HMS Europa

Erm, not quite sure where I'm supposed to put this so I'm going to stay safe and put it in here.

I recently found out, during the weekend just passed, from a Great Aunt that my great-grandfather was a Stoker in the Royal Navy. I was quite excited to find this out, especially as it's what I've applied to join as, or well it's not a Stoker anymore is it, ET(ME).

I was having a look at something alike to a service record that she still had and noticed that during the WW2, he spent most of his time serving on the HMS Europa (its the only one I could remember after I got home, actually).

I was just wondering if anyone could help me find out anything about it. I've already Googled it, but only found pretty basic information about its comissioning, and being renamed from Prembroke X to HMS Europa, but I was hoping to find out a bit more, where it went and what it did during the time he served on it etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks a bundle,

Kayleigh x

 

Hello Kayleigh,

HMS EUROPA, otherwise known as the 'Sparrow's Nest', was the central depot/base ashore at Lowestoft for the Royal Naval Patrol Service (RNPS) which manned minesweepers and minesweeping and anti-submarine trawlers in home waters although many were also deployed abroad. The site was requisitioned on 23 Aug 1939 and staff arrived on 25 Aug. The first recruits arrived on the 26th and the first draft went to sea on the 27th. It was called HMS PEMBROKE X until 15 Feb 1940, then HMS ROMOLA, then HMS Europa from 14 Apr 1940. The base was paid off (closed down) on 1 Jun 1946.

It is likely your great-grandfather served in ships based at HMS EUROPA. See the RNPS Association website for further details. If you wish to obtain a copy of his service record, check out the Veterans Agency website.

 

Ha ha, you'll have to pardon my ignorance, like I said I couldn't find much information on it, and my family have always thought it was a ship! Thanks for the information, it's much appreciated!

 

P.S. Another good source of information about the RNPS is the Harry Tate's Navy website. Are you sure your great-grandfather was Royal Navy and not RNPS? The records are held in different places and, if he was RNPS, there may be none about him in the official archives in which case your Great Aunt probably has all there is to know.

 

We're positive he was Royal Navy.

 

Nuff said. Good luck with your training and future career. You'll probably have to use a small shovel at first then work up from there :wink:

 

My Father served with Harry Tates Navy, I got his records and to be honest they are not very useful, it seems that all that is ever listed are the Depot Ships and not the actual boats served on. The Harry Tates website people are helpful but there doesn't seem to be a finer record of drafts etc.
HT Navy people manned in the main, the converted trawlers used for Minesweeping and boarding and the yachts that were converted to RN use. They did one hell of a job especially looking at the conditions onboard the various boat, unfortuneatly not much seems to have been written about them. "Trawlers go to War" by Paul Lund and Harry Ludlam published in 1971 has some interesting stuff in and is well worth a read. Sorry my copy does not have an ISBN number