Hi,

I'm new here so please excuse me if i'm not doing this correctly. I am looking for information about my great grandfather or the ship on which he served. His name was George Henry Smith (pretty common name) and he always told me (before his death in 2000) that he was on a 'destroyer' called 'Chapplin/ Chaplin' in the Med (around Malta) during World War 2. I'm looking for information about this ship - because i've found none so far - which makes me wonder if he was telling porkies. Any information or tips/ links would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

Gem

There has been no ship named Chaplin.   The nearest I would think is CHAPLET, which was a destroyer - but it was not completed until  Augus 1945, ie after the end of the war.

Could I suggest that you apply for a copy of his service record, this would show the shore bases and ships he served on.

Contact:

Data Protection Cell (Navy)
Victory View
Building 1/152
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO1 3PX

confirming that you are a relative, and giving as much details as you can about him

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll look into that.

can any member of the family ask for copies, my father was in the Royal Navy and a log of the ships he served on would be great, can anyone tell me how much it would cost?

If it was your father, then there should be no problem.  I believe that there is a fee for providing the info, but it is not much.

You would have to contact the relevant authority and enquire.

For service between 1928 and 1938, contact:
The Directorate of Personnel Support (Navy)
Navy Search
TNT Archive Services
Tetron Point
William Nadin Way
Swadlincote,
Derbyshire
DE11 0BB.
Tel: 01283 227913


For service after 1938, contact:
Data Protection Cell (Navy)
Victory View
Building 1/152
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
PO1 3PX
Tel: 02392- 727 381/ 723 114/ 720 014/ 727 470/ 727 531