1 9 4 3
July Contractors
trials
August
4th Build completion and commissioned for
Royal Navy service as HMS TRUMPETER
Carried out sea trials and shakedown.
26th Took passage to Norfolk
29th Transit of Panama Canal.
October Passage
to east coast of USA.
6th Arrived at Norfolk Va.
Embarked AVENGER and CORSAIR aircraft for delivery to RN.
23rd Sailed for New York
November Deployed
at New York.
Sailed from New York for Clyde.
(Note : Passage with routine convoy to be confirmed.)
1st Disembarked aircraft at Belfast
Nominated
for service as a Ferry Carrier
Commenced
service and took passage to New York to embark aircraft.
December Completed
first ferry carrier trip and returned to New York for second load.
1 9 4 4
January Completed
second passage and nominated for refit at Dundee.
February
4th Taken in hand for
refit by commercial shipyard.
March Under
refit
to Nominated
for Home Fleet deployment on completion.
April
May Carried
out post refit trials on completion of shipyard work
21st Passage to Rosyth
for further modifications to suit RN service.
(Note : These may have included changes to petrol
distribution system required after loss
of HMS DASHER in 1943.)
June Deployed
in Clyde after embarking 846 Squadron
AVENGER aircraft and personnel.
Worked-up
in Clyde are for operational service.
July
18th Under repair to
post work-up defects in Clyde shipyard.
Passage
to Scapa
Flow
on completion
August Joined
1st Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet..
8th Carried out rehearsal in NW Approaches
for planned operation off Norway.
9th Deployed with HM Aircraft Carrier
INDEFATIGABLE and HM Escort Carrier NABOB,
HM
Cruisers KENT and DEVONSHIRE screened by HM Destroyers MYNGS,
VIGILANT,
VERULAM, VOLAGE, VIRAGO, SCOURGE, ALGONQUIN (RCN) and
SIOUX
for air attacks on airfield at Gossen and shipping
(Operation OFFSPRING).
10th During air operations six Me110 aircraft
and three steamers are damaged.
15th Joined HM Aircraft Carriers
INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE, FURIOUS and sister ship
HMS
NABOB for air attacks on German battleship TIRPITZ lying in Kaafjord.
Ships
of 5th Escort Group provided screen.
(Note : Cover was provided by HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK, HM Cruisers
DEVONSHIRE and BERWICK screened by HM Destroyers
MYNGS, VIGILANT,
SIOUX
(RCN), ALGONQUIN (RCN) KEMPENFELT, ZAMBESI and
Norwegian
STORD.). For details see CONVOY ! by P Kemp.
20th Operation delayed because of weather
conditions.
22nd Launched aircraft to carry out
diversionary attacks on airfields at Hammerfest and Banak.
Attacks
made by Fleet carriers were unsuccessful as approach of aircraft had been
detected.
Heavy
fighter opposition and AA fire experienced (Operation GOODWOOD.)
See
above reference for details.
(Note : During the operation HMS NABOB was torpedoed by U354
and had to be taken
in tow. HM Frigate BICKERTON was also hit and had to be
sunk.
25th Passage to Scapa Flow.
September
11th Deployed with HMS
FURIOUS for air minelay and shipping attacks.
Cover
was provided by HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE and Force was screened by
HM
Destroyers MYNGS, MARNE, MUSKETEER, VIGILANT, VERULAM,
and Canadian ALGONQUIN.
12th Carried cut minelay south of Vosko Island. (Operation BEGONIA)
13th Returned to Scapa Flow on
completion.
October
13th Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Cruiser EURYALUS and HM
Escort Carrier
FENCER
as Force 9 to carry out air minelay and shipping strikes screened by
HM
Destroyers MYNGS, ALGONQUIN, SIOUX, VOLAGE, SCORPION and
SERAPIS (Operation LYCIDAS).
FENCER
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 of land
position.).
16th Minelay carried out successfully and
took return passage to Scapa Flow with ships
of Force 9.
30th Deployed with Part of Force 9 to carry
out anti-submarine air patrols in support of transit
of return Convoy RA60 during passage to Loch Ewe from Kola
Inlet.
14th Air minelay carried out near Ristos Island and Aarumsund
Leads.
15th Second air minelay carried out in Ramsosund and shipping attacks in Fro Havet.
16th Returned to Scapa Flow with Force 9.
23rd Sailed from Scapa Flow with HMS DEVONSHIRE, HM Escort
Carrier CAMPANIA
as Force 2 for air minelay and shipping strike, screened by
HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ,
SERAPIS and three other destroyers for air minelay and shipping
strike.
(Operation
HARDY).
24th Air minelays
carried out south of Lepsoy Island and in Haramsfjord.
Shipping
strikes were cancelled and air strikes carried out on airfield at Gossen
27th Returned to Scapa Flow with Force 2.
November Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
December
6th Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Aircraft Carrier
IMPLACABLE and HM Escort Carrier
PREMIER
in Force 1 to carry out air minelay in Karm Sound and
attacks on coastal
shipping between Bergen and Stavangar
(Operation URBANE).
7th AVENGER aircraft carried cut minelay.
Coastal
targets attacked instead of shipping.
8th Attacks made on shipping at Fro Havet.
10th Returned to Scapa Flow with Force 1.
12th Sailed from Scapa Flow for minelay.
14th Deployed with HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE, HM Escort Aircraft Carrier
PREMIER and a
destroyer screen comprising HM Destroyers ZEALOUS, ZEPHYR,
SAVAGE, SERAPIS,
SIOUX (RCN) and
ALGONQUIN (RCN) (Force 2)
for joint shipping strike and air minelay.
(Operation LACERATE).
Air
minelay carried out in Ramosund.
Under
air attack by Ju88, one of which was destroyed.
Two
AVENGER aircraft crashed on landing without casualties.
Diversionary
air strikes on air fields at Hammerfest and Banak
not possible due to low cloud
in target areas.
Later
one aircraft ranged on deck lost overboard. in bad
weather.
Planned
air minelay in Skatestromme cancelled due to
deteriorating weather
(Note : Minelay in Skatestrommen
was cancelled after Force was shadowed.
15th Ship sustained weather damage.)
17th Returned to Scapa Flow with Force 2
881
Squadron aircraft embarked for planned operation.
21st Planned air attacks on shipping off Statlandet unsuccessful due to weather conditions.
(Operation
FRETSAW.)
1 9 4 5
January
11th Deployed as Force 3 with HMS PREMIER, HM
Cruiser DIDO, HM Destroyers
OPPORTUNE,
ZEST, ZODIAC and CAVENDISH to provide air cover and anti
-submarine
patrols during joint Home Fleet operations SPELLBINDER and
GRATIS.
(Note: Force 1 comprising HM Cruisers NORFOLK and BELLONA
with screen of
three destroyers were to carry out attacks on convoy off Egersund.
(Operation
SPELLBINDER)
HM
Minelayer APOLLO screened by two destroyers was to carry out
minelay in Karm Sound (Operation
GRATIS)
During
attack on convoy an escorting minesweeper M273 and two mercantiles
were sunk with three others damaged.
Aircraft
from carriers prevented torpedo attack by KG26.
For
details see Naval Staff History (Mining).
Air
minelay was carried out during GRATIS.)
February Under refit in Clyde shipyard.
March
15th Joined Russian Convoy JW65 with HM
Destroyers SAVAGE and SCOURGE.
(Operation
SCOTTISH)
(Home
Fleet ships including HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Carrier CAMPANIA and
a destroyer screen were already with this convoy. For
details of all warships and
passage of Russian convoys see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, ARCTIC
CONVOYS
by R Woodman, CONVOY ! by P
Kemp and THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS
by B Schoefield.)
20th HM Sloop LAPWING of Close Escort was
sunk by honing torpedo from U968.
21st Detached from
JW65 on arrival at Kola Inlet.
23rd Joined return Convoy RA65 with same
ships.
(Note : Close escort sailed early for attacks on an assembly
of U-Boats off Kola Inlet.
30th Detached from RA65 with Home Fleet ships
and took passage to Scapa Flow.
April Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
6th Took part in
operation to attack U-Boat facilities at Narvik with HM Escort. Aircraft
Carriers
PUNCHER, QUEEN and SEARCHER (Operation NEWMARKET)
(Note : Operation called off due to adverse weather
conditions.
May
4th Deployed with HM Escort Carriers
SEARCHER and QUEEN as part of a Home Fleet
Task Force to carry out attack on U-Boat facilities at Narvik.
(Operation
JUDGEMENT – Last offensive operation by Home Fleet during WW2.)
(Note : Home Fleet ships included HM Cruisers NORFOLK and
DIADEM,
HM
Destroyers CARYSFORT, OPPORTUNE, SAVAGE, SCOURGE
and ZAMBESI joined later by HMS OBEDIENT and ORWELL on
passage from Murmansk.)
During
this operation the Submarine Depot Ship BLACK WATCH was sunk
together with U711 which was alongside. This was the last
U-Boat sunk by
aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P
Kemp.
5th During return passage to Scapa Flow joined ships of Home Fleet
deployed for
liberation at Copenhagen. (Operation CLEAVER)
6th Provided air
cover during transit to Denmark.
8th Took return passage to Scapa Flow with Home Fleet ships.
Nominated
for refit and took passage to Glasgow.
June Under
refit in Clyde shipyard
Nominated
for duty in East Indies Fleet and prepared for foreign
service.
(Note : Pennant Number R318 allocated for use to conform with
US Navy identity
for this type of warship.)
July
7th Sailed to join
Fleet at Trincomalee.
30th Arrived at Colombo
Joined 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron.
(Note : Other ships in Squadron were :
HM
Cruiser ROYALIST, HM Escort carriers AMEER, ATTACKER,
EMPEROR,
EMPRESS, HUNTER, KHEDIVE, PURSUER, SHAH,
SEARCHER,
SMITER and STALKER
August Nominated
for support of planned landings in Malaya (Operation ZIPPER)
(Note : This operation was delayed for various reasons
including implementation
of the PYTHON scheme to return servicemen to UK and American
insistence after VJ Day. See Final report by SEAC and THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET
by J Winton
Deployed
as deck landing training carrier pending execution of ZIPPER
September Embarked
SPITFIRE aircraft for delivery to RAF after landings by assault forces.
(Note : HMS SHAH and HMS SMITER were also deployed as General
Purposes Carriers.
See
WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
4th Sailed from Singapore with ships of Squadron/
6th Launched air patrols to provide cover for passage of Assault
Convoy ME1F during
passage.
8th Deployed at Port Swettenham.
(Note : Passage in Malacca Strait to provide air cover during
landings to be confirmed.)
26th Arrived at Singapore
