1 9 3 9
August Commissioned
with RNR personnel for Royal Review at Weymouth.
War
Station nominated for service with 15th Destroyer Flotilla.
September Remained
in commission and deployed in English Channel for convoy defence.
12th Deployed with HM Destroyer SCIMITAR as
escort for military convoy DB1 from
Solent during
passage to Brest with troops of BEF.
October Transferred
to 17th Destroyer Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol in Western Approaches
Command
based at Plymouth.
November Deployed
on Atlantic convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol in SW Approaches.
to
December
1 9 4 0
January Atlantic
convoy defence deployment in continuation.
to
February
March
31st Joined escort for inward Convoy HG24F
from Gibraltar during passage to Liverpool in SW
Approaches.
April
3rd Detached from HG24F and returned to Plymouth.
8th Detached for duty
with Hone Fleet after German attack on Norway.
Passage to Scapa Flow for
deployment as escort for military convoys to and from Norway.
22nd Sailed from Rosyth with HM Destroyers
CAMPBELL, IVANHOE, ICARUS, IMPULSIVE
and WITCH as screen for HM Cruisers GALATEA, SHEFFIELD and GLASGOW.
(Note:
These ships were all taking troops to Andalsnes to reinforce earlier landings
(Operation
SICKLE)
23rd Took return passage after disembarking
troops.
May Deployed in support of operations off Norway and for
convoy escort.
10th Sustained damaged during air attack at
Narvik.
20th Deployed in evacuations from Dutch coast
ports including Rotterdam and Hook
of Holland .
(Operation
ORDNANCE).
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to I64 after introduction of new
identities throughout RN.
June Deployed
for convoy defence and patrol in SW Approaches and Channel.
1st During patrol in SW Approaches
carried out depth charge attacks on submarine detected by
ASDIC.
Rescued
survivors from ss CLEARTON sunk by U102 in position
47.3N 09.30W.
After
rescue of survivors resumed hunt for
submarine and sighted rising oil.
No
further contact made and. further search abandoned.
Took passage to land survivors.
(Note : U102 is recorded as lost either by this attack or
subsequently by- mine or
other accidental
cause see U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR by C Blair.
August Atlantic and Channel convoy defence in
continuation.
September
13th Convoy defence and patrol in
continuation.
Deployed
with HM Destroyers MONTROSE, GARTH and Polish ORP BLYSKAWICA.
Transferred
to 5th Escort Group based at Liverpool in continuation.
Joined
HM Destroyers WALKER, WIVERN, WESTCOTT and CALDWELL
October Atlantic
convoy escort duty in continuation based at Liverpool.
to
November
December Detached
for duty at Portsmouth.
1 9 4 1
January Nominated
for convoy defence based in Clyde and took passage from Channel.
12th Joined military convoy WS5B in Clyde for Local Escort in NW
Approaches with HM Destroyers
BEAGLE,
FEARLESS, HARVESTER, HIGHLANDER, JACKAL, LEAMINGTON, LINCOLN,
WATCHMAN and French destroyer LEOPARD.
16th Detached from WS5B
with Local Escort and resumed Channel duties.
February
22nd Escorted HM Destroyer ICARUS for minelay
off Le Havre (Operation JK).
26th Escorted HM Destroyers ICARUS, IMPULSIVE
and INTREPID of 20th Destroyer Flotilla
during minelay off Cap d'Antifer
(Operation JL).
March English Channel deployment in continuation
to
April
May
26th After sinking of HM Battlecruiser HOOD
took passage to Plymouth to assist with search for
German battleship BISMARCK.
27th Resumed Channel deployment after BISMARCK had been sunk by ships of
Home Fleet..
28th Assisted in rescue of survivors from HM
Ocean Boarding Vessel REGISTAN with HM
Destroyers WIVERN and WILD SWAN.
(Note : This ship had been sunk after an air attack
Landed survivors at Milford Haven.
31st Joined military convoy WS8X in Clyde as Local Escort in NW
Approaches with HM Destroyers
BRIGHTON, LEGION, ST MARY'S, SHERWOOD, WILD SWAN,
WIVERN, SAGUENAY
(RCN) and Polish ORP
PIORUN.
(Note : Although HM Cruiser NORFOLK was deployed to provide
Ocean Escort during passage
to Freetown, in view of the threat
presented by BISMARCK strong
additional cover was
also made available.)
June
3rd Detached from WS8X with Local Escort .
8th Joined HM
Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS with HMS WIVERN and HMS WILD SWAN.
(Note : HMS VICTORIOUS had been deployed in search for German
blockade runner and
was on passage to Gibraltar for a Malta aircraft delivery (Operation
TRACER).
13th After detaching from HMS VICTORIOUS took
passage to Freetown with HMS WILD SWAN
as escort for military convoy WS9A during Atlantic passage.
18th Detached from WS9B
with HMS WILD SWAN on arrival at Freetown.
Joined
HM Destroyers BOREAS, BRILLIANT, VELOX, VIMY, WILD SWAN, WIVERN and
WRESTLER
for convoy defence based at Freetown.
20th Provided Local Escort with HM Destroyers
BOREAS, VELOX and WILD SWAN for WS9B on
departure from Freetown for Cape of Good Hope
22nd Detached from WS9B and returned to Freetown.
July
16th Joined military convoy WS9B with HM
Destroyers BOREAS, BRILLIANT and VELOX for
Local Escort on departure from Freetown for Cape of
Good Hope.
18th Detached from WS9B with Local Escort and
returned to Freetown.
August Atlantic and Local convoy defence
based at Freetown in continuation.
to
November
December
3rd Escorted coastal convoy (ST10) to Takoradi.
14th Carried out search for submarines
reported operating in Bathurst - Cape Verde
Islands.
19th Joined military convoy WS14 with HMS
WILD SWAN to supplement Local Escort by HM
Destroyers BRILLIANT and HURWORTH during passage into Freetown.
21st Detached with
Local Escort on arrival of WS14 at Freetown.
1 9 4 2
January Freetown deployment
in continuation.
21st Joined military convoy WS15 with HM
Destroyer VIM3C as Local Escort.
25th Detached from WS15 on arrival at Freetown
February Transferred
to Gibraltar for Atlantic convoy defence.
to Passage to Gibraltar.
June Deployed
at Gibraltar for convoy defence.
July Nominated
for detached service as escort for Malta relief convoy.
17th During passage to Clyde to join Malta relief convoy diverted to
assist in search for survivors
from HMS WILD SWAN.
133
naval personnel and 11 Spanish fishermen
were rescued.
18th Landed passengers at Milford Haven.
August Deployed
with HM Destroyers FORESIGHT, FURY, ICARUS, INTREPID, LAFOREY,
LIGHTNING, LOOKOUT,
WESTCOTT and WRESTLER as anti-submarine screen for HM
Aircraft
Carriers ARGUS, EAGLE, INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers
CHARYBDIS, PHOEBE and SIRIUS during
exercises in Atlantic (Operation
BERSERK).
(Note : These exercises were to prepare for multi-carrier
operations in defence of planned
Malta
Relief Convoy WS21S during passage in western Mediterranean.
(Operation
PEDESTAL)
10th Joined Force Z to provide cover for
passage of Convoy WS21S to Skerki Bank with HM
Battleships
NELSON, RODNEY, HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, EAGLE and
VICTORIOUS,
HM Cruisers PHOEBE, SIRIUS and CHARYBDIS, HM Destroyers
WISHART
LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, LOOKOUT, QUENTIN, TARTAR, ESKIMO,
SOMALI, ANTELOPE, ITHURIEL and
ZETLAND.
11th HMS EAGLE sunk by U73 east of Algiers.
Under
air attacks
12th Under attack by
submarines and resumed air attacks.
Force
Z detached from convoy and remained west of Sicilian Narrows.
(For
full details of passage of this crucial convoy see PEDESTAL by P Smith, Naval Staff
History,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and MALTA CONVOYS
by R Woodman.
13th Detached from Force Z with HM Destroyers
AMAZON, ANTELOPE, ITHURIEL,
WESTCOTT, WISHART and
ZETLAND as screen for HMS INDOMITABLE and HMS
RODNEY during return passage
to Gibraltar.
(Note : Other snips of Force Z remained off Algiers to meet the snips of Force X
which had
escorted WS21S ships to Malta through Sicilian Narrows.
For details see above references.)
14th Arrived at Gibraltar and resumed convoy defence
duties on release from PEDESTAL.
September Atlantic
convoy defence duties in continuation.
to Nominated for conversion and refit.
November (For details of conversion see
V&W DESTROYERS by A. Preston.).
December Passage to UK.
1 9 4 3
January Paid-off
and taken in hand for refit and conversion at commercial shipyard in Middlesbrough
February Under
refit
to
May
June Re-commissioned
and carried out post refit harbour and sea trials.
July Worked-up
for operational service.
August Resumed
Atlantic convoy escort duty in
Western Approaches Command..
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Deployed
on convoy escort in Atlantic.
to (See Special Note below)
December (Note : Did not take part in support or convoy escort during Normandy landings.
See
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY (HMSO).)
1 9 4 5
January Deployed
on convoy defence in Western Approaches.
to (Note : During this period
Schnorkel-fitted U-boats were concentrating attacks on convoy
focal
April points
and convoys had been re-routed through the Channel since threat of air attacks
from
aircraft based in France had been removed.
For
these reasons escorts were extensively re-deployed and support of Channel
convoys
increased.
May After VE Day withdrawn from operational
service and placed in Reserve.
