HMS Malines

[PT Dockyard]

The Malines was a Channell ferry that was later modified as a "Convoy Escort." She was torpedoed off Egypt in 1942 and beached.

Can anyone provide details of her armament?



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Malines_(1921)


Thanks
Dave G
The PT Dockyard

[Prosper Vandenbroucke]

Hi Dave,
I didn't know if that ship had an armement:
http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/M-Ships ... s1921.html
Kindly regards
Prosper

[PT Dockyard]

From Wikipedia:
"In 1940 she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Malines. She was used as an auxiliary Convoy Escort Vessel. On 19 July 1942 she was torpedoed by German aircraft and beached near Port Said, Egypt"

It appears that she has gun positions aft. I would imagine she would need something if she was an escort, especially by 1942.

With this picture probably from her salvage it is likely the weapons were removed during the months between when she was beached and this time (January 1943).

Dave G

[David Reasoner]

FWIW, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-46 and Navypedia both credit her with 1 x 4"/45 Mk.V QF. Her sister Antwerp mounted the same gun forward, plus 4 x 2-pdr AA.

http://navypedia.org/ships/uk/brit_aux_ce.htm

I'm guessing a similar scheme to Antwerp, with the 4" forward, and possibly one or more 2-pdr AA (or some other light AA weapon) in the gun tub visible aft in your photo.

David

[Urmel]

No significant events?

[Sheldrake]

No significant events?

There is more

Sister to ANTWERP and BRUGES, she was the last vessel built for the G.E.R. In May 1940 she was sent to Rotterdam to evacuate British civilians, under heavy bombing attacks by the advancing Germans she also collected the crew from the scuttled ST. DENIS and sailed unlit at night.

Impressed for the Dunkirk evacuation, she made two trips back to Dover and Folkestone with a total of 1469 troops, some rescued from the sinking destroyer H.M.S. GRAFTON. In June 1940 she took part in the evacuations from Cherbourg, Jersey and Guernsey to Southampton and Weymouth.

Requisitioned by the Admiralty in late 1940 and commissioned as a convoy escort H.M.S. MALINES, she sailed to the Mediterranean via the Cape. She operated as a troopship for much of the time. On 19 July 1942 she was torpedoed by German aircraft and beached near Port Said, but was refloated in January 1943 and transferred to the Ministry of War Transport, becoming a training ship at Kabret in early 1944.

Arriving back in the Tyne under tow in November 1945, she was laid up unrepaired and broken up at Dunston on Tyne in April 1948.

https://www.lner.info/ships/GER/malines.php

I think she was used as a troop transport to and from Tobruck, but it had fallen by the time she was torpedoed

[Dili]

Any idea when she arrived to the Mediterranean?

[Andy H]

Hi

Hope this helps.

"6/12/41-MALINES sailed from Capetown at 1253GMT for D.G. range and then H/A shoot leaving searched channel, sailing for Durban at 1650GMT

9/12/41-MALINES arrived at Durban at 1302GMT and departed for Mombasa at 2048GMT.

arrived Alexandria on 27/12/41 under Lt L N Mates RNR (http://www.unithistories.com/officers/R ... cersM.html for Lt Mates Bio)

from https://www.naval-history.net

Regards

Andy H

[Dili]

Indeed it does. Thanks Andy.

[PT Dockyard]

Yes, Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for.

Dave

[mjmates]

According to the account of the torpedo-bomber attack on HMS Malines, gunfire used against the attacking aircraft was two 2pdr pom-poms and two oerlikons. Wikipedia is in error on the date (it was 22, not 19 July) and the air force (it was two Italian Savoia Sparviero 79s, not Germans. I can send a copy of that report.
Regards,
Michael

[clash01]

Hi ive just joined as I was looking for some info on HMS Malines as I found headstone in my local cemetery .. when the ship was broken up here in my local town in 1948 two dead sailors where found... this is their headstone... https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfitzpa ... 4/sizes/h/

[Terry Duncan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Malines_(1921)

https://www.google.com/search?q=SS_Mali ... UV8AGSlL_M:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=SS_Malines_(1 ... SLK036.jpg