1 9 4 2
May Contractors
trials
June Commissioned
for service.
12th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow with ships of Home Fleet.
July Deployed
with 10th Cruiser Squadron for convoy defence and interception on completion
of work-up.
August Squadron
duties in continuation based at Scapa Flow.
September Nominated
for duty as Flagship for Fighting Escort of Russian Convoy PQ 18 during passage
to Kola Inlet. (Operation EV)
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R. Woodman, CONVOY ! by
Paul Kemp and THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS
by B
Schoefield
8th Joined convoy with Fighting Destroyer
Escort of 14 Fleet Destroyers and H M Escort Carrier
AVENGER
screened by HM Escort Destroyers WHEATLAND and WILTON.
(Note:
Cover for the passage of this convoy was provided by HM Cruisers
NORFOLK,
LONDON and SUFFOLK.
11th Detached with HM Destroyers MARNE,
MARTIN, METEOR and MILNE to refuel at Lowe
Sound,
Spitzbergen and on completion rejoined PQ18.
14th Embarked 209 survivors including wounded
men rescued by HM Minesweepers HARRIER
and SHARPSHOOTER from mercantiles
after their ships had been lost in the air attacks
since the
convoy left Iceland.
16th Detached to join escort for returning
Convoy QP14 with HMS AVENGER and ships of
Fighting Escort.
(Note:
QP14 included ships with survivors from previous Convoy PQ17 - See above
references).
17th Joined returning convoy QP14..
20th Detached from convoy with HM Cruiser
SCYLLA because of increasing threat of submarine
attack and Flag transferred to HM Destroyer MILNE.
Took
passage to land survivors at Akureri , Iceland escorted by HM Escort
Destroyers
WHEATLAND, HMS WILTON and HM Destroyer FURY.
(Note:
HM Destroyer SOMALI was torpedoed Just before
departure and sank in tow
three days later).
Given
resounding welcome by ships of Home Fleet on arrival at Scapa Flow
October Resumed
duties in NW Approaches with Squadron.
Visited by Prime Minister and Stafford Cripps at Scapa Flow.
28th Transferred to 12th Cruiser Squadron , Mediterranean.
Embarked
Admiral A B Cunningham at Plymouth for passage to Gibraltar to take
up appointment as Naval Commander for planned allied
landings in North Africa.
Took
passage escorted by HM Destroyer OPPORTUNE.
November
2nd Joined escort for Convoy KMF1 with HM
Aircraft Carrier ARGUS, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carrier AVENGER and HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD for passage to Gibraltar,
(Operation
TORCH).
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval Staff
History).
6th HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS joined escort for
KMF1.
8th Joined Eastern
Task Force at Gibraltar with HMS
ARGUS.
HMS AVENGER, HM
Monitor ROBERTS and HM Cruisers
CHARYBDIS and SHEFFIELD.
Deployed
with Eastern Task Force to provided cover for landings in British Assault
area.
10th Rescued survivors from HM Sloop IBIS.
13th Embarked stores and bullion at Gibraltar for passage to Algiers.
14th Arrived at Algiers
15th Supplemented AA defence at Algiers and later assisted in tow of
transport which
had grounded outside port.
December
1st Joined H M Cruisers AURORA, ARGONAUT,
CHARYBDIS and SIRIUS in Force Q
at Bone for defence of coastal military convoys and attacks on
enemy supply convoys.
See
above references.
25th At Algiers.
28th Passage to UK with
escort of Convoy MKS4.
31st Detached from convoy to search for
German blockade runner located by aircraft of 10
Squadron RAF off Finisterre.
1 9 4 3
January
1st Intercepted and sank with
torpedoes ss RHAKOTIS on passage from Japan to French
port. Rescued of survivors prevented by
threat of attacks by U-Boats.
Taken in hand for refit in Tyne shipyard.
February Under refit in Tyne shipyard. This included modifications
for Arctic service.
15th Passage to Iceland with HM
Escort Carrier DASHER.
21st Reinforced escort for Russian Convoy
JW53 with HM Destroyers ECLIPSE,
IMPULSIVE, FURY, INTREPID and Polish destroyer ORP ORKAN.
27th Detached from JW53.
March
1st Joined escort for returning convoy
RA53 at Kola Inlet.
10th Detached from RA53
and resumed Squadron duties in Home Fleet.
Present
at Scapa
Flow
during visit to Home Fleet by HM King George VI.
Embarked His Majesty for return to Scrabster
on the mainland.
April Squadron duties in NW Approaches in
continuation.
Rescued
crews from 3 SWORDFISH aircraft from HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS
which had crashed during exercise in foggy weather.
May
11th Escorted rms
QUEEN MARY taking Prime Minister to TRIDENT conference in Quebec.
13th Relieved by HM Cruiser BERMUDA
31st Covered HM Cruisers BERMUDA and CUMBERLAND during operation to relieve
allied
garrison on Spitsbergen ( Operation GEARBOX I).
June Nominated
for duty in English Channel based at Plymouth for convoy defence and
support
of operations against enemy coastal convoys.
14th Returned to Scapa Flow after GEARBOX I and took
passage to Plymouth.
20th Covered anti-submarine operations by
ships of 2nd Escort Group in Bay of Biscay
with HM Cruisers CHARYBDIS and ROYALIST.
(Operations
SEASLUG and MUSKETRY - See CONFLICT OVER THE BAY by
A Franks).
July During
cover of UK-Freetown convoys and cover for Interception of enemy coastal
convoys under attack by Glider Bombs.
Sighted
NARVIK Class German destroyers but abandoned chase after order from the
Admiralty
because of threat of further Glider Bomb attacks.
August Transferred
to Mediterranean with H M Cruiser CHARYBDIS
to replace H M Cruisers
CLEOPATRA and NEWFOUNDLAND which had
been damaged.
On arrival, deployed on convoy defence based at Gibraltar.
Nominated
for support of planned allied landings at Salerno (Operation AVALANCHE)
September Took
passage to Malta to join Support Carrier
Force (TF88)
(Note:
Other ships in TF88 were:
HM
Cruisers EURYALUS and CHARYBDIS for defence of HM Light Fleet
Carrier
UNICORN, HM Escort Carriers BATTLER, HUNTER, ATTACKER
STALKER,
HM Escort Destroyers CLEVELAND, HAYDON, HOLCOMBE,
ATHERSTONE,
LIDDESDALE, FARNDALE, CALPE and Polish
destroyers ORP
SLAZAK and ORP KRAKOWIAK.)
Took part in preparatory exercises with Force V in TF88.
8th Sailed from Malta for Salerno with ships of Force V
13th Detached to embark
troops at Tripoli for
passage to Salerno as
reinforcements.
14th Joined HM Cruisers CHARYBDIS and
EURYALUS in Tripoli.
During
return speed had to be reduced due to machinery vibration caused by the air
attack by Glider Bomb in Bay of Biscay (See above).
(Note:
During passage with HMS CHARYBDIS through Straits of Messina -
with the mythological association of their birthplace !)
16th Disembarked
troops.
Joined
HM Cruisers EURYALUS and DELHI in escort for the damaged
battleship
HMS WARSPITE to supplement AA
defence during passage under tow to Malta.
(See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff History).
21st Turbines inspected in Malta
October Withdrawn
from operational service and took passage to UK for repair of turbine beds.
Called at Devonport prior to being taken in hand at HM Dockyard
Chatham.
November Under repair and conversion for
use as Escort Carrier Squadron Flagship.
to Paid-off.
December
1 9 4 4
January Repair
and conversion
to Carried out Post refit trials
March.
April
1st Re-commissioned for service with 10th
Cruiser Squadron in Home Fleet.
6th Worked-up for operational service in
NW Approaches based at Scapa Flow.
On completion Joined 10th Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Nominated
for duty as Flagship of Eastern Naval Task Force during allied landings
in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
(Note:
Rear Admiral Sir Philip Vian, KCB, DSO, RN who had
been in command
of HM Destroyer COSSACK in 1940 during the rescue
British seamen held
in the tanker ALTMARK).
Allocated
target in Bombardment Plan - Ouistreham.
(For
details of naval activities before and during the Normandy invasion see
OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY June 1944
(HMSO).)
May Took
part in preparatory exercises with Home Fleet ships.
Passage to Solent to join
assembly of invasion fleet.
June
5th Sailed from Solent to Beach
Head area.
6th Bombarded Ouistreham
area and on completion closed SWORD beachhead and provided
gunfire support prior to touch down.
Controlled
night defence measures against surface attack from SWORD area.
7th Deployed in
co-ordinating and night defence control role off SWORD Beach.
8th Escorted Motor Torpedo Boats of 14th
Flotilla for minelay in Bay de la Seine as
part of Operation MAPLE (Operation KN26).
11th Repositioned MTB's scattered by enemy surface
force during minelay off Cap d' Antifer
to allow another minelaying operation to proceed (Operation
KN28).
23rd Detonated mine in six fathoms of water
off beachhead.
Sustained major damage to starboard keel structure adjacent to
machinery compartments.
Turbine
casings cracked.
Ship
disabled without electric power.
24th Flag transferred to HM Landing Ship (HQ)
HILARY.
25th Control of night defences transferred to
HM Frigate RETALICK.
Took passage to Spithead under tow.
July Passage
to Chatham under tow.
On
survey damage found to be uneconomic for total repair and given no priority.
Completion of conversion for use as Escort Carrier Flagship
in British Pacific Fleet not
then implemented.
August Paid
off into Dockyard Control at Chatham
September Non operational.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Remained
at Chatham under Dockyard Control.
to
August
