1
9 3 9
August
Under refit at Southampton.
Refit
work cancelled and commissioned for service.
September
Passage
to join Home Fleet.
Prepared for war
service.
October
Deployed
in Home waters.
to
December
1
9 4 0
January
Deployment
in Home waters in continuation.
to
August
September
Transferred
to Nore Command in support of anti-invasion
dispositions.
October
Carried
out bombardment of Dunkirk area.
November
Nominated
for refit.
December
Under refit.
1
9 4 1
January
Under refit.
to
Three 3in HA guns fitted on port and
starboard sides with radar control by two
Type 285
June
Fire-control outfits.
Three
3in HA guns fitted on either beam for AA
defence with fire control Radar.
July
Post
refit trials and
prepared for service.
August
Joined Home Fleet at Scapa
Flow.
September
Home Fleet
duties in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 2
January
Nominated
for foreign service
in East
Indies for AA defence at
Trincomalee.
February
On
completion of preparation for foreign
service took
passage to join East Indies Station.
March
Arrived
at Trincomalee.
April
Deployed
at Trincomalee.
9th
Under Japanese air attack whilst in
harbour and sustained casualties and damage.
(See WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) for details.)
(Note: Several aircraft were destroyed by
defences to
which this ship contributed.)
May
Under
repair
to
(Note: In view of the lack of repair
facilities it is assumed the work was done
at Bombay.)
July
August
Resumed
Fleet service and took passage to Kilindini.
Nominated for support of planned landings at
Majunga,
Madagascar to complete occupation
of the island
(Operation
JANE).
(Note: Operation IRONCLAD carried out in May
1942 had
occupied the French naval base
at Diego Suarez
but the
strategic value of Madagascar was essential
to prevent any
any invasion by
Japanese
forces).
September
Joined
HM Battleship WARSPITE, HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM,
GAMBIA, MANXMAN,
DAUNTLESS and CARADOC, HM Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Seaplane Carrier
ALBATROSS
(Deployed as HQ Ship) screened by 12
destroyers with additional minesweeping
support to
prepare for landings,
(Note:
Exercise TOUCHSTONE was carried out to
prepare for the landings.
10th
Present at first assault landings but naval
gunfire support
was not required..
Returned to Kilindini on
release from JANE.
October
Nominated for return to UK and took passage
via Cape of Good Hope
November
Rejoined Home Fleet.
to
Deployed
in Home waters.
December
1
9 4 3
January
Home waters deployment in
continuation
to
Nominated for
service in Mediterranean.
April
(Note:
Award of Battle Honour ATLANTIC 1943 to be
investigated.
Unless
ship was involved in an attack on a convoy
this seems extraordinary
and no supporting
record has been traced.)
May
Passage
to Mediterranean
June
Nominated
for service with US Task Force 85 to
support US landings in Sicily.
(Operation
HUSKY: For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C.Barnett
and Naval Staff
History).
July
Joined Support
Force East for gunfire support during
landings of XXX
Corps
7th
Sailed from Sfax
in Convoy MWS36 for passage to ACID
Beach.
(Note:
Intended passage with Fast Convoy MWF36
impractical because of speed in
transit.
See
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)
10th
Provided gunfire support at ACID with HM
Monitor ROBERTS during landings SW of
Syracuse.
11th
Provided Fire support for shore
operations with HM Monitors
ABERCROMBIE and
ROBERTS.
12th
Bombarded airfield at Catania,
Sicily with ships of Force A.
August
Naval gunfire support off Sicily.
Nominated for support of
British landings on Italian mainland.
(Operation
BAYTOWN - See above references).
31st
Deployed in
Straits of Messina to provide gunfire
support.
September
2nd
Bombarded coast between Reggio
Calabria and Pessaro
with
HM Monitors ROBERTS and
ABERCROMBIE,
HM Battleships VALIANT and WARSPITE, HM
Cruisers ORION and
MAURITIUS,
HM River
Gunboats APHIS and SCARAB.
3rd
Provided naval gunfire support during
landings by British XIII corps near Reggio
and Villa
San
Giovanni
with HMS ABERCROMBIE, HMS ROBERTS, HMS
ORION, HMS MAURITIUS,
HM River Gunboats APHIS
and SCARAB.
7th
Sailed from Bizerta
with Convoy FSS2 for passage to Salerno
to provide naval gunfire
support
during landings
(Operation AVALANCHE)
9th
Present at landings
(Note:
As no Battle Honour SALERNO 1943 was awarded
it is assumed ship had to leave
the area,
possibly due to defect - see below)
October
Withdrawn
from Mediterranean
service and took passage to Plymouth
(Note:
This may support reason for withdrawal from
an operation which needed
significant
naval gunfire
support against opposition from German
forces)
November
Taken
in hand for repair and refit by HM Dockyard,
Devonport.
December
Under
refit
1
9 4 4
January
Under
refit
Nominated for support of
planned
allied landings in Normandy
(Operation
NEPTUNE).
(Note: Extensive changes were made including
fit of
aircraft warning radar Type 279B
at foremasthead
and surface warning radar Type 276 on new
lattice type
mainmast.
Multiple Pom-pom
weapons with radar control and 20mm Oerlikon
guns were also installed.
February
Post refit
trials.
to
Resumed operational service
March
April
Prepared
at Plymouth for naval gunfire support of allied
landings in
Normandy.
to
Allocated for duty in Western Task Force
under US Command.
May
(For
details of activities prior to and during
landings see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June 1944 (HMSO) and
OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K.
Edwards).
June
Deployed
at Weymouth prior to Joining Bombardment Force A
for
support of the US
landings on UTAH
Beach.
4th
Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th
Joined US
battleship USS NEVADA, US cruisers USS
TUSCALOOSA and
USS
QUINCY, HM Cruisers HAWKINS, ENTERPRISE and
BLACK PRINCE during
their passage
from Belfast to Solent.
Dutch Gunboat HM Neth.
Ship
SOEMBA joined Force A
Passage through swept
channel with
Force A.
6th
On arrival off UTAH
Beach took up bombarding position.
Provided gunfire support
in accordance with fire-plan.
7th
On completion of Assault Phase
transferred to Eastern Task Force and came
under RN
Command.
Deployed for naval
gunfire support in Eastern Task Force Area
with
Support Squadron.
July
Deployed
with four Landing Craft, Gun (Large) in Seine
Bay but unable to provide any
support as the
positions of the opposing armies was not
clearly defined.
19th
Bombarded targets in Houlgate
area.
20th
Houlgate
bombardment in continuation.
26th
Bombarded targets at Caen
in support of British Army
operations.
29th
Continued gunfire
support on same areas.
August
Remained
in Channel area for support of shore
operations.
September
10th
Under fire from
shore with HM
Battleship WARSPITE during bombardment of
Le
Havre
area during
military operations.
Credited
with 30 direct hits cut of 130 rounds fired.
19th
Deployed in Seine
Bay and bombarded batteries in Houlgate
area that were delaying
advance
of British troops.
20th
Returned to Portsmouth
to
replenish ammunition.
October
Nominated
for support of British landings at Walcheren
with Support Squadron.
(Operation
INFATUATE - For details see and THE CAMPAIGN
NORTH WEST EUROPE,
June 1944 – May 1945 (HMSO) and ENCAGE THE
ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett)
Deployed with HMS
WARSPITE and HMS
ROBERTS for support of landings.
28th
Assembled with Squadron at Ostend.
November
1st
Carried out
bombardment of shore batteries at Westkappelle
with
HMS WARSPITE.
2nd
Bombardment in
continuation.
On
release from INFATUATE returned to Plymouth.
December
Deployed
in Home waters.
1
9 4 5
January
Home
waters deployment in continuation.
to
(Note:
This ship was not nominated for service In
Pacific).
August
