1
9 4 3
September
Contractors trials
27th
Build completion and formally transferred
to Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS
SHAH.
October
Carried out sea trials.
18th
On completion took passage to Esquimalt
20th
Under modification by HM Canadian
Dockyard to suit RN requirements for
convoy defence.
November
Under modification
to
Nominated for service in 1st Aircraft
Squadron, Eastern Fleet and to make direct
passage to
December
Colombo
with call in Australia.
Carried out further sea trials after
completion of dockyard work
1
9 4 4
January
2nd
Sailed from Vancouver
for San Francisco
7th
Embarked aircraft for transport
(Note:
Photograph in ROYAL NAVY ESCORT CARRIERS
by D Hobbs shows
WILDCAT and P40 aircraft loaded on flight
deck at a US
Port.
As ship was not in USA
after early 1944 the destination of these
aircraft is to be
confirmed
.
Same reference quoted AVENGER aircraft
which had been flown to San
Francisco from
Norfolk,
Va.)
15th
Took passage from San
Francisco to Melbourne, Australia.
February
At Melbourne
(Note:
Disembarkation of aircraft to be
confirmed)
8th
Took passage to Colombo
from Melbourne
Called at Fremantle.
March
Passage in Indian
Ocean
19th
Arrived at Colombo
after call at Cochin.
(Note: Disembarkation
of aircraft at Cochin
to be confirmed
April
Deployed in Eastern Fleet for aircraft
ferrying duties.
26th
Sailed from Colombo
for Bombay
Nominated for convoy defence in Indian Ocean
30th
Deployed in Bombay
May
9th
Took passage to Colombo
12th
Arrived At Colombo
13th
WILDCAT aircraft embarked for trade
protection duties with 851 Squadron.
15th
Passage to Trincomalee to commenced
trade protection duties.
16th
Arrived at Trincomalee
17th
Sailed from Trincomalee for trade
defence.
June
Deployed for trade defence in Indian Ocean
(Note:
Aircraft carried out anti-submarine
patrols and search for blockade runners.
Submarines were active in Indian Ocean. See WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO)
and THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton.).
July
Deployed in Indian
Ocean for convoy defence with HMS BEGUM as
part of Force 66.
(For details of U-Boat search operations
see SEEK and STRIKE by W
Hackmann)
August
Took part in anti-submarine operations in
Indian Ocean
with HMS BEGUM, HM
Frigates FINDHORN, INVER, LOSSIE and
PARRET, HM Indian Sloop GODAVARI,
and SUTLEJ as Force 66..See above references
10th
Embarked AVENGER aircraft carried out
attack on U198 without evidence of damage.
12th
Following further air operations and
search by frigates of Force 66 this U-Boat
was again
sighted by aircraft from this ship.
(Note: U198
was sunk by HMIS GODAVARI and HMS FINDHORN
by HEDGEHOG
attacks. See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and above reference.)
18th
At Kilindini.
27th
Provide air cover for routine convoy from
Kilindini to to
Aden
September
Deployed with Force 66 for searches in Indian Ocean to intercept U-Boats on passage to
Germany
from Dutch East Indies.
21st
Passage to Cochin
October
Deployed for interception of two Japanese
submarines known to be on passage from Jakarta
to Germany
with
raw materials.
(Note: These
submarines were not intercepted.)
November
Deployed with ships of Task Force 66 and
shore based aircraft in search for two
Japanese
submarines in Bay of Bengal..
26th
Arrived att
Colombo
27th
Transferred to East Indies Fleet on
formation when other ships of Eastern
Fleet formed
British Pacific Fleet.
December
Eastern Fleet duties in continuation.
1
9 4 5
January
Joined HM Escort Carriers, BEGUM, EMPRESS,
EMPEROR and EMPRESS in 21st
Aircraft
Carrier
Squadron, East Indies Fleet at Colombo.
Detached as required
for Indian
Ocean trade defence and interceptions.
10th
Sailed for Trincomalee for
anti-submarine defence.
February
Nominated for refit and took passage to Durban
(Note:
Carried out anti-submarine patrols on
passage.)
23rd
Arrived at Durban.
March
Under refit
April
Carried out post refit trials
8th
Took passage to Kilindini
15th
Sailed from Kilindini to rejoin East
Indies Fleet at Trincomalee with call on
passage at Colombo.
Nominated for support
of planned allied landings in Burma.
(For details of East Indies area operations see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by
J Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
On arrival at Trincomalee joined HM
Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH,
French battleship
RICHELIEU,
HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND, SUFFOLK and Dutch
cruiser TROMP
with HMS
EMPRESS in Force 63 to provide cover for
landings at Rangoon by attacks
on Car Nicobar
and Port Blair in
Andamans
(Operation BISHOP).
(Note HELLCAT, SEAFIRE and AVENGER
aircraft with personnel were embarked.)
27th
Sailed for BISHOP from Trincomalee with
Force 63 screened by HM Destroyers PENN,
NUBIAN, VERULAM,
TARTAR and ROTHERHAM.
30th
Air strikes made on airfields at Car Nicobar
and the harbour at Port Blair during
bombardment by
ships of Force 63.
May
1st
Provided cover for Force 63 ships during
bombardment at Car Nicobar
and Malacca.
2nd
Air cover provision during further
bombardments by Force 63.
3rd
Carried out shipping attacks during Force
63 operations off Burma.
9th
Returned to Trincomalee with ships of
East Indies Fleet.
10th
Sailed from Trincomalee with HMS ROYALIST,
HMS HUNTER, HMS KHEDIVE and
HMS EMPEROR of
the 21st Squadron as part of
Force 61.
(Force 61 also included HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH, FS RICHELIEU, HM
Cruisers
CUMBERLAND
and Dutch TROMP
screened by HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ,
VIRAGO,
VENUS, VIGILANT, TARTAR, NUBIAN and ROTHERHAM to intercept Japanese vessels
reported to be
evacuating the Andaman and Nicobar
garrisons. (Operation DUKEDOM).
14th
Detached with 21st Squadron, HMS
CUMBERLAND and HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ,
VENUS, VERULAM, VIGILANT and VIRAGO of
26th Destroyer Flotilla to carry out
attack
on ships at Nancowry
(Operation MITRE).
15th
Flying operations delayed by defective
catapult and AVENGERS transferred to HMS
EMPEROR.
Japanese ships
sighted by air reconnaissance off Penang
and attacked
by aircraft
from this ship
without success. One aircraft was shot
down.
(Note: Pilot
and aircrew later captured when dinghy
drifted ashore in Burma.)
Further sighting by 851 Squadron aircraft
identified enemy ships as a cruiser and
a destroyer
and then
attacked by aircraft.
Enemy ship which
altered course after hits.
(Note:
Surface interception was then made by
destroyers of the 26th Flotilla.
The sinking of Japanese cruiser HAGURO
followed a brilliantly executed
night torpedo
attack is described in SINK THE HAGURO by
J Winton and the
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).)
16th
Rejoined ships of East Indies Fleet for
return passage to Trincomalee.
21st
Arrived at Trincomalee.
24th
Deployed at Bombay
June
6th
Sailed from Bombay
to rejoin Fleet at Trincomalee.
Deployed for Fleet
cover and convoy defence duties with
Squadron.
See above references for details of naval
activities off Burma.
July
Nominated for support of planned landings
in Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER)
(Note: The
landings were postponed because of
problems relating to the return of
military
personnel from the Far
East under the PYTHON scheme and the
insistence of
US for delay pending planned Pacific
operations.
See Final Report of SEAC (HMSO) and above references.)
Fleet duties in
continuation.
August
Nominated for anti-submarine operations in
support of transit of ZIPPER convoys
Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes was changed to R312 to conform
with US Navy
identity for this type of warship.)
26th
Carried out anti-submarine operations
(Note: Area of
these operations to be established.)
Returned to Colombo
on completion.