H.M.S. Moresby (1915)

H.M.S. Moresby (1915)
Pendant Number:	H.C1 (1914) F.02 (Jan 1917) H.27 (Jan 1918)^[1]
Builder:	J. Samuel White^[2]
Ordered:	Sep 1914^[3]
Launched:	20 Nov, 1915^[4]
Completed:	7 Apr, 1916^[5]
Sold:

H.M.S. Moresby was one of one hundred and three destroyers of the "M" class built for the Royal Navy during the Great War.

Service

In April, 1916 Moresby was assigned to the newly-created Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla.^[6]

At the Battle of Jutland, she screened the First Battle Cruiser Squadron as one of twelve destroyers operating with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla.^[7]^[8]

In September, 1917, Moresby transferred to the Second Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Northern Division, Coast of Ireland Station based in Buncrana.

On 15 March, 1918 Moresby and Michael helped sink the submarine U 110.

In December, 1918, she was sent to the Nore to await her fate in the post-war navy.

Moresby was reduced to a C. & M. Party at the Nore on 8 February, 1920.^[9]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

Lieutenant-Commander John P. Landon, 18 March, 1916 – late March, 1916
Lieutenant-Commander Roger V. Alison, April, 1916^[10] – 28 July, 1917^[11] (in command at Battle of Jutland)
Lieutenant in Command John A. P. Legh, 28 July, 1917^[12] – 5 March, 1918^[Inference] (Legh's Service Record doesn't clearly support this, but the preponderance of evidence does)
Lieutenant-Commander Godfrey R. Chambers, 5 March, 1918^[13]^[14] – 20 February, 1919^[15]

Legh's Service Record does not clearly indicate his taking command of Moresby, but he was awarded a D.S.C. specifically for his part in destroying the submarine U 110, which this ship did with Michael. Navy Lists seem to bolster the view that he did switch from Acasta to Moresby on the date given above. I infer that his service record omits the appointment, which is a rare sort of error.— TONY LOVELL, Editor.