1 9 4 1
October Contractors
Setting to Work and harbour trials.
Commissioned
for service.
14th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
25th Passage to Clyde for trials escorted by
Polish destroyer ORP KUJAWIAK.
November Carried
out further trials in NW Approaches based in Clyde.
6th Work-up for service with ships of 10th
Cruiser Squadron.
December On
completion took passage to Scapa Flow to join Home Fleet.
1 9 4 2
January Nominated
for duty with escort of convoy to Murmansk.
(For
details of all Russian convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg,
CONVOY
! by P Kemp, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield and ARCTIC
CONVOYS
by R. Woodman.)
Took
passage to Iceland to join mercantiles.
10th Joined escort for Russian Convoy PQ8 at
Hvalfjord with HM Destroyers MATABELE and
SOMALI.
17th During passage in Barents Sea convoy under attack by U454
which sank HM Destroyer
MATABELE
with heavy loss of life. Only two of ship's company survived.
Detached
from PQ8 on arrival at Murmansk.
24th Embarked 250 Polish nationals for
passage to UK.
25th Joined returning convoy QP6 with HMS
SOMALI, HM Minesweepers BRAMBLE and HEBE for
escort
during passage to Loch Ewe.
28th Detached when mercantiles of QP6
dispersed in NW Approaches and took passage to Clyde
February
1st Landed passengers at Greenock.
10th Deployed at Scapa Flow and nominated for BLACK
patrol to relieve HM Cruiser KENYA.
11th Passage to Faeroes-Iceland Gap for
interception of commerce raiders.
21st At Hvalfjord for maintenance.
25th Relieved HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD for interception duties.
28th Deployed as Ocean escort for minelay by
ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron in the
Northern
Barrage
(Operation SN85 - See Naval Staff History (MINING).
March Home
Fleet deployment in continuation.
7th Carried out patrol with HM Cruiser LIVERPOOL south east of Jan Mayen
during sortie by
German battleship
TIRPITZ.
(Note:
After refuelling in Iceland deployed with HM Cruisers
LONDON and KENT and these
four
ships were also made available for refuelling destroyers carrying out
interception
patrols.
See ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
9th Covered rear of returning Russian
Convoy QP8 with HM Destroyers PUNJABI, ECHO
and FURY.
11th Deployed with destroyer screen to
intercept TIRPITZ north of Trondheim screened by Home
Fleet
destroyers.
13th Search abandoned.
(Note:
TIRPITZ did not enter area until after withdrawal.)
23rd Deployed with HM Destroyers ECLIPSE and
FURY to provide Close Cover for Russian
Convoy PQ13
(Note:
HM Escort Destroyer LAMERTON was also deployed with HM Fleet Auxiliary
OLIGARCH
AS Force Q to provide fuel during passage.)
24th Convoy scattered by gale and remained to
cover destroyers during re-assembly.
Warned
that attack by German destroyers was likely.
29th In action against German destroyers Z24,
Z25 and Z26 with HM Destroyer ECLIPSE.
(Note:
Enemy ships were searching for PQ13-)
Damaged
Z26 at close range but hit on port side aft by return fire causing damage
by
outbreak of fire.
After
further damage to Z26 by HMS ECLIPSE, fired torpedo at enemy ship to
complete
its
destruction. Owing to malfunction this torpedo circled and hit the ship
on port side forward
of
Bridge structure.
Forward
Boiler Room flooded with oil fuel which ignited causing further major damage.
Joined
by HM Minesweeper HARRIER, HM Destroyers ORIBI and FURY.
Taken
in tow until own propulsion available.
(Note:
Z26 was sunk in this engagement.
For
full details of passage of PQ13 see ARCTIC DESTROYERS and Naval Staff
History.).
30th Arrived at Murmansk screened b y HMS FURY and
HMS ORIBI,
April Taken in hand for
temporary repair at Murmansk to allow passage to UK.
(Note:
Steel plating for repair was brought to Murmansk by HM Cruiser EDINBURGH.)
7th Docked for repair during which 32
bodies were recovered.
(Note:
Burial at sea later carried out from HM Minesweeper NIGER.)
May
2nd Temporary repair completed.
13th Sailed for UK escorted by HM Destroyers
FORESIGHT, FORESTER, MATCHLESS and
SOMALI. Cover provided
by HM Cruisers NIGERIA, KENT, NORFOLK and LIVERPOOL
with
destroyer screen stationed west of Bear Island and ships of Home Fleet
including ships
of Home
Fleet farther to the south west. See references for details.
Speed
was restricted to 20 knots as only after boiler room was in use.
14th Under heavy dive bombing and torpedo
attacks.
Hit
by several bombs in forward structure which wrecked repair work and caused an
outbreak
of several fires.
15th Ship abandoned when fires could not be
controlled and threat of further attacks
by
aircraft during daylight period.
63
of ship's company were killed. (Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)
Survivors
rescued by H M Destroyers MATCHLESS,
FORESIGHT and FORESTER.
Hulk
sunk by three torpedoes from HMS MATCHLESS.
(Further
details are in THE SHIP THAT TORPEDOED HERSELF by F Pearce and the Naval
Staff
History).
(Note:
Casualty List for action on 29th March was published on 18th April 1942.)
