HMS Meynell (L82)

HMS Meynell was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was sold to Ecuador in 1954 where she served as Presidente Velasco Ibarra.

HMS Meynell in 1941 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Meynell
Ordered:	11 April 1939
Builder:	Swan Hunter, Wallsend
Laid down:	10 August 1939
Launched:	7 June 1940
Commissioned:	10 December 1940
Identification:	pennant number:L82
Fate:	Sold to Ecuador, 1954
Badge:	On a Field Red, an escallop Gold charged with a fox's mask Red
Ecuador
Name:	Presidente Velasco Ibarra
Acquired:	18 October 1954
Commissioned:	16 August 1955
Decommissioned:	1978
Identification:	DD2
Fate:	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type I Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) full load
Length:	85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) o/a
Beam:	9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught:	2.51 m (8 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Speed:	27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h) 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) full
Range:	3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)
Complement:	164
Armament:	6 × QF 4 in Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III 110 depth charges, 2 throwers, 3 racks

History in the Royal Navy

Meynell was ordered on 11 April 1939 from Swan Hunter on the Tyne where she was laid down on 10 August 1939 as Job No. 4117. She was launched on 7 June 1940 and commissioned on 30 December.[1] She was adopted by the civil community of Ashbourne, Derbyshire as part of Warship Week in 1942.

She was part of the 21st Destroyer Flotilla throughout the Second World War and was mostly employed in escorting east coast convoys. In February and March 1943 she was an escort for the arctic convoy JW 53 to Russia and the return convoy RA 53 back to the UK. She also served off Normandy after the landings.[1]

Battle honours awarded were English Channel 1941-1943, North Sea 1941-1945, Arctic 1943 and Normandy 1944.

After the end of the war her armament was removed and she was converted to an aircraft target ship serving in the Mediterranean. However, by the end of 1946 she had been reduced to the reserve, initially at Harwich then subsequently Sheerness and finally Barrow.[1]

In 1954 she was sold to Ecuador.[2]

History in the Ecuadorian Navy

Following sale Meynell underwent a refit by J. Samuel White and Company, on the Isle of Wight, which was completed in 1955.

She was commissioned as Presidente Velasco Ibarra in August 1955.[3]

She served until 1978, when she was struck from the active list, before being sold for scrapping.

References

1. English, John (1987). The Hunts : a history of the design, development and careers of 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. Cumbria, England: World Ship Society. p. 16. ISBN 0905617444.
2. Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. p. 28. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.
3. Raymond V B Blackman (ed.). Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4,. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 123.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• English, John (1987). The Hunts: A history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-44-4.