1 9 3 9
September Flagship of 8th Cruiser Squadron
based at Bermuda with HM Cruisers YORK, ORION
and PERTH (RAN)
3rd Deployed
for interception of blockade runners and defence of Atlantic convoys.
Took passage to Halifax.
15th Sailed
from Halifax with HM Cruiser YORK to join Convoys HX1 and HXF1 as Ocean Escort.
17th Joined
convoys to replace Local Escort by HM Canadian Destroyers SAGUENAY and ST
LAURENT.
20th Detached
from Ocean Escort and resumed patrol.
22nd Took
passage from Halifax for patrol.
October
3rd Arrived
at Halifax for repair.
4th Sailed
with HMS PERTH as escort for Convoy KJ3 during passage to Bermuda.
Relieved by HM Cruiser EFFINGHAM and
resumed patrol.
5th Nominated
for service in Hunting Group F with HMS YORK.
(Note: This
Group was intended for interception of commerce raiders but did not form
because of
requirement to cover Atlantic convoys against attack by German
battleship
DEUTSCHLAND.)
7th Based
at Bermuda and deployed
for patrol and search for commerce raiders.
26th Taken
in hand for docking and repair at Bermuda.
November Transferred to 1st Cruiser Squadron, Horns Fleet.
7th Took
passage from Bermuda to Portsmouth.
14th Taken
in hand for repair on arrival at Portsmouth.
December
9th Took
passage from Portsmouth to join Squadron at Scapa Flow.
12th Deployed
in NW Approaches for trade defence
25th Returned to Clyde.
30th Resumed
patrol duties in NW Approaches.
1 9 4 0
January Atlantic
deployment In continuation.
10th Arrived
at Rosyth
19th Returned
to Scapa Flow to resume patrol duties.
21st Passage
from Scapa Flow for Northern Patrol duty.
February
29th Returned
to Greenock.
March Resumed Northern Patrol duties.
2nd Intercepted
and boarded German freighter WOLFSBURG which was on
fire.
Sank mercantile by gunfire.
5th Intercepted
and boarded German freighter URUGUAY which also had been set afire by
crew and
had to be sunk by gunfire.
April
Recalled for support of planned landings in Norway (Operation R4).
(Note: This
operation to land troops in Norwegian ports if Germany carried out an invasion after
a minelay off
Norway to prevent passage of iron ore shipping (Operation WILFRED).
Passage to
Rosyth
3rd Embarked
1/4 Royal Lincolnshire Regiment at Rosyth for passage to Norway.
(Note: Troops were also embarked in
HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE, GLASGOW and YORK.)
8th Disembarked
troops after German invasion of Norway confirmed.
Sailed from
Rosyth with other cruisers.
Joined off Kinnaird Head by French Cruiser Emil Bertin
, destroyers TARTU and MAILLE BREZ
as screen.
Carried out
sweep to North East as ordered by Admiralty with same ships.
(Note:
Operation R4 was cancelled and replaced by the Operation RUPERT.
For details
see NARVIK by D Macintyre, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by J Adams,
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Bamett. and Naval Staff
History
(HMSO -2001)
Sailed to
join Home Fleet ships on passage to Norwegian waters to cover allied landings.
9th After
joining HM Battleships RODNEY, VALIANT and WARSPITE, HM Aircraft Carrier
FURIOUS
screened by Home Fleet destroyers, came under heavy
and sustained German air
attacks
during which HM Destroyer GURKHA was sunk.
11th Deployed
as escort for HMS FURIOUS during air attacks on Trondheim.
On completion
joined HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE screened by HM Destroyers
INGLEFIELD,
ILEX, IMOGEN and ISIS to carry cut search of Trondheim Leads
for German
troopships.
14th Carried
cut search in Aandsfjord and Vaagsfjord
with HMS INGLEFIELD.
15th Rejoined
Home Fleet ships off North Cape.
16th Near
missed during air attacks without significant damage..
18th Detached
with HMS DEVONSHIRE and HMS INGLEFIELD and took passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note: See
above references for details of operations off Norway.)
23rd Deployed
as escort for H M Aircraft Carriers ARK ROYAL and FURIOUS with HM AA
Cruiser
CURLEW and HM Destroyers FEARLESS, FURY, HASTY, HEREWARD, HYPERION.
and JUNO during passage to the
Norwegian coast for air operations (Operation DX)
. (Note: This
was the first RN joint aircraft carrier operation.
See CARRIER
GLORIOUS by J Winton.)
28th Deployed
as escort for HMS ARK ROYAL during rest period off Faeroes.
May
1st Under
air attacks off Norway with HMS ARK ROYAL, HMS GLORIOUS and HMS VALIANT.
3rd Provided
cover for HMS GLORIOUS during continuations of DX air operations' in place of
HMS
ARK ROYAL.
4th Took
return passage to UK as escort for HMS ARK ROYAL.
8th Joined
HMS GLASGOW, HM Destroyers FEARLESS and FORTUNE in Clyde.
Embarked
advance party of Royal Marines for passage to Iceland (Operationm FORK)
(Note:
British occupation of Iceland was carried cut to prevent German landings following the
fall of Denmark.)
10th Landed
Royal Marines at Reykjavik and searched fjords for enemy activity.
Embarked German nationals for passage
to UK for detention.
11th Passage
to Liverpool.
17th Under
repair at Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead.
June
Under repair.
July
22nd Repair
work completion date.
August
4th Sustained
damage in collision with mercantile and returned for docking.
September Undocked and took passage to rejoin
Squadron.
22nd Arrived
at Scapa Flow for Hone Fleet duties.
October
8th Deployed
for interception patrol in Atlantic.
During patrol
selected for service in Mediterranean and took passage to prepare for foreign
service
. in Clyde
30th Took
passage from Clyde with H M Battleship BARHAM, HMS GLASGOW, HM Destroyers
GALLANT, GRIFFIN, GREYHOUND
and ENCOUNTER to join Fleet in the Mediterranean.
(Operation
COAT)
(Note:
Designated as Force F.
HMS ARK ROYAL
also took passage to rejoin Force H at Gibraltar.)
November
6th Arrived
at Gibraltar.
7th Sailed
with Force F to join ships of Force H for escort during passage to land stores and personnel
in Malta.)
(Note: For
details of naval operations in Mediterranean during 1940 to 1942 see THE BATTLE
FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre and Naval Staff
History) (HMSO-2001)
9th Convoy
under air attack and submarine threat which failed to make contact.
10th Disembarked
troops and stores In Malta.
Took passage to join Mediterranean
Fleet ships.
11th Deployed
with HM Cruisers GLASGOW, GLOUCESTER and YORK. HM Destroyers HAVOCK,
HERO,
HEREWARD, JERVIS and JUNO to provide cover during air attacks from HM Aircraft
Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS on Italian fleet at Taranto (Operation
JUDGEMENT).
14th On
arrival at Alexandria with Mediterranean Fleet joined 3rd. Cruiser Squadron.
15th Embarked
troops for passage to Piraeus with HM Cruisers YORK, GLASGOW and SYDNEY
(RAN)
25th Passage
to Malta with HM Battleship RAMILLIES and HM Cruiser NEWCASTLE.
(Operation
COLLAR - Joint operation with Force H and included the transfer of ships to Gibraltar
covered by HM
Battleships BARHAM, MALAYA, HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE.
HM Cruisers
MANCHESTER and SOUTHAMPTON were also on passage to reinforce the
Mediterranean
Fleet and a mercantile convoy was on passage to Egypt.)
27th Met
HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD and HMS ARK ROYAL.
Took part in
surface action against Italian Fleet units (Battle of Spartivento.
Hit by two
8" shells in return of fire and sustained damage to after turret.
(Note: The
only RN ship to be hit in this action. See above references and THE NAVAL WAR
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN by J Greene and A Massignani.)
When Italian
Fleet withdrew, joined ships of Force H with HMS RAMILLIES and HMS
NEWCASTLE for passage
to Gibraltar.
29th Under
repair at Gibraltar.
December Nominated for service with Hunting Group K for
interception of German commerce raiders.
(Note: This was subsequently
cancelled.)
18th On
completion prepared for operational service.
21st Took
passage to join military convoy WS5A as relief for HM Cruiser NAIAD.
24th Joined HM
Cruisers DUNEDIN and BONAVENTURE in Ocean Escort for WS5A.
(Note: HMS FURIOUS and HMS ARGUS were
with the convoy and were taking aircraft to
Takoradi
for flight to join RAF in Middle East.)
25th Convoy
came under attack by German cruiser HIPPER at dawn and was scattered.
Engaged
HIPPER and hit by 4 shells in return fire causing casualties.
(Note: After
structure and gun mountings damaged with some flooding.
Troopship ss EMPIRE TROOPER was also seriously damaged and was
escorted to
Ponta Delgado, Azores.
Ships of
convoy were later re-assembled by Force H from Gibraltar.
Considerable
confusion was caused and attempts by carriers to carry out air attacks were
cancelled on
Admiralty orders. See Naval Staff History.)
31st Landed
wounded at Gibraltar and taken in hand for temporary repair.
1 9 4 1
January Under temporary repair.
5th On
completion took passage to Portsmouth for permanent repair.
11th Casualty
List for December engagement published.
February Under repair by HM Dockyard, Portsmouth
to
(Note: Type 286M modified RAF radar
fitted to provide limited warning facility.
April
Type 284 main armament fire-control radar
fitted.
Fit of
aircraft warning radar is recorded but to be confirmed.
New masts to
allow later fitting of this equipment may have been provided.
(For details
of development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.)
20mm Oerlikon
guns fitted to improve Close Range defence.
Nominated for
service in 1st Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet.
May
Arrangements made for completion of refit
work at Rosyth
Took passage to Rosyth.
June
Completion of refit in continuation by HM
Dockyard.
17th Carried
out post refit trials.
21st Arrived
at Scapa Flow for work-up.
July
On completion of work-up deployed with
Squadron based at Rosyth.
to
(Note: Home Fleet units carried cut
interception and convoy defence duties.
August
September Under repair at Rosyth.
October Repair in continuation.
15th Rejoined
Squadron at Scapa Flow for Home Fleet duties.
November
1st Deployed
as escort for HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK with HM Destroyers ESCAPADE,
TARTAR and PUNJABI for passage from Clyde to Scapa Flow on completion of build.
3rd Deployed
with HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers KENT and SUFFOLK, screened by five Home Fleet destroyers.
