World War II Database

HMS Express was originally built as a minelayer, and it was in this role she entered the European War in Sep 1939. As a member of the 20th (Minelaying) Destroyer Flotilla, she spent 1939 and 1940 laying mines in British and enemy waters, but during this time, she embarked on two special missions. First, in Sep 1939, she transported Duke and Duchess of Windsor from Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom to Cherbourg, France. Then, in 1940, she evacuated 2,795 men of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, France to England. On 31 Aug 1940, while laying offensive mines off the Dutch coast, Express struck a mine during the night time hours, destroying how bow. Friendly ships Esk and Ivanhoe attempted to approach to assist, but they each struck mines as well. Express was eventually towed back to Britain; 4 officers and 55 men were lost. Esk and Ivanhoe sunk.

Repairs on Express lasted until Sep 1941 when she emerged as a fleet destroyer. In Oct, she escorted battleship Prince of Wales to Cape Town in South Africa, arriving on 16 Nov. They departed Cape Town on 18 Nov and reached Colombo, Ceylon on 28 Nov. On the subsequent days, they were joined by various warships, including the battlecruiser Repulse. The group was moved to Singapore

On 8 Dec 1941, Singapore was attacked by Japanese aircraft. At 1730, Prince of Wales and Repulse, escorted by Express, Electra, Vampire (Australian ship), and Tenedos. At 1830 on 9 Dec, Tenedos returned to Singapore due to lack of fuel. At 2055, the task force began to turn around and sailed for Singapore, but was spotted by Japanese submarine I-58 around that time. On the next day, Express was detached to investigate a rumored Japanese invasion at Kuantan, Malaya, which turned out to be false. The task force was attacked by 85 Japanese aircraft during Express' absence, resulting in the sinking of both Repulse and Prince of Wales. The two accompanying destroyers, joined by Express that returned shortly after, rescued more than 1,000 survivors. After the Battle off Kuantan, Express remained in the Indian Ocean as part of the Eastern Fleet until late 1942.

In Jun 1943, Express was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and was renamed HMCS Gatineau. Under the Canadian banner, she served in the Atlantic Ocean for the remainder of WW2. She was broken up for scrap in 1955.

Photographs

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