1 9 3 7
August Contractors trials
9th Commissioned for trials with reduced complement.
Commenced
Acceptance trials
September On completion of Acceptance Trials
and storing took passage to Portsmouth.
October Deployed at Portsmouth and completed storing for service.
Full complement
joined ship.
November
9th Commissioned
for Home Fleet service as Flagship of Commodore (Destroyers)
Passage Portland for work-up.
December Joined Home Fleet and on
completion of work-up
1 9 3 8
January Deployed with Home Fleet
including joint exercises at Gibraltar with ships of Mediterranean
to
Fleet.
March
April
Returned to UK for leave period.
May
Deployed
with Home Fleet ships for visits and exercises in Home waters.
to
(Note: Visits included
Copenhagen and Malmo.).
July
August Leave Period
September Deployed in Home waters during Munich crisis and prepared for war.
to
Carried out
exercises in NW Approaches and North
Sea.
December
1 9 3 9
January Home
Fleet deployment including joint exercises at Gibraltar.
to
March
April
At
Portland
May
At Rosyth
June
Home waters deployment
for Fleet exercises and visits.
to
War Station
allocated
August Passage
to Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet units.
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
September Attached to 18th Cruiser Squadron,
Home Fleet as Flagship for Rear Admiral (Destroyers).
8th Deployed with H M Battleships NELSON and RODNEY, HM Battlecruiser REPULSE,
HM Aircraft
Carrier ARK ROYAL, HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD and destroyers of 8th Destroyer
Flotilla in search for enemy shipping off Norway.
11th Returned on to Scapa
Flow
13th Carried out patrol in NW Approaches.
20th Returned to Scapa
Flow.
22nd Deployed with HM Cruisers SOUTHAMPTON, GLASGOW and SHEFFIELD with seven
destroyers of 7th Destroyer Flotilla for an offensive sweep
in Kattegat
(Operation DK -
Operation cancelled after a collision between HM Destroyers JERSEY and
JAVELIN.
23rd Passage to Scapa Flow.
25th Covered return passage of damaged submarine SPEARFISH to
Rosyth and under air attack at
sea for first time.
Sustained slight damage from near misses.
27th Returned to Scapa
Flow.
October
8th Escorted HM Battlecruisers HOOD
and REPULSE with HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD screened
by nine destroyers in search for German battleship GNEISENAU
and cruiser KOLN, reported
off Norway.
Returned to Scapa Flow after failing to make any contact.
14tth Transferred to Loch Ewe (Port A) after
HM Battleship ROYAL OAK had been torpedoed and
sunk in Scapa Flow.
16th Deployed with HM Battleships NELSON and RODNEY, HM
Battlecruiser HOOD, HM
Aircraft Carrier
FURIOUS and HM Cruiser BELFAST, screened by 10 Home Fleet destroyers
in support of operations by ships of Northern Patrol to
intercept blockade runners.
22nd Returned to Port A (Loch Ewe)
23rd Escorted iron ore convoy from Norway.
31st Returned to Rosyth.
November
10th Transferred to 2nd Cruiser Squadron with HMS SOUTHAMPTON, HMS
GLASGOW and
HMS BELFAST.
Deployed as a
Striking Force based at Rosyth for the interception of German warships in
North Sea.
11th Carried cut North
Sea patrols.
18th Returned to Rosyth.
21st During departure from Rosyth with Striking Force HMS BELFAST detonated a magnetic
mine and sustained serious damage which disabled her.
Stood by HMS BELFAST until
tow was established.
(Note: For
details of Home Fleet activities in 1939 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett
25th Patrolled off Fair
Isle with HM Cruisers EDINBURGH
and SOUTHAMPTON screened by
three Home Fleet destroyers
Carried out
search for German battleships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU after the
sinking of HM Armed Merchant Cruiser RAWALPINDI.
December
2nd Returned to Rosyth
6th Taken in hand for refit in Clyde
shipyard
31st Qn completion took passage to Scapa Flow.
1 9
4 0
January
4th Rejoined Squadron at Scapa Flow.
14th Deployed on patrol in NW Approaches
February HM Cruiser ARETHUSA joined
Squadron
Boiler cleaning and routine maintenance at Rosyth.
Some seaman
ratings loaned to HM Destroyers MAORI and COSSACK for use as
Boarding Parties
after German tanker ALTMARK was intercepted.
Became Flagship of 2nd Cruiser Squadron.
March Under maintenance at Rosyth.
April
Nominated for escort of
troopships on passage to Norway for planned allied landings.
(Operation R4)
2nd Passage to Clyde for duty as Flagship for operation.
(Note:
Troopships for operation included CHOBRY and BATORY.)
8th Operation R4 cancelled after German invasion of Norway confirmed.
Passage to join
Home Fleet ships at Scapa Flow for support of planned military
operations.
9th Rescued survivors from HM Destroyer GURKHA which had been
sunk during air attacks
on Home Fleet ships during passage to Norway.
(Note: An
attempt to tow the damaged destroyer was abandoned.)
10th Arrived at Scapa
Flow and despatched to Rosyth to
embark Admiral of the Fleet, the
Earl of Cork and
Orrery, Flag Officer,
Norway (designate)
. 12th Sailed from Rosyth with the admiral to
join Squadron off Norway.
14th Arrived at Skelfjord
Joined escort
for military convoy NP1 during final stage of passage to Norwegian coast
18th Carried out bombardment of shore targets in Rombaksfjord..
19th Embarked General Mackesy for
reconnaissance of Narvik area.
20th Deployed with HM Cruiser EFFINGHAM, HM Destroyers FAULKNOR,
JUPITER and
ESCAPADE for patrol off Harstad to intercept enemy convoys.
22nd Carried out further bombardment in Rombaksfjord.
24th Bombarded enemy positions near Narvik with HMS WARSPITE, HMS
EFFINGHAM,
HMS ENTERPRISE
and HM Destroyer ZULU prior to allied landings by troops from
HM Cruiser VINDICTIVE.
27th Sailed to Harstad from Bjervik with
HM Destroyer FAULKNOR.
30th Assisted in evacuation from Molde with
HM Cruiser GALATEA.
May
1st Provided naval gunfire support at Otfjord
with HM Battleship RESOLUTION and
HMS EFFINGHAM.
3rd Carried out further bombardments in Beisfjord
with HMS RESOLUTION and Polish
destroyers ORP GROM and ORP BLYSKAWICA which were damaged by return
fire.
7th Sustained serious damage during air attacks with two
turrets disabled and several
casualties.
12th Bombarded enemy positions in Herjangsfjord,
north of Narvik with HMS RESOLUTION,
HM Cruisers
EFFINGHAM, VINDICTIVE and Fleet destroyers during landings by
French Foreign Legion battalions.
(Note: 1,500
troops were embarked in warships for passage to landings.
General Auchinleck was embarked during the bombardment.
Support
bombardment limited by availability of turrets)
13th Released from support of landing and returned to Harstad
Passage to UK for repair.
25th Arrived at Portsmouth for repair.
(Note: For
details of the disastrous naval operations off Norway see NAVAL
OPERATIONS OF
THE CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY, April-June 1940),
THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by T Adams, NARVIK by D Macintyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS
by J Winton and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett.)
June
Under
repair by HM Dockyard, Portsmouth.
(Note: Close range
AA defence augments by fit of two 2pdr Pom-pom mountings
July
5th Passage to rejoin Squadron in Home
Fleet on completion of repairs.
20th Nominated for service with Humber Force and took passage to Humber.
22nd Deployed for anti-invasion patrols with
Humber Force.
August Humber Force patrol duties in
continuation.
31st Deployed with HMS GALATEA and three destroyers to intercept
German warships
reported on passage in North Sea.
September
1st Returned to Humber after unsuccessful search.
6th Transferred to Nore Command for
anti-invasion operations.
9th Carried out bombardment of Boulogne to destroy reported assembly of invasion
craft.
October Nore
Command deployment in continuation.
November
18th Resumed Home Fleet duties with Squadron
at Scapa
Flow.
Deployed for
Northern Patrol to intercept commerce raiders and supply ships.
20th Provided Ocean Escort for minelay in Northern Barrage by
ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron
(Operation SN1
IE - See Naval Staff History (Mining).
December NW Approaches service in
continuation.
1 9 4 1
January
3rd Deployed with HM Cruiser ARETHUSA screened by HM Destroyers
BEDOUIN,
MATABELE,
MASHONA, and TARTAR to cover minelay off Egersund, Norway
by HM Destroyers INTREPID
and ICARUS (Operation DZ).
23rd Deployed with HM Cruiser NAIAD to meet five merchant ships which
had escaped from
Sweden and were on passage to UK in North Sea (Operation RUBBLE).
24th Met mercantiles ELIZABETH BAKKE,
TAURUS and TAI SHAN and transferred
escort to HM Cruisers
EDINBURGH and BIRMINGHAM screened by HM Destroyers
ELECTRA and ECHO.
Carried out
successful search for other RUBBLE mercantiles, JOHN
BAKKE and
RA which were then escorted
to Kirkwall.
25th Arrived at Kirkwall
with mercantiles.
February
1st Sailed with HMS ARETHUSA screened by HM Destroyers
MATABELE and TARTAR
to cover minelay off Fro Havet
near Trondheim by HMS INTREPID.
Returned to Scapa Flow when operation cancelled due to weather conditions.
March
9th Provided Ocean Escort for ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron
during minela in Northern
Barrage (Operation
SN69).
April
6th Covered Minelay by ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron during
minelay in Northern
Barrage (Operation SN8)
Resumed patrol
duties in NW Approaches on completion of minelay.
30th Taken in hand
for repair in Tyne commercial shipyard
May
Resumed
Squadron duties at Scapa Flow on completion.
Carried out sea
trial RN design replacement for Type 286 Type 290 prior to its
introduction.
(Note:
Type 286 was an RAF Air-Surface warning radar modified
for for shipbome
use and was of limited value. See RADAR AT SEA by
D Howse..)
22nd Deployed with other ships of Squadron as screen for HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V
and HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS during search for German
battleship
BISMARCK and
cruiser PRINZ EUGEN which were known to have sailed
for attacks
on Atlantic convoys. For details see Naval Staff History,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and BATTLESHIP BISMARCK by Mulleneheim Rechberg).
24th Detached with HM Cruisers KENYA and HERMIONE to escort HMS
VICTORIOUS
during air search operations.
