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.

09 January 1959

Crossing the Line Ceremony

12 January 1959

Dawin. Sailed for Honiara. Solomen Isles

23 January 1959

23- 28 January.        Auckand, New Zealand

30 January 1959

30 January – 3 February.       Nelson. New Zealand

06 February 1959

6 – 11 February.        Hobart, Tasmania

13 February 1959

13 – 26 February.       Sydney

04 March 1959

4 – 9 March.    Adelaide

 

On leaving harbour HMSA Voyager led on down the river with HMS Cossack in company to rendezvous with the fleet. Later joined with ALBION, MELBOURNE, ROYALIST, CHICHESTER, CHEVIOT, RELIANT, RESURGENT and OLNA. The Bight was quite tame and it was a pleasant passage.

14 March 1959

14 – 17 March.      Fremantle

“On the morning of Saturday, March 14, when the Fleet entered Fremantle, we were given a real Western Australian welcome. Trips into the country had been arranged, parties had been organised and sporting fixtures planned. The weather has been wonderful and much time been spent on the beaches of North Cottesloe and Scarborough.”

26 March 1959

26 March – 2 April.     Singapore. FOTEX begins

VOYAGER departed Singapore on 2nd April 1959, in company with the cruiser, HMS Ceylon. Also in company were HM ships NEWFOUNDLAND, CHEVIOT, COSSACK, CARDIGAN BAY, ST. BRIDES BAY, ALERT, and HMA ships QUIBERON and QUEENBOROUGH. The ships took part in Exercise FOTEX, a weapon training period designed to provide an opportunity for Commonwealth ships on the Far East Station to work up their weapon efficiency prior to Exercise Sea Demon.

04 April 1959

4 – 6 April.        Paulau Tioman

06 April 1959

Rendered medical assistance to US Submarine Caiman

08 April 1959

8 – 13 April .         FOTEX

14 April 1959

14 – 27 April.   Exercise SEA DEMON

28 April 1959

Manila

02 May 1959

Hong Kong

09 May 1959

Departed for Inchon and Tokyo

13 May 1959

13 – 16 May.  Inchon. South Korea

19 May 1959

19 – 25 May.         Tokyo

25 May 1959

On leaving Tokyo on 25th May 1959 COSSACK was to spend 21 of the next 27days at sea.   Her stay in Hong Kong was for just a weekend before sailing for North Borneo to join in Exercise Saddle Up.   This was a landing exercise with American and British troops being landed from American landing craft under covering fire provided by British, Australian and American ships.

The five day visit to Kudat in North Borneo on completion of the exercise was marred by the death of Able Seaman Brennan who …

On leaving Tokyo on 25th May 1959 COSSACK was to spend 21 of the next 27days at sea.   Her stay in Hong Kong was for just a weekend before sailing for North Borneo to join in Exercise Saddle Up.   This was a landing exercise with American and British troops being landed from American landing craft under covering fire provided by British, Australian and American ships.

The five day visit to Kudat in North Borneo on completion of the exercise was marred by the death of Able Seaman Brennan who fell overboard from a local craft whilst returning to the ship from a shore visit and was drowned. His body was not recovered until two days later.   COSSACK sailed from Kudat on 14th June 1959 and Able Seaman Brennan was buried at sea with full naval honours.”

02 June 1959

Hong Kong

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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.

Anchor crest

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