1 9 4 2
July Contractor's trials.
14th Commissioned for service after delay due
to shortage of materials.
Nominated for duty in Mediterranean.
August Shakedown and work-up at Scapa Flow with Home Fleet.
September On completion retained in Home
waters with 10th Cruiser Squadron.
Deployed in NW Approaches.
October
13th Embarked RAF medical unit and took passage to Murmansk with HM Destroyers
INTREPID and OBDURATE.
28th Arrived in UK with RAF aircrew and ground staff which
accompanied HAMPDEN
aircraft sent to Russia with Convoy PQ18. Called
at Spitzbergen on passage.
(For details of
all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOY ! by P Kemp ,
CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg and RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield).
30th Joined HM Battleships DUKE OF YORK and NELSON, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN,
HM Aircraft
Carriers FORMIDABLE and VICTORIOUS, HM Cruiser BERMUDA with
destroyer screen for passage to Gibraltar in support of North African landings.
(Operation TORCH
- For details see Naval Staff History and ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Bamett).
November
6th Joined Force H on arrival.
8th Deployed with HM Destroyer ASHANTI for deception operation
using wireless signals
to divert enemy attention to landings.
15th Deployed as Force Q with HM Cruisers AURORA,
CHARYBDIS, SCYLLA and
SIRIUS based at
Bone for offensive operations against enemy convoys in Gulf of Tunis.
HM Destroyers
QUENTIN and QUIBERON provided screen.
(For details see
THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre).
December
2nd In action with HM Cruisers AURORA, SIRIUS, HM Destroyers
QUENTIN and
QUIBERON against Italian convoy (H), north of Tunis. Four transports and escorting
destroyer FOLGORE sunk.
14th During deployment with Force Q, hit on starboard
side by torpedoes from Italian
submarine MOCENIGO west of Galita Island. Sustain heavy structural damage to Bow
and stern structure which were blown off. Steering was
unusable and the after two
turrets could not be used. Taken to Algiers
1 9 4 3
January
1st Passage to Gibraltar.
4th Taken in hand for temporary repair by
HM Dockyard.
February Temporary repair in
continuation.
to Permanent
repair arranged in USA.
March
April
5th Passage to USA with call at Bermuda.
30th Taken in hand for repair in Philadelphia.
May Under repair.
to
September
October Post refit trials.
November Repair
and refit work completed.
Passage to UK
December
2nd Arrived in UK.
31st Taken in hand by Tyne shipyard for completion of refit and alterations work which
was not possible in USA
1 9 4 4
January Refit in hand.
to Upper
forward turret (Q) Turret removed to lessen top-weight and replaced
by
February quadruple pom-pom. Extensive radar and communication
equipment changes made for
future deployment as Escort Flagship and to provide
facilities for control of
aircraft.10cm Radars, Types 293 and 277 for surface warning
and height finding
fitted. Fire-control radar provided for forward close range
AA armament.
IFF (Interrogation) equipment and VHF D/F
set installed.
(For details of
development and use of radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse).
March Post refit trials.
Nominated for
support of British Force G during Normandy landings in Bombarding
Force K (Operation NEPTUNE).
April Joined 10th Cruiser
Squadron, Home Fleet on completion.
Carried out naval gunfire support training.
May Deployed with Squadron
in Home Fleet
Joined HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX and EMERALD at Belfast to form Force K.
Assigned gun batteries at Vaux-sur-Aure in Bombardment Plan.
June
3rd Sailed from Clyde with Force K in Convoy G12 escorted by HM Destroyers GRENVILLE
and UNDINE.
5th Netherlands Gunboat FLORES joined Force K in Solent.
Passage with
Convoy G12 through swept Channel to Bombardment area.
6th Engaged target batteries during Assault Phase and later hit
the battery at Longues
previously silenced by HMS AJAX.
7th Deployed in Eastern Task Force area
during Build-up Phase for gunfire support.
25th Bombarded German batteries near Querqueville with H M Cruisers EMERALD,
ENTERPRISE and GLASGOW, US Battleship USS NEVADA, US Cruisers USS
TUSCALOOSA and
USS QUINCY screened by USN Destroyers.
26th Provided naval gunfire support with HM Battleship RODNEY, HM
Monitor ROBERTS,
HM Cruisers
BELFAST and DIADEM during British offensive in Caen area.
Hit on the
quarterdeck by 150mn shell from shore battery which failed to explode.
July Naval gunfire support
off Normandy in continuation.
Returned to Devonport for re-lining of main armament barrels.
Resumed support
role off Normandy.
(For details of Normandy landing operations see OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K Edwards
and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, JUNE 1944 (HMSO)).
Nominated for
support of landings in south of France.
August
4th Took passage to join CAMEL Gunfire Support
Group in Task Force 87) for allied
landings in southern France as part of Task Force 87 under US
Command.
(Operation
DRAGOON - For details see INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF
FRANCE
(HMSO)).
11th Sailed from Salerno with US Battleship ARKANSAS, US Cruisers TUSCALOOSA
MARBLEHEAD and BROOKLYN screened by US destroyers.
14th Met CAMEL Convoy SF1A.
15th Fired 394 rounds at batteries between Cannes and Antibes and on St Marguerite.
Later bombarded
shore targets in Golfe de Frejus.
Under some return fire.
16th Bombarded troops and vehicles in CAMEL area.
22nd Released from DRAGOON and resumed control by CinC Mediterranean.
September Nominated for duty in Eastern Mediterranean with British Aegean Force.
24th Deployed with HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX, ROYALIST, BLACK PRINCE,
AURORA and CEYLON in British Aegean Force to support
allied forces
re-occupying Aegean Islands.
October Aegean support in
continuation.
16th Deployed on interception of craft evacuation German troops
and sank 2 caiques.
November Support duty in Aegean in continuation.
9th Escorted military convoy to Salonika for re-occupation.
(See ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY for details of Aegean operations),
22nd Allocated to British Pacific Fleet on
formation.
25th Took passage from Alexandria for Trincomalee.
December Joined BPF on arrival.
13th Part of Force 67 covering air attacks on harbour, rail and
oil installation in N.
Sumatra at Belawan-Deli
by H M Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE and ILLUSTRIOUS
with HM Cruisers NEWCASTLE and BLACK PRINCE screened by HM
Destroyers
KEMPENFELT, WESSEX, WHIRLWIND, WRANGLER
and WAKEFUL.
(Operation
ROBSON).
(For details of
operations in Indian Ocean see
OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray).
1 9 4 5
January
2nd Part of Force 67 covering air attacks on oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan in
Sumatra, by HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE,
VICTORIOUS and
INDEFATIGABLE
with H M Cruisers SUFFOLK, BLACK PRINCE and CEYLON with
screen of eight destroyers.
(Operation
LENTIL).
4th Present during air operations.
13th Took part in rehearsal at sea for MERIDIAN operations (See
below).
16th Sailed from Trincomalee in Force 63 with British Pacific
Fleet for air operations
during passage to Australia.
24th Part of screen for HMS INDOMITABLE, HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS
VICTORIOUS
during air attacks on oil refinery at Pladjoe,
north of Palembang.
(Operation MERIDIAN I).
(Note: Ships
refuelled in Exmouth Bay before after MERIDIAN I & II.)
29th Continued screening duty during air attacks on Soengi-Gerong, near Palembang by
same ships of TF63 (Operation MERIDIAN).
February Passage to Sydney with call at Melbourne on 4th February.
10th Arrived at Sydney with Task Force 113 (redesignated TF63 after MERIDIAN).
March Exercised with BPF units for
operational service in Pacific with 5th US Fleet.
7th Arrived at Manus, Admiralty Islands as Task Force 113.
15th After delays US approval received for deployment with US
5th Fleet.
18th Took passage from Manus for joint RN/USN
operations in SW Pacific.
23rd Sailed from Ulithi to support US landings on Okinawa.
Redesigned Task Force 57.
(For details of
operations in 5th US Fleet see OPERATION PACIFIC, TASK FORCE 57
by P Smith, THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, CARRIER VICTORY
by JM
Ludley and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
26th Part of TF57 deployed on neutralisation of airfield in Sakishima Group.
(Operation
ICEBERG).
Acted as radar picket with HM Destroyer KEMPENFELT 30 miles away
from Fleet units.
28th Deployed as radar picket to refuelling group with HM
Destroyer WAGER. Under air attacks.
April
6th Deployed as Radar Picket ship with HM Destroyer URANIA
during continuation of air
attacks by RN and USN carriers of Task Forces 57 and 58 (Operation
ICEBERG).
9th Diverted from ICEBERG with British Task Force 57 for air
attacks en Formosa.
(Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
15th Returned to Sakashima Gunto with TF57 to continue ICEBERG operations.
20th Deployed briefly off Leyte with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and the destroyers
HMS WAGER
and HMS WHELP.
May Sakishima Gunta operations in continuation.
4th Sailed to Sydney with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS WAGER and HMS
WHELP.
15th Under refit.
June Refit in continuation
July On completion took
passage to join British Pacific Fleet as relief for HM Cruiser
UGANDA in Task Force 37 (Redesignation of TF57 after transfer to US 3rd Fleet).
(Note: HMS
UGANDA was manned by the Royal Canadian Navy and was later
withdrawn from operations in Pacific because of Canadian
Government ruling
that only men who had volunteered were to serve in
operations against Japan
were to remain in the Pacific Fleet.)
27th Relieved HMS UGANDA in covering operations during joint
RN/USN air operations on
shore targets and shipping in Japan.
31st Deployed as relay ship for communications between refuelling
group and operational
ships with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Escort Carrier RULER AND HM Cruiser
ACHILLES (RNZN).
August Fleet duties off Japan in continuation
3rd Deployed with Task Force 37 and
covered carriers during flying operations.
10th Detached from covering duty.
12th Returned to Manus with TF37 ships not being retained in
Japanese waters because of
shortage of fuel from British support tankers.
15th Transferred to British Task Unit 111.3 for collection of
British POW from Formosa
and Chinese mainland with HM Aircraft Carrier COLOSSUS, HM Cruiser BERMUDA,
HM Destroyers TYRIAN, TUMULT, TUSCAN and QUIBERON (RAN).