1 9 4 3
September Contractor's trials.
30th Commissioned for service in Home Fleet..
October
29th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
November Acceptance
delayed by defects
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with ships
of the Home Fleet
December Work-up
delayed due to further repair of defects and incomplete electrical wiring as
well as foul weather.)
1 9 4 4
January On
completion of work-up joined 10th Cruiser Squadron.
Transferred
to English
Channel for offensive patrols to
intercept coastal shipping in Bay
of Biscay and English Channel.
Deployed
as Senior Officer's ship in Force 26 comprising HM
Destroyers TARTAR,
ASHANTI. HAIDA (RCN), IROQUOIS
(RCN), HURON (RCN) and
ATHABASKAN (RCN).
(Note:
TUNNEL Operations - See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by Peter C Smith).
Had
relieved HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS which had been sunk in October 1943 in
a
most ill-fated TUNNEL operation.)
February Channel
deployment in continuation.
March Channel
deployment including convoy defence against German destroyer and E-Boat
attacks.
15th In action against E-Boats of 9th and 5th
German Flotillas with HMS TARTAR and HMS
ASHANTI during
cover of passage of coastal convoy WP492 in SW Approaches.
April
24th Routine
docking at Plymouth after
relief by HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE in Force 26.
May Nominated for duty in support of Normandy landings
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(For
details see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and NORMANDY LANDINGS,
June
1944 (HMSO).).
16th During operation with HMS TARTAR, HMCS
HAIDA and HMCS HURON opened fire
on HM Cruiser APOLLO covering minelay west of Ushant (Operation HOSTILE 32).
(Note:
One source says Force 26 ships were not aware of minelaying operation.)
The
minelaying operation was then abandoned.
For
details of minelaying see Naval Staff History (Mining). ).
26th Withdrawn from cover during planned minelay because of threat
of submarine attack.
30th Passage to Belfast
to join Bombardment Force ships of Western Task Force.
June
3rd Passage to Solent with US
battleships USS NEVADA, ARKANSAS and TEXAS.
4th Held in SW
Approaches because of 24 hour postponement of landings.
5th Detached to Join US cruiser USS AUGUSTA at Plymouth and sailed to Solent for
passage to Western Task Force area.
6th Deployed off OMAHA beach head for
gunfire support and AA Guardship duties.
8th Provided gunfire
support to military operations in OMAHA area.
to Under
night air attack and destroyed one aircraft by 20mm Oerlikon fire.
15th
16th Withdrawn from NEPTUNE and
remained in Reserve at Plymouth.
July Rejoined Han Fleet for operations off Norway.
17th Joined screen for HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK with HM Cruisers Kent
DEVONSHIRE and
JAMAICA to cover air attacks by HM
Aircraft Carriers
FORMIDABLE. INDEFATIGABLE and FURIOUS on the German battleship
TIRPITZ
in Kaefjord (Operation MASCOT)
(Note:
These attacks were unsuccessful. See CONVOY ! by Peter Kemp).
19th Returned to Scapa Flow with Home
Fleet ships.
31st Resumed Channel duties with ships of
10th Cruiser Squadron based at Plymouth.
Deployed
with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Carrier STRIKER, destroyers of
10th Flotilla and Frigates of 11th Support Group as
Force 26.
Carried
out patrol between Brest and La Rochelle to intercept U-Boats being
used
to evacuate Biscay ports (Operation KINETIC)
August
5th Deployed with HM Destroyers TARTAR, ASHANTI, HAIDA (RCN) and
IROQUOIS
(RCN) as Force 26 for attacks
on convoys between Belle Isle and
La Rochelle.
6th In action against two convoys off St.
Nazaire, sinking minesweepers H263, MW6 and
patrol boat V414.
One
merchant ship set on fire and JUPITER disabled.
(Note:
A Post War Assessment of this operation included an Aircraft Repair Ship
RICHTOFEN as being sunk.
During
this period ship also deployed to provide Air-Sea Rescue cover for
Royal Flight between Gibraltar and UK.)
September On
release from Force 26 took passage to Clyde for refit.
Taken in hand for refit in Clyde commercial
shipyard.
October
20th On completion of post refit trials
rejoined Squadron at Scapa Flow
. 23rd Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE
with HM Destroyers VENUS, SCOURGE,
SAVAGE,
VERULAM, CAPRICE, ZAMBESI, CASSANDRA and CAMBRIAN for
air strikes on targets at Sorreisa
and Bardufoss, Norway (Operation ATHLETIC).
November Deployed
at Scapa
Flow.
12th Carried
out attack on German convoy KS357 off Listerfjord
with HM Cruiser KENT,
HM Destroyers MYNGS, VERULAM, ZAMBESI
and ALGONQUIN (RCN) as Force 2.
(Operation COUNTERBLAST).
Bombarded shore battery.
(Note:
Post war assessment of losses included two mercantiles,
CORNOSAILLES and
GRIEF, Minesweepers M416 and M427.)
December
1st Escorted Russian Convoy JW62
with HM Escort Carriers CAMPANIA, NAIRANA
HM Cruiser BELLONA, HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
BULLDOG, CAESAR, CAMBRIAN,
CASSANDRA,
CAPRICE, KEPPEL. OBEDIENT, OFFA, ONSLAUGHT, ORIBI,
ORWELL and WESTCOTT.
(Note: In
addition frigates and sloops from Western Approaches were deployed for
anti-submarine defence.)
7th Detached from
JW62 on arrival at Kola Inlet.
10th Joined escort for returning Convoy RA62
with same ships.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by P Kemp and RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B Schoefield).
14th Detached from RA62
for shipping strike off Norway with Horne
Fleet ships.
(Operation
COUNTERBLAST).
Passage to Rosyth for repair.
1 9 4 5
January Rejoined
Home Fleet on completion of repair.
11th Joined 'Force 1' with HM Cruiser NORFOLK
and Fleet destroyers to cover minelay off
Utsira Island (Operation GRATIS) and
shipping strike off Egersund (Operation
SPELLBINDER
- For details see Naval Staff History (MINING).
Strikes
by HM Cruiser DIDO and aircraft from HM Escort Carriers TRUMPEIER and
PREMIER were very successful with several ships and escorts
sunk or damaged.
(Note:
An attack by U427 was unsuccessful.)
February
6th Joined escort for Russian Convoy JW64
with HM Escort Carriers CAMPANIA and
NAIRANA screened by
frigates and destroyer screen.
(Note: HM
Destroyers ONSLAUGHT, OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SERAPIS,
ZAMBESI, ZEST,
ZEALOUS and SIOUX (RCN) were deployed as Fighting
Destroyer Escort
with Sloops and Frigates from Western Approaches also
providing additional ant-submarine defence.)
15th Detached from JW64
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
(Note:
During period at Kola Inlet a Diving Party detonated charges on the hulk of
HM
Frigate DENBIGH CASTLE which had been beached after being badly
damaged by torpedo attack during defence of JW64 See above
references.)
17th Joined escort for returning Convoy RA64.
(Note:
HM Sloop LARK and HM Corvette BLUEBELL were lost during defence of
RA64.
This convoy encountered very severe weather conditions.)
See
above references.)
27th Detached and resumed Home Fleet duties
at Scapa
Flow.
March
20th Joined 'Force 1' with HM Escort Carriers
PREMIER, SEARCHER and QUEEN escorted
by HM Destroyers ONSLOW, ZEST, SERAPIS, HAIDA (RCN) and IROQUOIS (RCN)
for minelay off Askevold and
shipping strike on shore targets (Operation CUPOLA).
(See
Naval Staff History (MINING) for details).
22nd Covered air strikes on shipping off Norway by HM Escort Carriers
NAIRANA,
PUNCHER, QUEEN and
SEARCHER with HM Cruiser DIDO and screen of six
Fleet
destroyers.
April Deployed
with Home Fleet during anti-shipping operations off Norway by aircraft
from escort carriers.
18th Joined escort for Russian Convoy JU66
with HM Escort Carriers PREMIER. VINDEX,
HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Destroyers OFFA, ZEPHYR, ZEST,
ZODIAC, HAIDA (RCN),
HURON (RCN), IROQUOIS
(RCN) and Norwegian
STORD.
25th Detached on
arrival at Kola Inlet.
29th Joined escort for return Convoy RA66.
May
4th Detached from RA66 and took passage to
Rosyth.
June Deployed
with Home Fleet.
Visited Oslo to take
part in Victory Parade.
July Home Fleet duty with Squadron in
continuation.
to
August.
