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 GODAVERI,
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 GODAVERI and HMS FINDHORN by
HEDGEHOG
attacks. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and above referenoe.)
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 Jackarta
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 (HMS0) 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.
