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.

06 July 1939

Arrived Malta from Alexandria/Pero Bay/Crete at 0630 with Captain De Pass and 220 ship’s company.

12 July 1939

Taken in hand for docking. Defects completed 29 July 1939

30 July 1939

Departed Malta. 1030. Ships in company WARSPITE,  MAORI, NUBIAN and ZULU. (Malta Customs Log entry 1838)

01 August 1939

Deployed with 4th Flotilla in the Mediterranean with WARSPITE, MAORI, NUBIAN and ZULU for a good will visit to Istanbul for a conference with the Turkish military in regards to the coming hostilities with Germany and Italy. (A Sailors Odyssey – Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT,GCB, OM, DSO)

02 August 1939

Arrived in Istanbul

06 August 1939

Departed the Bosphorus. The force exercised off Rhodes before returning to Alexandria.  ABC (Admiral Cunningham) in WARSPITE details manoeuvres for ships to pass across his bows between him and the ship ahead. Whilst carrying out this exercise MAORI’s rudder jammed and she narrowly missed the WARSPITE.  ABC asked what happened -–MAORI replied ‘Steering gear jammed’. ABC replied ‘Well done but do not let it happen again’.  COSSACK interjected ‘Our sea boat was manned ready to pick up survivors!’

11 August 1939

Arrived Limasol (Cyprus)

12 August 1939

Departed Limasol for Latzi (Cyprus) arriving the same day

14 August 1939

Departed Latzi for exercises

15 August 1939

Arrived Latzi

17 August 1939

Departed Latzi for Kyrenia (Cyprus) arriving the same day.

22 August 1939

Departed Kyrenia. Barcelona to collect the British Consul. (He slipped and broke a leg boarding the ship’s boat!) 30 knot dash to Marseilles.

01 September 1939

Outbreak of war.  Mediterranean (Alexandria/Crete/ Malta)

Convoying of French troops from Marseilles to Algiers until October.

Deployed for escort of convoys between Marseilles and Mediterranean ports

03 September 1939

Alexandria. Received plain language message

’Commence hostilities with Germany forthwith’
04 September 1939

Together with the cruiser SUSSEX and destroyers MAORI, NUBIAN and ZULU departed Alexandria at 1930 to relieve the light cruiser ARETHUSA and her destroyers on patrol.

07 September 1939

The patrol was terminated and the destroyers were sent to escort convoy Green 1 (25 merchant ships) from 10 September 1939

08 September 1939

Following a patrol of Crete arrived at Malta at 0815 with De Pass and 220 ship’s company. (Malta Customs Log entry 2531)

09 September 1939

Departed Malta at 0300. Ships in company – MAORI, NUBIAN and ZULU. (Malta Custom Log entry 2531)

10 September 1939

Escort to convoy Green 1  (AB 2 Slow UK to Gibraltar) relived by COSSACK, MAORI, NUBIAN and ZULU. Joined by French torpedo boat POMONE from 0745.

11 September 1939

COSSACK and ZULU attack a submarine contact.

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.

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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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