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.

08 November 1951

Chinese invade and take T’an-do.

11 November 1951

CCRAK deploys its first Tactical Liaison Office team to US infantry division. Mission – dispatching and retrieving agents through front line positions. Later TLOs will conduct long range patrols behind enemy lines.

14 November 1951

Extract  from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Hong Kong. I am most distressed to hear that you have been seedy darling and do hope you are more rested now. I doubt if you ought to be playing football and cricket with Timothy and Peter! Ease up a bit”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

15 November 1951

Chinese take Ae-do.

24 November 1951

Chinese take Sohwa-do

24 November 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg” Hong Kong.Here I am becomingthroughly disgruntled. Our refit has been extended to 6th Jan – another two weeks making nine weeks in all”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

29 November 1951

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Hong Kong. They seem to have stopped  shooting in Korea for the moment. I am not sanguine of their keeping it that way”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

30 November 1951

Chinese land on Taehwa-do. Vicious fighting between Donkey 15, supported with naval gunfire from HMS Cossack, fails to stop landing.

24 December 1951

Hong Kong.

Statistics for 1950 – 1951 commission

Steamed 88,000 miles at an average speed of 13.9 knots

Used 19000 tons of fuel whilst under way for 65000 hours

Steam was on the engines for 890 days and the propeller turned nearly 51 million revolutions.

4168 rounds of 4.5 inch and 2400 rounds of Bofor were fired at the enemy in 171 separate bombardments

There were 30 occasions of oiling and 115 transfers at sea.

11 January 1952

extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. Bored with being at sea in the very cold rough weather…. R says her Cosistove is heaven – wich is a great joy”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

17 January 1952

17 January – 10 February          Hong Kong and area

Captain W.A. Adair takes command until May 1953

18 January 1952

Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Hong Kong. Welcome news that the old man is holding his own. I do hope he is not suffering too much and pray that all will be well. It is really getting close now till the time I shall be back – less than a month”

By kind permission of Peter Begg

13 February 1952

13- 15 February             Sasebo

15 February 1952

West Coast Korea Patrol

16 February 1952

Yellow Sea. The marine Corsairs landed on Bairoko on 11 February 1952 and the escort carrier, in company with escorts HMS Charity (D.29) and HMS Cossack (D.57), took up position in the Yellow Sea on the 16th. For the next nine days, Bairoko launched Corsair fighters for patrol sweeps and targets-of-opportunity strikes between the Yesong and Taedong Rivers in Korea. During the 121 combat sorties flown in this period, her planes bombed and strafed communist-held bridges, enemy gun positions, and s…

Yellow Sea. The marine Corsairs landed on Bairoko on 11 February 1952 and the escort carrier, in company with escorts HMS Charity (D.29) and HMS Cossack (D.57), took up position in the Yellow Sea on the 16th. For the next nine days, Bairoko launched Corsair fighters for patrol sweeps and targets-of-opportunity strikes between the Yesong and Taedong Rivers in Korea. During the 121 combat sorties flown in this period, her planes bombed and strafed communist-held bridges, enemy gun positions, and supply vehicles. The warship returned to Sasebo on 25 February for fuel, ammunition, and provisions. (source WWW.)

23 February 1952

COSSACK  detached from task force to carry out night patrol assignment in the Paengnyong-Do Kirin-Do area.

24 February 1952

Cossack with HMS Charity and USS Bairoko (with VMF-312 embarked) departed operational area for Sasebo. Japan

25 February 1952

Enroute Sasebo. Carries out anti aircraft firing practice in area GEORGE.  Arrived Sasebo.

27 February 1952

West Coast Korean Patrol

16 March 1952

Kure

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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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