HMS Leith (U36)
Leith in July 1941
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Leith |
| Ordered: | 1 November 1932 |
| Builder: | Devonport Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 6 February 1933 |
| Launched: | 9 September 1933 |
| Commissioned: | 10 July 1934 |
| Decommissioned: | June 1945 |
| Out of service: |
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| Renamed: |
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| Identification: | Pennant number: L36 (later U36) |
| Motto: | 'Persevere' |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Badge: | On a Field White an ancient ship Black with Red pennons on wavelets Gold and Blue. |
 Denmark
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| Name: | HMDS Galathea |
| Acquired: | 1949 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap 1955 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Grimsby-class sloop |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 250 ft (76.2 m) p/p / 266 ft (81.1 m) o/a |
| Beam: | 36 ft (11.0 m) |
| Draught: | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 16.5 knots (31 km/h; 19 mph) |
| Range: | 5,700 nautical miles (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 100 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Leith was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Navy that served in the Second World War.
Leith was ordered on 1 November 1932 under the 1931 Programme. She was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 6 February 1933, launched on 9 September 1933 and commissioned on 10 July 1934. She was initially assigned to the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, manned by the Chatham Port Division. Leith arrived at Auckland on 13 November 1934, and was deployed in the Pacific and locally in New Zealand waters. She was recommissioned in December 1936 in order to continue to serve with the New Zealand Division and was again in July 1939. She had an active career in the Pacific, making numerous visits to Colonial possessions, and on one occasion taking Salote Tupou III, Queen of Tonga on a visit to outlying islands.
The outbreak of the Second World War saw Leith still in the Pacific. In September 1939 she sailed to Singapore to carry out contraband control duty on the China Station. During the passage she called at Jervis Bay, Australia. Leith was deployed at Penang to carry out contraband control, and also to carry out surveillance on enemy ships in Dutch East Indies ports. She was recalled from these duties in November and was ordered to sail to the UK to carry out convoy defence duties in Home Waters. She sailed from Penang on 7 November, travelling via the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. She arrived at Gibraltar, where she was diverted to go to Freetown to join as an escort for an Atlantic convoy. She joined Convoy SL 14 at Freetown on 26 December, escorting it to the UK. On arrival Leith was deployed to escort convoys. On 10 January she was diverted to join the sloops HMS Aberdeen and Bideford, and the destroyers Vidette, Wanderer, Warwick and Witch in escorting the inbound Convoy HG 14 into Liverpool. Leith was detached on 12 January and took passage for a refit at Penarth. The following day she was taken in hand by a commercial shipyard.
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