1 9 4 0
September
Contractors
trials
Commissioned
for service.
30th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
October
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work -up
with
ships
of
Home Fleet.
November
Deployed with
HM Battlecruiser HOOD, HM Battleship REPULSE, HM Cruisers NAIAD
and
PHOEBE in search for German battleship SHEER in SW
Approaches.
Escorted
military convoy during passage to Gibraltar and HM Aircraft
Carrier FURIOUS
taking
aircraft to Freetown.
(See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett.).
Carried
out sea trials on newly developed air warning radar Type 281
December
3rd
Passage to UK from Freetown.
10th
Under repair in Tyne shipyard.
17th
Rejoined Home Fleet for convoy defence
and patrol in NW Approaches to intercept blockade
runners
and commerce raiders.
1 9 4 1
January
Home
Fleet deployment in continuation.
to
February
March
Joined
HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and NELSON, with HM Cruiser NIGERIA to cover
first
major Commando raid on enemy held territory during WW2
.
(Operation
CLAYMORE - For details see COMBINED OPERATIONS (HMSO), ENGAGE
THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson.)
April.
Transferred
to Mediterranean Fleet.
1st
Passage to Gibraltar to join 15th
Cruiser
Squadron at Alexandria.
Escorted HMS
ARK ROYAL from UK for Malta aircraft
delivery. (Operation
DUNLOP)
24th
Joined Force S with HM
Cruiser ABDIEL, HM Destroyers KELLY, KIPLING, KASHMIR
JERSEY and JACKAL to
Join
Mediterranean fleet, covered by H.
(Operation
SALIENT - For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY and Naval
Staff History
(HMSO- 2001.)
28th
Escorted HM
Supply. Ship BRECONSHIRE from Malta to Alexandria with HM
Destroyers
JANUS, JERVIS and NUBIAN.
May
6th
Joined escort for Malta convoys from Alexandria with HM
Cruisers PHOEBE,
CALCUTTA and COVENTRY.
8th
Transferred to escort convoy from
central Mediterranean taking tanks for Middle East to
Alexandria
Covered
by Mediterranean Fleet including the newly joined battleship
HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH, HM
Cruisers NAIAD, FIJI and GLOUCESTER.
(Operation
TIGER - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY).
14th
Joined Force C for support
of defence of Crete.
Embarked
Greek gold bullion for
passage and
escorted Convoy AS1 with HM Australian
Destroyers
STUART (RAN) and VENDETTA evacuating
non-combatant troops from Crete
to
Alexandria covered by HM
Battleships QUEEN
ELIZABETH and BARHAM (Force A).
(For details of
naval operations during defence and evacuation of Crete see THE BATTLE FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
The Naval
Staff History.).
16th
Returned to
intercept of invasion convoys off Crete with HMS
COVENTRY.
18th
Assisted defence of Hospital Ship ABBA
against air attacks with HMS COVENTRY.
19th
Sailed from Alexandria with HM Cruiser
ORION, HM Destroyers
HASTY and GREYHOUND
to
join HM Cruiser AJAX and Fleet
destroyers in Kithera
Channel (as Force D)
to intercept
German
invasion craft.
21st
Withdrew to SW of Crete after patrol to
join HM Battleship WARSPITE and VALIANT
deployed
as Force A.
Under
sustained air attack.
Returned
north of island with Force D after nightfall.
22nd
In night action with HM Cruisers ORION
and AJAX screened by four
Fleet destroyers
against
invasion
craft off Canae.
Many
caiques were
sunk as well as some larger ships
and an Italian
escort (LUPO).
24th
Returned to patrol north of Crete with HMS AJAX, HM Destroyers KIMBERLEY
after
refuelling.
25th
Withdrew
at daybreak and met HM
Battleships HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and BAHRAM, HM
Aircraft
Carrier FORMIDABLE and destroyer screen.
27th
Remained with
Force A during air attack on Scarpanto
by
HMS FORMIDABLE.
28th
Deployed with HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX (Force
B) for
the evacuate
troops from
Heraklion.
29th
Embarked troops from destroyers.
.Sustained
direct hit on B-turret during passage of Kaso
Strait.
Many
casualties including soldiers of The Black Watch.
Extensive structural
damage made forward
armament unusable.
left
- 40mm casings on deck, and right - 5.25in casings in a barge,
some of the shell expenditure during the Battle for Crete. Courtesy
Paul Simpson whose grandfather Harry Edward Simpson was killed
at
the time
June
Under emergency repair at
Alexandria for passage to Durban.
10th
Deployed as escorted for ships taking
allied troops for landing at Assab, Eritrea.
On
release took passage to Indian Ocean.
July
Permanent
repair arranged in USA.
Passage
to Durban
2nd
Under temporary repair at Durban
On
completion took passage to New York via Cape of Good Hope.
August
Taken
in hand for repair in Brooklyn Navy Yard.
September
Under repair and refit. Post refit
trials.
to
On
completion of dockyard work carried out harbour and sea trials.
October
Prepared
for passage to UK.
November
1st
Took passage to UK for completion
of
alterations not possible in USA.
(Note:
British Radar and armament equipment installation to be installed.).
December
On
arrival taken in hand for completion of installation.
Completion of
installation and trials.
18th
Passage to Gibraltar to rejoin 15th
Cruiser Squadron in Mediterranean Fleet.
22nd
Passage to Malta with HM
Destroyers
GURKHA and NESTOR.
24th
Arrived in Malta.
25th
Deployed with escorted for Convoy ME8
consisting of empty mercantiles
returning
to
Alexandria.
28th
Rejoined Squadron.
1 9 4 2
January
4th
Deployed with Squadron to escort HM
Supply Ship GLENGYLE taking oil supplies to
Malta.
Returned
with HM Supply Ship BRECONSHIRE and had air cover which provided defence
against
air attacks during passage to Alexandria.
16th
Covered passage of four supply ships to Malta with Squadron.
Under
heavy air attack before air cover was available.
20th
Air cover by 201 Naval Co-operation Unit
provided efficient protection for rest of
passage.
(See
BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN).
February
12th
Covered MW9A/B Malta convoys with HM
Cruisers NAIAD and EURYALUS and the return
passage
of HMS BRECONSHIRE.
Due
to Heavy air attacks no ships arrived in Malta. See above
references..
March
10th
Deployed with HM Cruisers NAIAD and
CLEOPATRA (Force B) to intercept convoy off
Tripoli.
11th
During search for an Italian cruiser
reported damaged HMS NAIAD was torpedoed
and sunk
off
Sollum by U565.
15th
Carried out
bombardment of Rhodes.
20th
Deployed with HM Cruiser EURYALUS to
cover Malta convoy MW10
(Operation MG1)
22nd
After air attacks convoy approached by
Italian battle ship LITTORIO and three cruisers
Took part in
surface gun action during which enemy withdrew.
(2nd
Battle of Sirte - See
above references and The Naval
Staff History).
Some
ships in convoy ships eventually reached Malta although HMS
BRECONSHIRE was
damaged
and later
lost after being beached at Marsaxloxx
(See above references).
April
Deployed
in Eastern
Mediterranean
with Squadron
to
May
June
13th
Sailed from Alexandria with H M Cruisers ARETHUSA, BIRMINGHAM, CLEOPATRA,
EURYALUS,
HERMIONE and NEWCASTLE screened by HM Destroyers
HASTY,
HERO, INCONSTANT, JAVELIN, JERVIS,
KELVIN, NAPIER. NESTOR, NIZAM,
NORMAN, PAKENHAM, PALADIN, SIKH and
ZULU to provide escort for Malta
Convoy MW11 during passage in eastern
Mediterranean (Operation VIGOROUS).
(Note: This operation was co-incident
with a similar relief convoy from Gibraltar which
came
under
air, submarine and surface warship attacks although two mercantiles
arrived
in Malta (Operation HARPOON)
HM Battleship
CENTURION, disarmed before outbreak of WW2 was also deployed
with
MW11 and disguised to resemble a KGV Class battleship.
Twelve other
destroyers were also deployed as Close escorts for MW11 for period,
prior
to arrival of Mediterranean Fleet units.)
For details see
THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett, HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR by C
Blair and the Naval Staff History.)
14th
Joined MW11 with Fleet units. Under heavy and
sustained air
attacks.
Submarine
attack by U77 driven off by HMS PAKENHAM.
Convoy under
threat of attack by Italian fleet units.
15th
Convoy ordered by CinC
ashore in Alexandria to reverse course.
Under night
attack by German E-Boats during which HMS HASTY was torpedoed and had
to
be sunk
by HMS HOTSPUR.
(Note: HMS NEWCASTLE was also hit by
a torpedo and withdrawn from escort to return
to
Alexandria.
Air attacks
resumed after daylight but convoy ordered to resume westward passage
although
later rescinded..
HMS BIRMINGHAM
and HMS CENTURION were also damage
HMS AIREDALE and
HMS NESTOR had to be sunk.
Owing to the heavy expenditure of AA
ammunition by escorts which would have left
insufficient
stocks to ensure safe passage to Malta the operation was abandoned.
16th
Returned to Alexandria
with Fleet units.
July
Deployed
with HMS EURYALUS for bombardment of enemy positions at Mersa
Matruh.
August
Docked
at Massawa for
investigation into propeller defect
causing vibration.
(Note:
HMS DIDO was first ship of Class to be inspected and the others of the
Class
were
similarly
checked when operational requirements allowed).
September
Rejoined
Squadron at Alexandria.
13th
Bombarded El Daba
area by night as diversion for the assault landings at Tobruk
(Operation
AGREEMENT - For details see
MASSACRE AT TOBRUK by P
Smith).
October
Deployed
in eastern Mediterranean on patrol and
cover of interceptions of
enemy convoys
to
North Africa.
November
Deployed
in support of Malta relief convoys
now able to transit with
air cover because
of
advances
made by Eighth Army along coast..
(Operation
QUADRANGLE)
17th
Escorted first convoy with HMS EURYALUS
and HMS ARETHUSA
(Operation
STONEAGE).
18th
Under air attacks
during which HMS ARETHUSA was badly damaged.
December
Detached
for duty with Force "K" in Malta for attacks on
enemy convoys.
12th
Joined Force "K" in Malta
13th
Sank three supply ships in attack on
convoy off North African coast..
16th
Deployed briefly with HM Cruiser SIRIUS
in Force "Q" based at Bone.
26th
Transferred to Force "H" at Gibraltar
28th
Escorted convoy to Benghazi with HM
Destroyers JAVELIN and
BEAUFORT.
