A-Class Fleet
destroyer ordered on 6th March 1928 from Scotts at
Greenock and laid down on 30th July that year.
She was launched on 26th June 1929 as the 7th RN ship to carry the name, introduced in
1764 and last borne by a destroyer sunk at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. Build was
completed on 14th March 1930.
B a t t l e
H o n o u r s
TOULON
1793 - CAMPERDOWN 1797 - COPENHAGEN 1801 - BUENOS AIRES 1807 - BLACK SEA
1854-55 - JUTLAND
1916 - ATLANTIC 1940 - NORWAY 1940 - SCHARNHORST
action 1940
- FALKLAND ISLANDS 1982*
(* Awarded to 8th Ship.)
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On
a Field Black, a Cresset, Silver with flames proper.
M o t t o
'Through Fire and Water'
D e t a i l s of S e r v i
c e
1 9 3 0
March Contractors Trials
14th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion took passage to
Chatham to complete storing and
for commissioning.
23rd Commissioned for service with 3rd Destroyer
Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet.
April Deployed for work-up in Home waters.
No 4 gun mounting found defective and returned
to Chatham fir it to be replaced.
May Under repair.
19th Took passage to join Flotilla in Malta.
June Deployed with Flotilla for exercises and took part
in Fleet visits programme.
to
September
October Flotilla deployment in question due to recurrence of
defects.
31st Returned to Malta for repair by HM Dockyard.
November Awaiting repair and survey at Malta.
December
1st Taken in hand for survey and investigation.
1 9 3 1
January Complement reduced and under repair.
to Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status.
September
October Nominated for recommissioning for service in 3rd
Flotilla.
November
4th Re-commissioned and commenced work-up.
December On completion resumed Flotilla duties.
1 9 3 2 t o 1 9 3 3
Deployed with Flotilla in Mediterranean and took
part in Fleet
Exercise and Visits Programmes as well as
Flotilla exercises
and independent visits. Joined in combined
exercises with
Home Fleet in Gibraltar area during Spring of
each year.
1 9 3 4
January Passage to UK to Pay-off and refit.
February Paid-off and recommissioned for service in 3rd Destroyer
Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet.
March On completion of refit worked-up in Home waters before
taking passage
to to rejoin Flotilla in Malta.
July
August Deployed with Flotilla and took part in Fleet Exercises.
to
December
1 9 3 5
Mediterranean deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
(Note: Ships of Mediterranean Fleet attended
Coronation Review
in Spithead during June 1935.)
1 9 3 6
January Flotilla duties in continuation including Fleet and
Flotilla exercises
to and visits.
August (Note: Italian military operations in Abyssinia and the
outbreak of
the Spanish civil war increased RN activities
and ships of the
Mediterranean Fleet were kept at an increased
state of readiness.)
September
8th Deployed for
Non-Intervention patrols off Spanish coast and provided
assistance to
British citizens with other ships of the Flotilla..
October Western Mediterranean
patrol and assistance in continuation
17th Returned to Malta.
November Flotilla exercises based in
Malta
29th Resumed Spanish coast
patrol including humanitarian aid to refugees.
December Western Mediterranean
patrol and assistance duties in continuation.
1 9 3 7
January Patrol duties and Flotilla exercises in continuation
to (Note: During this period was deployed as Senior
Naval Officer’s ship
February at Barcelona.)
March Passage to UK to Pay-off and for Long Refit.
14th Paid-off and taken in hand by HM Dockyard,
Sheerness.
April Under refit.
to (Note: Work undertaken included installation of
anti-submarine detection
December equipment (ASDIC/(Sonar).)
1 9 3 8
January Under refit at Sheerness.
to Nominated for service with Devonport Local
Flotilla.
March (Note: HM Destroyers CODRINGTON, ACHATES and ARDENT of
this Class and the older destroyer HMS BROKE
were also part
of this Flotilla. The A-Class destroyers had
been part of the
3rd Destroyer Flotilla in Malta with this ship.)
April Post refit harbour trials.
Recommissioned with reduced complement for
service in Plymouth Command.
20th Refit completion and commenced sea trials
May On completion of trials worked-up for operational
duties and joined Local
Flotilla at Plymouth.
June Plymouth Command duties for Training and as
Emergency Destroyer.
to
August
September
24th Complement increased to War standard because of
Munich crisis.
Prepared for war service.
October
11th Complement reduced and resume Local Flotilla duties.
17th Taken in hand for docking and essential repairs by
HM Dockyard, Devonport.
November
15th Resumed duties in Local Flotilla on completion of
dockyard work.
December Deployed for Boys Training at Devonport and Emergency duty
with Flotilla.
1 9 3 9
January Training duties in continuation including visits to
coastal ports in SW England
to to Torquay and Dartmouth.).
June
July At Devonport under dockyard repair.
August War Station with 18th Destroyer Flotilla for convoy
defence and anti-submarine
patrol in Channel allocated.
23rd Full complement joined and prepared for war service.
D e t a i l s of
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)
September Joined Flotilla at Portland for convoy defence.
(Note: Escorts were provided for first troop
convoys to France)
Deployed in SW Approaches and Channel.
October Transferred to Western Approaches Command.
to (Note: CinC Western Approaches was based at
Plymouth in 1939
December but later transferred to Liverpool.
For details of naval activities in Home waters
during 1939 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval Staff
History.)
1 9 4 0
January Passage to Liverpool for convoy duties in Western
Approaches.
Deployed in Irish Sea and SW Approaches.
30th During patrol west of Ushant responded to urgent
call from HM Sloop
FOWEY escorting convoy in which tanker ss
VACLITE had been sunk
by U-Boat attack. Carried out hunt with HM
Destroyer WHITSHED,
French destroyer VALMY, HM Sloop FOWEY and
SUNDERLAND
aircraft of 228 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command.
30th U55 forced to surface and briefly engaged aircraft
which attacked the
the submarine which then scuttled. 41 of
submarine crew were rescued
by HMS FOWEY and HMS WHITSHED.
(For details see U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and
HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
31st Joined escort for HM Cruiser AJAX with HMS WHITSHED
for passage
into Plymouth on return from action again German
battleship GRAF
SPEE in December 1939.
February Western Approaches deployment in continuation.
March Deployed for escort of convoys between Clyde and Norway
April Transferred to Home Fleet after German invasion of
Norway for convoy escort.
14th Deployed with HMS CODRINGTON and HMS ACHATES as part
of escort
for military convoy NP1 during passage to Norway
with troops for planned
landings at Narvik (Operation RUPERT/R4)
(For details see Naval Staff History NAVAL
OPERATIONS OF THE
CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY (HMSO), CARRIER GLORIOUS by
John
Winton, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by J Adams and
NARVIK by
D Macintyre.)
18th On release from NP1 deployed for convoy defence and
Norway operations.
May
4th Damaged underwater Dome for Sonar Outfit and
returned to UK
6th Taken in hand for replacement of Dome.
18th On completion resumed operational duties.
22nd Escorted troopship ULSTER PRINCE taking military
units to Faeroes to
replace Royal Marines landed in April (Operation
VALENTINE)
29th Redeployed for support of Norwegian operations.
31st Deployed with HM Destroyers ACASTA, ACHERON,
HIGHLANDER
and DIANA as escort for HM Aircraft Carriers ARK
ROYAL and
GLORIOUS during passage from Clyde to Norwegian
coast for air
operations in support of evacuation of allied
forces from Norway
Operation ALPHABET).
June Deployed as escort for HMS ARK ROYAL and HMS
GLORIOUS
during air operations with return to Harstad for
refuelling.
8th Detached from HMS ARK ROYAL and joined HM Destroyer
ACASTA
for escort of HMS GLORIOUS during return passage
to Scapa Flow.
Under fire from German battleships SCHARNHORST
and GNEISENAU.
Laid protective smoke screen to hide British
units and engaged enemy ships
with main armament of 4.7in guns which was
ineffective at range of targets
Carried out torpedo attack concurrently despite
return fire from battleship’s
secondary 5.9in armament. One hit was later made
by 4.7in fire and second
torpedo attack was made without success. Ship
hit repeatedly by enemy fire
and capsized with the loss of ten officers and
142 ratings. Sank in position
68.45N 4.30E. The only two survivors were
rescued by a German seaplane
and made Prisoners of War.
(For details see above references.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS ARDENT
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy
sailed |
Joined convoy
as escort |
Convoy No. |
Left convoy |
Date convoy
arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
19/09/39
|
20/09/39
|
OA 007
|
22/09/39
|
22/09/39 |
25/09/39
|
25/09/39
|
OA 010
|
28/09/39
|
28/09/39 |
07/10/39
|
09/10/39
|
OA 017
|
11/10/39
|
11/10/39 |
21/10/39
|
21/10/39
|
OA 023
|
23/10/39
|
26/10/39 |
31/10/39
|
01/11/39
|
OA 028G
|
02/11/39
|
03/11/39 |
02/11/39
|
02/11/39
|
OA 029
|
07/11/39
|
07/11/39 |
03/11/39
|
03/11/39
|
OG 005
|
07/11/39
|
09/11/39 |
14/11/39
|
15/11/39
|
OA 035
|
19/11/39
|
19/11/39 |
08/11/39
|
19/11/39
|
HXF 008
|
21/11/39
|
21/11/39 |
22/11/39
|
22/11/39
|
OA 039
|
24/11/39
|
unknown |
16/11/39
|
02/12/39
|
SL 009
|
02/12/39
|
02/12/39 |
06/12/39
|
06/12/39
|
OA 048
|
08/12/39
|
09/12/39 |
04/12/39
|
16/12/39
|
HX 011
|
18/12/39
|
18/12/39 |
20/12/39
|
20/12/39
|
OA 057
|
21/12/39
|
23/12/39 |
27/12/39
|
29/12/39
|
OA 061
|
30/12/39
|
30/12/39 |
19/12/39
|
02/01/40
|
SL 013F
|
03/01/40
|
03/01/40 |
11/01/40
|
13/01/40
|
OA 070G
|
14/01/40
|
14/01/40 |
01/04/40
|
01/04/40
|
OA 121
|
04/04/40
|
04/04/40 |
11/04/40
|
13/04/40
|
NP 001
|
15/04/40
|
15/04/40 |
12/05/40
|
20/05/40
|
TC 004
|
21/05/40
|
21/05/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)