HMS Durban (D99) - Wartime Service

Wartime Service

On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Durban was recommissioned and assigned to the 9th Cruiser Squadron in the South Atlantic Command. In March 1940 she was operating in the Indian Ocean and was then transferred to the Eastern Fleet based at Singapore. Here she became a unit of the British Malaysian Force with her two sister ships, HMS Danae and HMS Dauntless. The unit kept watch on German merchant ships in the Dutch East Indies harbours, with Durban's patrol area being off Padang. On 10 November 1940 the Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob reported being attacked by the German raider Atlantis between Ceylon, and the north end of Sumatra. A force was hastily assembled, comprising Durban and the cruisers HMS Capetown, HMAS Canberra and the armed merchant cruiser HMAS Westralia to hunt for the Atlantis. The task force was however unable to locate the raider.

In 1941 Durban, with her sister HMS Dragon, was escorting convoys between Singapore and the Sunda Straits. In February, she escorted the RMS Queen Mary, then carrying the first Australian Imperial Force troops for Malaya, into Singapore, arriving on the 18th. In November, she escorted the troopship Zealandia into Singapore, after relieving HMAS Sydney which had escorted the Zealandia from Fremantle.

In February 1942 Durban moved with the rest of the Eastern Fleet to Java, after the Japanese started their attack on Singapore. Durban was damaged by bombing before she could leave, but in company with HMS Dragon was able to make it to Tandjong Priok, the port of Batavia. She then put in to Colombo for temporary repairs. She then travelled to New York, arriving in April, where full repairs were completed. Durban then returned to Britain, where further modifications were made in Portsmouth between June and August. She then escorted convoys from Britain to South Africa.

On 8 December 1942 the ship grounded in the entrance to Mombasa harbour. After refloating she was drydocked in Bombay. In February 1943 Durban was again in New York for repairs, and by June had returned to South Africa, docking at Simonstown, before rejoining the Eastern Fleet. In November, she once again returned to Britain to be paid off into the reserve. She was then one of the ships selected to be scuttled to form a breakwater for the Mulberry harbours that would be used to support the Battle of Normandy.

Subsequently, on 9 June 1944 Durban was scuttled to form part of the Gooseberry 5 breakwater for protecting the artificial harbour off Ouistreham in the Seine Bay. The wreck currently lies in 11 meters of water.