10 Facts About HMS Caprice

1. HMS Caprice was a C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, ordered on 16 February 1942 from Yarrow, Scotstoun.

2. HMS Caprice's was originally to be named HMS Swallow but this was changed to Caprice before launch to fit her revised class name.

3. HMS Caprice's is the only British warship to have had this name.

4. HMS Caprice's was adopted by the Civil Community of Bexley and Welling, as part of the Warship Week programme.

5. On commissioning HMS Caprice was allocated to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla with the Home Fleet and took part in Russian and Atlantic convoys and acted as escort to the ocean liners, Queen Elizabeth and Ile de France on their high speed trooping runs.

6. HMS Caprice saved 20 of the 21-man crew of Galatea, but Galateas captain fell into the sea during the rescue attempts and died.

7. HMS Caprice's was Guard ship at Georgetown, Guyana from May to July 1963 and then carried out anti-immigration patrols in the Bahamas from July to August that year.

8. In 1966 HMS Caprice received the Sea Cat anti-aircraft missile system - the only two Ca ships to receive it.

9. HMS Caprice's was paid off in 1973 as the last war time destroyer in service.

10. HMS Caprice's was disarmed and laid up until November 1979 when she arrived at the breaker's yard at Queenborough for scrapping.