HMS Maori acquired her name from the Maori people of New Zealand. She joined HMS Cossack's division in January 1939 and was the last Tribal to go to war in the Mediterranean. Maori had also acquired her own 'bum-boat'. This little fishing craft had been picked up at sea off Gibraltar. It was empty, bloodstained and full of bullet holes but when hoisted aboard and restored, became the envy of the rest of the flotilla and the object of raiding parties from their 'chummy' ship Cossack.

On 3rd September, several days after the declaration of World War 2, Maori was lying at Alexandria, Egypt with the rest of her division. Immediately she joined her sister Tribals in convoy escort duties and contraband control before returning to the United Kingdom in October. Again, convoy duty was the main mission but Maori carried out a number of North Sea patrols. On 30th November, Maori and HMS Inglefield were on one of these patrols when they were ordered to help the submarine HMS Triad which was in difficulty off the coast of Norway. A gale was blowing, but Maori successfully got a line aboard and towed the submarine into a fiord near Stavanger, Norway. Triad managed to repair her defective hydroplanes but the two destroyers stayed with her until they were relieved by a tug which brought back the submarine to the United Kingdom. To the crew of the Tribal, it always felt like they were on one, constant North Sea patrol. Even Christmas 1939 was celebrated while the ship was at sea.

Maori was refitted and degaussed at Fairfield's Yard in March 1940. Since anti-aircraft weapons were in short supply at the time, Maori's crew improvised a bit. At various times she had been fitted with a sort of an aerial 'kite- bomb'. Anything that would hit back at the enemy was always welcome on North Sea patrols. When the Norwegian campaign began, Maori spent time screening the big ships of the Home Fleet in the North Sea again. This changed on 19/20th April 1940 when she escorted French troops into Nasmos, Norway. Maori arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland in time to join her sister ship HMS Afridi to escort the evacuation convoy sailing to Nasmos. During this operation, Maori was bombed by German aircraft. Two bombs, both fitted with screamers burst alongside; one to port abreast of the bridge and the other to starboard near the torpedo tubes. Both motor boats and a whaler were blown to pieces. Splinters pierced the hull, the funnels, and the superstructure. About twenty men were injured, five dying of their wounds. That night, Nasmos was evacuated although Bison and HMS Afridi were sunk during the subsequent withdrawal. Maori's casualties were landed in Scotland while her own damage was patched up at Scapa Flow.

On 5 June 1940, the Tribal left Scapa Flow with a force of ships bound for Iceland and their mission was to intercept German warships that were reported there. Maori was requested to investigate Seidisfiord. The destroyer eased into the narrow fiord and was prepared for ambush by shore batteries or lurking destroyers but to the relief of the crew nothing was found.

By March 1940, many of the countries in Europe had already fallen under German occupation and the British believed that they would need every available warship to repel the expected invasion of Britain. Warships belonging to occupied countries had to sail with the Royal Navy or be disabled lest they fall into enemy hands. At this time, Sweden had acquired four warships from Italy. The British felt that Sweden was too close to Germany's sphere of influence and something would have to be done about the acquisition. It was decided to invoke the Right of Angary, an ancient international law which in essence, permitted the property of neutral states to be seized and destroyed if it was deemed that the property would be employed as a weapon of war by a belligerent. HMS Maori, HMS Tartar and HMS Mashona were sent to the Faeroe Islands on 20 June 1940 in order to requisition the ships. The Swedes refused to hand them over and were also prepared to battle with the British over the situation. The old Italian ships were not even seaworthy let alone battle worthy, so the Swedes handed over their vessels without further incident. The Royal Navy thoroughly inspected the Italian destroyers and found so many defects that they would need a certain amount of repair before they could even be moved to a dockyard. Even if they arrived at a dockyard, spares, tools and drawings would become a serious issue. The British Government decided that the four ships should be returned to their Swedish crews.

By December 1940, Maori was undergoing a major refit at Hebburne-on-Tyne, England. Apart from routine repairs, the 4.7" 'X' mounting was replaced by a twin, 4", anti-aircraft gun. When refit was completed in January 1941, Maori joined HMS Cossack, HMS Sikh and HMS Zulu in convoy escort duty in the Western Approaches. While engaged in this work, the destroyers participated in the search for the German battleship Bismarck.

Maori also spent time in the English Channel to defend coastal convoys against German forces. Two, single 2 pounder guns were installed to augment her fire power against fast E-boats. She also paid a visit to Londonderry, Ireland to have type 286M radar fitted.

Towards the end of 1941, the British Admiralty decided to reinforce the 14th Destroyer Flotilla (14th D.F.) in the eastern Mediterranean so HMS Sikh and HMS Maori were promptly dispatched to that area. While in support of Force 'K', the Malta striking force, Maori participated in the action that resulted in the sinking of the Italian cruisers Alberico da Barbiano and Alberto di Guiossano.

The fortunes of the Royal Navy were reversed on 18/19th December when the battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant were disabled and almost sunk by Italian 'human torpedoes'. Force K was decimated in a minefield off Tripoli, Libya. It was therefore decided that HMS Maori, HMS Sikh and HMS Zulu should be based at Malta for the time being as the 22 Destroyer Flotilla. They would act as a surface striking force and would provide additional support for convoys arriving and leaving Malta. With the British army occupying Libyan airfields, Mediterranean convoys were in comparative safety from Axis air attacks. This was not to last for long. The Axis armies were also building up their forces for a counterattack on the Allied advances in North Africa. By early February 1942, Libyan airfields were once again in Axis hands. This meant that Mediterranean convoy duty suddenly became very hazardous again. At the same time, the Germans opened a massive air offence against Malta to neutralize the island.

On 12th February 1942 at 0200hours, while anchored at Malta, HMS Maori was attacked from the air and a bomb found its way into her engine and gear room. The Tribal blew up and sank, still moored at the emergency destroyer buoy at the entrance to Dockyard Creek. Crews from other ships helped in the rescue work as blazing oil spread across the water. Since off-duty personnel customarily slept ashore in shelters while in Malta, only one man was killed in the attack. At daybreak, Maori's forepart still showed above the water and the wreck seriously interfered with shipping movements but it was decided to leave her there for the time being. Her 'A' and 'B' guns were still in good order so it was suggested that those guns be mounted on the Ricassoli Breakwater for the Army's use. Bombs still fell on Maori during succeeding air attacks. By the end of 1942, the Admiralty decided that her wreck should be lifted, moved out of Grand Harbour and set down off Sliema. On 5 July 1945, Maori's hulk was scuttled finally in deep water far away from the harbour.

Commanding officers:
Cdr. Godfrey Noel Brewer, RN
15 October 1938 - 30 May 1940

Cdr. Harold Thomas Armstrong, RN
Promoted to Capt. on 30 June 1941
DSC awarded on 3 December 1940
30 May 1940 - 9 July 1941

Cdr. Rafe Edward Courage, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN
9 July 1941 >