1 9 3 9
September Under major refit and reconstruction by HM Dockyard
Chatham.
to Work
done included with ship under Dockyard Control.
December New
design superstructure with aircraft hangars, cranes
and catapult forward.
Bridge
design modernised.
Funnel
arrangements changed and only two used.
Two
twin 4" AA mountings and additional smaller AA guns fitted.
Air
warning radar Type 279 fitted on both masts.
Fire
control radar for forward main armament Type 284 and for 4" mountings Type
285
provided with aerial units on gunnery directors. For details of the development
and in RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse).
Armour
protection added over machinery spaces.
(Note:
The significant increase on displacement after modernisation resulted in
increased structural stresses in a hull which had been
designed to met Treaty
limitations. During subsequent service these weaknesses were
most likely to
have been the cause of the leakages in fuel and feed water
systems during
later service
1 9 4 0
Under Dockyard control at Chatham.
1 9 4 1
January Under Dockyard control at Chatham.
7th Re-commissioned.
February
12th Dockyard refit completed.
22nd Post refit trials commenced.
March Delayed
at Chatham for completion of repairs and on completion took passage
to join 1st
Cruiser
Squadron Home Fleet for work-up.
April
2nd On completion of work-up deployed on
Northern Patrol for interception duties with HM Cruiser
KENYA and four Home
Fleet destroyers.
10th Returned to Scapa Flow and prepared for foreign service in South Atlantic.
May
12th Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS to Gibraltar with H M Destroyer BRILLIANT
prior
to Malta aircraft delivery in Operation
SPLICE.
19th Detached with HMS
BRILLIANT on arrival at Gibraltar.
Sailed
from Gibraltar as escort for ss ARUNDEL CASTLE during passage to Clyde
(Note:
This liner was taking evacuees from Gibraltar to UK.)
24th Diverted to join
search for BISMARCK after loss of
HM Battlecruiser HOOD.
29th Released from
operation after sinking of BISMARCK and resumed
passage to South Atlantic.
31st Called at Bathurst, Gambia.
June Deployed
with HMS BRILLIANT in search for German supply ships in South Atlantic.
4th Intercepted tanker ESSO HAMBURG which scuttled on approach.
6th Intercepted German supply ship
EGERLAND which also scuttled.
21st Intercepted German supply ship
BABITONGA 900 miles SW of Freetown, Sierra Leone
which also scuttled on approach.
(Note:
These interceptions were carried out following decryption of German ENIGMA
signals by GCHQ at Bletchley Park. See BREAKING THE ENIGMA by D
Kahn and
BRITISH
INTELLIGENCE IN WW2 (HMSO)
July
3rd Deployed as Ocean
Escort for military convoy WS10 during passage from Clyde to Freetown.
10th Detached from WS10 on relief as Ocean
Escort by HM Cruiser EDINBURGH
Resumed Interception patrol.
August Atlantic
trade defence duties in continuation..
September Transferred
to Iceland for duty with Home Fleet ships
in northern waters.
Deployed with Northern Patrol.
Detached
and took passage to Scapa Flow.
22nd Embarked Lord Beaverbrook and Mr. Averill
Harriman with an Anglo-Aaerican trade
delegation at Scapa Flow and took passage to Archangel.
27th Arrived at Archangel.
28th Joined HM Cruiser SHROPSHIRE, HM Destroyer
ELECTRA and ACTIVE as escort for
for returning Convoy QP1.
(Note:
Re-embarked British delegation for return to UK.)
(For
details of all Russian convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by P Kemp, ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and THE
RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B.Schoefield.).
October
2nd Detached from QP1
and resumed Northern Patrol after disembarking passengers.
9th Returned to Scapa Flow.
30th Taken in hand for repair at Tyne commercial shipyard
November Under
repair and refit
To (Note:
Eight 20mm Oerlikon guns fitted to replace the existing multiple machine guns
to improve
December close
range defence against air attack
1 9 4 2
January Under
repair
February On
completion of dockyard work carried out Post Refit trials
15th Rejoined Home Fleet for patrol and
escort in northern waters.
March Deployed
for Patrol WHITE in Denmark Strait with HM Cruiser KENT and three
USN ships.
Ordered
to set up stations east of Bear Island after refuelling in Iceland to refuel
destroyers
deployed for the interception of German battleship TIRPITZ which posed a
threat to convoys to and from North Russia. See ARCTIC DESTROYERS by R
Woodman.
On
release from refuelling resumed patrol off Iceland.
April Deployed
for Northern Patrol.
28th Detached from patrol to Join escort for Russian Convoy PQ15.
30th Joined HM Cruiser NIGERIA in escort of PQ15.
May Under air attacks which were unsuccessful.
1st Detached from
PQ15 escort and rejoined Home Fleet for covering duties.
Returned to Scapa Flow.
12th Nominated with HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK, HM Aircraft Carrier
VICTORIOUS,
HM
Cruisers KENT, LIVERPOOL, NIGERIA and NORFOLK, screened by HM Destroyers
ICARUS,
BLANKNEY, ECLIPSE, ESCAPADE, FAULKNOR, FURY, INGLEFIELD,
LAMERTON,
MARNE, ONSLOW, MIDDLETON, ORIBI and
WHEATLAND to cover
return passage from Murmansk of HM Cruiser TRINIDAD
(Note:
HMS TRINIDAD had been damaged during defence of an earlier convoy to Russia
but sunk on 14th in air attacks and cover force not deployed.)
15th Took passage with Home Fleet ships to Hvalfjord.
16th Met US aircraft carrier USS WASHINGTON, US cruiser USS TUSCALOOSA and screen of
three USN destroyers who had been detached by USN for duty
in support of Home Fleet.
17th Arrived at Hvalfjord.
Resumed
Northern Patrol duties
23rd Deployed with HMS DUKE OF YORK, USS WASHINGTON, HMS
VICTORIOUS, US
cruiser USS WICHITA and a screen of RN and USN destroyers to
provide cover for
passage of Russian Convoy PQ16 and returning Convoy QP12.
June
5th At Scapa Flow
Passage to Iceland to resume
Northern Patrol.
30th Sailed from Seidisfjord
with HM Cruiser NORFOLK, USS TUSCALOOSA, USS
WICHITA screened by US destroyers USS
WAINWRIGHT and USS ROMAN to provide
close cover for passage of Russian Convoy PQ17 and returning
QP13.
July
4th After PQ17 was ordered to scatter by
Admiralty, returned to Iceland
6th Resumed Northern
Patrol.
August Deployed
with Home Fleet for interception duties In NW Approaches.
September
12th Sailed from Loch Ewe with HM Cruisers
SUFFOLK and NORFOLK to provide Cruiser Cover
for the passage of Russian Convoy PQ18.
18th On arrival of
convoy at Kola Inlet resumed Home Fleet interception duties.
October Deployed
with Home Fleet for interception in NW Approaches.
November Independent
passage to provide cover with HM Cruiser Suffolk for passage of inward convoy
QP15
whilst west of Bear Island,
(Note:
This was the final west bound convoy of 1942 season from Kola and the last of
PQ/QP
series).
17th Deployed with HMS SUFFOLK screened by HM
Destroyers FORESTER, OBDURATE and
ONSLOW
23rd Returned to Scapa Flow.
Nominated
for refit in Tyne commercial shipyard
December Under refit.
(Note:
Hull strengthening undertaken (see 1939 Note re
modernisation).
1 9 4 3
January Under
refit
to (Note:
Work included installation of:
April Surface
warning radar Type 273
Fire
control radar Type 282 installed with aerials on directors for 2 pdr Pom-Pom
weapons.
Five
additional 20mm Oerlikon mountings fitted.
Removal of aircraft facilities.
Carried
out harbour trials
May Rejoined
Home Fleet after completion of sea trials.
Passage to Scapa Flow to work-up
for service.
June Deployed
with Home Fleet for patrol and interception in NW Approaches.
July
7th Deployed with HM Cruisers BELFAST and KENT with destroyer screen for
offensive sweep
off Norway as a diversion during Sicily landings (Operation CAMERA).
9th Returned to Scapa
Flew and resumed interception duties.
August Deployed
on interception duty to prevent breakout of German warships for attacks on
to Atlantic
convoys between Faeroes and Iceland.
October Nominated
for special duty and sailed for the Mediterranean.
November Deployed
with HM Destroyer ULSTER to collect UK Defence Staff for
return to UK after
Teheran
Conference with US and USSR leaders.
December
3rd Passage to UK with
passengers.
On
arrival nominated for service in Eastern Fleet and took passage to Rosyth.
1 9 4 4
January Under
refit at Rosyth for BPF service
(Note:
Four Twin 20mm mountings fitted to improve close range AA defence.
February Passage
to Ceylon to Join 4th Cruiser Squadron
after post refit trials.
March
13th Joined Squadron at
Trincomalee.
24th Deployed with HM Battleships QUEEN
ELIZABETH and VALIANT, HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Cruisers GAMBIA, CEYLON and CUMBERLAND screened by HM
Destroyers
QUILLIAM, QUALITY, QUEENBOROUGH, PATHFINDER, NAPIER,
NORMAN, NEPAL, QUIBERON, Dutch destroyers
TJERK HIDDES and VAN GALEN
for offensive sweep in Indian Ocean (Operation DIPLOMAT).
27th Met US aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA and US destroyers USS CUMMINGS, USS
DUNLOP
and USS FANNING joining Eastern Fleet for temporary service,
(Note:
USN ships were to joined planned air attacks on Sumatra.)
April
2nd Arrived Trincomalee with US and RN
ships.
16th Deployed with HMS RENOWN, HM Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS and USS
SARATOGA as Task Force 70 for air
attacks on Sabang screened by HM Destroyers
QUILLIAM,
QUADRANT, QUEENBOROUGH, USS CUMMINGS, USS FANNING
and HM Submarine TACTICIAN for Air Sea Rescue duty.
(Note:
Cover for operation was provided by Task Force 69 (H M Battleships QUEEN
ELIZABETH and VALIANT, French battleship RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers
NEWCASTLE, NIGERIA, CUMBERLAND, CEYLON, GAMBIA and Dutch
cruiser TROMP screened by HM Destroyers PENN ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE,
PETARD,
QUIBERON, NAPIER, NEPAL, NIZAM (RAN), and Dutch VAN
GALEN
(Operation COCKPIT).
19th Provided close
cover to carriers during attacks on Sabang.
24th Returned to Trincomalee.
30th Deployed with HMS SUFFOLK as escort for
Refuelling Group made up of 6 tankers and a
water tanker in Task Force 67.
Took
passage to Exmouth Bay, Western Australia to support Task Force 65 during
air
operations against Soerabaya
(Operation TRANSOM – See WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO)
May Arrived
at Exmouth Bay
with Tanker Convoy.
15th Joined HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, USS SARATOGA,
HMS GAMBIA, HMS CEYLON,
HM
Destroyers QUADRANT, QUEENBOROUGH, QUILLIAM, USS FANNING and
USS
DUNLOP) in Task Force 66 (Operation TRANSOM)
17th Provided close
cover to aircraft carriers during attacks on Soerabaya.
18th US Navy ships detached and returned to
US Navy administration.
27th Returned to Trincomalee with TF67 ships
after refuelling at Exmouth Bay.
June Transferred
to 5th Cruiser Squadron, Eastern Fleet and deployed on trade defence and
to interception
duty in Indian
Ocean.
August
September
8th Took part in Joint Fleet exercises
with HM Battleship HOWE, HMS CUMBERLAND and
HMS GAMBIA off Ceylon.
October
15th Joined Task Group 63.2 with HMS SUFFOLK
and HMS CUMBERLAND screened by HM
Destroyers
RELENTLESS, RAIDER, NORMAN (RAN) and Dutch VAN GALEN for
offensive operations in Indian Ocean as a diversion during US
landings on Leyte.
(Note:
HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE and VICTORIOUS with H M Cruiser
PHOEBE
for Fighter Direction and screened by HM Destroyers WHELP,
WAKEFUL,
WESSEX and WAGER as Task Unit 62-3
carried out air attacks.
HMS
RENOWN screened by H M S QUILLIAM, QUEENBOROUGH and
QUIBERON
as Task Unit 62.1 provided cover against any surface interference.
(Operation
MILLET).
17th Bombarded targets in Nicobars
with TU63.2 ships during daylight.
18th Further
bombardment with destroyers after nightfall.
19th Under attacks by torpedo
carrying aircraft 7 of which were destroyed.
November Deployed
with Squadron for convoy defence and interception in Indian Ocean.
to Retained
in East Indies Fleet on formation of British Pacific Fleet
December
1 9 4 5
January Convoy defence and
interception duty in continuation
to
March
April
8th Joined Task Force 63 with HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH, French RICHELIEU, HMS
CUMBERLAND, HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR and
KHEDIVE screened by HM
Destroyers
SAUMAREZ, VENUS, VIRAGO and VIGILANT for programme of offensive
operations off Sumatra including bombardments, air strikes and
photo-reconnaissance of
Port Swettenham and Port Dickson in Malaya (Operation
SUNFISH).
11th Carried out bombardment of shore targets
at Sabang.
Under air attacks when returning to rejoin TF63.
12th Provided close
cover for Escorted Carriers during photo reconnaissance flights.
14th Continued Close Cover during further PR
flights.
15th Under air attack
during return passage to Trincomalee.
18th Arrived at Trincomalee.
May Passage to Simonstown
for refit.
June Under refit by HM Dockyard Simonstown.
to (Note:
Radar Type 283 for barrage fire control fitted.
July Anti-aircraft
armament modified including 4 Twin 4" mounting to replace 4" guns
of pre-war design.
Radar
Type 277 fitted aft to replace Type 273 for surface warning.)
August On
completion of post refit trials took passage to Ceylon
to rejoin Squadron.
Prepared for support of landing operations in southern Malaya. (Operation ZIPPER).
15th Sailed with
Eastern Fleet for landings.
Operation
cancelled at US insistence after Japanese surrender and delays in the
implementation of PYTHON Release Scheme for long serving SEAC personnel.
Diverted to Rangoon to await
further instructions.
26th Passage to Sabang with HM Battleship NELSON.
28th Anchored 5 miles from Sabang with HMS NELSON and received charts of the Japanese
minefields off Malaya and Singapore from Japanese delegation.
31st Surrender of Japanese forces in Sumatra carried out on board from Vice
Admiral HIROSE,
IJN.
September
2nd Landed Royal Marines for occupation of Sabang.
Passage to Singapore.
