page_title: HMS Laforey (G99)
section_title: Mediterranean waters
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Laforey (G99) / Career / Mediterranean waters
caption_attribution_description: English: The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1945 Shipping losses: HMS ARK ROYAL sinking after being torpedoed by U 81. HMS LEGION is alongside to take off survivors. HMS LAFOREY is approaching to aid in providing water and power to the few remaining personnel on board.
context_page_description: HMS Laforey was an L-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was commissioned in and served during the Second World War, and was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat in 1944. She had been adopted by the civil community of Northampton in November 1941.
context_section_description: Laforey was almost immediately reassigned to the Mediterranean, where she joined Force H in escorting a relief convoy to Malta as part of Operation Halberd.  Despite heavy air attacks, the convoy reached Malta on 28 September, and Laforey returned to Gibraltar with the ships of Force X.  In October she was permanently assigned to Force H, to carry out convoy escort duties, and fleet screening patrols.  On 10 November she and the destroyers Lightning, Legion, Sikh, Zulu, Gurkha and the Dutch HNLMS Isaac Sweers were deployed to escort the cruiser Hermione, the battleship Malaya and the aircraft carriers Ark Royal and Argus during an operation to deliver aircraft to Malta.  Ark Royal was torpedoed by the German submarine U-81 on 13 November as the task force returned to Gibraltar.  Laforey made several unsuccessful anti-submarine attacks against suspected sonar contacts, before standing by the stricken carrier.  Later in the day, Laforey ran power cables across to Ark Royal to support damage control measures.  These were ultimately unsuccessful and Ark Royal sank the next day, and Laforey returned to Gibraltar.
  Laforey spent January as part of anti-submarine patrols that had been instigated to intercept U-boats as they passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.  On 18 January she and Hesperus intercepted and attacked U-93 with depth charges.  February and March were then spent escorting convoys through the Atlantic, and screening aircraft carriers on operations to deliver aircraft to Malta.  On 1 April Laforey was detached from Force H and sailed to Freetown to screen fleet units and cover convoys in the Atlantic.  She arrived at Cape Town on 18 April with a military convoy, and escorted them on to Durban, arriving there on 22 April.
caption: HMS Ark Royal sinking after being torpedoed by U-81. HMS Legion is alongside to take off survivors. Laforey is approaching to aid in providing water and power to the few remaining personnel on board.
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