start of the Second World War the ship was transferred to Home Fleet and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in April 1940. Imogen sank two German submarines before her own sinking following an accidental collision in July 1940.

Description
Imogen displaced 1370 LT at standard load and 1888 LT at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 323 ft, a beam of 33 ft and a draught of 12 ft. She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of 34000 shp and gave a maximum speed of 36 kn. Steam for the turbines was provided by three Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers. Imogen carried a maximum of 470 LT of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5530 nmi at 15 kn. The ship's complement was 145 officers and enlisted men in peacetime.

The ship mounted four 45-calibre 4.7-inch Mk IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, Imogen had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mk III machine gun. She was fitted with two above-water quintuple torpedo tube mounts for 21 in torpedoes. One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 30 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.

Service
The ship was ordered on 30 October 1935 from Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn under the 1935 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 18 January 1936, launched on 30 December 1936, as the seventh Royal Navy ship to carry this name, and completed on 2 June 1937, at a contract price of £256,917, excluding items supplied by Admiralty such as armaments and communications equipment. Imogen was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet upon commissioning and was initially based in Malta. Transferred to Gibraltar, she patrolled Spanish waters enforcing the policies of the Non-Intervention Committee during 1938. The ship was given a brief refit in Malta from 17 October–28 November 1938 and another at Sheerness Dockyard in August 1939.

Imogen returned to the Mediterranean on 3 September, but was transferred to the Western Approaches Command for convoy escort duties two days later when Italy did not enter the war. Together with the entire 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, the ship was transferred to the Home Fleet in October. Together with her sister HMS Ilex (D61), she sank the GERMAN SUBMARINE U-42 on 13 October after the submarine attempted to sink the freighter SS Stonepool. Whilst escorting the merchant ship to Barry, Imogen rescued survivors from the ships Louisiane and Bretagne. She was refitted at Liverpool between 20 October and 7 November and then rejoined Home Fleet. The following month, the ship came to the aid of the torpedoed battleship HMS Barham (04) off the Butt of Lewis on 28 December.

With her sister HMS Inglefield (D02) and the destroyer HMS Escort (H66), Imogen sank GERMAN SUBMARINE U-63 after it had been spotted by the British submarine HMS Rorqual (N74) on 25 February 1940. During the Norwegian Campaign, the ship searched unsuccessfully for German ships, escorted ships of Home Fleet and troopships carrying Norwegian Army units from Kirkenes and Alta to Sjøvegan in mid-April. In mid-June, she escorted the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (87) to Bermuda to work up. Off Duncansby Head during the night of 16 July, Imogen collided with the light cruiser HMS Glasgow (C21) in thick fog whilst bound for Scapa Flow. She was badly damaged, caught fire, and sank at position 58.56667°N, -2.9°W. Glasgow rescued 10 officers and 125 enlisted men, but 19 men were killed in the collision.