W a r S e r v i c e a s
H M N Z S A C H I L L E S
August
Under refit and
carried out post refit trials.
29th - Resumed
escort duty and escorted rms RIMUTAKA from Cape Palliser to Chatham Island.
September
When detached
escorted mercantile to Wellington.
15th - Deployed
as Ocean Escort for Convoy US12B.
18th - On
relief by HMAS ADELAIDE and HMAS SYDNEY returned to Auckland.
October
Deployed for
interception duty in Pacific.
3rd - Carried
out raider search in Tasman Sea with HMAS ADELAIDE and an HM New Zealand
Armed Merchant Cruiser MONOWAI.
10th - Returned
to Auckland with HMNZS MONOWAI of New Zealand Division.
14th - Relieved
HMAS ADELAIDE in Tasman Sea as escorted for liner to Auckland.
20th - Escorted
US liner from Auckland for part of passage to USA as far as Equator.
27th - Detached
and took passage to Suva.
November
Passage to
Auckland arriving on 4th.
8th - Escorted
US Liner for passage to Australia.
22nd - Took
over escort of Convoy VK21 in Bass Strait from HMAS ADELAIDE.
24th - Detached
east of Chatham Island.
27th - Escorted
convoy from Cape Brett to Navalu Passage.
30th - Passage
from Suva with HM Cruiser LEANDER to Auckland.
December
5th - Deployed
on escort of ships between New Zealand and Fiji.
8th - Transferred
to Eastern Fleet after outbreak of war with Japan.
Took passage from Suva for Port
Moresby.
11th - Order to
join HM Battleship PRINCE OF WALES and HM Battlecruiser REPULSE in the
Eastern Fleet as part of Force Z
cancelled after loss of these two ships.
Released from Eastern Fleet duty and
returned to Auckland.
16th - Passage
from Auckland to join US Convoy for New Caledonia from Brisbane.
19th - Joined
US Cruiser US S PENSACOLA for escort of convoy which later was reinforced
by HM Australian Cruisers CANBERRA
and PERTH.
22nd - Detached
and took passage to Sydney with HMAS CANBERRA and HMAS PERTH.
28th - Escorted
Convoy ZK5 including ss AQUITANIA, ss SARPEDON and ss HERSTEIN, taking
troops and stores from Sydney to
Port Moresby, with HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS
CANBERRA and HMAS PERTH.
1 9 4 2
January
4th - Detached
to escort ss SARPEDON and ss HERSTEIN to Noumea.
9th - Escorted
NZ military convoy to Suva.
11th - Joined
HM Cruiser LEANDER to escort three freighters to Auckland.
15th - Covered
passage of freighters to Suva with HMNZS LEANDER, HMAS AUSTRALIA and
PERTH.
17th - Under
routine docking
25th - Resumed
operational duty.
27th - Escorted
US military convoy to Suva with US Cruiser PHOENIX.
29th - Detached
when relieved by HMNZS LEANDER.
February
12th - Joined
HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMNZS MONOWAI, US Cruiser CHICAGO and Destroyers LAMSON and PERKINS in ANZAC Squadron at Suva with HMS
LEANDER.
14th - Deployed
with Squadron for patrol between Fiji and New Caledonia.
18th - Squadron
joined US Task Force 11 for defence operation off Rabaul.
(Note: TF11 included US aircraft
carrier LEXINGTON, cruisers INDIANAPOLIS,
MINNEAPOLIS, PENSACOLA and
SAN FRANCISCO, with
screen of US Navy destroyers.)
20th - Under
air attack and need for high speed manoeuvres reduced fuel stock. Withdrew from area to refuel and
rejoined on 22nd.
March
3rd - Relieved
US Cruiser PORTLAND with HMS LEANDER as escort for Convoy PW2034
during passage to Brisbane.
16th - Deployed
at Noumea.
17th - Escorted
HM Australian Armed Merchant Cruiser WESTRALIA with HMS LEANDER for
passage to Epata, New Hebrides with
US personnel and equipment for construction of an
airstrip.
18th - Returned
to Noumea.
28th - Deployed
with ANZAC Squadron for escort of convoy taking US troops to Vila, New
Hebrides.
Returned to Suva on release..
April
1st - Sailed
from Noumea to meet Convoy PW2055.
3rd - Escorted
rms QUEEN ELIZABETH, ss MARIPOSA and ss PRESIDENT COOLIDGE from
Kermadoc Islands during passage to
Sydney.
6th - Mountings
for seven single 20am Oerlikon mountings fitted in Sydney to supplement defence
against close range air attacks.
18th - Deployed
as escort liner on passage from Melbourne to San Francisco as far as a position
NE
of Samoa.
29th - Joined
US Destroyers USS HELM and USS HELMSEY and HMS LEANDER to form
Task Group 12.2.
Escorted Convoy PW2059 for passage
to Vila.
May
4th - Arrived
at Vila with convoy.
5th - Joined US
Task Force 17 with HMAS AUSTRALIA and HMAS HOBART for the support of
US amphibious operations in SW
Pacific.
20mm
Oerlikon guns fitted (Ex HMS LEANDER).
6th - Commenced
series of night patrols off New Hebrides.
25th - Escorted
US ships to Wallis Island.
29th - Deployed
for further escort of US ships to Wallis Island.
June
Deployed as
Guardship at Wallis Island.
20th - Returned
to Suva and rejoined TF17.
July
Deployed with
TF17.
9th - Escorted
military convoy from Bora Bora to Wellington.
11th - Arrived
at Wellington.
28th - Passage
to Pago Pago from Auckland with transports.
31st - Arrived
at Pago Pago with transports.
August
Deployed at
Pago Pago for convoy defence and support duties.
2nd - Escorted
US convoy on passage from San Francisco to Suva.
12th - Convoy
defence and support in continuation.
22nd - Deployed
at Noumea.
September
2nd - Escorted
ships to Tonga from Noumea and Niue.
16th - Passage
to Auckland for refit.
20th - Taken in
hand for refit at Auckland.
October to
November
Under refit.
December
Carried out
post refit trials.
12th - On
completion escorted ss AQUITANIA from Wellington to Tasmania.
Relieved off Tasmania by HMAS
ADELAIDE.
17th - After
refuelling in Melbourne took passage to Noumea
21st - On
arrival at Noumea joined US Task Force 65.
30th - Transferred
to US Task Force 67 at Espiritu Santo. New Hebrides.
(Note: TF 67 included US cruisers
HONOLULU and COLOMBIA)
1 9 4 3
January
3rd - Escorted
military convoys to Guadalcanal with ships of TF67.
4th - Deployed
off Solomons and bombarded airfield at Munda, New Georgia.
5th - Whilst
providing naval gunfire support off Guadalcanal hit on X turret during
air attacks and badly damaged.
8th - Under
temporary repair at Espiritu Santo by US repair ship VESTAL.
On completion of repair took passage
to Melbourne.
February
1st - Passage
from Melbourne to Auckland.
3rd - Arrived
at Auckland.
4th - Repair
arranged in UK and prepared for passage.
19th - Took
passage to UK via Panama call with calls at Bora Bora and Bermuda.
March
On passage to
UK.
22nd - Arrived
at Portsmouth and Paid-off.
April to May
Taken in hand
for refit by HM Dockyard Portsmouth,
June
22nd - Explosion
in empty fuel tank killed several dockyard workers and caused very
extensive structural damage.
July
Refit completion deferred from September
1943 to May 1944.
August to December
Under refit.
One
6in mounting (X) removed
Single 4in AA mountings replaced by Twin 4in
mountings.
Additional
20mm Oerlikons fitted.
1 9 4 4
January to April
Under refit at Portsmouth.
Surface warning, combined surface and aircraft warning
radars fitted.
Fire
control radars fitted for 6in and AA armament installed.
(For details of development and use
of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA by
D Howse).
May
23rd - Commissioned
for service with RNZN.
Not ready for operational deployment.
Ordered to leave Portsmouth because
of requirements for planned Normandy
landings.
June
2nd - Sailed
for Scapa Flow via Irish Sea.
Machinery defects during passage.
Allocated for service with 4th
Cruiser Squadron in Eastern Fleet.
3rd - Taken in
hand for repair at Greenock.
July
Under repair.
On completion of repair work took
passage to Scapa Flow for work-up.
August
Worked-up with
for operational service with ships of Home Fleet.
16th - Took
passage for Gibraltar.
19th - Embarked
300 troops.
20th - Took
passage to Algiers and disembarked troops.
22nd - Passage
to Alexandria with call at Malta.
30th - Sailed
from Alexandria for Ceylon.
September
5th - Boiler
room fire caused damage needing repair.
13th - Under
repair at Trincomalee after call at Bombay.
October
Under repair.
November
Under repair
22nd - Transferred
to BPF on formation.
December
Carried out
harbour trials.
4th - Joined
Squadron at Colombo on completion of trials.
9th - Sailed
from Colombo with HM Escort Aircraft Carriers ATHELING, BATTLER,
HM Destroyers WAGER and WHELP for
passage to Australia.
10th - Joined
HM Escort Aircraft Carriers FENCER, STRIKER, HM Cruiser
SWIFTSURE, HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT,
WAKEFUL and WESSEX.
16th - Detached
with HMS SWIFTSURE for visits to Fremantle and Hobart.
1 9 4 5
January
At Hobart.
9th - Sailed
from Hobart with HM Australian Destroyers QUIBERON and QUICKMATCH as
escort for three liners on passage
to Indian Ocean.
14th - Detached
when relieved by HM Cruiser LONDON and took passage to
Fremantle.
21st - Joined
escort for mv RIMUTAKI taking Governor General Designate of Australia
(HRH The Duke of Gloucester) to
Sydney as relief for HM Cruiser SUFFOLK,
HM Aircraft Carrier UNICORN and HM
Destroyer ULSTER.
27th - Arrived
at Sydney with mv RIMUTAKI, HMAS QUIBERON and QUICKMATCH.
31st - Passage
to Auckland with HM Battleship HOWE, HM Destroyers QUADRANT,
QUALITY and QUICKMATCH (RAN) for visit by
CinC British Pacific Fleet.
February
5th - Arrived
at Auckland
6th - Taken in
hand for refit.
March
Under refit.
Single 20mm mountings replaced by
twin Oerlikon mountings.
April
Carried out
post refit trials.
26th - On
completion took passage to Australia for work-up prior to BPF service.
May
2nd - Worked up
with BPF ships in Sydney and Jervis Bay exercise area.
11th - Sailed
to join BPF at Manus.
22nd - Joined
Task Force 57 in Replenishment area COOTIE off Okinawa.
23rd - Deployed
with screen during flying operations off Sakishima Gunto.
(Operation ICEBERG).
30th - Arrived
at Manus and remained when other BPF ships went to Australia..
June
Operational
deployment in SW Pacific with 5th US Fleet.
12th - Transferred
to Task Unit 111.2 for series of air attacks on Truk by HM Aircraft
Carrier IMPLACABLE and HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier RULER, HM Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, UGANDA and NEWFOUNDLAND screened by HM
Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE,
TENACIOUS, TEAZER, TERPSICHORE and TERMAGANT.
(Operation INMATE).
(For details of operations in
Pacific see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,
TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
13th - Detached
with cruisers during flying operations.
14th - Bombarded
island of Dublon with UGANDA and TENACIOUS.
17th - Began
Self Refit on return to Manus.
28th - Resumed
operational service at Manus.
July
Transferred to
3rd US Fleet for duty in Task Force 37 with BPF ships.
6th - Rejoined
4th Cruiser Squadron when British Pacific Fleet returned to Manus
from Australia.
16th - Deployed
with BPF as redesignated TF37 in operations off mainland of Japan.
Acted as Screen and used for shore
bombardment with BPF
(Preliminary
phase of Operation OLYMPIC).
20th - Refuelled
from USN tankers of Task Unit 30.8 with HM Cruisers UGANDA
and GAMBIA in order to continue
participation in joint RN/US operations off
Japan.
24th - Covered
carrier flying operations against targets in Kure, Miko, Kobe, Nagoya
and Tokyo.
31st - Stationed
between US Task Force 37 and British Task Force 38 during
refuelling of USN ships to act as
voice communication link between allied
ships.
August
BPF deployment
in continuation.
6th - Remained
in operational area with TF37 during final air operations.
11th - Returned
to Manus with HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, IMPLACABLE,
VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers ARGONAUT and
EURYALUS screened by eight
destroyers.
24th - Passage
to Auckland to rejoin RNZN.