1
9 4 3
April
Contractors trials.
9th
Build completed and commissioned for
Royal Navy service as HMS CHASER.
Began
acceptance trials
May
Took
passage to Norfolk Navy Yard on
completion of Trials.
23rd
Arrived at Norfolk,
Va
June
Deployed
for work-up in Chesapeake Bay area
26th
Embarked 12 AVENGER aircraft destined
for 845 Squadron for transport to UK
30th
Joined inward Convoy HX245 at New
York
for passage to Clyde
July
6th
Detached from HX245 and took passage to
Greenock.
All ships of HX245 arrived
without loss
7th
Sustained damage after an explosion
in Boiler Room.
Passage to Rosyth
for repair.
August
Under
repair by HM Dockyard, Rosyth
to
September
October
On
completion took passage to Clyde
Embarked nine
SWORDFISH and
six SEA
HURRICANE
aircraft with 835 Squadron personnel.
29th
Deployed work-up in Clyde
area.
Nominated for
service in Western Approaches Command
for convoy
defence.
November
Under repair in commercial
shipyard in Clyde.
835
Squadron disembarked.
December
Under repair.
SPECIAL
NOTE:
Award of Battle Honour ATLANTIC 1943 to be investigated as no
record of any operational service in Atlantic
can be traced.
1
9 4 4
January
Under
repair
Embarked
11 SWORDFISH and 11 WILDCAT aircraft and
personnel of 816 Squadron
February
On completion of repair and
trials commenced operational service
Nominated to provide air cover during passage
of outward Russian Convoy JW57 during
passage to
Kola Inlet
(Operation FX)
For details of all warships and mercantiles
involved in Russian convoys see
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA
by RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by
B Schoefield,
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp and ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman..
21st
Sailed from Scapa
Flow
to join JW57 escorted by HM
Destroyers WANDERER, WATCHMAN,
HM Frigates BYRON
and STRULE.
22nd
Joined JW57 and deployed in Position 63
23rd
Provision of anti-submarine patrols
continued
to
Shadowing
aircraft driven away from convoy.
26th
(Note: No
U-Boat attacks were made on convoy due
to the heavy escort with air cover
See references
Detached from JW57 and remained in area
March
2nd
Joined return Convoy RA57 to provide
anti-submarine air cover during transit
to Loch Ewe
Began
air patrols
4th
Convoy under attack by U-Boat
Group.
SWORDFISH B aircraft B of 816 Squadron
attacked
U472 and obtained two hits using
depth
charges.
(Note: HM
Destroyer
ONSLAUGHT was then directed to position
and engaged U472 by
surface
gunfire. Submarine
scuttled and sank in position 73.05N
26.40E
due to depth
charge damage.
27 of submarines crew were rescued.
See U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
5th
SWORDFISH aircraft F of 816 Squadron
sank U366 in position 72.10N 14.45E
using
rocket
projectiles during defence of RA57.
There were no
survivors.
See above
reference).
6th
SWORDFISH aircraft X of 816 Squadron
sank U973 in position 70.04N 05.43E
using
rocket
projectiles during
defence of RA57. 15 survivors were
rescued from sea by
HM Destroyer BOADICEA.
(Note: For
details of
U-Boat deployments and weapons used
during the Battle
of
the Atlantic
see U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO), SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann
and THE BATTLE
OF THE ATLANTIC
by D MacIntyre.)
8th
Detached from
RA57 before arrival of convoy at Loch
Ewe.
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by R A
Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and
CONVOY! by P
Kemp.)
13th
Dragged anchor and grounded after
collision with sister ship HMS ATTACKER.
14th
Towed clear and required repair
18th
Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard
Rosyth
April
Under
repair
to
Nominated for service as aircraft
transport in British Pacific Fleet on
completion of repair.
December
1
9 4 5
January
Under
repair
February
On
completion of post refit trials embarked
20 SEAFIRE aircraft for transport to
British
Pacific Fleet destined for 899 Squadron
Passage to Clyde
March
10th
Joined Convoy KMF41 for passage to Gibraltar
17th
Passage from Gibraltar
via Suez
April
Passage
in India Ocean
May
After arrival at Sydney
and allocated for service in
Fleet Train.
Passage to Manus
Joined Fleet Train
(Task Force 112)
at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
(Note:
British Pacific
Fleet of which the Fleet Train was a
part was under the
overall
command of the US CinC
Pacific.)
Embarked replacement aircraft for
delivery to Fleet
Aircraft Carriers
(Note:
These are recorded
as three SEAFIRE, two HELLCAT, 1
FIREFLY, two AVENGER
and one
CORSAIR.)
Passage to Leyte
14th
Sailed from Leyte.
18th
Transferred aircraft to Fleet Carriers
and collected unserviceable aircraft in
Replenishment
Area COOTIE ONE.
(Note: HM
Escort Aircraft
Carriers RULER and SPEAKER in Area
COOTIE ONE
were also
deployed in
Fleet Train in
support of ICEBERG II to Joint attacks
by RN/USN ships on
airfields in
Sakishima-Gunto
Group. For details see THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET
by John
Winton, OPERATION PACIFIC
by E Gray and
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).)
22nd
Transferred 10
aircraft to Fleet Carriers in COOTIE ONE
during
further replenishment of TF57.
23rd
Transferred four aircraft to Fleet
Carriers and on completion took passage
to Manus
June
Fleet Train duties for aircraft
transport in continuation.
(Note:
Ships of BPF
returned to Australia
after completion of ICEBERG
TWO.
They were transferred to Task Force 37
in 3rd US
Fleet before commencing
air
operations against
targets in Japan.
Fleet Train deployments
included
provision of
aircraft
replacements at Manus from Australia.)
July
Ferry Carrier duties with HMS ARBITER,
HMS
STRIKER and HMS SPEAKER in support
of air
operations by British Fleet Carriers in
continuation.
24th
Sailed
from Manus
31st
Deployed
with HMS SPEAKER AND HMS RULER in Replenishment Area west of Iwo
Jima
and delivered
aircraft.
August
Returned
to Manus with damaged aircraft for
collection of replacements.
Deployed for
transport of aircraft to operational
area.
6th
Delivered aircraft with HMS ARBITER
and RULER during replenishment period.
7th
Returned to Manus
on completion.
(Note:
First Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Ships of BPF not allocated to Token
Force were
withdrawn from air operations off
Japan
and
aircraft
deliveries were not
provided after 11th August.
15th
Reverted to RN control and deployed with
British Pacific Fleet for repatriation
operations as
a troop transport.