HMS Virago (R75)

In addition to escorting the perilous Arctic convoys during 1943–44, Virago participated with other British destroyers in the Battle of North Cape on 26 December 1943, where her torpedoes helped sink the badly beaten {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||6}}, following a fierce fight between the Germans and the battleship {{HMS|Duke of York|17|2}}.Virago was unusual in having on its crew an American citizen, Douglas Hooker (1925–2006), who later wrote about his experiences in An American in the Royal Navy during World War II, published by Southwestern University, 2011. He eventually became a Professor of Psychology at Southwestern University, Texas. On 30 January 1944, while escorting Convoy JW 56B to Murmansk, Virago rescued 78 men from the stricken HMS {{HMS|Hardy|R08|2}}, whose stern had been blown off by an acoustic torpedo (resulting in 35 casualties).As described by Hooker (op cit.). Another member of the crew of Virago was Stanley Bonnett, a wireless operator, who later became a journalist and wrote a novel based on his time on board. The title of his novel Jump, Boy, Jump (Michael Joseph, 1979) was the order given by an officer on Virago to sailors on Hardy to jump ship at the opportune moment as the ships converged. Following a bow collision between the two ships, Virago disengaged and HMS {{HMS|Venus|R50|2}} rescued the rest of the crew and her officers (and then scuttled Hardy). On 3 April 1944 Virago escorted the carrier HMS {{HMS|Searcher|D40|2}} during Operation Tungsten, which was an inconclusive air attack on the {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz}} at her base in Kaafjord in the far north of Norway.

During the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 she fired on German positions behind Lion-sur-Mer on Sword Beach, and later gave cover fire for troops advancing inland.Hooker (op cit.) reports the Captain of Virago (Lt. Cdr. White) announcing his intention (on the eve of D Day) that "in the event of Virago sustaining damage enough to sink her, I will endeavor to beach her. We shall then fight our ship to the last man and the last shell", (page 57). Virago remained off the coast of Normandy at various stations providing support for the invasion force until 6 July, when she departed and resumed operations off Norway and with the Arctic convoys through the end of September.

Transferred to the Eastern Fleet in January 1945. On 26 March 1945 she, along with the destroyers {{HMS|Saumarez|G12|2}}, {{HMS|Volage|R41|2}}, and {{HMS|Vigilant|R93|2}}, intercepted a Japanese supply convoy east of Khota Andaman, Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. She and Vigilant sank the {{ship|Japanese submarine chaser|CH-34||6}}.

She patrolled the Malacca Strait and supported Operation Dracula off the coast of Burma in late April 1945 as part of the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron. Virago subsequently participated in the Battle of the Malacca Strait with Saumarez, {{HMS|Verulam|R28|2}}, {{HMS|Venus|R50|2}} and Vigilant which culminated in the sinking of the Japanese heavy cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Haguro||2}} in the early morning of 16 May 1945. This was a textbook destroyer night action, and was the last naval gun battle of the Second World War. Later in the afternoon of 16 May, Virago was ordered to refuel from the carrier HMS {{HMS|Hunter|D80|2}}. As the two ships closed, they were suddenly bombed by Japanese aircraft in a surprise attack and splinters from a near miss killed five of Virago's crew (Hunter was unscathed). These were the only casualties on board Virago during the entire war. Virago subsequently participated in preparations for Operation Zipper (the invasion of Malaya) in July/August 1945, and its eventual execution as a reoccupation manoeuvre in September 1945 following the surrender of Japan. Based in Hong Kong with the British Pacific Fleet after VJ day, Virago returned to Chatham, Kent in December 1945.

Throughout her wartime commission, Virago was under the command of Lt. Cdr. Archibald John Ramsay White (1910-1991).Hooker (op cit.) summed up White's command thus: "The quality of his leadership was reflected in his calmness and decisiveness in action and in emergency situations. I always thought that under the most difficult conditions at sea he was at his very best" (page 19).

Between 1946 and 1949 Virago was part of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, based in the Mediterranean. On 2 August 1946 the British oil tanker {{MV|Empire Cross||2}} exploded, burned and sank in Haifa Roads, Palestine, killing 25 people.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Haifa Tanker Explosion |date=5 August 1946 |page=3 |issue=50521 |column=E}} Virago and Venus took part in the rescue of survivors. Venus and Virago had been dropping depth charges in the area to deter Haganah frogmen from planting limpet mines. A depth charge dropped by Virago was suspected of having caused the explosion. An inquest was held, at which the page in Virago{{'}}s logbook for that day was found to be missing. However, the Admiralty dismissed the idea that a depth charge could have caused the explosion.{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=WH |last2=Sawyer |first2=LA |year=1995 |title=The Empire Ships |publisher=Lloyd's of London Press Ltd |place=London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong |isbn=1-85044-275-4 |page=}}{{page needed|date=January 2022}}

On 19 September 1946, gunfire from Virago was used to scuttle the forward half of the wreck of {{SS|Ohio||2}}, the tanker which had played a pivotal role in the Siege of Malta.{{cite journal |last=Caruana |first=J |date=1992 |title=Ohio Must Get Through |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBJHAQAAIAAJ |journal=Warship International |volume=29 |pages=333–348 }}

Between 1949 and 1951 she was held in reserve at Chatham Dockyard.{{cite book|last=Critchley |first=Mike |title=British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers |publisher=Maritime Books |place=Liskeard, UK |date=1982 |isbn=0-9506323-9-2 |pages=70}} Between 1951 and 1953 she was converted to a Type 15 frigate at Chatham Dockyard. On re-commissioning in 1953 she became part of the 6th Frigate Squadron and in that year took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden

Between 1955 and 1960 she was held in reserve at Chatham Dockyard. Between 1962 and 1963 she was part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Virago was decommissioned in 1963 and held in reserve at Devonport. She arrived in Faslane for breaking up in June 1965.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite Colledge2006}}
• {{cite book |title=Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945 |first=Leo |last=Marriott |publisher=Ian Allan |date=1994 |isbn=0-7110-1817-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/royalnavydestroy0000marr }}
• {{cite book|last1=Raven|first1=Alan|last2=Roberts|first2=John|title=War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes|publisher=Bivouac Books|location=London|year=1978|isbn=0-85680-010-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War 2|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland}}

• [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-61V-Virago.htm Naval-History.net HMS Virago]
• {{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/CH-34_t.htm |title=Japanese Sub Chasers |publisher=Combinedfleet.com |access-date=26 March 2014}}

{{U and V class destroyers}}

{{Type 15 frigate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virago (R75)}}

Category:U and V-class destroyers of the Royal Navy

Category:Ships built by Swan Hunter

Category:Ships built on the River Tyne

Category:1943 ships

Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom

Category:Cold War destroyers of the United Kingdom

Category:Type 15 frigates

Category:Cold War frigates of the United Kingdom