HMS Active

ref:Flix000001 2008 48 004

Related Types	Activities Involve \| Assignments Cover
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Ship	HMS Active

Operated By Country	Great Britain
Unit Type	Ship
Ship Class Image
Ship Class	HMS A Class
Ship Type	Destroyer

Involved In Activity	1940 07 03 0100 Surface Action Battle Of Mers El Kebir, Algeria
as	N
Details	Email Contribution: My grand father Louis Collinet was not the Captain of the Dunkerque in battle of Mers el Kebir (1940 07 03), but Captain of the Strasbourg. The Strasbourg was the only ship, which escaped to Toulon harbor. The grand Mother of Louis Collinet was english and he had british education. When the English naval forces came on the morning of 1940 07 03, he discretly prepared the machine of the ship and gave the order to cut the main anchor chains of Strasbourg and to fix small cable to prepare the escape. When the ship gone away my grand father refused to make fire on the Hood besause he considered that English navy was still 'allies' ! Email Contribution: From: Jean Marie Piquet Subject: French cruiser Strasbourg in the battle of Mers-El Kebir The story told by the grandson of the Strasbourg's commandant was reported to me differently by the then officer in charge of Gun-control of the battleship that day, while she was cruising at full speed towards Toulon, hunted by a force of destroyers and the HOOD.: This officer reported to the commandant that due to sunset, the British ships would be in unfavourable conditions to signt the ship and that an opportunity existed to steer 90 degrees unseen and hit the HOOD by the flank, over the heads of the destroyers. Answer from the commandant was "There has been enough casualties for today!" Years later, after retirements, they both met for a dinner in my father's home and he confessed that he was one of the few French officers to know that British battleships were equipped with the first generation of radars which allowed them to track enemy units even in the dark. He thus could not explain his decision to forge ahead instead of taking a brave but foolish stand.
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Postings	0

	Abbreviation
	H14

Units
	Operated By Country
	Great Britain

Ships
	Built By Shipbuilder	Laid Down YMD	Launch YMD	Commissioned YMD	Final YMD	On Slip	Fitting Out	Total Building	Life Year
	Hawthorn Leslie At Hebburn	1928 Jul 10	1929 Jul 09	1930 Feb 09	1947 May 20	364day	215day	579day	17.27yr

Assignments
1) Covered By Assignment	2) 1: Assign To Unit	3) 2: Covered By Assignment	4) 3: Assign To Unit
1930-May-01 HMS Acasta - HMS Achates - HMS Acheron - - HMS Antelope - HMS Anthony - HMS Ardent - HMS Arrow - RN 3rd Destroyer Flotilla	RN 3rd Destroyer Flotilla	1930 May 01 - RN Mediterranean Fleet	RN Mediterranean Fleet
		1940_Jan_01 - RN Home Fleet	RN Home Fleet
		1945 Jan 01 - RN Mediterranean Fleet	RN Mediterranean Fleet
1939-Jan-01 - RN 13th Destroyer Flotilla	RN 13th Destroyer Flotilla	1940_Jan_01 - BR Gibraltar	BR Gibraltar

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