HMS Escort ( H66 ) HMS " Escort " was an E - class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s . Although assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion , the ship was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935 – 36 , during the Abyssinia Crisis . During the Spanish Civil War of 1936 – 1939 , she spent considerable time in Spanish waters , enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict . " Escort " was assigned to convoy escort and anti - submarine patrol duties in the Western Approaches , when World War II began in September 1939 . During the Norwegian Campaign , the ship escorted ships of the Home Fleet , although she did tow her sister after the latter ship had been badly damaged by German air attack . " Escort " was assigned to Force H in late June , and participated in the Attack on Mers - el - Kébir in early July . She was torpedo ed a few days later , by an Italian submarine , but was towed for three days towards Gibraltar before she foundered . Description . " Escort " displaced at standard load and at deep load . The ship had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines , driving two shafts , which developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . Steam for the turbines was provided by three Admiralty 3 - drum water - tube boilers . " Escort " carried a maximum of of fuel oil , that gave her a range of at . The ship ' s complement was 145 officers and men . The ship mounted four 45 - calibre 4 . 7 - inch ( 120 mm ) Mark IX guns in single mounts . For anti - aircraft ( AA ) defence , " Escort " had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0 . 5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun . She was fitted with two above - water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for torpedoes . One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted ; 20 depth charges were originally carried , but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began . Service . " Escort " was ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , at Greenock , Scotland on 1 November 1932 , under the 1931 Construction Programme . She was laid down on 30 March 1933 , and launched on 29 March 1934 . She was commissioned on 30 October 1934 , at a total cost of £249 , 587 , excluding government - furnished equipment like the armament . Upon commissioning the ship was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet , aside from a brief deployment in the West Indies between January and March 1935 . Afterwards , she was refitted in Sheerness from 27 March to 30 April . " Escort " was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet from September 1935 to March 1936 , during the Abyssinian Crisis . She struck a lock while at Sheerness and required seven weeks of repairs that were not completed until 5 September . The ship patrolled Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War , enforcing the edicts of the Non - Intervention Committee until 24 March 1939 , when she returned to the United Kingdom . " Escort " became tender to the light cruiser of the Reserve Fleet upon her return , and was not recommissioned until 2 August , when she was assigned to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla . On 3 September , " Escort " and her sister rescued some 300 - odd survivors from the ocean liner , which had been torpedoed by the . The ship was assigned to convoy escort and anti - submarine duties in the Western Approaches Command . She was transferred to Rosyth in December , for similar duties in the North Sea . " Escort " was refitted at Falmouth between 10 January and 12 February 1940 , and resumed her duties afterwards . Together with the destroyers and , she sank the on 25 February , after the German vessel had been spotted by the submarine some east of the Orkney Islands . When the Norwegian Campaign began in early April , " Escort " was transferred to the Home Fleet , and was screening the capital ships when they sortied into the North Sea looking for the German ship on 9 April . After her sister " Eclipse " was damaged by air attack on 11 April , " Escort " towed her to Sullom Voe . The ship escorted the aircraft carrier s and from 25 April , as their aircraft attacked German targets in Norway . She accompanied " Glorious " when that ship returned to Scapa Flow to refuel and replenish her aircraft on 27 April . The ship was slightly damaged in a collision with the Polish ocean liner " Chrobry " on 11 May . " Escort " was based in Scapa Flow as part of the Home Fleet until 26 June , when she sailed for Gibraltar to join Force H . It is uncertain if her rear set of torpedo tubes were replaced by a ( 12 - pounder ) AA gun at this time . She arrived on 2 July , and joined Force H in attacking ships of the French Navy at Mers - el - Kébir the next day . During Operation MA 5 , a planned air attack on Italian airfields in Sardinia , " Escort " was torpedoed by the on 8 July after the attack had been cancelled due to lack of surprise . The torpedo blew a hole wide between the two boiler rooms , but only killed two members of the crew . After three days being towed to Gibraltar , she suddenly foundered on the morning of 11 July .