Editing G and H-class destroyer (section)

==Service==
[[File:HMS Gallant (H59) IWM FL 22249.jpg|thumb|''Gallant'' at sea, 28 April 1938]]
''Grenville'' and the G class spent the bulk of their time before the start of World War II assigned to the [[1st Destroyer Flotilla]] (DF) in the [[Mediterranean Fleet (United Kingdom)|Mediterranean Fleet]], where they made a number of neutrality patrols during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. With the exception of ''Garland'' which was under repair at [[Malta]] after a premature explosion of her depth charges, they returned home in October–November after it became clear that the Italians would not enter the war. ''Hardy'' and the H-class ships were assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla and joined the Gs in the Mediterranean after commissioning for similar duties.<ref name=e4>English, pp. 90–100, 103–113</ref>

After a few weeks assigned to [[Western Approaches Command]], the 1st DF was assigned to the [[Nore Command]] at [[Harwich]], although some of the ships were transferred to the [[22nd Destroyer Flotilla]], where they were tasked for escort and patrol duty. ''Gipsy'' was sunk on 21 November after she struck a mine, as did ''Grenville'' on 19 January 1940. Unlike the 1st DF, the Second was transferred to [[Force K]] in [[Freetown]] in West Africa, to help search for German commerce raiders. Some ships were later transferred to Bermuda and the West Indies for escort work and patrolling. They returned to the UK in January and spent several months refitting.<ref name=e4/>

After commissioning, ''Handy'' and ''Hearty'' were renamed ''Harvester'' and ''Hesperus'', respectively, to avoid confusion with ''Hardy''. The ''Havant''-class destroyers initially formed the [[9th Destroyer Flotilla]] assigned to Western Approaches Command for anti-submarine patrols and escort duty. The German [[Operation Weserübung|invasion of Norway]] caused ''Havant'', ''Hesperus'', and ''Havelock'' to be detached to reinforce the Home Fleet during the [[Norwegian Campaign]].<ref>English, pp. 129–130</ref>

''Garland'', ''Grafton'', ''Gallant'', ''Hasty'' and ''Hereward'' were either under repair or refitting during the early stages of the Norwegian Campaign and did not participate in the [[Battles of Narvik]] in April. The remaining ships were assigned to the Home Fleet by this time. ''Glowworm'' was separated from the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Renown|1916|2}} in a heavy storm on 8 April and encountered the German [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Hipper||2}} and several destroyers. The British destroyer could not disengage and was sunk after [[naval ram|ramming]] ''Admiral Hipper''. ''Hardy'', ''Havock'', ''Hostile'', ''Hotspur'' and ''Hunter'' participated in the First Battle of Narvik on 10 April. They sank two German destroyers in exchange for the loss of ''Hardy'' and ''Hunter'', while ''Hotspur'' was badly damaged.<ref>Whitley, pp. 108, 110</ref> That same day, ''Hero'' sank the {{GS|U-50|1939|6}} off the Norwegian coast and was the only G- or H-class destroyer to participate in the Second Battle of Narvik three days later. ''Griffin'' and ''Hasty'' helped to cover the evacuation of Allied troops from [[Namsos (town)|Namsos]] and [[Åndalsnes]] at the end of the month.<ref name=e4/> ''Havelock'' escorted the transports conducting [[Operation Alphabet|the evacuation]] of [[Narvik (town)|Narvik]] in June.<ref>Rohwer, p. 25</ref> ''Garland'' was loaned to the Polish Navy in May after her repairs were finished and she remained in the Mediterranean, escorting convoys between Malta and [[Alexandria, Egypt]], until she was transferred to the Western Approaches Command in September.<ref name=e3>English, p. 93</ref>

In mid-May, the 2nd DF was transferred to the Mediterranean with ''Hostile'', ''Hyperion'', ''Hero'', ''Hereward'', ''Havock'', and ''Hasty'' assigned.<ref name=e4/> Later that month, many of the remaining G and ''Havant''-class ships participated in [[Operation Dynamo]]. ''Grafton'' was torpedoed by {{GS|U-62|1939|2}} on 29 May whilst rescuing survivors from the torpedoed destroyer {{HMS|Wakeful|H88|2}} and had to be scuttled by the destroyer {{HMS|Ivanhoe|D16|2}}. Later that day, ''Grenade'' blew up after being set on fire by German bombs; three days later, on 1 June, ''Havant'' was scuttled after being attacked by German bombers. ''Gallant'' and ''Greyhound'' were damaged while evacuating troops from Dunkirk. ''Harvester'' helped to evacuate more troops from [[Saint-Valery-en-Caux]] in [[Operation Cycle]] and, together with ''Griffin'', ''Highlander'', and ''Havelock'', she participated in [[Operation Aerial]], the evacuation of Allied troops from [[Saint-Nazaire]] and [[St. Jean de Luz]].<ref>Winser, pp. 16–19, 28, 38, 53</ref>

Most of the ships of the 2nd DF participated in the inconclusive [[Battle of Calabria]] on 7–8 July. Almost two weeks later, ''Hasty'', ''Hero'', ''Hyperion'' and ''Havock'' were escorting the Australian [[light cruiser]] {{HMAS|Sydney|D48|2}} when they encountered two Italian light cruisers, sinking one of them in the [[Battle of Cape Spada]].<ref>Rohwer, pp. 32–33</ref> The ships escorted convoys and the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet for the rest of the year, although ''Hostile'' was sunk when she struck an Italian mine on 23 August and ''Hyperion'' was sunk by the {{ship|Italian submarine|Serpente}} on 22 December.<ref name="Whitley, pp. 109–10"/> ''Hotspur'' was assigned to the [[13th Destroyer Flotilla]], supporting [[Force H]] at Gibraltar in July; she was joined by ''Gallant'', ''Greyhound'', and ''Griffin'' shortly afterwards.<ref>English, pp. 92, 100–01, 110</ref> The latter two ships escorted Force H during the [[Battle of Dakar]] in September against the [[Vichy French]] forces there. ''Havock'' and ''Hasty'' sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Berillo}} on 2 October off the coast of [[Cyrenica]]<ref>Rohwer, pp. 42–43</ref> while ''Gallant'', ''Griffin'' and ''Hotspur'' sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Lafolè}} on 18 October. ''Gallant'', ''Greyhound'', ''Griffin'', now assigned to the [[14th Destroyer Flotilla]] of the Mediterranean Fleet, together with ''Hero'' and ''Hereward'', participated in the inconclusive [[Battle of Cape Spartivento]] on 27 November.<ref>English, pp. 92, 100–101, 107–108</ref>

[[File:HMS Highlander(H44).jpg|thumb|Aerial view of ''Highlander'' at sea, 31 May 1942]]
The 9th DF returned to the Western Approaches Command (WAC) from July to September, before they were briefly transferred to [[Portsmouth Command]] for several weeks, in response to the possible invasion ([[Operation Sea Lion]]). They returned to the WAC before the end of the month and ''Harvester'' and ''Highlander'' sank {{GS|U-32|1937|2}} on 30 October. In November 1940, the 9th DF was re-designated as the 9th Escort Group. The ''Havant''s remained on escort duty until they began lengthy refits during 1941.<ref>English, pp. 127–134</ref>

''Gallant'', ''Greyhound'' and ''Griffin'' were covering a convoy to Malta on 10 January when the former struck a mine that blew off her bow. ''Griffin'' rescued her crew and the ship was towed to Malta. Repairs were estimated to take until June 1942, but she was declared a constructive total loss and stripped of equipment after she had to be [[Beaching (nautical)|beached]] during an aerial attack on 5 April 1942.<ref name=e2>English, p. 92</ref> On 19 January, ''Greyhound'' sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Neghelli}} after the latter torpedoed one of the ships in the convoy that ''Greyhound'' was escorting. Two months later, she sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Anfitre}} on 6 March. ''Greyhound'', ''Griffin'', ''Hotspur'', ''Hasty'', ''Havock'' and ''Hereward'' participated in the [[Battle of Cape Matapan]] on 27–28 March.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 56, 62, 66</ref> ''Greyhound'' was sunk by German [[dive bomber]]s two months later, on 22 May, off Crete;<ref name=e2/> ''Hereward'' suffered a similar fate a week later.<ref>Whitley, p. 110</ref> ''Hotspur'', ''Havock'', ''Hero'', and ''Hasty'' also participated in the evacuations of Greece and Crete in May. The latter three ships then supported Allied forces during the [[Syria–Lebanon Campaign]] in June. All four of the H-class ships, joined by ''Griffin'', began escorting convoys from Alexandria to [[Tobruk]] in July, as well as occasional convoys to Malta, and continued to do so for most of the rest of the year. ''Hasty'' and ''Hotspur'' sank {{GS|U-79|1941|2}} on 23 December while returning from Tobruk.<ref>English, pp. 104–110</ref>

''Garland'' and the five surviving ''Havant''s spent most of the year on convoy escort duties in the Atlantic<ref>English, pp. 93, 127–134</ref> aside from brief diversions such as [[Operation Tiger (1941)|Operation Tiger]], a Mediterranean convoy in May that ''Harvester'', ''Havelock'', and ''Hesperus'' escorted,<ref>Rohwer, p. 72</ref> and ''Garland''{{'}}s participation in the [[Operation Gauntlet|Spitzbergen Raid]] in July.<ref name=e3/> ''Hurricane'' was badly damaged by a German bomb in May that took the rest of the year to repair.<ref name="e34"/>

''Hesperus'' was transferred to Force H in December 1941 for anti-submarine defence of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and sank {{GS|U-93|1940|2}} by ramming on 15 January 1942. In March 1942, the ''Havant''-class destroyers were designated group leaders of the [[Mid-Ocean Escort Force]] through the winter of 1942–1943.<ref>Dickens, pp. 181, 183, 186–187</ref> ''Garland'' was assigned to the escort force for [[Convoy PQ 16]] to [[Murmansk]] in May, during which she was damaged by a German bomber. After repairs, she rejoined her half-sisters in the North Atlantic. On 26 December, ''Hesperus'' sank {{GS|U-357||2}} by ramming.<ref>English, pp. 93, 131</ref>

''Griffin'' and ''Hotspur'' were transferred to the [[Eastern Fleet]] in February 1942. ''Havock'', ''Hasty'', and ''Hero'' participated in the [[Second Battle of Sirte]] on 22 March during which the former was damaged. While under repair at Malta, she was further damaged and was then ordered to Gibraltar for repairs in a safer environment.<ref>English, pp. 101, 105–106, 109–110</ref> Whilst in transit, she [[Ship grounding|ran aground]] off the Tunisian coast during the night of 5/6 April due to a navigational error and had to be destroyed to prevent her capture.<ref>Evans, pp. 118–121</ref> Together with the destroyers {{HMS|Eridge|L68|2}} and {{HMS|Hurworth|L28|2}}, ''Hero'' sank {{GS|U-568||2}} on 28 May.<ref>Rohwer, p. 166</ref> To reinforce the escorts for [[Operation Vigorous]], a convoy from Alexandria to Malta in June, ''Griffin'' and ''Hotspur'' were temporarily recalled to join their sisters. During the mission, ''Hasty'' was torpedoed by a German [[E-boat]] and had to be scuttled by ''Hotspur'' on 15 June. On 30 October, ''Hero'' shared the credit for sinking {{GS|U-559||2}} with five other destroyers and a [[Vickers Wellesley]] bomber of [[No. 42 Squadron RAF]]. ''Griffin'' arrived home that same month to begin her conversion into an [[escort destroyer]]. ''Garland'' remained in the North Atlantic until December 1943 when she began escorting convoys between Freetown and Gibraltar.<ref>English, pp. 94, 101, 109–111</ref>

''Hotspur'' and ''Hero'' were sent home and converted into escort destroyers in early 1943. ''Griffin'' and ''Hero'' were transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in March and November 1943 and renamed ''Ottawa'' and ''Chaudière'', respectively. ''Hotspur'' began escort duties in the WAC after her conversion was completed that lasted until October 1944.<ref>English, pp. 101, 109, 111</ref> While escorting [[Convoy HX 228]], ''Harvester'' rammed {{GS|U-444||2}} on 10 March, but was disabled in the process, so the [[French corvette Aconit|French corvette ''Aconit'']] finished off the submarine. The following day, ''Harvester'' was sunk by {{GS|U-432||2}} which was in turn sunk by ''Aconit''.<ref>Evans, pp. 149–153</ref> ''Hesperus'' sank {{GS|U-191||2}} on 23 April and {{GS|U-186||2}} on 12 May. ''Hesperus'' continued to escort convoys in the North Atlantic until January 1945 when she was transferred to the UK.<ref>Dickens, pp. 190–192</ref> ''Highlander'' and ''Hurricane'' also remained on convoy duties, although the latter ship was torpedoed by {{GS|U-415||2}} on 24 December and had to be scuttled by {{HMS|Watchman|D26|2}} the next day.<ref>English, pp. 132, 134</ref>

[[File:HMS Harvester (H19).jpg|thumb|''Harvester'' in 1942, with a Hedgehog in lieu of 'A' gun and a Type 271 radar above the bridge]]
''Garland'' was transferred to the Mediterranean in April 1944 and sank {{GS|U-407||2}} on 19 September. She began a lengthy refit in November and had barely finished [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#W|working up]] when the war ended. ''Havelock'', ''Ottawa'' and ''Chaudière'' were escorting convoys in the North Atlantic until they were transferred to the UK in preparation for Operation Overlord in May 1944.<ref>English, pp. 94, 101, 130</ref> ''Chaudière'' and the escorts of [[Convoy HX 280]] sank {{GS|U-744||2}} on 6 March.<ref>Rohwer, p. 308</ref> ''Ottawa'' sank three German submarines in 1944, {{GS|U-678||2}} with the [[corvette]] {{HMS|Statice|K281|2}} on 6 July, {{GS|U-621||2}} with ''Chaudière'' on 16 August and {{GS|U-984||2}}, also with ''Chaudière'', two days later.<ref>English, p. 101, 109</ref>

''Ottawa'', ''Chaudière'' and ''Hotspur'' also had lengthy overhauls that began in late 1944; the latter's was completed in March 1945 and she then patrolled the [[Irish Sea]] until the end of the war while ''Ottawa'' returned to the North Atlantic when her refit was finished in February. ''Chaudière''{{'}}s, however, was still not completed by the end of the war. ''Highlander'' struck a small iceberg on 15 April that crushed the underwater portion of her bow and was under repair for the next three months.<ref>English, pp. 109, 111, 132–134</ref> ''Havelock'' and ''Hesperus'', assisted by aircraft from [[No. 201 Squadron RAF]], sank {{GS|U-242||2}} in the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|Irish Channel]] on 30 April.<ref>Dickson, pp. 193–194</ref>

===Postwar===
The surviving ships were essentially obsolete and worn-out when the war ended in May. ''Ottawa'' made several voyages ferrying Canadian troops  back home before she was paid off in October. The ship was sold for scrap in 1946, but was not actually broken up until 1950. ''Chaudière'' was in the worst shape of any of the Canadian destroyers and was paid off in August, although she was not scrapped until 1950 like her sister. ''Garland'' transported food and other supplies to Dutch and Belgian towns immediately after the end of the war and was part of the Home Fleet until she was reduced to reserve in August 1946. She was purchased by the Royal Netherlands Navy in November 1947, renamed ''Marnix'', and became a [[training ship]] until 1964. ''Hotspur'' remained in service until 1948 when she was sold to the [[Dominican Republic]] and renamed ''Trujillo''. Renamed ''Duarte'' in 1962,<ref>English, pp. 94, 101, 109, 111–112</ref> the ship was sold for scrap in 1972.<ref name=ss2>Scheina & Smigielski, p. 82</ref> ''Havelock'' and ''Hesperus'' escorted the Norwegian government-in-exile back to Norway in May and then served as a target ship before being broken up in late 1946 and 1947, respectively. Like her sisters, ''Highlander'' served as a target ship after her repairs were completed and was scrapped beginning in May 1947.<ref>English, pp. 130–131, 134</ref>