Why the Navy Saved This Destroyer 3 Times

HMS Kelly was supposed to be one of the Royal Navy’s finest destroyers, a luxurious floating palace personally shaped by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the great-grandson of Queen Victoria. Equipped with private comforts, a cinema, and even a dining space intended for royalty, Kelly seemed destined for greatness when World War II began. But almost immediately, the ship became one of Britain's most unfortunate warships. Violent storms, German mines, a devastating collision with another British destroyer, and a torpedo attack by a German E-boat repeatedly left her crippled and fighting to stay afloat. Mountbatten had even used his royal connections to push through a controversial two-boiler design, a decision that became particularly dangerous when an enemy torpedo destroyed one of those boilers. Despite suffering catastrophic damage, Kelly survived an extraordinary four-day towing operation through waters threatened by German aircraft and fast attack boats, returning to port for yet another lengthy repair. After spending much of the war out of action, the destroyer finally returned to battle during the desperate defense of Crete in May 1941, attacking German transports and bombarding enemy positions along the coast. But her long-awaited moment of redemption was brutally cut short when approximately 24 German Stuka dive bombers descended on Kelly and her sister ship, HMS Kashmir. Bombs tore through both destroyers, and Kelly eventually rolled over and sank, leaving Mountbatten swimming through oil-covered wreckage to help his surviving sailors. Around 279 men were rescued, but the ship that had survived almost everything was finally gone. Refusing to accept defeat, Mountbatten famously declared, “We didn’t leave the Kelly; the Kelly left us!” This is the incredible story of Britain's seemingly cursed royal destroyer, a warship that spent more time fighting for its own survival than fighting the enemy—and the commander who refused to abandon her until the very end. -- As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Seas sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Seas is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.