Rare WW1 Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Doon Bronze Commissioning Bell d.1905
HMS Doon was a River Class Destroyer built for the RN by R.W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, commissioned in 1905.
After work-up, Doon, who was named after the River Doon in Western Scotland, was assigned to the East Coast Destroyer Flotilla of the 1st Fleet and based at Harwich. After a brief refit in 1908, she joined the Channel Fleet destroyer Flotilla and on the night of 2/3 March 1909, Doon, which had set off from Portland Harbour with the destroyer Fawn to escort the Royal yacht Alexandra from Dover to Calais, collided with the steam trawler Halcyon. The trawler sank, with all of her crew rescued by Doon, with Doon's bow badly damaged, forcing her to put into Portsmouth for repair. (See photo)
With the onset of WW1, she joined the 9th Destroyer Flotilla based at Chatham tendered to HMS St George, the 9th was a Patrol Flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and counter mining patrols in the Firth of Forth area.
On 16 December 1914, under command of Lieutenant-Commander H. McLeod-Fraser, RN, as the flotilla leader, along with HMS Waveney, HMS Test and HMS Moy were sent to patrol off Hartlepool. During the German Raid on Hartlepool, she was damaged by shellfire after being straddled by three salvoes, with one near miss by an 11-inch shell grazing the after edge of the foremost funnel, damaging a Berthon collapsible lifeboat, before going overboard, she also suffered splinter damage and had her wireless, aft gun and torpedo tube put out of action, sadly with the loss of three and six wounded crew members.
After repairs, in August 1915, the 9th and 7th Flotillas were amalgamated and she was deployed to the 7th Destroyer Flotilla based at the River Humber, where she remained employed on the Humber Patrol, participating in counter mining operations and anti-submarine patrols for the remainder of the war.
In 1919 she was paid off and laid up in reserve awaiting disposal, eventually she was sold to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking.
The heavy bronze bell measures 12” H with a 12” Flare, has the ships name “HMS Doon” and commissioning date of “1905” engraved to the front and has its original clanger and suspension shackle.
This was the only RN ship to be given this name, so this is a rare naval artefact!
£2250
(All cards accepted)
Local delivery, U.K & international shipping available with collections welcome too
