1 9 4 3
February Contractors trials.
20th Build completion
Passage to San Francisco.
March
1st Commissioned as HMS FENCER.
April Passage to east coast of USA via Panama
Canal.
May
2nd Arrived at New York.
7th Joined inward Convoy HX238 for passage
to Liverpool.
22nd Detached from HX238 on arrival and taken
in hand for conversion to suit RN requirements
for convoy defence deployment in Liverpool commercial shipyard.
(Note:
Fit of Radar Type 79B for aircraft warning and control and Type 272 for surface
warning is recorded as March 1943. This is to be confirmed,)
June Under conversion.
July Carried
out trials on completion of shipyard work.
31st Passage to Clyde to
commenced work-up for operational service.
August Work-up
in Clyde area with nine SWORDFISH,
six SEAFIRE aircraft and personnel of 842
Squadron
embarked.
September Nominated for service with 8th
Escort Group for Atlantic convoy defence.
30th Deployed with HM Destroyers INCONSTANT,
VISCOUNT, WRESTLER, Polish ORP
BURZA and ORP GARLAND of Group in support of passage of convoy from
UK to Azores.
(Operation
ALACRITY).
(Note: Allied occupation of the Azores had been agreed in a treaty
with Portugal
signed on 18th August.)
October Deployed
in Atlantic for support of ALACRITY
convoy and passage of SC145.
8th Arrived in Azores and landed
aircraft for anti-submarine patrols.
Deployed in Azores area for
patrol and escort of ALACRITY convoy.
23rd Returned to Azores to recover aircraft and took
passage to UK.
24th Took passage to
resume air support of Gibraltar route
convoys.
November Deployed
for Atlantic convoy support with Group
Passage
to Clyde
5th On arrival deployed for Atlantic
convoy defence
Embarked HELLCAT aircraft and additional personnel for 842
Squadron.
19th Provided anti-submarine air cover for
inward joint convoy SL139/MKS30
during passage from Gibraltar to Liverpool
26th Provided anti-submarine air cover for
outward joint Convoy OS60/KMS34
during Atlantic passage from Liverpool to Gibraltar.
December Deployment
with OS60/KMS34 in continuation
(Note: During this support embarked SEAFIRE aircraft
destroyed an FW200 aircraft and
launched continuous SWORDFISH patrols.
Detached from OS34/KMS34.
6th Provided support
for inward joint Convoy SL141/MKS32.
12th Supported passage of joint outward
Convoy OS61/KMS35.through Bay of Biscay area to
Gibraltar with ships
of Support Group.
17th Supported passage of joint inward Convoy
SL142/MKS33.
24th Under repair in Clyde shipyard.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair.
February Resumed
Atlantic convoy defence duties on completion of post refit trials.
Deployed
with 16th Escort Group,
Supported
passage of joint outward Convoys ON223 and HX278 with ships of Support
Group.
10th SWORDFISH aircraft A, 842
Squadron sank U666 in position 60.43N 12.50W,
SW of Faeroes. There were no survivors from the submarine.
For
details see U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
26th Support passage of joint inward Convoy
SL149/MKS40
March Joined
Home Fleet ships to provide Distant Cover for passage of Convoy JW58 to
Kola Inlet and for attacks on German
battleship TIRPITZ (Operation TUNGSTEN).
30th Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Battleships ANSON
and DUKE OF YORK, HM Aircraft
Carrier
VICTORIOUS, HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR, SEARCHER and PURSUER, HM
Cruisers
BELFAST, SHEFFIELD and JAMAICA screened by 14 Home Fleet
destroyers to
cover JW58
and execute Operation TUNGSTEN.
April Embarked
22 WILDCAT aircraft with personnel of 882 Squadron
2nd Deployed with the
Escort Carriers as Force 8 to provide anti-submarine patrols.
3rd Joined HMS FURIOUS to provide
additional fighter cover during strike operations.
(For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and
Naval Staff History.)
5th Return passage to Scapa Flow with TUNGSTEN ships.
19th Deployed with HM Escort Aircraft Carrier
ACTIVITY to provide air cover during the passage
of HM Cruiser DIADEM, 16 Home Fleet destroyers, 4 Canadian
frigates and a mercantile NEA
HELLAS during
passage from Scapa Flow to Kola
Inlet.
(Note: These ships were required to embark US Navy personnel
from USS MILWAUKEE
transferred to Soviet Navy and Russian naval personnel to
man ships in UK being
loaned to Soviet Navy, for passage to UK. In addition the RN ships
were to escort
empty mercantiles lying in Russian
ports.
As
NEA HELLAS, was intended to embark Soviet Navy personnel, had to return to
UK because of defects during
passage, the Russians had to be transported in the
British warships and the returning mercantiles.
24th Planned repeat of
TUNGSTEN by same carriers delayed by weather conditions.
(Operation
PLANET)
25th Further delay due to weather made
cancellation necessary.
23rd Arrived in Kola
Inlet.
28th Sailed from Kola Inlet with Russian
Admiral and Staff.
Provided
air cover during passage of mercantiles to UK (Convoy RA59)
(Note: Details of distribution of personnel in escorting
ships and mercantiles
are given in CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg.)
May
1st SWORDFISH aircraft C of
842 Squadron sank U277 in position 73.24N 15.42E, SW of
Bear Island in defence
of RA59.
There were no survivors from the submarine.
2nd SWORDFISH aircraft B of 842
Squadron sank U674 in position 70.32N 04.37E, NE of
Jan Mayen Island in defence of RA59. There were no survivors from
the submarine.
SWORDFISH
aircraft K of 842 Squadron sank U959 in position 69.20N 00.20W, NE
of
Iceland in defence
of RA59.
There were no survivors from the submarine.
Bv138C
Shadowing aircraft shot down by WILDCAT fighters
4th Detached from RA59 with HMS DIADEM, HM
Destroyers BOADICEA, ULYSSES,
VERULAM,
VIRAGO, before arrival of convoy at Loch Ewe and took passage to Scapa Flow.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA, CONVOY ! by P.
Kemp, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield
and ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
(Note: Weather conditions during passage were extreme with
rough seas and icing.
Launches
were all maintained with some delay
5th Passage to Clyde for repair
of storm damage.
June On
completion of repair deployed with HM Escort Aircraft Carrier STRIKER, HM
Cruiser
SHEFFIELD and screen of six Home Fleet
destroyers in area north of North Norwegian
coast
(Operation
WANDERERS – Diversionary operation during Allied landings in Normandy
to simulate possible landings in Norway and enforce retention of
U-Boats in Arctic
for attacks on approaching convoy).
Embarked ten additional WILDCAT aircraft and personnel for 881
Squadron.
(Note: Not deployed in direct support of allied landings in Normandy.
(Operation
NEPTUNE)
20th Anti-submarine operations carried out
and aircraft launched for strikes on shore targets
On
release landed WILDCAT aircraft and personnel of 881 Squadron.
July Resumed
Atlantic convoy defence duties.
13th Provided anti-submarine cover for
defence of outward joint Convoy OS83/KMS57
22nd Provided support for inward joint Convoy
SL164/MKS55
August Deployed
for anti-submarine operations in NW Approaches.
8th Carried out anti-submarine sweep with
Force 32 ships in NW Approaches
(Operation
CX)
(Note: U-Boats were known to be regularly using
Faeroes/Iceland passage on passage
to and from Atlantic deployments.)
September Deployed
with Home Fleet
Embarked four WILDCAT aircraft and additional personnel for 842
Squadron.
(Note: Transfer of four more WILDCAT from HMS NABOB to be
confirmed
HMS
NABOB was seriously damaged on 22nd September.)
28th Carried out anti-submarine patrols in
support of Home Fleet strikes in Norwegian
waters,
October Deployment
with Home Fleet for cover of anti-shipping strikes and
air minelays
off Norway in continuation..
14th Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Cruiser EURYALUS and
HM Escort Aircraft Carrier
HMS
TRUMPETER screened by HM Destroyers MYNGS, VOLAGE, SERAPIS,
ALGONQUIN (RCN) and SIOUX
(RCN) for air
minelay (Operation LYCIDAS).
15th Embarked aircraft carried out minelay
off Sado and Aaramsund in
error
(Note: This was due to poor identification on land.).
16th Minelay carried out successfully. and took return passage to Scapa Flow with ships
of Force 9.
31st Nominated for aircraft transport duties
ii SW Pacific.
November Took
passage to Trincomalee
11th Arrived at Trincomalee
Embarked aircraft for transport to BPF.
December Passage to Australia.
23rd Arrived at Sydney and
disembarked aircraft.
1 9
4 5
January Deployed
for aircraft transport between Ceylon and Australia in continuation
to Allocated for service with British Fleet
Train –Task Force 112.
February
March Passage
to Sydney from Ceylon with aircraft
31st Sailed from Sydney with
aircraft to BPF Forward Base at Manus, Admiralty Is.
April TF112 service in continuation for transport of
aircraft to and from Manus.
to
May
June Nominated
for repair in South Africa before transfer to 39th
Aircraft Carrier
Squadron
in East Indies Fleet based in Ceylon.
13th Took passage to Simons Town,
Taken in hand by HM Dockyard, Simons Town.
July Under
repair
August On
completion of post repair trials took passage to join Squadron at Colombo.
September Nominated
for return to UK for conversion to suit use
as a troop transport.
4th Sailed for UK
25th Arrived in Clyde.
Conversion
arranged in London commercial shipyard
Passage
to Thames
30th Taken in hand for
conversion.
Paid-off from operational service.