HMS Hunter 1940
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | HMS Hunter | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1940 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | destroyer | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | Collision | Wikidata P828 has cause (on P793 event): ship collision |
| Nationality / flag | United Kingdom | Wikidata P137 operator → P17 country |
| Operator | Royal Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | Operation Weserübung | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Vestfjorden | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Norway | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 5 km from land |
| Position | 68.4147, 17.1728 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
HMS Hunter was a H-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship enforced the arms blockade imposed on both sides by Britain and France, until she struck a mine in May 1937. She was under repair for the next year and a half, after which she rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet. During the first few months of the Second World War, Hunter searched for German commerce raiders in the Atlantic Ocean until she was transferred back to Britain in February 1940. Returning to action in the Norwegian Campaign, she was sunk by German destroyers during the First Battle of Narvik in April 1940.
Diving & visiting
The wreck was discovered on 5 March 2008 by the Royal Norwegian Navy mine control vessel HNoMS Tyr, after being unknown for nearly 70 years, and will be marked as a war grave to commemorate the lost members of her crew. A series of coordinated memorial ceremonies were held on board British and Norwegian warships on Saturday 8 March 2008, honouring all those who died during the battles of Narvik. Over a thousand NATO personnel took part, including British and Norwegian sailors, Royal Marines and soldiers. Led by HMS Albion, the UK's Fleet Amphibious Flagship, five warships steamed in line past the spot where the ship lies, marked for the occasion by Tyr.
Location
- Recorded position: 68.4147, 17.1728 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Vestfjorden
- Nearest coast: Norway
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article HMS Hunter (H35) (revision 1375234995), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Rediscovery”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- HMS Hardy 1940 · 2 km
- ORP Grom 1940 · 12 km
- German submarine U-64 1940 · 21 km
- HMS Curlew 1940 · 30 km
- SS Dronning Maud 1940 · 33 km
- U-711 1945 · 42 km
Other wrecks of the Operation Weserübung
- Blücher 1940
- German cruiser Karlsruhe 1940
- German submarine U-64 1940
- HMS Glowworm 1940
- HMS Hardy 1940
- Scharnhorst 1943
- HMS Penelope 1944
- U-29 1945
- U-30 1945
- U-48 1945
All 11 wrecks of the Operation Weserübung →
Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Norway · Vestfjorden · Second World War