January
Passage to Scapa Flow from patrol area.
3rd - Resumed Fleet duties at Scapa Flow.
23rd - Deployed with cruiser SHEFFIELD, destroyers
ECHO, ECLIPSE, FAULKNOR, INGLEFIELD, MONTROSE, QUEENBOROUGH, RAIDER and Polish destroyer ORP ORKAN to provide Distant Cover
for passage of Russian Convoy JW52 and return Convoy RA52
27th - Remained in Arctic after arrival of JW52 at
Kola Inlet
30th - Provided Distant Cover for RA52 with SHEFFIELD
screened by destroyers INGLEFIELD, OBEDIENT, ORIBI and ORP ORKAN,
February
2nd - Took passage to return to Scapa Flow on
completion of covering duties.
March
to May
Deployed for interception of commerce raiders with
Home Fleet ships at Scapa Flow and in Iceland area.
June
Deployed at Scapa Flow.
9th - Provided cover for relief of Anglo- Norwegian
garrison at Spitzbergen with DUKE OF YORK, US battleships USS SOUTH DAKOTA and
ALABAMA screened by five US Navy destroyers (Operation GEARBOX). Note: These US
Navy warships had been transferred for loan service to reinforce Home Fleet after battleships KING GEORGE
V and HOWE were detached for service in Mediterranean for planned allied
landings in Sicily (Operation HUSKY)
13th - On release from GEARBOX took passage to Scapa
Flow with covering force.
28th - Vice Admiral Bruce Fraser left ship on
promotion to Admiral and relieved by Vice Admiral Sir Henry Moore as VA2 (Second
in Command) Home Fleet
July
Home Fleet deployment at Scapa Flow in continuation.
27th - Deployed with aircraft carriers ILLUSTRIOUS and
UNICORN for repeat diversion operation to simulate possible allied landing in
south Norway as a diversion during HUSKY, the invasion of
Sicily. (Note: Ships involved included DUKE OF YORK and seven cruisers screened
by RN and USN destroyers (Operation GOVERNOR). The earlier Operation CAMERA was
carried out on 7th July.)
August
1st - Note: US ships were withdrawn from loan service.
Took passage for refit and routine docking,
Note: King George VI visited Home Fleet ships at Scapa
Flow on 11th August. Presence of ship is to be confirmed.
September
Resumed Home Fleet duties at Scapa Flow.
8th - Deployed with DUKE OF YORK and screen of five
Home Fleet destroyers to intercept German battleships TIRPITZ and SCHARNHORST which had carried out bombardment of Spitzbergen.
9th - Returned to Scapa Flow after German warships
reported as returned to Altenfjord.
October
Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
4th - Part of Home Fleet cover with DUKE OF YORK, US
cruisers TUSCALOOSA, three RN cruisers and screen of RN and USN destroyers during air strikes by US aircraft carrier USS RANGER
on shipping at Bodo on coast of Norway (Operation LEADER).
6th - Returned to Scapa Flow with Home Fleet ships.
14th - Deployed with destroyers HAIDA (RCN), IROQUOIS
(RCN), HARDY, JANUS and VIGILANT to land relief stores for allied garrison at Spitzbergen (Operation GEARBOX III/FQ.)
November
2nd - Provided Distant Cover for return Convoy RA54
from Kola Inlet with aircraft carrier FORMIDABLE, cruisers JAMAICA screened by
destroyers ONSLOW, VENUS, HAIDA (RCN), Norwegian STORD,
US destroyers USS CAPPS and USS HOBSON.
19th - Deployed with USS TUSCALOOSA and screened by US
Navy destroyers USS CORRY, USS FITCH, USS FORREST and USS HOBSON to provide
Distant Cover for passage of Russian Convoy JW54A to Kola Inlet.
28th - Provided Distant Cover for passage of Russian
Convoy JW54B during passage to Kola Inlet and return Convoy RA54B with cruiser
BELFAST screened by destroyers ASHANTI, MATCHLESS, MUSKETEER and OBDURATE.
29th - MATCHLESS detached with weather damage.
December
Detached from RA54B and returned to Scapa Flow. Note: Extreme weather conditions were experience
during the cover of JW54B and destroyers were temporarily detached.
Deployed at Scapa Flow for Home Fleet duties.
January
Home Fleet service based at Scapa Flow in
continuation.
February
24th - Deployed with Free French battleship RICHELIEU
and two Home Fleet cruisers to provide cover for FURIOUS during series air
strikes on Norwegian coast (Operation BAYLEAF).
March
Home Fleet deployment at Scapa Flow in continuation.
30th - Sailed from Scapa Flow with DUKE OF YORK,
aircraft carriers VICTORIOUS and FURIOUS, cruisers BELFAST, ROYALIST, SHEFFIELD
and JAMAICA, Escort aircraft carriers EMPEROR, FENCER. PURSUER and SEARCHER
screened by destroyers MILNE, URSA, ONSLAUGHT, VERULAM, METEOR, UNDAUNTED,
VIGILANT, VIRAGO, SWIFT, JAVELIN, WAKEFUL, ALGONQUIN (RCN), SIOUX (RCN) and
Polish ORP PIORUN to provide Distant Cover for passage of Russian Convoy JW58 to
Kola Inlet and for air attacks on German battleship TIRPITZ at Altenfjord
(Operation TUNGSTEN)
April
2nd - DUKE OF YORK and two destroyers detached to
provide Distant Cover for JW58.
3rd - Provided cover during strikes by aircraft from
carriers. (For details see CONVOY! by P Kemp)
4th - Second series of strikes abandoned and took
return passage to Scapa Flow.
6th - Arrived at Scapa Flow with Fleet units.
21st - Sailed from Scapa Flow with VICTORIOUS,
FURIOUS, SEARCHER, STRIKER, EMPEROR and PURSUER, Home Fleet cruisers and
destroyer screen to provide cover during further series of air strikes on
TIRPITZ (Operation PLANET). Note: DUKE OF YORK did not take part.
25th - Air operations postponed because of weather
conditions. See above reference.
26th - TIRPITZ attacks cancelled in view of weather
and carried out on secondary target of shipping near Bodo.
May
Scapa Flow deployment in continuation.
12th - Deployed to provide cover for air strikes by
VICTORIOUS and FURIOUS on TIRPIRTZ with Home Fleet cruisers and destroyer
screen. Note: This operation was cancelled and ships returned to Scapa Flow.
June
Nominated for refit at Devonport to prepare for
service in British Pacific Fleet.
Took passage to Devonport to Pay-off.
July
Paid-off and taken in hand for refit by Dockyard.
Note: During the nine month refit extensive changes were made to the radar
equipment and to improve close range AA defence prior to service in the Pacific.
Radar changes included:
Aircraft warning Type 281 replaced by single mast
281B.
Surface warning Type 273 replaced by Type 293 and Type
277.
Close Range AA fire-control replaced by four Type 262
and single Type 282 retained. 4 AA Fire-control Type 285 replaced by Type 274.
Barrage Control Type 283 fitted for all four mountings.
Main Armament Fire Control Type 284 replaced by two
Type 274 to provide separate facilities for forward and after turrets.
The aircraft facilities were removed to provide
additional accommodation and improved boat stowages.
July to December
Under refit
January to
February
Under refit
March
Recommissioned for service with British Pacific Fleet.
Commanding Officer Captain A C G Madden.
Post refit trials.
April
On completion of sea trials took passage to Scapa Flow
to work-up with ships of Home Fleet for operational service in Pacific.
Trials including gunnery firings and weapon
calibrations whilst working up at Scapa Flow. Note: Trials of newly developed
surface warning radar Type 277P were carried out.
25th - Took passage to Mediterranean with DUKE OF
YORK.
May
2nd - Arrived at Malta. Note: DUKE OF YORK remained in
Malta for repair of major electrical defect.
Took independent passage to Ceylon via Suez Canal.
June
Passage to Sydney
July
Arrived in Sydney, escorted by destroyers WAGER and
WHELP, after British Pacific Fleet had sailed to join US 3rd Fleet as Task Force
37 to take part in operations off Japan. Note: Further research is required for
these months.
August
Deployed at Sydney
Nominated for duty at Hong Kong as part of
re-occupation Task Force.
Took passage from Sydney.
20th - Joined Light Fleet aircraft carrier VENGEANCE
and ships of Task Force 111 during passage to Hong Kong.
26th - Arrived in Hong Kong and landed parties to
assist in re-occupation and repatriation of military and civil personnel taken
prisoner in December 1941 when Colony fell to Japanese forces.