This V&W class destroyer was included in the 10th Order of the 1916-1917 Programme for build by Doxford and laid down in June 1917. The ship was intended to be named HMS Whitby but, as the name was incorrectly written when selected, she was given the name Whitley when launched on 13th April 1918. She was completed on 11th October 1918.

Details of Service

During 1919-1920 she served in the Baltic for operations against the Bolsheviks.
She was placed in the Reserve Fleet by 1921 as part of the 9th Destroyer FLotilla at Rosyth and did not serve with the Fleet during the inter-war years. As part of the rearmament programme in 1938 she was the first of her class to be selected for conversion to an AA Escort (WAIR) by HM Dockyard Chatham. Her conversion began in August 1938 and on completion in 1939 she commissioned for service.

War Service

1939: From September to December she was deployed for defence of East Coast convoy with Rosyth Escort Force.
1940: On the 12th of January she drove of air-attacks during the escort of Convoy FN12.
1940: on the 19th of May she was damaged in dive-bombing attacks 2 miles of "Nieuwpoort". She beached and was later destroyed by gunfire from HM Destroyer Keith.

Class: Admiralty V & W
Length: 94,5 meters
Width: 8,9 meters
Draught: 3,3 meters
Built: 1918 (Doxford Shipyard, Sunderland U.K.)
Launched: 13 April 1918 (Commissioned 14 October 1918 by the Royal Navy)
Line: Royal Navy Great Britain
Weaponry: - 4x 4.7 Cannons
- 2x 2 PDR
- 5x Machine guns
- 6x Torpedo tubes
Capacity: 98 sailors during her last voyage

Destroyer of the V & W class.

• Dirk en Tomas Termote (2009).
  Schatten en Scheepswrakken. Boeiende onderwaterarcheologie in de Noordzee.
  Davidsfonds Leuven.