HMS Cassandra (R62)

HMS Cassandra was a C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, ordered in February 1942 from Yarrow Shipbuilders. She was originally to be named HMS Tourmaline but this was changed to Cassandra in November 1942 to fit her revised class name. She was laid down on 30 January 1943 and launched on 29 November 1943.

Wartime service
After her commissioning, she served primarily in Northern waters, escorting Russian convoys and was engaged in the search for the German battleship Tirpitz. On 11 December 1944, she was hit by a torpedo from the U-boat U-365 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Diether Todenhagen. 62 men died in the attack and she was towed, first by HMS Bahamas (K503) and then by a Soviet Navy tugboat to Kola inlet. U-365 was sunk with all hands two days later by a Fairey Swordfish launched from HMS Campania (D48).

Post war service
After the war, her repairs were completed and she served in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Cassandra was modernised by Yarrow and Company and re-entered service in April 1960. She was placed in reserve until paying off in January 1966. She arrived at the breaker's yard for scrapping on 28 April 1967.