April 19, 1919 Branch DD-197 was launched at Newport News. She served with the U.S. Atlantic Fleet until 1922 when she was decommissioned. Branch remained in reserve for 17 years at Philadelphia until the outbreak of World War II. The old four stacker was recommissioned on Dec. 4, 1939 and brought back to life.

USS Branch was made flagship of Destroyer Division 68 and conducted neutrality patrols and training cruises along the U.S. east coast. In Oct. of 1940 Branch was sent to Halifax where she was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy and commissioned into the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Beverley H-64.

As Beverley the old destroyer was used as a convoy escort. She continued this duty, trekking across the North Atlantic including a run to Murmansk with PQ-14. Feb. 4, 1943 HMS Beverly assisted HMS Vimy in sinking U-187, who was on her first and only patrol. The 45 survivors of the sunken U-boat were picked up by the two British ships.

While escorting convoy ON-176 HMS Beverley collided with one of her charges, SS Cairnvalona, a 4,900 ton vessel loaded with war material. The collision did considerable damage to the 1,200 ton destroyer causing her to drop to the rear of the convoy. One important item had beenknocked out of commission was her anti-submarine gear.

Two days later on April 11, 1943, U-188, sister boat to the U-187, located the convoy. Around 05:45 the
U-boat fired torpedo which hit HMS Beverley. After two more torpedoes Beverley went down, just eight days short of her 24th birthday. It's not known how many men managed to get off the ship before she went down, but those who did had very little chance of survival. In the middle of the Atlantic, 530 miles south of Greenland, only four men of the one hundred fifty-two man crew were rescued.

(USS Branch / HMS Beverley photo gallery)

© 2006 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com