HMS Vancouver ( 1917 ) HMS " Vancouver was a British V - class destroyer . She was launched on 28 December 1917 ; in July 1922 she accidentally rammed the submarine " H24 " . She was renamed HMS " Vimy in April 1928 . She served with distinction during World War II , earning two battle honours and damaging or sinking three enemy submarines . The Royal Navy retired her in 1945 and she was scrapped in 1948 . Service during World War II . On 6 February 1940 , " Vimy " rescued the sole survivor of a crew of four from an Avro Anson that had crashed into the sea while escorting a convoy . In May 1940 she participated in the Dunkirk evacuation . Anticipating the need , the Royal Navy had sent 200 seaman and marines aboard " Vimy " , to organise the port of Boulogne on 23 May . At one point , fired at her but without result as the torpedoes were faulty . Also on 23 May , small arms fire from the shore fatally wounded Lieutenant Commander Colin Donald , her captain , and killed the officer of the watch , Sub Lieutenant Webster . Lt Cdr Donald was carried below and died in hospital in Dover ; the first lieutenant took temporary command . Lieutenant Commander Donald ' s replacement as captain was found to be missing on the second day of the Dunkirk evacuation , and the crew searched the entire vessel for him without result . On 1 June , " Vimy " collided with and sank the yacht " Amulree " in the Gull Channel , to the west of the Goodwin Sands . That same day an air attack caused some damage . During the evacuation of Dunkirk , " Vimy " transported 2 , 976 troops ; for her efforts she received the battle honours " Dunkirk 1940 " . In 1941 she was reconstructed to long range escort , the work being finished in June 1941 . On 21 September 1941 , depth charges from " Vimy " damaged the Italian " Luigi Torelli " , which was attempting to attack convoy HG 73 , west of Gibraltar . On 3 September 1942 , depth charges from the British destroyers " Vimy " , " Pathfinder " and " Quentin " sank the German submarine in the mid - Atlantic north - east of Trinidad , in position 12º21 ' N , 59º29 ' W . The U - boat had had a particularly successful year to that point , having sunk 14 vessels totaling 82 , 000 tons . " Vimy " ' s captain , Lieutenant Commander de Chair received the DSC for this action . All but three of the submarine ' s crew survived to be taken prisoner . Her captain , Jürgen Wattenberg , went on to organize a break from the POW camp at Papago Park , in Arizona . On 18 September , " Vimy " rescued survivors from the US merchantman " SS West Lashaway " , which had sunk on 30 August . On 4 February 1943 , " Vimy " and " Beverley " , using HF / DF , located , which was shadowing convoy SC - 118 in the North Atlantic , south of Greenland at the exit of the Baffin Bay . Depth charges from the three destroyers sank the submarine south - east of Cape Farewell , Greenland . " U - 187 " was on her first cruise and had not had any successes . Nine of her crew members perished , including the commander , during the sinking but " Vimy " and " Beverley " rescued 45 men from the water . Stannard received a DSO for " Vimy ' s " contribution to breaking up the U - boat pack hunting SC - 118 . Fate . " Vimy " was no longer listed as an active unit in the July 1945 " Navy List " . She was sold for scrap in March 1947 and was scrapped at Rosyth in February 1948 .