March Contractors
trials.
7th Build completion date.
(Note: Radar Type 281B for aircraft
warning and control, Type 276 for surface warning
and Type 277 for aircraft height-finding
were fitted during build
Development of new system of dealing with radar information
was carried out
in this ships and became standard requirement for major warships.
These outfits were of new design..
See RADAR AT SEA by D Howse. for
details
of the development and used of
radar by the RN.).
8th Took passage after acceptance trials to
embark aircraft and prepare for service
in the Clyde area before joining Home Fleet.
Nominated for service in Western Approaches Command
Carried out sea trials on newly developed Type 277 combined
air and surface warning
radar.
(Note: This outfit had a height
finding capability. See RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.)
April Work-up
in continuation
Embarked 813 Squadron SWORDFISH (12), WILDCAT (4) and
FULMAR (4) aircraft
and personnel.
16th Returned to builders
for repair of defects.
May On
completion of repair resumed work-up
23rd Commenced operational service.
June Deployed
to provide air cover for transit of outward Convoys OS79 and MKS53 to Gibraltar,
inward Convoys SL160 and MKS51 to Liverpool from Gibraltar.
July Atlantic
convoy air cover deployment in continuation for outward OS82, KMS56,
inward
Convoys SL163, MKS54, inward SL163 and MKS54.
August Atlantic
convoy air cover deployment in continuation for outward OS85, KMS59, inward
SL166 and MKS57
Nominated for escort of Russian convoy with Home Fleet
ships
September Aircraft
and personnel from 813 Squadron disembarked.
Embarked 842 WILDCAT aircraft and personnel.
Took passage to Scapa Flow for Home Fleet deployment.
17th Deployed
with HM Battleship RODNEY, HM Cruiser DIADEM and HM Escort Aircraft
Carrier STRIKER screened by HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR,
MILNE, MUSKETEER,
VENUS,
SAUMAREZ, SCORPION, VERULAM, VIRAGO, VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN
(RCN)
and SIOUX (RCN) as escort for Russian Convoy
JW60 during transit to Kola Inlet.
(Operation RIGMAROLE)
(For details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp.
23rd Detached from JW60 with Home Fleet escorts
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
28th Joined return convoy RA60 with same ships
for escort during transit to Loch Ewe.
30th SWORDFISH
aircraft F of 813 Squadron carried out attack on U921 which was sunk
in position 72.32N
12.55E west of Bear Island. There were no survivors from the submarine.
October
3rd Detached
with Home Fleet ships, except Fighting Escort, and took passage to Scapa Flow.
23rd Deployed
with HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE. HM Escort Carrier TRUMPETER, HM Destroyers
SAUMAREZ, SCOURGE, SERAPIS, CASSANDRA,
CAMBRIAN and CAPRICE for joint
minelay and shipping
strike off Norway as Force 2 (Operation HARDY).
24th Minelay
carried out by embarked AVENGER aircraft and attacks on shore positions
by WILDCAT aircraft.
(Note: Anti-shipping operations
were cancelled because of weather.
For details of minelaying operations see Naval Staff History
(Mining).)
27th Returned to Scapa Flow with Force 2.
813 SWORDFISH (12), WILDCAT (3) and FULMAR (3) re-embarked
November
2nd Deployed
with HM Cruiser BERWICK, HM Destroyers CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA,
SAUMAREZ, SCOURGE and SERAPIS as escort for
two mercantiles to Murmansk.
. (Operation GOLDEN)
(Note: ss EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA
and ss SCYTHIA were carrying about 11,000 Russian
nationals captured in Normandy while serving in the German army.
One shadowing Bv138 was shot down during passage,
6th Arrived at Murmansk.
(Note: British personnel from
escort and the resident Naval Liaison staff were unable to land or
witness the disembarkation of
the Russian defectors.)
Passage to Kola Inlet.
11th Escorted returning two mercantiles from Kola Inlet during passage to Clyde with
HMS BERWICK, HM Destroyers CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA,
SAVAGE,
SAUMAREZ, SCOURGE, SCORPION and SERAPIS
as Convoy RA61A.
17th Detached from RA61A on arrival in Clyde and took passage to Scapa Flow
One shadowing Bv138 was shot down during passage,
December
1st Deployed
with HM Cruiser BELLONA and HM Escort Aircraft Carrier NAIRANA with
HM Destroyers BEAGLE, BULLDOG, CAESAR, CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE,
CASSANDRA,
KEPPEL, OBEDIENT, OFFA, ONSLAUGHT, ONSLOW, ORIBI, ORWELL
and WESTCOTT
to join Russian Convoy JW62 as
escort during passage to Kola Inlet.
(Operation
ACUMEN)
(Note: 14 Frigates and corvettes
were already with JW62.)
7th Detached from JW62
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
10th Sailed from Kola Inlet
as Escort for return Convoy RA62.
(Note: An anti-submarine operation
was carried out against an assembly off Kola
by frigates of the escort. During
this operation U387 was sunk by HM
Corvette
BAMBOROUGH CASTLE.
11th HM Destroyer
CASSANDRA was torpedoed by U365 but able to return to Murmansk for repair.
12th HM Norwegian Corvette sank after hitting
a mine.
Under attack by torpedo bombers two of which were destroyed.
13th SWORDFISH
aircraft L and Q from 813 Squadron attacked and sank U365 during defence
of RA62 in position 70.43N 08.07E
NW of Lofotens.
There were no survivors from the submarine.
180 hours of air operations were carried out including
70 at night.)
19th Returned to Scapa Flow with Home Fleet
ships.
Took passage to Clyde for repair.
28th During
unsuccessful search for coastal convoys sank 3 Norwegian fishing vessels.
(Note: This was an unfortunate
error which caused local resentment.)
1 9
4 5
January Home
Fleet deployment at Scapa Flow in continuation
Four
WILDCAT aircraft and personnel embarked for special operation.
30th Carried out attacks on shipping off Stadlandet with HM Escort Aircraft Carriers NAIRANA
PREMIER and HM Cruiser BERWICK screened by Home
Fleet destroyers
(Operation WINDED).
February
6th Deployed
with HM Cruiser BELLONA, HMS NAIRANA, HM Sloop LAPWING, HM Corvette
and HM Trawler OSKOY(?), screened
by HM Destroyers ONSLAUGHT, ONSLOW,
OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SERAPIS, ZAMBESI, ZEALOUS, ZEST and Canadian
SIOUX to
provide anti-submarine cover
during passage of Russian Convoy JW64 (Operation HOTBED).
Under surveillance by German aircraft.
Ju88 destroyed.
Total U-Boat threat estimated as 11 submarines.
7th Under
sustained attack by torpedo bombers of which 6 were destroyed by fighters
from Escort Carriers.
10th Repeated
torpedo bomber attacks driven off but poor convoy fire discipline posed threat to
aircraft
from convoy.
12th Experienced
extreme weather conditions with Force 11 winds.
13th HM Corvette DENBIGH CASTLE torpedoed.
(Note: Towed to Kola Inlet but sank after grounding).
15th Detached on arrival
of JW64 at Kola Inlet.
16th Anti-submarine
operations by Close Escort against U-Boats waiting off Kola Inlet
to attack return convoy.
(Note: After sinking U425 with
HM Corvette ALNWICK CASTLE, HM Sloop LARK was
torpedoed and became a total
loss after tow to Kola Inlet.
17th Joined return convoy on departure from Kola
Inlet.
20th Despite
horrendous weather conditions launched fighter attacks against enemy air
attacks
which prevented
loss of ships in convoy.
21st Ships in convoy dispersed due to continuation
of extreme weather conditions.
27th Returned
to Scapa Flow with HMS BELLONA, HMS NAIRANA and Home Fleet destroyers.
(Note: Air operations lasted
87 hours with 17 at night.)
Passage to Clyde for repair.
Landed 813 Squadron aircraft and personnel
March Embarked 12 SWORDFISH and seven WILDCAT aircraft of
825 Squadron.
Returned to Scapa Flow to resume Home
Fleet duties.
12th Joined
Close Escort of Russian Convoy JW65 with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Destroyers
ONSLAUGHT, OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SCORPION, ZAMBESI, SIOUX
(RCN) and HM
Frigate FARNHAM CASTLE to supplement
defence and provide air cover for transit to Kola Inlet.
(Operation SCOTTISH)
15th HM Escort Aircraft Carrier TRUMPETER joined
escort.
20th HM Sloop LAPWING sunk by U968 during attacks
on convoy.
21st Detached from JW65
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
23rd Sailed
with HM Escort Carrier TRUMPETER, HMS DIADEM, HM Destroyers MYNGS,
ORWELL, OPPORTUNE, SAVAGE, SCORPION SCOURGE, ZAMBESI,
SIOUX (RCN)
and Norwegian STORD to
provide air cover
and supplement defence of return convoy RA65
during passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note: An anti-submarine operation to clear assembled
U-Boats off Kola Inlet was carried out
before departure of convoy.)
30th Detached from RA65
on arrival at Scapa Flow.
(Note: 87 hours of air operations
including 19 at night were flown.)
April Passage to Clyde for repair
7th Taken in hand for repair
May Under repair in dock
June
5th Sustained serious damage when undocking
Passage to London for repair
July On completion allocated
for service in Nore Command for trooping duties.
(Note: It is assumed ship Paid-off and reduced to small complement.)
August Prepared
for new role.