REVIEW OF THE RESERVE FLEET
Weymouth Bay on Wednesday, 9 August 1939


The Review of the British Reserve Fleet - and other units, totalling 133 ships - took place in Weymouth Bay on Wednesday 9 August 1939. King George VI arrived in the yacht Victoria and Albert on the 8th. The principal function of this Review was to introduce King George VI to some sixty commanding officers on board light cruiser Effingham and to inspect the warships prior to re-commissioning.

The ships participating in this Review were battleships Ramillies and Revenge and training ship Iron Duke, loaned from the Home Fleet, aircraft carrier Courageous, light cruisers Caledon, Calypso, Capetown, Caradoc, Cardiff, Ceres, Colombo, Danae, Dauntless, Despatch,Diomede, Dragon, Dunedin, Effingham, Emerald, Enterprise, minelaying cruiser Adventure, destroyers Acasta, Achates, Acheron, Amazon, Antelope, Ardent, Arrow, Basilisk, Boadicea, Brazen, Brilliant, Broke, Eclipse, Electra, Encounter, Escapade, Esk, Exmouth, Express, Keith, Kempenfelt, Keppel, Malcolm, Scimitar, Skate, Sturdy and the following V & W Class destroyers and Class Leaders

V & W Class destroyers
Vanessa, Vanquisher, Vansittart, Velox, Venetia, Venomous, Verity, Versatile, Vesper, Vidette, Vimy, Vivacious, Volunteer, Vortigern, Wakeful, Walker, Walpole, Wanderer, Warwick, Watchman, Wessex, Whirlwind, Whitehall, Whitley, Winchelsea, Witch, Witherington, Wivern, Wolverine and Wren

V & W Class Leaders
Keppel, Malcolm,

Submarines H.31, H.32, H.33, H.44, H.49, L 27, Oberon, Osiris, Otway, Spearfish, Sturgeon, Swordfish, Unity, Ursula, sloop Bittern, patrol sloops Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Mallard, minesweepers Bramble, Saltburn, Selkirk, Sphinx, motor torpedo boats MTB.22, MTB.102, motor anti-submarine boats MA/SB.3, MA/SB.4, MA/SB.5, trawlers Alder, Basset, Beech, Berberis, Cornelian, Hornbeam, Larch, Myrtle, Oak, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Tamarisk, Topaze, Tourmaline, drifters Horizon, Indian summer, Mist, Sheen, Shower, submarine tenders Elfin, Titania, seaplane tender Pegasus, cable ship Lasso, tug St Fagan and boom defence vessel Coronet.

A and B class destroyers Acasta, Achates, Acheron, Amazon, Antelope, Anthony, Ardent, Arrow, Basilisk, Beagle, Brazen were attached to the Reserve Fleet for the Review. All but Achates, which was attached to the 6th Submarine Flotilla and arrived at Portland on the 5th, arrived at Weymouth Bay on the 8th.

The principal function of this Review was to introduce King George VI to some sixty commanding officers on board light cruiser Effingham and to inspect the warships prior to re-commissioning.

King George VI went aboard Cardiff and Effingham, inspected 1500 Reservists drawn by ballot on the flight deck of Courageous, inspected the workings of a submarine aboard Otway, and went aboard destroyer Exmouth and trawler Myrtle.

The ships of the Reserve Fleet began to disperse to their war stations that night."

Click on the link to see a newsreel of the ships taking part in the review
The V & W Class destroyers in the film are highlighted in the list above





If you have stories or photographs of the V & W Class destroyer adopted by your town please contact Bill Forster


Return to the Home Page of the V & W Destroyer Association
Return to the Index Page for the 69 V & W Class Destroyers