HMS Exmouth ( H02 ) HMS " Exmouth " was an E - class destroyer flotilla leader 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 . " Exmouth " was assigned to convoy escort and anti - submarine patrol duties in the Western Approaches when World War II began in September 1939 . She was sunk by a German submarine in January 1940 while escorting a merchant ship north of Scotland . Description . " Exmouth " 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 . " Exmouth " carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave her a range of at . The ship ' s complement was 175 officers and men . The ship mounted five 45 - calibre 4 . 7 - inch ( 120 mm ) Mark IX guns in single mounts . For anti - aircraft defence , " Exmouth " 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 . " Exmouth " was ordered on 1 November 1932 under the 1931 Naval Programme , and was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard on 15 March 1933 . She was launched on 30 January 1934 , named the following day , and commissioned for service on 9 November 1934 . On commissioning , " Exmouth " was assigned as leader of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet . The increased tensions between Italy and Abyssinia – eventually leading to the outbreak of the Second Italo - Abyssinian War – caused the Admiralty to attach the flotilla to the Mediterranean Fleet from August 1935 to March 1936 , although " Exmouth " was refitted in Alexandria from 4 October 1935 to 5 January 1936 . The ship patrolled Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War enforcing the edicts of the Non - Intervention Committee in between annual refits at Portsmouth between 17 November 1936 and 19 January 1937 and 21 November 1938 and 16 January 1939 . She returned to Britain in March and " Exmouth " was assigned to training duties and local flotilla work based at Portsmouth on 28 April . She carried out these duties until 2 August , when she was placed into full commission as the leader of the 12th Destroyer Flotilla . " Exmouth " and her flotilla were initially assigned to the Home Fleet upon the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 . The ship and two of her flotilla mates , and , escorted the battlecruiser as she searched for German commerce raiders south of Iceland in late November . In December , she was transferred to the Western Approaches Command to carry out patrols and escort convoys , but was transferred to Rosyth in January 1940 to carry out the same duties in the North Sea . She was escorting the merchant " Cyprian Prince " on 21 January 1940 when she was spotted by the , under the command of Karl - Heinrich Jenisch , and torpedo ed at 05 : 35 . She sank with the loss of all hands . After sinking " Exmouth " , the submarine also fired on " Cyprian Prince " whose master deemed it too dangerous to pick up survivors . Eighteen bodies were later found washed ashore by a schoolboy playing truant near Wick . They were buried with full military honours in the cemetery at Wick . Aftermath . The wreck of " Exmouth " was discovered in the Moray Firth in July 2001 by an independent expedition , with their findings being verified by Historic Scotland . The wreck is one of those listed as a ' protected place ' under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 . A relatives association for the crew of " Exmouth " was formed in 2001 , which holds services in memory of those lost .