HMS Offa (G29) explained

HMS Offa was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which entered service in 1941 and was scrapped in 1959.

Service history

Second World War service

During November 1941 Offa was part of the escort of Convoy PQ 4, the fifth of the Arctic Convoys of the Second World War. The convoy sailed from Hvalfjord, Iceland on 17 November 1941 and arrived at Arkhangelsk on 28 November 1941.^[1]

On 14 September 1942 Offa (Lt.Cdr. R.A. Ewing) picked up survivors from the British tanker which had been damaged by a torpedo from the south west of Bear Island.

On 26 January 1944 Offa picked up survivors from the British merchant that was sunk by a torpedo from the in the Barents Sea north of North Cape.

She took part in the King's Birthday celebrations at Kiel on 2 June 1945 together with HMS Obedient

Postwar service

In 1946 Offa served as a target ship for submarines, until being placed in reserve at Devonport in February 1948.^[2] In April 1948 she was refitted at Devonport and on 30 November 1949 she was transferred to Pakistan and renamed Tariq.

She was returned to the Royal Navy at Portsmouth in July 1959. She was then scrapped, arriving at Sunderland on 13 October 1959.^[3]

References

• • Book: Connell. G. G.. Arctic Destroyers: The 17th Flotilla. 1982. William Kimber. London. 0-7183-0428-4.
• Book: English, John. Obdurate to Daring: British Fleet Destroyers 1941–45. World Ship Society. Windsor, UK. 2001. 978-0-9560769-0-8.
• Book: Friedman, Norman. British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2006. 1-86176-137-6.
• Book: Lenton, H. T.. Henry Trevor Lenton

. Henry Trevor Lenton. British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 1998. 1-55750-048-7.

• Book: Raven, Alan. Roberts. John . War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. Bivouac Books. London. 1978. 0-85680-010-4.
• Book: Rohwer, Jürgen. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005. Third Revised. 1-59114-119-2.
• Book: Whitley, M. J.. Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. 1988. 0-87021-326-1. Annapolis, Maryland. Michael J. Whitley.

Notes and References

1. Book: Woodman, Richard . Arctic Convoys 1941–1945 . 1994 . 0-7195-5752-6.
2. Book: Critchley, Mike . British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers . Maritime Books . Liskeard, UK . 1982 . 0-9506323-9-2 . 14.
3. Web site: Pakistan Navy . battleships-cruisers.co.uk . 4 April 2015.