World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDestroyer Garland (later, Marnix) saw service with the British, Polish, and Dutch navies during her career. She was launched in Scotland, United Kingdom in 1935, and saw service flying the British Royal Navy ensign during the Spanish Civil War enforcing the blockade. In Jul 1939, she briefly patrolled off Cyprus. The European War began while she was underway between Aden and Alexandria, Egypt. Upon arrival, she began escorting convoys sailing between Alexandria and Malta. On 17 Sep 1939, she suffered an accidental explosion of her own depth charges; she was towed to Alexandria for temporary repairs, and then towed to Malta for permanent repairs. Just prior to the completion of her repairs, she was loaned to the navy of the Polish government-in-exile in Britain. Operating under the Polish banner, she escorted convoys in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, participating in Operation Hats in Aug-Sep 1940, Operation Halberd in Sep 1941, PQ-16 in May 1942, and others. In Nov 1943, she was transferred to Freetown, British West Africa, where she would continue to escort convoys. In May 1944, she was assigned to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla of the British Mediterranean Fleet, sharing the credit for the sinking of German submarine U-407 during this time. She was recalled to Britain for refitting at the end of 1944. Her final operations of the European War saw her delivering emergency supplies for the civilians of coastal Belgian and Dutch towns. In late 1945, she participated in Operation Deadlight, the scuttling of captured German submarines. Until Jun 1946, she was a part of the Polish Squadron based at Rosyth, Scotland, United Kingdom. In Jul 1946, Poland returned Garland to Britain. Four months later, after a brief time in Category C reserve, she was sold to the Netherlands, where she would serve as a anti-submarine training ship until 1948. In 1950, she was renamed Marnix by the Royal Netherlands Navy. In 1952, she was reclassified as a frigate. She underwent an extended overhaul between 1955 and 1956. She was decommissioned from Dutch service and scrapped in 1964.

Photographs

Garland Operational Timeline