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HMS Express in Dock

What we know about this image :

The Royal Navy destroyer H.M.S. Express (H61), at Hartlepool, date unknown.
H.M.S. Express was built by Swan Hunter at Wallsend and was converted for Minelaying at the outbreak of WW2.  In October, 1939, she was deployed laying mines for the East Coast Barrier.
On 22nd of March, 1940, she was damaged in a collision with a minesweeping trawler and was repaired in Hartlepool.

She was also called up for the Dunkirk evacuation, rescuing 3,491 troops in total. During her last trip she sustained serious damage and had to be repaired in dock. Later in 1941 she was sent to join Force Z in Singapore and rescued 1,000 men from the sinking of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales by the Japanese.
She was eventually transferred to the Canadian Navy becoming H.M.C.S. Gatineau.

Donor : Hartlepool Museum Service

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