Richard Onslow

Captain Richard Onslow was one of the Royal Navy's most distinguished convoy escorts, commanding destroyers that protected Atlantic and Arctic convoys throughout the war. His most famous action came during the Battle of the Barents Sea on New Year's Eve 1942, when his destroyer HMS Onslow (coincidentally sharing his name), together with a handful of escorts, drove off a vastly superior German force including the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and pocket battleship Lützow. Despite being outgunned and damaged, Onslow's aggressive tactics saved every merchant ship in the convoy. This battle so enraged Hitler that he ordered the scrapping of the surface fleet. Southampton's naval heritage programme honours his connection to the port and his role in protecting the convoys that kept Britain supplied.