Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Hello mate,

My nan lost her brother on HMS Lively in ww2 and is ill herself and is always going on about how did he and the ship die/go down do you have any references to put her mind at rest please.

Many thanks

Tony Smith UK

HMS Lively at speed

A report on some of the actions in which HMS Lively was involved in during her short time in the Mediterranean prior to her being sunk on the 11th. of May in 1942, south of Crete by German Junker 88 aircraft.

9 Nov, 1941
The British Force K, made up of the British light cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Penelope and the British destroyers HMS Lance and HMS Lively, intercept an Italian convoy some 130 south-west off Calabria in approximate position 37.08N, 18.09E. The Italian convoy is bound from Naples to Tripoli.

In the resulting battle the Italian destroyer Fulmine (1240 tons) is sunk as well as the German transports Duisburg (7389 BRT) and San Marco (3113 BRT), the Italian transports Maria (6339 BRT), Sagitta (5153 BRT) and Rina Corrado (5180 BRT), and the Italian oilers Conte di Misurata (5014 BRT) and Minatitlan (7599 BRT). The Italian destroyers Grecale and Euro are damaged. (see map)

24 Nov, 1941
The British Force K, made up of the British light cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Penelope and the British destroyers HMS Lance and HMS Lively, intercept an Axis convoy some 100 miles west of Crete. The Axis convoy is bound from the Aegean to Bengasi.

The two German tansports in the convoy Maritza (2910 BRT) and Procida (1842 BRT) are both sunk by HMS Penelope and HMS Lively dispite the presence of the Italian torpedo boats Lupo and Cassiopea.

1 Dec, 1941
Acting on an ULTRA intercept, HMS Penelope sailed from Malta in the evening of 30 November with the British light cruisers HMS Neptune, HMS Aurora, HMS Ajax and the British destroyers HMS Kimberley, HMS Kingston and HMS Lively.
At 0330 hrs of 1/12 the British intercept and sink the Italian transport Adriatico (1976 BRT) then proceed towards the Lybian coast.
At a point 60 nm NNW of Tripoli, Penelope, Aurora and Lively intercept a small convoy consisting of the Italian oiler Iridio Mantovani (10540 BRT) escorted by the Italian destroyer Alvise da Mosto (2125 tons) and sink both.

19 Dec, 1941
While on their way to intercept an Italian convoy bound for Tripoli the British Force K (light cruisers HMS Neptune, HMS Aurora, HMS Penelope and the destroyers HMS Kandahar, HMS Lance, HMS Lively and HMS Havock) ran into an newly laid Italian minefield. HMS Neptune and HMS Kandahar sank while HMS Aurora was badly and HMS Penelope was lightly damaged. HMS Aurora was patched up at Malta before returning home for repairs at Liverpool from April to June 1942. HMS Penelope was repaired at Malta.

Dear Mac,

Thanks for the reply! Hereby attached, the copy of HMS Lively, hope it can be of some help to someone.

John Thompson

"HMS LIVELY A brief history of an L Class destroyer" by John Thompson

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