Coastal Minelayer ordered
in 1936 from Denny of Dumbarton and laid down on 7th October 1936. The ship was
launched on 8th June 1916 as the 9th RN ship to carry the name which was
introduced in 1652 when given to the Prize MORGENSTAAR. lt was last used for a destroyer built in 1916 and
sold in 1921. After completion in September 1937 she was deployed as a tender
to the Torpedo School HMS VERNON at Portsmouth and used for development and
trials of new design mines. She was designed to carry
100 mines and was deployed throughout WW2 for minelaying
in coastal waters off UK and off the continent. She was not intended for laying
mines in open waters such as the North Atlantic. Full details of all minelaying operations during WW2 are given in Naval Staff
History (MINING). There is no record of an adoption by a UK civil community
following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign
during 1941 and 1942. Also see Royal
Navy Minelaying Operations.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
PORTLAND 1653 - CHINA 1842 - CHINA 1856-60
- CHINA 1900 -
NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: on a Field Gold, a Plover with wings close proper.
M o t t o
Noli me tangere: 'Do not touch me'
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search
1 9 3 9
August Prepared for operational minelaying duties
September Deployed in Firth of Forth for minelay off Bass Rock
(Operation BRM).
Transferred to Dover
Straits for series of minlays in Dover Barrage.
(Operations GR, DM
and HW - These were intended to prevent the passage of U-
Boats. They achieved this
objective as following the loss of U12, U40 and U16
between 3 September and
24 October 1939, U-Boats were later forbidden to use this
route). (Note: U16 is now credited to surface ship depth charges)
October Dover Strait minelays in continuation.
November
Transferred to Rosyth for minelaying
in Firth of Forth.
(Operation CP).
December
Firth of Forth minelay in continuation.
1 9 4 0
January Deployed at Portsmouth
to (Note: No operations
traced).
May Prepared for extensive minelaying in East Coast Barrier.
June Commenced minelaying
in East Coast Barrier with HM Auxiliary Minelayer TEVIOT
BANK (Operation BS10
to 19. See above reference for names of escorts).
July
2nd Carried
out Minelay in East Coast Barrier (Operation BS20).
5th Laid defensive field in
The Wash with Dutch minelayer VAN DER ZANN.
(Operation
AW).
Transferred to
Dover Straits on completion of Operation AW)
14th Laid anti-invasion
field 8 miles from European coast covered by MTB's
(Operation MN –
Carried out by night.)
30th Resumed East Coast
Barrier minelaying operations (Operation
BS30)
August Deployed
for East Coast Barrier minelays (Operations BS30-36).
September Transferred to Dover area for minelaying in anti-invasion field with destroyers of 20th
Flotilla (Operation MS).
October Resumed East Coast Barrier deployment (Operation
BS0-BS43))
November East Coast Barrier deployment in
continuation (Operations BS44 & 45)
On completion took passage
for refit.
December
Under refit in Humber shipyard.
1 9 4 1
August Carried out post refit
trials.
Nominated for minelaying in SW
Approaches.
16th On
completion prepared for minelaying duties and took
passage to Plymouth.
February
11th Commenced minelay
of anti-submarine field in St George's Channel.
(Operations ZME16 to 31)
March St Georges Channel minelays
in continuation.
April
Completed ZME Field minelays.
Passage to resume minelaying in East
Coast Barrier.
May Deployed for minelay at southern end of Barrier.
Commenced lay
(Operation BS56).
June
East Coast Barrier minelays in continuation
(Operations BS57 to 60).
July East Coast Barrier minelays in continuation (Operations BS66 and BS67).
Nominated for
duty at Portsmouth and took passage.
August Deployed for minelaying trials.
to (Operation BZ -
In Nore area).
December
1 9 4 2
January Carried out minelay of moored magnetic mines in Outer Ruytingen Channel.
(Operation
NQ).
February Involved in collision in
Dover Straits and sustained serious damage.
Taken in hand for repair.
March Nominated for minelaying in East Coast Barrier on completion.
11th Resumed East Coast Barrier minelaying (Operations BS68 to 70).
April East Coast Barrier minelaying in continuation (Operations BS71 to BS76).
May No minelaying service can be traced.
June Deployed for minelaying in East Coast Barrier (Operations BS77 to 84).
July Nominated for
service in NW Approaches.
August Deployed in NW
Approaches for support of mine clearance of Field SN3.
to (Note: This operation was frequently delayed by adverse
weather conditions.)
October
November No record of minelaying duty can be traced. Transferred
to resume East Coast
to minelaying.
December
1 9 4 3
January Carried out minelay on Haddock Bank, east of The
Wash for protection of shipping
from E-Boat
attacks (Operations QV Series).
February Carried out last minelay
in East Coast Barrier off Humber estuary.
(Operation BS87. This was a trials lay of MkXVII (Assy
6), moored magnetic mines
which were found to be unstable).
March No record of minelaying can be traced.
to
April
May Deployed in NW
Approaches for minelay (Operation HV Series)
June Deployed at
Portsmouth for mining trials conducted by HMS VERNON.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Trials
deployment at Portsmouth in continuation.
to Nominated for minelaying in support of planned allied landings in
Normandy.
March (Operation NEPTUNE).
April Prepared for
operational minelaying.
18th Carried out minelay
of Fields in NL126 Series off Dutch coast (Operation
MAPLE)
May Deployed at Dover
with cruiser minelayer for lay of defensive minefields
No record of
any minelay can be traced. See Naval Staff History
and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944 (HMSO).
June Support of NEPTUNE in continuation.
No record of
minelay can be traced.
July Nominated for lay
of Deep anti-submarine minefields in English Channel
for
protection
of
shipping from U-Boat attacks (Operation PASTURE).
August
14th Commenced first PASTURE minelay (Operations PASTURE Series D, E and H).
September
3rd Completed PASTURE Minelays.
October Nominated for lay of
further protective minefields in SW Approaches.
(Operations PASTURE Series CD).
27th Commenced lay of Deep Anti-submarine
minefields Z7 and Z8 between Galley Head
and Fastnet.
November
3rd Lay of Field Z9.
10th Lay of Field Z10.
December PASTURE Series minelays in continuation.
12th Lay of Fields A1 to A8 commenced
between Trevose Head and Hartland Point.
1 9 4 5
January Nominated for minelay at focal points of Channel Convoys for the
protection of
shipping against the prevalent U-Boat threats (Operation BRAZIER).
3rd On completion of lay of PASTURE Field A8 transferred
to Portsmouth.
Deployed for minelaying in BRAZIER
operations based at Portsmouth.
5th Laid minefields A to E around
H10, K, H2, C2A and in mid Channel.
30th Completed BRAZIER minelays.
February Nominated for Deep
Anti-submarine minelaying in BUTTERMILK operations
10th Commenced lay of Fields A to E
March BUTTERMILK minelaying in continuation.
April Nominated for minelaying in SW Approaches (Operation ARTIZAN)
9th Completed lay of BUTTERMILK Field E.
Commenced lay of ARTIZAN B Field.
30th Completed minelays
in ARTIZAN Fields
May After VE Day deployed at Portsmouth as tender to Torpedo School for
trials
to development
duties.
August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS PLOVER remained in
commission after VJ Day and was deployed as tender to HMS VERNON for duty as
minelaying
trials tender until placed on the Disposal List in 1967. She was sold to BISCO
in 1969 for demolition by TW Ward at Inverkeithing near Rosyth and
arrived at the breaker’s yard in April 1969.