HMS Talybont

HMS Talybont was a Type III Hunt-class escort destroyer which served in the Royal Navy.

[1] The Hunt class was meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet.

[1] German air raids on the shipyard slowed construction of the ship,[4] with Talybont not being launched until 3 February 1943 and commissioning on 19 May that year.

[6] 345 long tons (351 t) of oil fuel were carried, giving a range of 3,700 nautical miles (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[7] Main gun armament was four 4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI dual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in two twin mounts, with a quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" and three Oerlikon 20 mm cannon providing close-in anti-aircraft fire.

[4] On 22 October 1943, Talybont, together with sister ships Limbourne, Stevenstone and Wensleydale, the destroyers Grenville and Rocket and the light cruiser Charybdis set out from Plymouth to intercept the German blockade runner Münsterland.

[16][17][18] The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 saw Talybont assigned to the support forces for the American landings at Omaha Beach.

[20][21] On 17 June Talybont was on patrol off Cherbourg when she was damaged by a near miss from German shore batteries (claimed to be from a 170 mm shell) rupturing a steam pipe and knocking out a boiler room.

[5][16] On completion of the refit, Talybont joined the Mediterranean Fleet,[b] and patrolled off the coast of Palestine to stop ships carrying illegal Jewish migrants.

On 26 June 1946, Talybont, together with the destroyer Venus intercepted the steamer Josiah Wedgewood, formerly the Canadian corvette Beauharnois, carrying 1250 Jewish refugees.