During the 2nd WW the ship was adopted by Beckenham, Kent. As the sister of Lt Cmdr P Vian (Later Admiral) – Marian Vian had a school in Beckenham named after her. Reg Morrison passed the 11 plus whilst attending in 1942. A plaque marking the adoption was put up in the town hall. This building was demolished in 1991 to make way for a supermarket. The area is now under the London Borough of Bromley.

HMS Cossack F03

Year by Year

Discover the history of the HMS Cossack from 1938 to 1941.

You can search the ‘year’ and ‘month’ to find a specific date and also ‘click’ on the date itself to reveal any images and moments from that date.

16 August 1938

Departed Malta (Malta Customs Log entry 1768 and Dusty Rhodes (L03).

18 August 1938

Arrive Palma

20 August 1938

Depart Palma

21 August 1938

Arrive and depart Gandia

22 August 1938

Arrive Marseilles

25 August 1938

Depart Marseilles

26 August 1938

Arrive Caldetas

27 August 1938

Depart Caldetas

28 August 1938

Arrive Palma

01 September 1938

Depart Palma

03 September 1938

Arrived at Malta from Palma with Captain De Pass and 225 ship’s company. Departed 1200 16 September 1939. (Malta Customs Log entry 2264)

19 September 1938

Arrived Istanbul accompanied by AFRIDI. Detachment of seamen marched through the town with fixed bayonets and paraded at the local football ground.

22 September 1938

Departed Istanbul

23 September 1938

Arrived at Alexandria

25 September 1938

Departed Alexandria

26 October 1938

Arrived at Cyprus

02 November 1938

Departed Cyprus

03 November 1938

Arrived at Alexandria

05 November 1938

Departed Alexandria

09 November 1938

Arrived at Malta from Alexander at 1040 with Captain De Pass and 215 ship’s company. Departed 1040 10 January 1939. Ships in company – AFRIDI, ARETHUSA, BARHAM, DEVONSHIRE, GALATEA, GALLANT, GARLAND, GIPSY, GLORIOUS, GLOWORM, GRAFTON, GRENVILLE, GREYHOUND, GRIFFIN, HOOD, MALAYA, PENELOPE, WARSPITE. (Malta Custom Log entry 2005) Dusty Rhodes of L03 records the departure as 23 February 1939.

Hidden Gems

The HMS Cossack 1938-1941 was accepted on 10 June 1938 and dented, whilst coming alongside the jetty in Portsmouth on 12 June 1938.

1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

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1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

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1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

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1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

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1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

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1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

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