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1 9 3 9
August Commissioned for attendance at
Royal Review of Reserve Fleet at Weymouth
Manned by
Reservists.
Attended Review in Weymouth Bay
Remained in commission and allocated
for service in 11th Destroyer Flotilla based at
Plymouth in Western Approaches Command.
(Note : CinC
Western Approaches headquarters were at Plymouth.)
September Deployed for convoy escort and
anti-submarine patrol in Channel
October English Channel and SW
Approaches deployment in continuation.
to (Note
: For details of naval activities in 1939-40 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
November CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and the
Naval Staff History.
December
28th Joined outward Convoy OG12 on formation
in SW Approaches with HM Destroyers
WHIRLWIND,
WHITEHALL and WIVERN as escort for initial stage of passage to Gibraltar
29th Detached from OG12 with escort and
returned to Plymouth
1 9 4 0
January Convoy defence and patrol in
SW Approaches in continuation.
Passage to join
inward Convoy HG13 on passage to Liverpool from Gibraltar.
7th Joined
HG13 with HM Destroyers VENETIA, VISCOUNT and VOLUNTEER as
escort
during passage in SW Approaches.
10th Detached
from HG13 and took passage to Plymouth.
February
27th Joined
outward Convoy OG20F with HM Sloops SCARBOROUGH, WELLINGTON and
HM Destroyer WHIRLWIND on formation
in SW Approaches and deployed as
escort
during initial stage of passage to Gibraltar.
28th Detached
from OG20F and took passage to join inward Convoy HG20F from Gibraltar
as escort
during passage in SW Approaches to Liverpool.
March
Deployed as escort
for inward Convoy HG20F during passage to Liverpool.
3rd Detached
from HG20F on arrival and returned to Plymouth.
15th Deployed
with escort for inward Convoy HG22F during passage to Liverpool in
SW Approaches
18th Passage to Plymouth after arrival of HG22F.
April Transferred with Flotilla for service with
Home Fleet in support of military operations
in Norway and took passage to Scapa Flow.
9th Deployed
for escort of military convoys to Narvik (Operation RUPERT/R4)
(Note : For
details of the disastrous operations off Norway see above reference,
NARVIK by D Macintyre, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by J Adams and
Naval Staff
History.)
May Norwegian coast support
and escort duties in continuation.
29th Assisted
in evacuation from Bodo with HM Destroyers HAVELOCK, ECHO,
ARROW and
FIREDRAKE.
June On release from Norwegian evacuation
operations transferred to English
Channel.
Passage to Plymouth for support of evacuation of troops
and civilians from St Nazaire.
Despatched to St
Nazaire.
16th Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyer BERKELEY, HM Destroyers BEAGLE and
HAVELOCK at St Nazaire.
(Operation AERIAL – See Naval Staff
History and BEF SHIPS BEFORE AND AFTER
DUNKIRK by deWinser.)
18th Took
passage from St Nazaire as part of escort for mercantiles
carrying 24,000 troop
evacuated
from St Nazaire.
(Note :
These ships included the liners GEORGIC, DUCHESS OF YORK, Polish BATORY,
Polish SOBIESKI and six smaller
vessels, The liner LANCASTRIA which
has also
been sent for the operation was sunk with heavy loss of life in air attacks
whilst at St
Nazaire.)
July Transferred to Liverpool for Atlantic convoy escort duties
(Note : CinC
Western Approaches was transferred to Liverpool.)
August Atlantic convoy escort and
patrol duties in continuation.
to (For
details of Atlantic convoy defence and U-Boat deployments see THE BATTLE
October OF THE ATLANTIC by D Macintyre and U-BOAT WAR IN
THE ATLANTIC (HMSO).
November Detached for duty in English Channel.
29th Escorted
HM Destroyer ICARUS with HM Destroyers WITCH and VOLUNTEER
during
minelay off French coast (Operation JH - See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
December Resumed Atlantic convoy defence
duties in Western Approaches.
1 9 4 1
January Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
to Radar
Type 286M fitted.
February (Note :
This was an RAF aircraft Air-Sea detection equipment modified for naval use
and had a
fixed aerial which necessitated ship movement to determine the position
of any ship
or other object. For details of the development and use of radar by RN
see RADAR AT
SEA by D Howse.)
March Deployed with 5th Escort Group in NW Approaches
for the escort of Convoy HX112.
(Note :
Ships in this Group were HM Destroyers WALKER, VANOC,
VOLUNTEER,
SARDONYX and SCIMITAR, HM
Corvettes BLUEBELL and
HYDRANGEA.)
16th Convoy under attack by U100 during which
the tanker ERODANA was badly damaged
(Note : It
was initially feared the ship had been sunk but she was later towed to Iceland.)
Counter-attacks by HMS WALKER.
Following further unsuccessful
attacks by U100 other U-Boats were ordered to join U100
Attacks made by U37, U99 and U100
were carried out after dark and five mercantiles
were sunk
and another badly damaged by fires which were brought under control.
17th Took
part in a series of depth charge attacks on U100 with HMS WALKER which ha had
made firm
contact with submarine using her ASDIC equipment. These attacks caused major
damage and
forced U100 to surface. The submarine was detected by HMS VANOC using
Type 286M Radar and then rammed and
sank it immediately in position 61.04N 11.30W.
Six of the 38 Survivors were rescued
by this ship.
(Note : This
was the first U-Boat to be sunk after radar detection.)
Despite the serious damage caused by
ramming at high speed took part in attack on U99
which
surfaced after attempt to leave the area submerged.
(For full details see HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR Volume I by C Blair and U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P.Kemp.)
(Note : Loss
of two successful submarine commanders was heralded with acclaim by the
Prime Minister in the House of Common)
April Under repair
May On completion resumed Atlantic convoy defence
with Group.
June Atlantic convoy escort in continuation.
(Note : For
details of weapons and tactic used see SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann.)
July
12th Deployed with HM Destroyer GURKHA and Polish destroyer ORP
GARLAND to provide
anti-submarine defence to military convoy WS9C during
passage in NW Approaches.
15th Detached from WS9C and returned to Clyde.
August Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to September
October Part of escort for Convoy
HX155 with Group.
November Part of escort for Convoy ONS34
with ships of Group
December Atlantic convoy escort with Group
in continuation.
(Note : 5th
Escort Group disbanded.)
1 9 4 2
January
12th Deployed
with HMS WALKER, HMS VOLUNTEER and HMS WITHERINGTON as
Local Escort for
military convoy WS15 during passage in NW Approaches.
15th Detached
from WS15 and returned to Clyde.
February Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
to (Note
: See U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC for details of changes in U-Boat
June
July
to August Deployed
for convoy escort off east coast of Canada and USA.
September Nominated for escort of special
convoy identified as RB1 during passage to UK.
(Note : This
identity as given in HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR, Vol 2 by C
Blair is an acronym
for ‘Rivers
to Britain’ and was special convoy comprising Great Lakes River Steamers
which had
been sold to Great
Britain.
They included ss BOSTON, ss
NEW YORK, both of about 5.000grt and ss
YORKTOWN of 1,547 grt
17th Deployed
with HM Destroyer VETERAN as escort for RB1 during
Atlantic passage
from the Gulf of Sat Lawrence to Clyde.
20th RB1
Sighted by U380 and reported to U-Boat headquarters which ordered the formation
of a new
U-Boat Group BLITZ specifically for
co-ordinated attacks on RB1.
(Note :
BLITZ Group included U380, U211, U607, U216, U96, U618, U91, U410, U536 and
U404
23rd U-Boat
attacks commenced.
25th ss NEW YORK and ss BOSTON sunk.
Carried out
anti-submarine operations against BLITZ Group.
26th ss YORKTOWN sunk
HMS VETERAN which had been despatch
to search for survivors came under attack by U404
and was hit by two torpedoes. This destroyer sank almost
immediately after an explosion and
all on board
lost their lives including some survivors.
(Note :
German sources record that these ships were carrying troops but this is not
confirmed
in other
sources. The ships lost in RB1 are recorded in BRITISH VESSELS LOST AT
SEA 1939-45 (HMSO)
27th Three
US Navy destroyers joined as further reinforcement of escort joined RB1
October Nominated for escort of
military convoys to Gibraltar in preparation for allied landing
in North Africa (Operation TORCH).
November
4th Sailed
from Gibraltar to supplement escort of military convoy KMS1
during
passage to Algiers (Operation TORCH)
6th Joined
convoy.
7th Rescued
pilot from crashed SEAFIRE aircraft belonging to HM
Aircraft Carrier ARGUS during passage
to Algiers.
8th Deployed
in support of landings after arrival of KMS1.
10th On
release from support at Algiers
took passage to Bougie for
support of
landings.
11th Deployed
at Bougie (Operation PERPETUAL)
December Gibraltar deployment in continuation for convoy defence and patrol
1 9 4 3
January Passage to UK to resumed Atlantic convoy escort duties in Western
Approaches.
February Deployed with HM Corvettes
COREOPSIS, COLUMBINE, ANCHUSA and JONQUIL
as 38th
Escort Group for Atlantic convoy escort.
March Atlantic duties in continuation.
Nominated for
conversion to Long Range Escort. See General
Information.)
April Taken in hand for conversion and refit. For
details see V& W DESTROYERS by A Preston..
May Under refit.
to October
November Post Refit Trials and work-up for
operational service.
December Deployed for escort of Atlantic and coastal convoys
1 9 4 4
January Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation
to February
March Deployed for escort of military convoy to Gibraltar.
16th Took
part in sinking of U392 with HM Frigate AFFLECK off Gibraltar in
position
35.54N 05.45W, There were no survivors.
(Note :
Submarine had been attempting to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar when
detected by
a US CATALINA aircraft using magnetic anomaly equipment.
These two ships were asked to assist
and attacked with HEDGEHOG,
See U-BOATS DESTROYED and HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR.)
April Atlantic and coastal
convoy escort in continuation.
to (Note : Not deployed
for escort or support duties during Normandy landings.
December Operation NEPTUNE – See Naval Staff History)
1 9 4 5
January Convoy defence duties in
continuation.
to (Note : During this
period U-Boat attacks were being concentrated on focal points
May for
convoys some of which were using English
Channel instead of the NW
Approaches.
Additional escorts were deployed to counter this threat.
See above references.)
June Nominated for withdrawal from service after
convoy escort and support of re-occupation
to August requirements had been met.