HMS Delight ( H38 ) HMS " Delight " was a D - class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s . " Delight " was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935 . She was temporarily deployed in the Red Sea during late 1935 during the Abyssinia Crisis , before returning to her duty station where she remained until mid - 1939 . " Delight " was transferred back to the Mediterranean Fleet just before the Second World War began in September 1939 . She served with the Home Fleet during the Norwegian Campaign . The ship was sunk by German bombers on 29 July 1940 while attempting to transit the English Channel in daylight . Description . " Delight " 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 . " Delight " 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 Mark IX guns in single mounts . For anti - aircraft ( AA ) defence , " Diamond " had a single 12 - pounder ( 3 - inch ( 76 . 2 mm ) ) gun between her funnels and 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 21 - inch 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 . Career . " Delight " was ordered on 2 February 1931 under the 1930 Naval Estimates and was laid down at the yards of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , Govan , Scotstoun on 22 April 1931 . She was launched on 2 June 1932 and completed on 31 January 1933 , at a total cost of £229 , 378 , excluding equipment supplied by the Admiralty , such as weapons , ammunition and wireless equipment . The ship was used to carry out sea trials on the Mark IX torpedo after working up until 24 April 1933 . " Delight " then joined the 1st Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean and made a brief deployment to the Persian Gulf in September – November 1933 . The ship was refitted at Portsmouth between 3 September and 25 October 1934 for service on the China Station with the 8th ( later the 21st ) Destroyer Flotilla and arrived there in January 1935 . She was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in the Red Sea from September to November 1935 during the Abyssinian Crisis . As war with Germany loomed , " Delight " was assigned to the Mediterranean and departed 29 August 1939 in company with several of her sisters . She arrived at Aden on 19 September and later at Alexandria where she operated with the Mediterranean Fleet for the next three months . The ship was transferred to the Home Fleet in December and arrived at Portsmouth on 30 December . She was refitted until 27 January 1940 before she joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla . " Delight " was damaged in heavy weather on 8 April and forced to return to port for repairs . During the Norwegian Campaign , " Delight " escorted the aircraft carrier as she returned to Scapa Flow on 25 April to replenish her aircraft . On 1 May , she ferried troops to the light cruiser s and of the 18th Cruiser Squadron during the evacuation from Åndalsnes . " Delight " supported the Allied troops on 27 – 28 May as they recaptured Narvik before she was sent to Bodø the next day to investigate reports of a German amphibious landing . Over the next two nights , the ship and seven other destroyers evacuated British troops from Bodø . On 7 – 8 June , " Delight " escorted a troop convoy evacuating Allied troops from Narvik ( Operation Alphabet ) . The ship went to the assistance of the armed merchant cruiser after she had been torpedoed by on 13 June . " Delight " had her superheater tubes replaced at Rosyth from 21 June to 24 July . After departing Portland Harbour in daylight on 29 July , contrary to orders , the ship was detected by a Freya radar at Cherbourg and the Luftwaffe was alerted . 16 German aircraft attacked " Delight " , which was by now some off Portland Bill . She was hit by a bomb on her fo ' c ' sle , which caused a major fire and a subsequent explosion . The ship sank later that evening having lost six of her company in the attack . " Delight " currently lies at a maximum depth of , broken into several sections . Her centre is upside down , her bow is broken off , and the stern is upright . As the wreck is designated as a " protected place " under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 it is illegal to enter the wreck without a license or to interfere with the wreck or debris field in any way .