Maritime record MWX1730 - Delight 1940

British Destroyer, sunk by aircraft 20.5 miles off Portland Bill, 29 July 1940. 1940 wreck of British destroyer which foundered off the Bill of Portland after undergoing aerial bombardment by German dive-bombers, which set her on fire. There has historically been confusion over the site of this wreck, with some sources claiming that she was attacked off Dover or that she struggled back to Portland Harbour, where she sank. The site at 1571737 was formerly believed to be HMS DELIGHT, but has now been confirmed as the ELMCREST, while the remains of a destroyer at 1571860 are now believed to represent the remains of HMS DELIGHT, but specific identification particulars are not known. Constructed of steel in 1932, she was a steam-driven vessel.

Built: 1932 Builder: Fairfield Where Built: Paisley Propulsion: 2 screw-driven steam turbine engines Armament: 4 x 4.7ins; 1 x 3ins; 8 x TT Date of Loss Qualifier: A Foundered / Total Loss, but wrong year given 1914 instead of 1940. (1)
The destroyer DELIGHT, Cdr M. Fogg-Elliot was bombed and sunk by German dive bombers off Dover on 29- JUL-1940 at the beginning of heavy air raids on England. The destroyer carried a compliment of 145 crew, of whom 6 ratings died of wounds and 3 officers, including the Commander and 57 ratings wounded.(2)
29-JUL-1940 Sunk by air attack off Portland.(3)(4)
On the 29-JUL the destroyer DILIGENT was bombed and sank off Portland (name quoted inaccurately.)(5)

Date of loss incorrectly given in two separate entries as 29-JUL-1914 and 29-JUL-1939, instead of 29-JUL-1940. (1)

Described as a destroyer, of 1375 tons gross, which foundered at the Bill of Portland and was a total loss, 29-JUL-1914. (1)

Describd as a Royal Navy D class destroyer, 1375 tons gross, sunk following an air attack by German aircraft, 20.5 miles SSE of the Bill of Portland, 29-JUL-1939. Dimensions 96.93m x 10.06m. (1)

The destroyer DELIGHT, Cdr M Fogg-Elliot, was bombed and sunk by German dive bombers off Dover on 29-JUL-1940, at the beginning of heavy air raids on England. The destroyer carried a complement of 145 crew, of whom 6 ratings died of wounds, and 3 officers, including the Commander, and 57 ratings were wounded. (2)

29-JUL-1940: Sunk by air attack off Portland. (3)(4)

29-JUL-1940: the destroyer DILIGENT was bombed and sank off Portland. [Name quoted inaccurately] (5)

29-JUL-1940: Destroyer DELIGHT sunk by German Stuka dive-bombers off Portland. (6)

29-JUL-1940: D-Class destroyer. She was attacked from the air off Portland and set on fire. She managed to return to Portland but the fire was too great and she foundered there the next morning. (7)

29-JUL-1940: Damaged and set on fire by air attack off Portland; sank in Portland Harbour early on 30-JUL-1940. (8)

NB: The accounts in (7) and (8) are inconsistent with the vessel thought to be the remains of the DELIGHT, and protected as such [see 1571860]; located approximately 14 miles SE of the Bill of Portland. There may be several possibilities: that these accounts are incorrect and the DELIGHT foundered immediately; that the DELIGHT foundered in Portland Harbour but was towed out and subsequently scuttled offshore, since she would have formed a navigational hazard and obstruction in the harbour; or that the vessel on the seabed is not the DELIGHT. (9)

Built: 1932 [both entries in] (1)(2)(4)
Builder: Fairfield [both entries in] (1); Fairfield Shipbuilding Co. (2)
Where Built: Paisley [both entries in] (1)
Propulsion: 2 screw-driven steam turbine engines [1914 entry] (1); turbine engines (2)
Boilers: 3-drum boilers (2)
HP: 36000 ihp (2)
Armament: 4 x 4.7ins; 1 x 3ins; 8 x TT [both entries in (1), although the 1939 entry reverses the armament to 3 x 1in]; (2)
Commanding Officer: Cdr M Fogg-Elliot (2)
Crew: 145 (2)
Crew Lost: 6 (2)
Owner: Royal Navy [all sources]

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

<1> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<2> Hocking, Charles, 1990, Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the Age of Steam, p184 (Monograph). SWX4536.

<3> Colledge, J J, 1969, Ships of the Royal Navy. Volume 1: major ships, p158 (Monograph). SWX4826.

<4> 1989, Lloyds war losses: the Second World War 3 September-14 August 1945, p1677 (Index). SWX4997.

<5> Farr, Grahame, 1971, Wreck and rescue on the Dorset coast, p57 (Monograph). SWX1056.

<6> Young, John M, 1989, Britain's sea war : a diary of ship losses, 1939-1945, 47 (Monograph). SDO20525.

<7> Kemp, Paul, 1999, The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century, 127 (Monograph). SWX9368.

<8> Brown, David, 1990, Warship losses of World War Two, 37 (Monograph). SDO20526.

<9> Cant, S, Oral: Serena Cant, compiler's comments, 07-MAY-2008 (Verbal communication). SDO20515.

<10> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 990 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<11> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 26 (Monograph). SDO16406.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1233365 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 22 2024 4:15PM