1 9 3
9
August
Part
of 9th Cruiser Squadron.
September
Deployed
on convoy defence between Freetown and
Cape of Good Hope.
2nd
Took passage from Gibraltar
for trade
defence in the South Atlantic.
8th
Arrived at Freetown.
28th
On arrival at Capetown
taken in hand for repair.
October
Transferred
to China Station for service with 5th
Cruiser Squadron.
13th
Passage to Singapore
with calls at
Mauritius and Colombo.
31st
Joined Squadron
at Singapore.
November
2nd
Passage to Hong Kong for refit
6th
Taken in hand for
refit.
24th
Resumed Squadron
duties on completion.
December
Deployed
on trade defence and patrol in South
China Sea.
21st
Transferred to 9th Cruiser Squadron on
China Station.
1 9 4
0
January
Deployed
on trade defence in East Indies area.
to
February
March
23rd
Joined British Malaya Force on
formation.
Carried out
surveillance of German shipping in Dutch
East
Indies ports.
These
included ss
BITTERFELD, ss
FRANKEN, ss
RHEINLAND, ss
SONEK and
ss
WUPPERTAL.
April
Surveillance and patrol duties in
continuation.
May
Deployed in Malacca Strait and
Singapore areas on
surveillance and trade defence.
to
June
July
Under refit in Singapore.
August
Post
refit trials
10th
On completion deployed on trade
protection and surveillance duty in
China Sea.
September
20th
Joined HM Cruisers CANBERRA (RAN),
CAPETOWN and HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser
WESTRALIA
(RAN) in Hunting Group to search for
German raider ATLANTIS
October
29th
Returned to Singapore
for trade
defence in Malacca Straits and Dutch
East
Indies.
November
Trade
protection duty in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4
1
January
Trade defence deployment in
continuation.
February
Passage
to Fremantle for military convoy
escort.
12th
Escorted Convoy US9 Including rms
QUEEN MARY, rms
AQUITANIA, rms
MAURITANIA
and Dutch
liner NIEUW AMSTERDAM from Fremantle
for passage in Indian
Ocean.
16th
Detached to escort
rms
QUEEN MARY
to Singapore.
March
Deployed
on trade defence in Malacca Straits
and Dutch East Indies.
April
Deployed
in Indian
Ocean
for interception of commerce raiders
and trade defence.
to
May
June
Passage to Singapore.
July
Under refit in Singapore.
to
August
September
Post
Refit trials.
October
On
completion resumed trade protection
and Interception duties.
November
18th
Relieved HM Australian Cruiser SYDNEY
as
escort for torpedoed troopship
ZEALANDIA
from
Sunda
Strait to Singapore.
December
8th
Transferred to
5th Cruiser Squadron after outbreak
of war with Japan.
12th
Deployed for
escort of convoy between Suda
Strait and Singapore.
19th
Escorted troopship taking survivors
from
HM Battlecruiser REPULSE and HM
Battleship
PRINCE OF WALES
to Colombo.
20th
Joined China Force on formation and
took
passage to Singapore.
1 9 4
2
January
5th
Embarked Naval Staff at Singapore for
passage to Batavia from Singapore.
6th
Joined Striking
Force.
(See
OPERATION PACIFIC by E Grey, ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C
Barnett
and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
8th
Passage in Indian Ocean with HM
Cruiser EXETER and HM Indian Sloop
JUMNA to Addu
Atoll to reinforce
escort of military convoy DM1.
(Note:
This was the first of a series of
convoys taking troops to reinforce the
Singapore
garrison
after the Japanese invasion of Malaya
9th
Joined DM1 at Addu
Atoll.
10th
Dutch cruiser DE RUYTER, HM Destroyers
ENCOUNTER, JUPITER and VAMPIRE
joined
convoy escort.
13th
Detached from DM1
after arrival at Singapore.
19th
Escorted troopship from Singapore
taking survivors from HM
Battlecruiser REPULSE and
February
6th
Relieved HM Australian Cruiser
CANBERRA off Christmas Island, south
of Java, as escort for
Convoy
MS3 for passage to
Palembang,
Sumatra with HM Cruiser DRAGON.
10th
Passage to Singapore with HM Destroyer
JUPITER, H M
Destroyer STRONGHOLD and HM
Auxiliary KEDAH to
evacuate RAF personnel.
11th
Under air attack
on passage to
Singapore.
12th
Escorted coastal steamers carrying
evacuees from Singapore.
Under
air attack when north of
Sunda
Strait and hit forward causing loss of
6" mounting.
16th
Withdrawn from
area at Batavia.
Escorted merchant
ship for part of passage to Colombo.
17th
Detached and took passage for
Fremantle.
March
Deployed
for trade defence in Indian Ocean.
13th
Intercepted German
ss
DOGGERBANK laying mines off
Capetown.
As
challenge by visual signalling was
correctly answered using name of
British ss
LEVERBANK,
ship was allowed to proceed.
Passage to USA
for repair of
bomb damage, with call at Azores.
April
9th
Under repair in New
York as US Navy
dockyard.
(Note:
Work included preparation for later
installation of surface warning Radar
Type
273
and warning
radar Type 286, a modified RAF ASV
equipment.
For
details of development and use of
radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse)
June
Carried
out Post refit trials
July
Passage to UK.
August
Taken
in hand for completion of radar outfit
installation and other outstanding
changes not
in USN
shipyard.
September
Carried
out Worked-up at Scapa Flow for
service with 5th Cruiser Squadron in
Eastern Fleet.
October
4th
Joined military convoy WS23 in Clyde
as Ocean Escort with HM Cruiser
DESPATCH and
HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser QUEEN OF
BERMUDA during Atlantic passage.
15th
Detached from U523
with Ocean Escort before arrival at
Freetown.
20th
Rejoined W323 as Ocean Escort on
departure from Freetown for Durban.
(Note:
HM Armed Merchant Cruiser CARTHAGE and
Greek destroyer KANARIS
were also
part of
Ocean Escort.)
23rd
HMS DESPATCH joined Ocean Escort.
November
5th
Detached from
WS23 on arrival at
Durban.
Deployed with
Squadron for trade defence in Indian
Ocean.
December
Indian Ocean deployment in
continuation.
30th
Taken in hand for
refit and repair at
Bombay.
1 9 4
3
January
Under refit.
to
February
March
On
completion of post refit trials
resumed Squadron trade defence duties.
April
Deployed
in Indian
Ocean
for convoy defence duty.
5th
Joined military convoy MS27 in Indian
Ocean during its passage from Durban.
Relieved HM
Cruiser FROBISHER as Ocean Escort
with HMS CARTHAGE.
9th
Detached from
WS27 on arrival at
Aden.
10th
Deployed for
defence of Persian Gulf convoys.
28th
At Bahrein
during
Persian
Gulf convoy
defence.
May
Deployed In
Persian Gulf for convoy defence and
support of
military operations.
June
Resumed
Indian
Ocean
convoy defence based at Kilindini.
to
September
October
Withdrawn
from operational service.
23rd
Took passage from Seychelles
to UK.
November
Arrived
at Portsmouth after call at Plymouth.
December
Reduced
to Care and Maintenance.
1 9 4
4
January
Under care and maintenance at
Portsmouth.
Nominated
for support of Normandy landings after
refit
(Note:
Ship to be sunk as part of
GOOSEBERRY No 5 off Ouistreham.
February
Under refit at Portsmouth.
to
April
(Note Main armament retained and 24
20mm Oerlikon
guns fitted.
May
On completion prepared for use as
part of
breakwater off Normandy.
Passage
to Oban
to join Blockships..
27th
At Oban
June
2nd
Took passage to Channel under own
power
with Blockships.
4th
Operation postponed for 24 hours.
Diverted to
Poole.
6th
Passage to Ouistreham
9th
Sunk as part of
No. 5 GOOSEBERRY breakwater in
British Assault Area.
(Note:
Deployed as Senior Officer for CORNCOB
to establishment of Blockships
providing
shelter for small craft during the
assault
(Operation NEPTUNE)
For
full details of naval activities prior
to and during the landings see
LANDINGS
IN
NORMANDY
June 1944 and
OPERATION NEPTUNE by Kenneth
Edwards).
July
In use as SNO CORNCOB.
August
3rd
Hulk hit by German torpedo during
series of attacks off Beachhead.
