1
9 3 9
August
Commissioned
from Reserve and manned by Reservists.
Attended
Royal Review of Reserve Fleet in Weymouth
Bay.
Remained
in commission and allocated for war
service based at Scapa
Flow
On
completion of storing and manning to war
complement took passage to join
12th
Cruiser Squadron.
(Note:
Commanding Officer Commander C Lambe,
later Admiral Sir Charles Lambe),
September
Deployed
on Northern Patrol for interception of
mercantiles attempting to return to
Germany
and commerce raiders on
passage to enter Atlantic
5th
Carried out- first patrol.
October
Northern
Patrol deployment in continuation
Intercepted
German mercantile attempting to run the
Blockade.
Crew
who had scuttled the enemy ship on
approach were taken prisoner.
November
21st
Set up patrol line off North
Rona as part of Home Fleet-
operation to intercept German
battleships
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU after the
sinking of HM Armed Merchant
Cruiser
RAWALPINDI.
December
Resumed
Northern Patrol deployment.
(Note:
Senior Officer of Squadron reported this
Class of cruiser had proved unsuitable
for
Northern Patrol duty.)
Taken
in hand for weather damage repair in Belfast.
(Note:
Under way for 92 days since outbreak of
war.)
1
9 4 0
January
Resumed
to Northern Patrol duty.
26th
Released from Northern Patrol and took
passage to Portsmouth.
29th
Transferred to West
Indies for duty with 8th Cruiser
Squadron for interception
of blockade
runners
and for trade protection.
Prepared
for foreign service at Portsmouth.
February
5th
Sailed from Portsmouth
to join Squadron at Kingston, Jamaica.
Deployed
for interception patrol duties.
March
2nd
Intercepted German blockade-runner on
passage from Aruba.
Enemy
ship scuttled on approach.
8th
Intercepted German mercantile HANNOVER
with HM Canadian Destroyer
ASSINIBOINE.
Took
enemy freighter in tow whilst a party
from HMCS ASSINIBOINE fought the fires
started
when
crew abandoned ship.
As
no tugs were available both ships
secured
alongside and
took ship to Jamaica
as Prize.
(Note:
This mercantile became ss EMPIRE
AUDACITY and later was converted for use
as
an
escort carrier and renamed HMS AUDACITY.
Sunk on 21st
December
1941 in
defence
of a convoy on passage from Gibraltar to UK.
Her
service helped establish the value of
Escort Carriers in the relentless U-Boat
war).
(For
details of Atlantic operations see THE BLOCKADERS by A Cecil Hampshire).
April
Convoy
defence role in eastern Atlantic with 8th Cruiser Squadron in continuation.
to
May
June
8th
Deployed on patrol in Caribbean
area as Senior Officer
Jamaica Force
July.
Recalled
to UK
to reinforce Home Fleet.
August
Passage
to Greenock.
September
13th
Taken in hand at commercial shipyard for
fitting of Degaussing cables and
change
of
AA armament.
(See
THE TORPEDOMEN by A Poland for details
of this equipment.)
October Nominated for duty
in Portsmouth command on completion for
anti-invasion duties.
(Note:
New Commanding Officer Captain RS
Lovatt).
11th
Sailed from Greenock
for Portsmouth.
Deployed
in SW Approaches based at Portsmouth.
November
Channel
and SW Approaches Convoy anti-invasion
patrol in continuation.
December
Nominated
for escort of military convoy WS5A and
took passage to join convoy in
SW Approaches.
24th
Joined WS5A with HM Cruiser BERWICK for
Ocean Escort.
(Note:
HM Cruiser NAIAD and HM Cruiser
BONAVENTURE had already joined
escort
with HM Corvettes CLEMATIS, CYCLAMEN,
GERANIUM and
JONQUIL.)
25th
In action with German cruiser HIPPER in
defence of military Convoy WS5A.
Laid
smoke screen to obscure troopships and
took part in a brief engagement
in poor
visibility
during which HMS BERWICK was damaged.
HIPPER
broke off action
because of
imaginary threat of torpedo threat.
(Note:
German ship had located convoy during
night and waited until dawn before
attacking
what was considered a normal trade
convoy.
For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval
Staff
History.
(Note:
The brief engagement was totally
unsatisfactory.
An
intended air search for HIPPER by
carrier SWORDFISH Aircraft cancelled
after
order from the Admiralty.
Only
two troopships were hit – ss EMPIRE
TROOPER and ss ARABISTAN
which
were escorted to Azores by HMS CYCLAMEN.
27th
Detached from Ocean Escort and took
passage to Gibraltar.
29th
At Gibraltar.
1
9 4 1
January
Resumed
convoy defence duties and available as
Distant Cover for military Convoy
WS5A
which
had been
re-assembled.
(Note:
One source suggests that this ship
rejoined the escort, for WS5A.arriving
at
Freetown
on 6th January.)
Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
February
Nominated
for transfer to South Atlantic Command
after routine docking.
Took
passage to Clyde for convoy defence in North Atlantic.
22nd
Deployed in NW Approaches after arrival
in Clyde.
March
23rd
Took passage to Devonport for docking
prior to foreign service.
April
8th
On completion of docking took passage
from Devonport to South Atlantic.
May
Deployed
for trade defence and interception
duties in South
Atlantic.
(Note:
Capture of ENIGMA documentation earlier
in 1941 had enabled German radio
signals
to
be decrypted at. Bletchley
Park. This information enabled
the Admiralty to identify
the
movements of U-Boat and Commerce Raider
supply ships.
As
a result interception by British
warships in the South
Atlantic was made possible
with
certainty. See BREAKING THE ENIGMA by D
Kahn and HITLER'S U-
BOAT
WAR by C Blair.)
June
Diverted
for interception of supply ships with HM
Aircraft Carrier EAGLE.
15th
Captured German freighter LOTHRINGEN in
position 19.49N 38.30 W after sighting
by
aircraft
from HMS EAGLE.
(Note:
ENIGMA material obtained enabled more
vital information to be obtained.)
This
ship was later used as a British
mercantile named ss EMPIRE SALVAGE)
30th
Captured Vichy French freighter VILLE DE
TAMATAVE east of St. Paul's Rock in the South
Atlantic.
July
22nd
Captured Vichy French freighter VILLE DE
ROUEN east of Natal,. Brazil.
August
Trade
defence and interception duties In South
Atlantic in continuation. October
to
October
November
Deployed
with HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE and
DORSETSHIRE to intercept U-Boat
Supply
Ship PYTHON and Commerce Raider ATLANTIS
known to be deployed in South
Atlantic
for attacks on shipping and
re-supply of U-Boats.
The
RN ships were operating as
independent
units and deployed in specific areas
where the
enemy
operations were
intended.
(Note:
HMS DEVONSHIRE sank ATLANTIS on 22nd
November. See above references.)
Nominated
for interception of PYTHON.
24th
Under attack by U124 which was on
passage to met PYTHON for re-supply.
Hit
by two of three torpedo fired by U124
off St
Paul’s Rock
in position
03.02N 18.29W
north
of Pernambuco and 900 miles west of Freetown.
Ship
was steaming at high speed and bulkheads
were unable to withstand stress
of
an
explosion whilst under way.
One
torpedo struck amidships and the other
aft.
Extensive
damage including loss of radio
facilities.
Foundered
stem first.
27th
72 members of the ship's company were
rescued by US
mercantile NISHAMA and were
the
only
survivors. Five of those rescued died
later.
420
of the ship's company lost their lives
including Captain R S Lovatt, OBE, RN.
(Casualty
List - note
on
casualties)
(Note:
The rescued men were landed in Trinidad on December
7th 1941.
U124
still commanded by Korvette Kapitan
Johann Mohr was sunk in position 41.02N
15.39W, west of Oporto.
Portugal by HM Sloop BLACK SWAN and
HM Corvette
STONECROP
on 3rd April 1943
during an attack on Convoy
OS45.
There
were no survivors.
