THE BRITISH FLEET AT OKINAWA

Do you know the name of the destroyer?
The only RN destroyer loss listed in 1945 was HMS Pathfinder, and she was a total constructive loss(not sunk) and she was severely damaged by Japanese bombs south of Akyab.
1945

 

I'm thinking this is a "sea story"...No Australian destroyer or destroyer escort had been previously sunk at Okinawa, raised, and repaired. The destroyers acquired post-war by Australia were all completed after WW2 had ended.

 

Nah...She was one of many that went down off Okinawa due to Kamikaze attacks.

The only two destroyers that went down off Okinawa not due to Kamikazes were the USS Halligan - which hit a mine and was blown in half(bow sank, and stern grounded off Tokashiki island)m and the USS Longshaw - which grounded near Naha airfield and was battered into helplessness by Japanese shore batteries.

 

A picture of Australis's Aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne...we had the Sydney too...

 

Sydney was the "Vung Tau Ferry." Yeah, wrong war, but I couldn't resist mentioning it.

 

I can't find any record of a British DD sunk off Okinawa either. Also most of the British participation from what I can find was in suppressing airfields that supported the Japanese on Okinawa. No indication that they were anywhere near the island itself or took part in shore bombardment of the island. I also suspect that any DD that was hit by most of a broadside by an American CL would be worth raising. The heavy ones had 12 or 15 6" guns and the light ones had 10-12 5" guns but if the rate of fire would likely have made it clear their targeting was off before it came close (and I suspect they tended to be providing AA for the carriers).

Pathfinder is the only British DD I can find that was sunk in the Pacific in 45 and it's listed as loss due to Japanese bombs although it isn't listed as scrapped until 48. See:
British Destroyer Losses of World War II - NavWeaps
The wiki article here indicates that she wasn't even sunk but damaged enough that she returned to port and placed in reserve before being scrapped. See:
HMS Pathfinder (G10) - Wikipedia

I also looked for smaller vessels but none of them seemed to fit either.

 

Worth noting that vast majority of 1945 ship-to-ship "friendly fire" incidents were the result of anti-aircraft actions, and none resulted in the loss of a ship.

 

Well...The HMAS Melbourne did sink a RAN destroyer...But, that was not until 1964.

 

After hitting Voyager...

 

And an American destroyer, USS Frank E. Evans in 1969.

 

Is there a documentary about the British Pacific Fleet from WWII? I have been searching for a long time but without great success. I am an American admirer of the Royal Navy, and I would love to find a well-made documentary about the BPF. I have some books about the BPF, but no documentaries. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

None...All I have ever seen are books.

 

I think I've heard or seen some video's of the RN in the Pacific but they were incidental parts of video's focusing on something else.