Year by Year - HMS Cossack

During Warship Week in February 1942, Esher raised £1,192,211, which helped to build a warship, ‘HMS Cossack’. This was done by the public throwing money in to a rubber type float in a pool. (There was sufficient money left over to buy a submarine as well).

The story continues.

HMS COSSACK (ii) (R57)

Year by Year

Discover the history of the HMS Cossack from 1944 to 1960.

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.

22 August 1945

Commissioned as R57 (Pennant number changed after VJ Day to D57. Armed at Chatham.

04 September 1945

Completed. Nominated for service with 6^th Destroyer Flotilla, British Pacific Fleet as Senior Officer’s Ship

10 September 1945

The Tyne

11 September 1945

Arrived at the Nore for docking

03 October 1945

Arrived at Portland

14 October 1945

Weymouth

15 October 1945

Departed Portland

18 October 1945

Arrived at Gibraltar

20 October 1945

Departed Gibraltar

23 October 1945

Arrived at Malta

14 December 1945

Departed Malta

18 December 1945

Arrived at Port Said

19 December 1945

Departed Port Said

23 December 1945

Arrived at Aden (No departure date) with COMRT and HOWE.

The engineering officer Commander Aleu called for volunteers to go around the Royal Navy ships in the harbour singing carols. Each ship they went to they sang carols and were invited on board for a drink. Finally, being very happy they decided to go on board a battleship which was the Admirals flagship. They decided to go up the red carpeted gangway reserved for the admiral. A young ensign was on guard at the top and seeing the v…

Arrived at Aden (No departure date) with COMRT and HOWE.

The engineering officer Commander Aleu called for volunteers to go around the Royal Navy ships in the harbour singing carols. Each ship they went to they sang carols and were invited on board for a drink. Finally, being very happy they decided to go on board a battleship which was the Admirals flagship. They decided to go up the red carpeted gangway reserved for the admiral. A young ensign was on guard at the top and seeing the very happy sailors coming towards him called out the marines who rushed to the top of the gangway armed to the teeth. The happy carolers decided it was time to do an about turn and went back to HMS Cossack. (Scott Walker)

02 January 1946

Arrived at Colombo

07 January 1946

Colombo to Singapore

08 January 1946

Malacca Straits. Arrived at Singapore

11 January 1946

Departed Singapore

12 January 1946

Singapore to Labuan

13 January 1946

Approaching Labuan

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.

READ MORE