1 9 4 0
October
1st Commissioned for trials.
16th Passage from Tyne build yard to Rosyth to complete installation of armament.
Four destroyers from
Home Fleet were deployed as escort.
(Note: HM Destroyers
ASHANTI and FAME collided during a high speed operations
before departure.
These were carried out to detonate mines believed to
have been laid off
Tyne estuary. Both of ships were seriously damaged
and under repair
for several months.
November Taken in hand for completion of radar
fit and on completion carried cut 'First
of Class' and builders
Acceptance Trials off the Orkneys.
(Note: Theses Included
gunnery firings and trials of aircraft warning radar Type 279 and
fire control radar
Type 284 for main armament.
See RADAR AT SEA by D
Howse for details of development and use of radar
by RN.)
December Trials In continuation
Nominated for special
duty to take Lord Halifax, British Ambassador Designate to take up
his appointment in
USA.
(Note: Work-up including
trials on main armament were therefore not completed.)
11th Joined Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
1 9 4 1
January
16th Embarked Lord Halifax at Scapa Flow for
passage to USA escorted by Fleet Destroyers including
HMS TARTAR.
22nd Lord Halifax disembarked at Indianapolis.
25th Took passage from Halifax for return to Scapa
Flow to rejoin Home Fleet.
(Note: Whilst in
USA collected US copy of Japanese Cypher machine (PURPLE) for
use during meetings
between GCHQ officers and US security personnel.)
February Provided cover for passage of Atlantic
convoys during passage.
6th Rejoined Home Fleet and resumed work-up.
March
2nd Deployed with ships of Home Flee to provide cover during landings
by Commando
Units in Lofoten Islands (Operation CLAYMORE).
Engaged reconnaissance
aircraft at long range without success.
(Note: This was first
use of her AA armament in anger.)
6th Returned to Scapa
Flow with Fleet units.
Deployed for defence
of Atlantic convoys and carried out unsuccessful search for
German warships ADMIRAL
SCHEER, SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU known to be
deployed for attacks
on shipping.
(Note: An RAF ASV MkII
Radar set (Air-Surface Vessel) was installed in a WALRUS
aircraft. This was
the first radar fit to a naval aircraft for ship use. See above reference.)
April
1st Nominal completion of work-up period and Flag of CinC Home
Fleet transferred from
HM Battleship NELSON.
(Admiral Sir John Towey).
May Flagship duties at Scapa Flow in
continuation.
21st HM Battlecruiser HOOD and HM Battleship PRINCE OF WALES sailed for Hvalfjord.
(Note: This move
was made in anticipation of an attempted break-out into the
Atlantic by the
German battleship BISMARCK and cruiser PRINZ EUGEN.)
22nd Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers GALATEA
AURORA, KENYA and HERMIONE screened by seven Home Fleet destroyers.
23rd Joined by HM Battlecruiser REPULSE which had sailed from the Clyde to join
in the search
for the German warships.
(Note: HM Battleship
RODNEY had been detached from escort of MV BRITANNIC,
HM Battleship REVENGE
had sailed from Halifax, NS and HM Battleship
RAMILLES had detached
from escort of an Atlantic convoy to take up positions
to intercept the
German ships.)
24th HMS HOOD sunk in action with BISMARCK.
HMS VICTORIOUS detached
from Flagship to carry cut air strikes against BISMARCK
to reduce her speed.
Despite heavy anti-aircraft resolute attacks were made and one
torpedo hit obtained.
(Note: This caused
only superficial damage as it exploded against the armoured belt
but the evasive manoeuvres
made at high speed caused extensive flooding when
damage control mats
were displaced. These had been used to prevent flooding
caused by hits from
HMS PRINCE OF WALES during the earlier action when
HMS
HOOD was sunk.)
25th Carried out search for BISMARCK after radar contact had been lost by HM Cruisers.
26th BISMARCK sighted by CATALINA aircraft and air strikes, carried out from
HM Aircraft
Carrier ARK ROYAL
which resulted in torpedo hits that reduced speed and jammed the
steering gear.
(Note: For details
of the various attempts to establish where the enemy ships were headed
and the content of
signal exchanges see following references.)
27th Engaged BISMARCK with HMS RODNEY, f ire was maintained for one and a half hours
until the enemy ship
ceased firing.
(Note: Gunnery performance
was below the expected standard because of design
deficiencies in the
interlock system to protect against explosions during
loading of the 14"
guns. In addition the low freeboard forward caused
significant flooding
of shell rooms in heavy weather.)
HM Cruiser DORSETSHIRE
sank the battered hulk of BISMARCK using torpedoes.
. (Note: Acute shortage
of fuel had made it impossible for ships to remain any longer than
necessary, and orders
were given to sink BISMARCK by torpedoes.).
(For full details
see BATTLESHIP BISMARCK by von Mullenheim Rechberg, PURSUIT!
by L Kennedy, KGV
CLASS BATTLESHIPS by VE Tarrant, and The Naval Staff History).
Took passage to Loch
Ewe to refuel.
(Note: Contingency
plan to obtain fuel at a port in the Irish Republic was not implemented
. The short endurance
of. this Class of battleship was thus firmly confirmed
as a basic
design weakness and
despite modifications to carry an additional 250 tons of fuel was
always a limiting
factor.)
28th Refuelled at Loch Ewe and took passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note: No air or
submarine attacks were made during passage, to Loch Ewe.
During heavy air
attacks on HM Destroyers ASHANTI and TARTAR, proceeding
independently, HMS
MASHONA was sunk.).
29th Resumed Home Fleet Flagship duties at Scapa Flow.
June Deployed at Scapa Flow.
to New centimetric surface
warning radar (Type 271) fitted in June 194 1. See above
September reference.
Visited by HM King
George VI during Royal Inspection and demonstrations by Home
Fleet ships at Scapa Flow.
October
8th Deployed with Home Fleet ships to cover air operations by HMS
VICTORIOUS for attacks
on Norwegian coastal
shipping (Operation EJ)
November Passage to Iceland with Home Fleet cruisers for interception of German ADMIRAL
SHEER reported as
likely to attempt to enter Atlantic.
Based at Hvalfjord
with HMS VICTORIOUS and Home Fleet cruisers.
(Note: During period
in Iceland deployed with US Navy major warships in Denmark
Strait to intercept
ADMIRAL SCHEER and possibly TIRPITZ known from ENIGMA
Decrypts to be planned to make break-out for attacks
on Atlantic convoys.
Later returned to
Iceland when movement cancelled by Hitler.
(See HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR by C Blair, Volume 1.)
December Under refit. Type 271 surface warning
radar was replaced by a modified Type 273
for large warship
(See earlier reference).
Resumed Home Fleet
duties at Scapa Flow on completion.
24th Deployed with HMS KENYA and ships of Home Fleet to provide cover
for Commando raid
on Vaagso (Operation
ARCHERY - See THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson).
28th Returned to Scapa
Flow with Home Fleet ships.
1 9 4 2
January Passage
to Iceland with HM Battleships DUKE OF YORK, RODNEY,
HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN and HMS VICTORIOUS
and destroyer screen for interception of German warships
reported by ENIGMA
decrypts as likely to be attempting attacks on Atlantic
convoys. Stationed
at Hvalfjord to cover Denmark Strait and Faeroes-Iceland Gap.
February Deployed at Hvalfjord.
13th Sailed from Hvalfjord after transit of German SCHARNHORST, GNEISENAU
and
PRINZ EUGEN from
Brest to Germany through English
Channel.
(Note: This deployment
was made in anticipation of possible passage of the German
battleship TIRPITZ
from Norway into Atlantic.)
Deployed with HMS
VICTORIOUS and HM Cruiser BERWICK for interception of German
warships and air
attack on Tromso.
(Note: The warship
movement report was later found to be incorrect.)
23rd After sighting by aircraft of German warships, raid on Tromso
cancelled and search
by aircraft from
HMS VICTORIOUS carried out. No contact was made because of the
abysmal weather conditions.
Returned to Scapa Flow with
Home Fleet ships.
March
4th Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS,
HM Cruiser BERWICK
and screen of six
destroyers to join HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK, HM
Battlecruiser
RENOWN and HM Cruiser
KENYA to provide Distant Cover for passage of Russian Convoy
PQ12 from Rekjavik
to Murmansk and returning Convoy QP8 to Iceland.
(Note: The other
ships had sailed from Iceland.
Passage of PQ12 was
under threat of attack by German battleship TIRPITZ
deployed in Norway.)
(For details of all
Russian Convoy operations see CONVOY! by P Kemp, CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by R. Ruegg, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield, and ENGAGE
THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by Corelli Barrett).
7th Detached with HMS VICTORIOUS and made unsuccessful search for
TIRPITZ.
(See
KING GEORGE V CLASS BATTLESHIPS by VE Tarrant for details.)
9th Aircraft from HMS VICTORIOUS carried out torpedo attacks on
TIRPITZ which failed
due to inexperience
of pilots. See reference.
(Note: This was the
only opportunity offered for bringing TIRPITZ into action against
surface warships.
Two ALBACORE aircraft were lost.)
Took passage to Scapa Flow.
10th Returned to Scapa
Flow.
20th An RAF type of Plan Radar Display Indicator (PPI) unit was installed
in the Admirals Plot for
use with the surface
warning radar. First operational use.
22nd Provided Distant Cover for Russian Convoy PQ13 and returning QP
9 with HMS
DUKE OF YORK, HMS RENOWN, HMS VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers EDINBURGH and
KENT.
QP13 was attacked
by three German destroyers, but QP9 arrived without incident.
April
3rd Transit of convoys completed.
9th Joined HMS DUKE OF YORK, HMS
VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers NIGERIA and KENT for
Distant Cover for
Russian Convoy PQ 14 and returning Convoy QP10. Weather conditions
frustrated an attack by German destroyers on QP14. Neither convoy
was threatened directly by
major surface vessels.
27th Provided distant cover with HMS VICTORIOUS, US battleship WASHINGTON, the US
cruiser WICHITA, HMS KENYA and screen of RN and USN destroyers for PQ15 and
QP11.
May
1st Badly damaged forward by collision in fog with HM Destroyer
PUNJABI. The
destroyer sank afterwards
and further damage was caused by the explosion of
her depth charges.
Relieved by HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK and returned to UK.
(Note: HM Cruiser
EDINBURGH was sunk in action and a Polish manned submarine
ORP JASTRZAB was
sunk by accident during this operation).
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY.)
9th Taken in hand for repair at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool.
June Under repair.
Radar Type 285 installed
for fire-control of 5.25" mountings during this period and newly
developed surface
warning radar Type 273 also fitted.
July
1st Rejoined Home Fleet and resumed Flagship duty.
Deployed with Home
Fleet for defence and interception in NW Approaches.
8th Resumed duties as Flagship, CinC Home Fleet
August Flagship duties based at Scapa Flow in
continuation.
to
November
December
19th Deployed with HMS BERWICK to provide Distant Cover for first Russian
Convoy
to
sail direct from UK without call in Iceland. (New identity JW51A.)
25th Convoy arrive in Kola Inlet without interception.
30th Gave Distant Cover for Convoy RA51 with HM Battleship HOWE, HMS
BERMUDA.
1 9 4 3
January
11th Convoy arrived in Loch Ewe after safe passage. Enemy attention
concentrated
on inward convoy
JW51B. (See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B. B.
Schoefield).
February Deployed with Home Fleet. (Convoy
JW52 cover was provided by HMS ANSON).
24th Provided Distant Cover for Russian Convoy JW53 with HMS HOWE,
HMS BERWICK.
(Note: This convoy
experienced particularly atrocious weather which prevented any
sustained enemy attack.
It had been, provided with additional Close Cover).
March
1st Distant Cover for Convoy RA53 with HMS HOWE and HMS GLASGOW.
Convoy had to
scatter because of
atrocious weather and be reformed.
8th Additional Home Fleet cover because of SCHARNHORST threat.
14th Convoy arrived at Loch Ewe.
April Deployed with Home Fleet in
NW Approaches during period of suspension of all
Russian Convoys (See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY).
May Nominated for transfer to
Mediterranean for support of planned allied landings in
Sicily (Operation HUSKY).
Taken in hand at
Rosyth for docking and installation of additional 20mm guns for
Close range AA defence.
June Passage to Gibraltar to join
Force H for support of HUSKY.
Nominated for duty
as Force Z based at Algiers with HM Battleship HOWE.
12th HM King George VI visited ships at Algiers.
July
9th Took passage from Algiers with HMS HOWE to take up covering duties.
10th Part of Reserve Covering Force during Sicily landings (Operation HUSKY).
Deployed south of
Sardinia with HMS HOWE, HM Cruisers DIDO and SIRIUS.
11th Carried out night bombardment of Trapani and Favignana with HMS HOWE.
On release from HUSKY
returned to Algiers.
August Retained at Algiers for support of planned military operations.
4th At Algiers when HM Destroyer ARROW was seriously damaged by an explosion.
(Note: HMS ARROW
had been sent to assist a mercantile carrying explosives which
had caught fire.
This ship FORT LA MONTÉE blew-up and the destroyer was
set on fire causing
a great number of casualties.
On survey HMS ARROW
was found to be beyond economic repair.)
September
8th After capitulation of Italy took passage from Algiers to Malta with HMS HOWE to
embark Vice Admiral
(Malta) for landings at Taranto.
(Operation SLAPSTICK
– To occupy the naval base before German troops arrived.)
9th On arrival off Taranto detached to escort surrendered Italian battleships ANDREA
DORIA and CESARE,
cruisers CARDONA, POMPEO MAGNA and destroyer DA RECCO from
Taranto to Malta.
12th Deployed at Malta after arrival of Italian Fleet.
(Note: The two KGV
Class battleships were not deployed in support of landings at
Salerno to provide naval gunfire support. This May have been because
of
the likelihood of
damage during intense air attacks being made on ships
off the beaches.)
14th Took passage from Malta with HMS HOWE and screen of six destroyers as escort for
surrendered Italian
warships during passage to Alexandria to be de-militarised
16th Arrived at Alexandria with Italian ships.
17th Deployed at Alexandria to assist with de-militarisation.
October
1st Took passage from Alexandria to Algiers.
12th On release from detached duty with Force H took passage from Gibraltar to rejoin
Home Fleet escorted
by HM Destroyer OBEDIENT.
18th Resumed Fleet duties on arrival at Scapa Flow.
November Deployed with Hone Fleet at Scapa Flow for
convoy defence in NW Approaches.
December Nominated to embark Prime Minister
in Gibraltar for return passage to UK after he
had convalesced in
Morocco.
Passage to western
Mediterranean and provided cover for Atlantic convoys.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed in Atlantic with
HM Destroyers ASHANTI and ATHABASKAN and visited Azores.
Passage to Algiers
14th Passage to Gibraltar to embark Prime Minister.
15th Sailed from Gibraltar.
18th Prime Minister disembarked at Plymouth and took passage to Scapa Flow.
February Passage to Liverpool for
refit.
Paid-off and taken
in hand by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead..
March Under refit in Liverpool.
to Aircraft warning radar
Type 279 replaced by Type 279B using only one mast. Main
July armament fire control radar
for forward mountings Type 284 replaced by 274.
After main armament
fire control radar Type 284 fitted and surface warning
radar Type 273 replaced
by modem Type 293. Type 299 Height Finding radar fitted.
Fire control for
close range AA armament fitted (Type 282 - seven in Number)
See above reference.
August On completion took passage to Scapa Flow for
work up prior to foreign service.
September Work-up with Home Fleet ships at Scapa Flow in
continuation.
October Took passage to Glasgow.
Visited by HM King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Greenock..
28th Passage to Alexandria and attached temporarily to Mediterranean Fleet.
November Nominated for support of re-occupation
of the island of Milos occupied by German forces.
13th Sailed from Alexandria for Milos landings support.
14th Bombarded Milos in support of military reoccupation of Aegean Islands.
15th Returned to Alexandria.
December
1st Released from Mediterranean operations and took passage to
join British Pacific
Fleet at Trincomalee.
15th Joined BPF at Trincomalee.
1 9 4 5
January Deployed with combined Eastern
Fleet/BPF for special operation.
16th Sailed with HM Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS, INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS
and
INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers ARGONAUT, BLACK PRINCE, EURYALUS and Ceylon
screened by ten destroyers of 25th and 27th Flotillas
24th Covered air attacks on oil refinery at Plajoe, Sumatra (Operation
MERIDIAN I).
29th Covered attacks on oil installations at Soengi Gerong, Palembang, Sumatra.
SALLY bomber shot
down by 5.25" gunfire (Operation MERIDIAN II).
30th Detached from Eastern Fleet and sailed for Fremantle after refuelling.
February
10th Arrived at Sydney with BPF ships and designated as Task Force 113.
Prepared for service
in SW Pacific under overall US Navy command.
28th Took passage from Sydney to Forward British Base at Manus, Admiralty islands as
part of Task Force
113.
With USN warships in Pacific
March Took part in extensive exercises
during passage.
(Note: Newly introduced
US Navy signalling and manoeuvring procedures used.)
7th Arrived at Manus to await approval of US Chiefs of Staff for
RN ships to join
US Navy Operations
in SW Pacific.
(For details see
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
17th Took passage to US Navy Assembly area at Ulithi to join US Naval
operations after
approval for deployment
under overall US Navy command received.
20th Arrived at Ulithi to join US 5th Fleet for operations.
23rd Sailed from Ulithi as Flagship of Task Force 57 to join US Navy
in the operational
area off the Sakishima-Gunto
islands group (Operation ICEBERG ONE.)
(For details of activities
of Task Force 57 see TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith and above references.)
25th Replenished from British Fleet Train, Task Force 112.
26th Provided cover for air attacks on Japanese airfields in Sakishima
Gunto Group
by aircraft from
HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, ILLUSTRIOUS, INDEFATIGABLE
and VICTORIOUS with
HMS HOWE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, GAMBIA (RNZN), BLACK
PRINCE, ARGONAUT
and EURYALUS screened by TF57 destroyers (Operation ICEBERG).
(Note: The attacks
were made in conjunction with those from US Carriers with breaks
for replenishment.)
28th Replenished from Fleet Train in Area MIDGE.
31st Rejoined US Navy ships in operational area.
April
1st Provided cover for BPF ships in operational area for periods
of two days with a
to break of two or three days for replenishment of fuel, stores
and replacement of
10th aircraft. Under KAMIKAZE and conventional air attacks.
(Note: Replenishment
of fuel by "Astern" method was invariably difficult due
to weather conditions
and the use of this out-dated practice.)
11th Detached to cover air attacks on Formosa by TF57 carrier aircraft.
(Operation ICEBERG
OOLONG)
14th Resumed operations against Sakishima Gunto airfields with periodic
replenishment.
to (For details of these operations see TF57 by P. Smith, THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by
20th J. Winton, OPERATION PACIFIC by E. Gray and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
On completion took
passage to US Forward Base at Leyte.
23rd Maintenance and R&R period at Leyte,
(Note: Shore Leave
was not given.)
May
1st Sailed from Leyte to resume operations with Task Force 57 ships.
4th Rejoined US Task Force 58 after refuelling in Area MOSQUITO
for continuation of
Sakishima attacks
(Operation ICEBERG TWO). See above references.
Detached after first
air strike period with HMS HOWE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE,
BLACK PRINCE, EURYALUS, GAMBIA and UGANDA, screened by HM Destroyers
GRENVILLE, URSA,
UNDINE, URCHIN, UNDAUNTED and URANIA of 25th Flotilla
to carry out a bombardment
of AA defences at Hiara airfield.
Fired 77 rounds of
14" and 188 rounds of 5.25".
This diversion reduced
air defence available for protection of the aircraft
carriers and HMS
INDOMITABLE was hit and damaged.
Returned to flying
off area with bombardment force ships to reinforce AA defences.
5th Deployed for defence of Task Force ships during flying operations.
6th Replenished from Fleet Train.
9th Resumed provision of cover for TF57 carriers with periodic replenishment
periods.
to (Note: During this period allied ships were under sustained
KAMIKAZE attacks during
25th which HMS VICTORIOUS AND HMS
FORMIDABLE were both damaged. See references.)
Passage to Guam escorted
by HM Destroyers TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS and TERMAGANT.
28th Arrived at Guam for meeting between Vice Admiral Rawlings and US Cin C Fleet,
Admiral Nimitz (US CINCPACFLEET).
June Passage to Australia from Guam for Rest and Recuperation.
7th Arrived at Sydney
(Note: Ship had steamed
14,024 miles since leaving Leyte on 1st May.)
28th Took passage to Manus prior to joining US naval operations off
Japan.
(Note: Ships of BPF
were transferred to US 3rd Fleet as part of reorganisation of
US Naval Commands
in Pacific and redesignated Force 37)
July
4th Arrived at Manus after extensive exercises on passage.
6th Sailed from Manus with HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS
and IMPLACABLE,
HM Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES (RNZN), UGANDA (RCN), EURYALUS,
GAMBIA (RNZN) and
BLACK PRINCE screened by 15 destroyers of 4th and 24th Flotillas.
(See above references
for details.)
13th Successfully refuelled by 'Alongside RAS' method
for first time,
16th
