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 1940
Departed Scapa Flow at 0215 to find and escort damaged submarine SHARK to Rosyth. (SHARK was captured before the force arrived)
Whilst off Denmark German ME110s attacked and shot down two British Bleneims. (M254 and N254). 1214 COSSACK picked up three airmen before being attacked by HE111s.
ADM 1 / 10830 – Awards to Members of the crew of HMS Cossack – Humane Society –At 1050 a British aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters and crashed near HMS Cossack. Sgt Johnstone was thrown out of the plane as sit struck the water. Cossack stopped about 100 yards short of the aircraft and Lt Gretton immediately jumped fully clothed into the water, which was thick with petrol, to assist the sergeant to safely reach the ship. This was regardless of the fact that Cossacks propellers were still in motion and that the ship may have to leave the scene if enemy aircraft arrived leaving him and the plane crew behind. Lt Gretton was awarded the Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Vellum.
Rosyth (There are some minor discrepancies between sources for the dates 6 to 8 July)
07 July 1940
Departed Rosyth as Screen for Home Fleet for major warships during an unsuccessful search for submarine HMS Shark in difficulties off Norway. (SHARK was damaged by air attacks and sunk by German minesweepers.
‘Sea War 1939 – 1945’ shows on page 79 a photograph of HMS Shark (Submarine minelayer) in Wilhelmshaven 5 June 1940 after being captured by two German Ar 196 A-3 floatplanes on Sunday 5 May 1940. (The name on the conning tower shows SEAL) The submarine had been badly damaged by a mine the previous evening (page 780)
