Glowworm's Last Stand

HMS Glowworm was a G-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War the ship spent part of 1936 and 1937 in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. Glowworm was transferred to the British Isles from the Mediterranean Fleet shortly after the beginning of the Second World War, to escort shipping in local waters. In March 1940, she was transferred to the Home Fleet and participated in the opening stages of the Norwegian campaign. On 8 April 1940 Glowworm encountered German destroyers transporting troops to invade Norway in Operation Weserübung. The German destroyers tried to disengage and called for help from the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. In the battle, Glowworm, severely damaged, rammed Admiral Hipper, losing its bow and sinking shortly afterwards. Kapitän zur See (Captain) Hellmuth Heye, the commander of Admiral Hipper, recommended that the captain of Glowworm, Gerard Roope, be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. There were only two other occasions when a VC was awarded at the recommendation of the opponent in the Second World War. == Description == Glowworm displaced 1,350 long tons (1,370 t) at standard load and 1,883 long tons (1,913 t) at deep load.