66-635: Admiral of the Fleet Sir Philip Louis Vian , GCB , KBE , DSO & Two Bars (15 July 1894 – 27 May 1968) was a Royal Navy officer who served in both World Wars. Vian specialised in naval gunnery from the end of the First World War and received several appointments as gunnery officer. In the early 1930s, he was given command of a destroyer, HMS Active , and, later, various destroyer flotillas. During this phase of his career, in early 1940, he commanded
132-874: A midshipman on the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Lord Nelson , which was serving with the Home Fleet , on 15 January 1912. At the start of the First World War, Vian remained on Lord Nelson which, as an obsolescent ship, was kept at Portland away from danger. This was disappointing for Vian, but when the ship was to be transferred to the Mediterranean he was posted to what he considered to be an even less desirable appointment. From October 1914 to September 1915, Vian served in HMS ; Argonaut , an old first-class protected cruiser patrolling in East African waters, on
198-439: A torpedo section was set up within the school; overseen by Commander Jacky Fisher (who would later return to Excellent as commanding officer), this was made a separate establishment, as HMS Vernon , in 1876. It was under Fisher's command, in the 1880s, that approval was given to move the gunnery school ashore, on to Whale Island. The initial proposal had come from a Lieutenant Percy Scott , who (having arrived to train as
264-599: A German convoy was intercepted and the German training cruiser Bremse was sunk. In October 1941, Vian was given command of the 15th Cruiser Squadron (flag in HMS Naiad , stationed at Alexandria . The main naval tasks at this stage of the Mediterranean campaign were to ensure the survival of Malta as a British possession and military base by the protection of supply convoys while preventing Italian convoys supplying their forces in north Africa. Secondary tasks included
330-510: A Senior Officers Technical Course before rejoining the 19th Destroyer Flotilla. In May 1936, he was transferred to command the 1st Destroyer Flotilla , flotilla leader HMS Keppel , also at Malta. In July, 1st Destroyer Flotilla returned to Portsmouth. En route home, however, Vian's ships responded to a call from the British Consul in Vigo for protection for British residents at the start of
396-483: A flotilla of escort aircraft carriers providing air support for the Allied landings at Salerno , Italy. Force V comprised the escort aircraft carriers HMS Attacker , HMS Battler , HMS Hunter and HMS Stalker , and the maintenance carrier HMS Unicorn , acting temporarily as a light fleet carrier. The planned period had to be increased and, when Lieutenant General Mark Clark , commanding
462-482: A force that forcibly released captured British merchant sailors from the German supply ship Altmark in Jøssingfjord in then-neutral Norway and, later, his flotilla took an active role in the final action of the German battleship Bismarck . Much of Vian's Second World War service was in the Mediterranean , where he commanded a cruiser squadron, defended several critical convoys and led naval support at
528-578: A former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff, was also appointed an honorary admiral of the fleet. HMS Excellent (shore establishment) HMS Excellent is a Royal Navy " stone frigate " (shore establishment) sited on Whale Island near Portsmouth in Hampshire. HMS Excellent is itself part of the Maritime Warfare School, with a headquarters at HMS Collingwood , although
594-476: A gunnery lieutenant in 1878) initially used the island as a running track. The island had grown significantly in size since the 1850s: indeed, up until the early 1890s excavated spoil from the expansion of the Dockyard was routinely conveyed there, using convict labour , to build the island up. Scott returned to Excellent as an instructor in 1883 and took the opportunity to submit a detailed proposal to Fisher which
660-475: A hit in the darkness, but their activities fixed the German's position and denied the crew much-needed rest before the main battle on 27 May. Afterwards, they escorted HMS King George V back to Scotland. Vian received a second bar to his DSO for this action. Vian was promoted to rear admiral on 8 July 1941, by special order of the First Sea Lord , Sir Dudley Pound . During July and August, 1941, Vian
726-555: A more determined attempt to intercept the convoy, leading to the Second Battle of Sirte . Vian's force of cruisers and destroyers, using threat and concealment by smoke, managed to hold off the Italians while the convoy escaped. The naval action was portrayed as a tactical success against a greatly superior enemy, although the convoy's progress was sufficiently delayed to leave it vulnerable to air attacks and all four transports were sunk and
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#1732858945173792-435: A number of lodger units are resident within the site including the offices of the First Sea Lord . In the 1829 a Commander George Smith advocated the establishment of a Naval School of Gunnery; accordingly, the following year, the third-rate HMS Excellent was converted into a training ship and moored just north of Portsmouth Dockyard , opposite Fareham Creek. Smith was given oversight and set up Excellent not only as
858-573: A series of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that were attached to the facility. From the late 1950s guided missile training was also provided. The Portsmouth Field Gun Crew, competing in the Royal Navy field gun competition at the Royal Tournament , used to be based at the site. A small museum in the Quarterdeck block preserves artefacts from Excellent's days as a gunnery school; among them
924-478: A training establishment but also as a platform for experimental firing of new weapons (the creek was used as a firing range). In 1832 Smith was replaced in command by Captain Thomas Hastings , under whom the school grew both numerically and in reputation, as trained gunners began to prove their effectiveness in combat situations. In 1834 the original Excellent was replaced by the second rate HMS Boyne which
990-512: Is the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage which is drawn by naval ratings at state funerals of monarchs and other distinguished UK citizens. The gunnery school closed in 1985 whereupon HMS Excellent was decommissioned. The site then became part of HMS Nelson . The establishment was recommissioned as HMS Excellent in 1994 following the closure of the old HMS Phoenix in nearby Tipner and Horsea Island , and
1056-728: The Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy . His wartime service was completed in command of the air component of the British Pacific Fleet , with successful actions against the Japanese in Sumatra and the western Pacific. Post-war, Vian served in the United Kingdom, as a Fifth Sea Lord and as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet . He retired in 1952 with the rank of Admiral of the Fleet, took up commercial directorships, and died at home in 1968. Born
1122-702: The American Fifth Army , requested Force V to stay longer despite fuel shortages, Vian replied: "My carriers will stay here if we have to row back." Vian was twice mentioned in despatches; once for each of the Italian operations. In November 1943, Vian returned to the UK as commander of Force J in preparation for D-Day and in January 1944, he was appointed commander of the Eastern Task Force (in HMS Scylla ), supporting
1188-495: The Australian flagship . On his return to the Royal Navy, Vian was given a series of appointments as gunnery officer, first, in January 1923, to the battleship HMS Thunderer , then serving as a cadet training ship. During this appointment, he was promoted to lieutenant commander on 15 February 1924. This was followed in 1924 by two appointments to aging C-class cruisers ( HMS Champion and HMS Castor ). There
1254-548: The Spanish Civil War . His ships acted in various roles, including, after discussion, the evacuation of British residents. When relieved by the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Vian's ships continued home. During a period at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich , Vian was unexpectedly offered an appointment as Flag-Captain to Rear-Admiral Lionel Wells in HMS Arethusa , flagship of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron , then part of
1320-602: The coronation of his wife Elizabeth II as Queen. This promotion was to a New Zealand rank, separate from the Royal Navy rank. Following the creation of the Chief of the Defence Staff in 1959, the five naval officers appointed to that position became admirals of the fleet. Recognizing the reduced post– Cold War size of the British Armed Forces, no further appointments were made to the rank after 1995 when Sir Benjamin Bathurst
1386-642: The D-Day landings in Normandy . He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the King's Birthday Honours , which coincided with the early stages of the invasion. After the success of the landings, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) "for distinguished services in the planning and execution of the successful landings". In November 1944, Vian became
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#17328589451731452-623: The Fleet (Royal Navy) Admiral of the Fleet is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Royal Navy , formally established in 1688. The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10 , equivalent to a field marshal in the British Army or a Marshal of the Royal Air Force . Apart from honorary appointments, no new admirals of the fleet have been named since 1995, and no honorary appointments have been made since 2014. The origins of
1518-458: The Indian Ocean. On 25 May, Vian's destroyers (HMS Cossack , Maori , Sikh , Zulu and ORP Piorun ) were detached from the convoy to join the search for the German battleship Bismarck . Eventually, Vian's flotilla participated in the destruction of Bismarck . While the main battle fleet awaited daylight, they, in a series of night attacks, harried the German ship. They failed to score
1584-405: The Japanese surrender, Vian returned finally to the UK and became Fifth Sea Lord in charge of naval aviation from 1946 until 1948, when he was promoted to admiral . His final appointment was commander in chief, Home Fleet (in HMS Vanguard ) until his retirement in 1952. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1952 New Year Honours . On 1 June 1952 he
1650-715: The Mediterranean Fleet. He greatly preferred sea duties and gladly took up the new appointment in March 1937. Vian returned to the UK shortly before the Second World War broke out. An appointment to command the boys' training establishment HMS Ganges was cancelled, and he was appointed to command of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla . This flotilla had been recently activated from reserve and consisting of seven old V and W-class destroyers plus his own ship, HMS Mackay , based first at Plymouth then at Liverpool , with
1716-617: The Pacific, the BPF operated as Task Force 57 from March 1945, providing air support for the American invasion of Okinawa (Operation Iceberg). Their role was to interdict the Sakishima Islands , suppressing Japanese air operations. Vian's carriers were externally resistant to the determined suicide attacks, returning to active service within hours. He was promoted to vice admiral on 8 May 1945. After
1782-514: The admiral of the fleet role. In a break with tradition the rank was awarded to the most senior Admiral of the Red, who retained this substantive rank while also serving as Admiral of the Fleet. Appointments were for life, remunerated via a £5 daily stipend and an annual allowance of £1,014 for the hiring and maintenance of servants. It was intended that only one officer would hold the rank at any time, with their presence aboard any naval vessel to be denoted by
1848-687: The bulk of the supplies were lost. Despite this, Vian received a personal letter of congratulation from Winston Churchill and he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). In June 1942, Vian's force provided escort for the Operation Vigorous convoy from Haifa and Port Said . This was a part of a sequence of movements but it was rebuffed by strong surface and air forces and returned. After this failed operation, Vian's health deteriorated and he
1914-703: The captain's cabin, Vian permitted Coward to stay on the ship for a cruise on the ship ending on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal , Coward finally ending up in Trinidad some time later. Two incidents occurred during this command for which Vian was held to be at fault: damage to Active while going astern alongside a depot ship in Malta and the loss of a torpedo from HMS Anthony . However, Vian's commander-in chief, William Fisher , had remained well-disposed towards him, and these incidents had no ill effect on his career: he
1980-523: The commander in charge of air operations of the British Pacific Fleet (Flag Officer Commanding, 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron , British Pacific Fleet and Second in Command, British Pacific Fleet, in HMS Formidable ). The first operations of Vian's new command were against Japanese oil and port installations in Sumatra (Operations Cockpit , Transom , Lentil and Meridian ). These served to damage
2046-545: The destroyer HMS Active and a Division within the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla (part of the Mediterranean Fleet). A biography of the playwright Noël Coward refers to Coward meeting Vian at that time. Coward arrived at Bermuda on SS Roma on 28 May 1933 and boarded the light cruiser HMS Dragon on 30 May 1933. Vian's first words to Coward were "What the hell are you doing on board this ship?" However, after speaking to Coward and having gin with him in
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2112-844: The destroyers HMS Ossory (September 1916) and HMS Sorceress (December 1917). Following gunnery courses in 1916, 1918 and 1919 at the Royal Naval gunnery school ( HMS Excellent ), Vian obtained a First Class certificate in Gunnery in October 1919. Despite being slated for service with the British Military Mission in Southern Russia , he was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy for two years from January 1920 and served as Gunnery Officer of HMAS Australia , then
2178-543: The enemy's capabilities, distract his attention from events elsewhere and provide experience for the British and Commonwealth crews in the procedures that they would use while working with the Americans in the western Pacific. The U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga , participated in the training exercises and the first two operations. Vian was mentioned in despatches once again for "bravery, skill and devotion to duty". Once in
2244-642: The enemy, who tried to blind him with the glare of a searchlight, worked his engine full ahead and full astern, tried to ram him and drive him ashore and so threatened the grounding and loss of Cossack. The Germans invaded Norway on 9 April 1940 and Vian, now in Afridi , was engaged in a number of operations against German shipping and warships and in support of Allied troops. On 9 April 1940, Vian's destroyers were escorting two cruisers ( HMS Southampton and HMS Glasgow ) off Bergen when they came under heavy German air attack. HMS Gurkha became isolated and
2310-564: The fleet being divided into three divisions – red, white, or blue. Each division was assigned at least one admiral , who in turn commanded a number of vice-admirals and rear admirals . While the full admirals were nominally equals, tradition gave precedence to the Admiral of the White who held the fleet rank in addition to his substantive role. The Restoration era brought a general reorganisation of naval ranks and structure, including formalisation of
2376-679: The flying of the Royal Standard from the main mast . The ranks of Admiral of the Fleet and Admiral of the Red were formally separated from 1805, with an announcement in the London Gazette that "His Majesty [has] been pleased to order the Rank of Admirals of the Red to be restored" in His Majesty's Navy..." as a separate role. The same Gazette promoted 22 men to that rank. From the nineteenth century onward there were also occasional variations to
2442-717: The following Appointments to the Distinguished Service Order:— To be a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order: Captain Philip Louis Vian, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Cossack; for outstanding ability, determination and resource in the preliminary dispositions which led to the rescue of 300 English prisoners from the German Armed Auxiliary Altmark, and for daring, leadership and masterly handling of his ship in narrow waters so as to bring her alongside and board
2508-675: The lookout for the German cruiser Karlsruhe . He was confirmed as a sub-lieutenant in January 1915. Dissatisfied by the lack of action in Argonaut , Vian used a promise of help from William Fisher and subsequently received an appointment to HMS Morning Star , a modern Yarrow -built M-class destroyer , in October 1915. Whilst on this ship, he was a spectator at the Battle of Jutland , in which his ship played no active part. Promotion to lieutenant in 1917 (with seniority backdated to February 1916) resulted in two appointments as First Lieutenant in
2574-537: The previous requirement that only one Admiral of Fleet could serve at one time. In 1821 George IV appointed Sir John Jervis as a second admiral of the fleet, to balance the Duke of Wellington ' s promotion as a second Field Marshal in the British Army. In 1830 King William IV increased the number of admirals of the fleet to three, though these additional lifetime postings subsequently lapsed. Between 1854 and 1857 there
2640-537: The rank can be traced back to John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp de Warwick , who was appointed ' Admiral of the King's Southern, Northern and Western Fleets ' on 18 July 1360. The appointment gave the command of the English navy to one person for the first time; this evolved into the post of Admiral of the Fleet. In the days of sailing ships the admiral distinctions then used by the Royal Navy included distinctions related to
2706-482: The relocation of the school of Fire Fighting and Damage Control from there to Whale Island. The following list goes as far as 1984. It shows the date of appointment, and rank and decorations held at the time. In some cases a captain held several sequential appointments. It does not show captains held on the books of the Excellent who were not commanding officers of Excellent . Maritime Warfare School elements within
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2772-491: The role of escorting Atlantic convoys . There was an ineffective brush with a U-boat . A change in policy required Vian, as a Captain (D) , to operate from shore, the better to command his flotilla. Early in 1940 he moved, this time to command of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla , the famous Tribal-class destroyers. The leader's ship at the time was HMS Afridi but as she was due for a refit he swapped ships to take over HMS Cossack . In February 1940, Vian's flotilla
2838-533: The role of gunnery training ship and was likewise renamed Excellent . In 1863 Hewlett was replaced by Captain Astley Cooper Key , who was in turn succeeded by Captain Arthur Hood some three years later. By this time, a rifle range had been established on the island for the use of HMS Excellent and the first building appeared there, the land having been somewhat drained and levelled. Under Hood's leadership
2904-610: The sailors took their place, for which King Edward VII conferred the Victoria medal upon them on 16 March, 1901 at Portsmouth, at the commencement of a world tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. The Anti-Aircraft Experimental Section of the Munitions Inventions Department was based here from September 1916, under Archibald Hill . Later, full-sized dummy gun turrets were provided for training purposes. Seagoing training also took place up until 1957 on
2970-583: The son of Alsager Richard Vian and Ada Frances Vian (née Renault), Vian joined the Royal Navy as an officer cadet in May 1907 and was educated at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth . On passing out from Dartmouth in 1911, Vian and his term sailed for the West Indies on the training cruiser HMS Cornwall but the cruise was ended by grounding on an uncharted reef off Nova Scotia . He became
3036-502: The south is a listed building (1892). Firing training took place on the batteries and all different varieties of guns were kept on site for instruction on their maintenance and operation. During the 2 February 1901 funeral of Queen Victoria sailors from HMS Excellent provided an honour guard. When the horses of the Royal Artillery intended to pull the gun carriage that bore her coffin from Windsor railway station became unmanageable,
3102-409: The supplies. There were several sorties to support the army and to intercept Italian convoys. On one such operation, in early March 1942, Vian's flagship, HMS Naiad , was torpedoed and sunk by U-565 . Vian transferred his flag to HMS Dido and later to HMS Cleopatra . Malta was still in a desperate state and another convoy (MG1) was run in March 1942. This time, the Italian Navy made
3168-425: The supply and artillery support of Allied military actions in north Africa and elsewhere, such as a successful bombardment of Derna in December. Vian's first convoy was in December 1941 and led to the First Battle of Sirte . This was, in effect, a series of skirmishes between British and Italian warships escorting desperately needed supply convoys. Overall, the fight was inconclusive, but both sides managed to deliver
3234-412: The then- flagship of the China Station , where he was promoted to commander on 30 June 1929. For the two years up to January 1933, Vian had a "shore" appointment at the Admiralty in London, with the Director for Staff Training and Development (DTSD), analysing practice gunnery statistics. He then attended a short Tactical Course in Portsmouth and subsequently took command (his first), in March 1933, of
3300-498: Was mentioned in despatches for his part in the action. On the night of 13/14 October, Vian, now re-established in HMS Cossack and with HMS Ashanti , Maori and Sikh , attacked a small German convoy off Egerö light. Although the operation's success was over-stated (just one ship was sunk and later refloated), Vian was awarded a bar to his DSO. On 22 May 1941, Vian, in HMS Cossack , with several destroyers, provided additional escort to troop convoy WS8B en route from Glasgow to
3366-403: Was a short period at the Devonport gunnery school ( HMS Vivid ) and another sea posting, to the battleship HMS Emperor of India in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1925. There followed two foreign postings, still as a gunnery specialist. First in February 1927 to HMS Royal Sovereign , in the Mediterranean Fleet . This was followed, in November 1927, to HMS Kent ,
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#17328589451733432-470: Was a violation of international law and of Norwegian neutrality. However, occurring during a quiet stage in the war, the incident was widely publicised in Britain. Vian was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for this successful action, the citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette of 9 April 1940 (dated 12 April 1940, and read: Admiralty, Whitehall. 12th April, 1940. The KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for
3498-432: Was abandoned in 1864, though the rank of admiral of the fleet was maintained. The title of First Naval Lord was renamed First Sea Lord in 1904. During the two World Wars a number of serving officers held active commissions as admirals of the fleet, as well as the First Sea Lord—e.g. Sir John Tovey . Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was created an Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1954, following
3564-413: Was accepted. (Later in his career Scott was again posted to HMS Excellent on two occasions, returning first as Commander in 1890 and then as Captain of the establishment in the early 1900s.) The first buildings of the shore establishment were begun in 1885, including what is now known as the Quarterdeck Block. Building work then continued alongside the tasks of draining and levelling the land (the site
3630-403: Was appointed admiral of the fleet on his retirement as First Sea Lord. The rank was not abolished and in 2012 the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III ) became an honorary admiral of the fleet (as well as field marshal and marshal of the Royal Air Force ), in recognition of his support to Queen Elizabeth II in her role of as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces. In 2014, Lord Boyce ,
3696-430: Was duly renamed Excellent . In 1845 Captain Henry Ducie Chads took over command of Excellent in succession to Hastings. He remained in post until 1854, by which time the Admiralty had purchased 'Whaley Island' (which at the time was little more than a sandbank). Chads was succeeded first by Captain Thomas Maitland and then, in 1857, by Richard Hewlett. In December 1859 the first-rate Queen Charlotte took over
3762-434: Was involved in liaising with the Soviet Navy to assess their readiness and to investigate the practicalities of a British naval force being based at Murmansk or nearby. In the event, Vian advised against this, but in September, 1941, he commanded Force K, a naval force that supported an Anglo-Canadian raid and demolition on the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen . The intention was to clear out any German garrison (there
3828-409: Was known colloquially as 'Mud Island'). By 1891 the whole operation had moved ashore and the old ship was paid off. Centred on a large open drill ground, the site includes the officers' mess in a range to the north with rows of barracks blocks for ratings (demolished and rebuilt c. 2010) arrayed behind. To the west, opposite the Quarterdeck, were long gun battery sheds; the long low drill shed to
3894-414: Was no admiral of the fleet at all as the most senior naval officer of the time – Admiral of the Red Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin – was mentally ill and had not served at sea for forty-five years. In deference to Gosselin's seniority the position was instead left vacant until his death in 1857, whereupon it was filled by Admiral Charles Ogle . The organisation of the British fleet into coloured squadrons
3960-404: Was none), destroy the coal mines and coal stocks and evacuate the Russian miners. The troops were aboard the liner RMS Empress of Canada , escorted by two Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Nigeria and HMS Aurora and three destroyers: HMS Icarus , HMS Anthony and HMS Antelope and several smaller ships. The operation was successful and during Force K's return,
4026-399: Was now considered to debar him from further sea service and in April 1943 he was appointed to the planning staff for the invasion of Europe. Probably much to his relief, however, this shore job was pre-empted by his return to the Mediterranean to command (from HMS Glengyle ) an amphibious force for the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In September 1943, he commanded Force V ,
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#17328589451734092-474: Was ordered to find and locate the German supply tanker, Altmark . This ship was believed to be holding around 300 British merchant seamen captured by Admiral Graf Spee . When found, Altmark was in neutral Norwegian waters, escorted by two Norwegian torpedo boats . After peacefully negating the Norwegian opposition, Vian pursued Altmark into Jøssingfjord, she was boarded and the captives were freed. The German and Norwegian governments protested that this
4158-407: Was promoted to captain on 31 December 1934. On his return to the UK in early 1935, he was told to expect to spend time on half-pay , but the Abyssinian crisis intervened and he was given command of the 19th Destroyer Flotilla (on board HMS Douglas ), which had been activated from the reserve to reinforce Malta . Vian returned to the UK in July 1935 at the end of the crisis and attended
4224-599: Was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet . Vian was mentioned in despatches five times, and received several foreign awards. In retirement, Vian became a director of the Midland Bank and the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company . He also published his memoirs , Action This Day , in 1960. He died on 27 May 1968 at his home at Ashford Hill, Hampshire near Newbury, Berkshire. Vian married, on 2 December 1929, Marjorie, daughter of Colonel David Price Haig, OBE of Withyham in Sussex; they had two daughters. Vian's honours were as follows: Admiral of
4290-425: Was sent back to Britain in September 1942. During a delay in the journey in west Africa, he caught malaria and was not passed fit for service until January, 1943. In January, he was mentioned in despatches for "outstanding zeal, patience and cheerfulness and for setting an example of wholehearted devotion to duty without which the high tradition of the Royal Navy could not have been upheld". Vian's physical condition
4356-434: Was sunk. From 15 to 17 April, Afridi assisted and protected British troop landings at Namsos ( Operation Maurice ), which were a part of a planned pincer movement to seize Trondheim . Afridi later assisted the evacuation of Namsos and the rescue of the survivors of the Bison , during which, on 3 May, Afridi was bombed and sunk; the survivors were rescued by destroyers HMS Imperial and HMS Grenade . Vian
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