I-Class
Fleet Destroyer ordered from Hawthorn Leslie, Newcastle on 30th October 1935
under the 1935 Build Programme with delivery by 30th April 1937. The ship was
laid down on 26th January 1936 and launched on 11th December that year as the
1st RN warship to carry the name. Build was completed on 30th June 1937 after
delay due to delay in delivery of gun mountings. The contract price was
£257,117 excluding items supplied by Admiralty such as guns and communications
outfits. This Class of destroyer was designed for use as minelayers (See
BRITISH DESTROYERS by Edgar
March and the Naval Staff History (MINING) for more information). Her pre-war
service was with the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean and she took
part in Non-intervention patrols off .Spain during the Spanish civil
war..
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1939 - MEDITERRANEAN - NORWAY 1940 - CRETE 1941
H e r a l d i c D a
t a
Badge: On a Field
Purple, two sceptres in saltire, surrmounted .by
an orb gold.
M o t t o
Deum cole Regum serva: ‘Worship God, serve the King'
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
September
Deployed in Mediterranean with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla at Alexandria.
3rd Transferred with Flotilla to Western Approaches for Convoy Escort
duty.
5th Passage to Plymouth from Malta.
11th Joined Western Approaches Command at Plymouth and deployed in SW
Approaches for
anti-submarine and convoy defence duties.
October
Convoy defence and patrol in SW Approaches in continuation.
Nominated for transfer to Home Fleet for
screening duties and convoy defence in North Sea
and NW Approaches.
November
Passage to Scapa Flow to Join Home Fleet.
December Home
Fleet duties in continuation based in Clyde and Loch Ewe.
(Note: During this period major units of Home
Fleet were not using Scapa Flow pending
improvement of defence after loss of HM
Battleship ROYAL OAK.
Major units carried out searches for German
commerce raiders.
For details of naval activities in Home Waters
in 1939-40 see the Naval Staff History).
1 9 4 0
January
4th Escorted HM Battleship NELSON to Portsmouth from Loch Ewe for
repair after being
damaged by magnetic mine. HM Destroyer FAULKNOR
was also in company.
8th Passage .from Portsmouth to return to Hone Fleet duties.
February
Home Fleet screening duties and escort of convoys to
Norway.
29th In collision with Swedish ss NORDIA in position 61.12N 03.08E.during
escort of convoy
Speed restricted to 12 knots due to structural
damage forward which caused some flooding.
Returned to Lerwick escorted by HM Cruiser
CALCUTTA.
March
Passage to Tyne for repair.
Taken in hand for repair at Wallsend by Swan
Hunter shipyard.
April Under repair.
14th On completion of post refit trials took passage to rejoin Fleet off
Norway.
.
15th Deployed off Norway for screening duties, convoy escort and support
of military operations.
See NARVIK by D MacIntyre, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION
by J Adams, CARRIER
GLORIOUS BY J Winton and Naval Staff
History(HMSO-2001) for details of the disastrous
operations).
May
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changed to 109.
2nd Took part in evacuation of allied forces from Namsos with HM
Destroyers HASTY, NUBIAN.
AFRIDI and French destroyer BISON.
3rd Rescued survivors from HM Destroyer AFRIDI with HM Destroyer
GRIFFIN
(Note: These included survivors from BISON and
troops)
Screened HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE covering return
convoy to UK.
(See above references).
14th Nominated for transfer to 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean
Fleet.
(Note: This was part of a reinforcement plan to
ensure adequate protection for major ships of
Fleet at Alexandria in the event of war with
Italy)
.
15th Took passage from Plymouth for Alexandria.
24th Joined Flotilla at Alexandria for Fleet escort and convoy defence
duty.
June Flotilla deployment at Alexandria.
(Note: Did not form part of Fleet escort during
operation to cover passage of two convoys from
Malta which was postponed on 28th June. See
below)
.July
7th Deployed with HM Destroyers DAINTY, DEFENDER, HASTY, HOSTILE,
HYPERION,
ILEX, ,JANUS, JUNO, VAMPIRE (RAN) and VOYAGER
(RAN) as destroyer screen for
HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE, HM Battleships
MALAYA, ROYAL SOVEREIGN and
WARSPITE, HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, ORION,
LIVERPOOL, NEPTUNE and SYDNEY
(RAN) providing cover for passage of Convoys MF
1 and MS 1 from Malta to Egypt
(Operation MA5 - This operation was a repeat of
an earlier attempt which was postponed on
28th June after an engagement with Italian destroyers).
See THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D
MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY, MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman and
Naval Staff History (HMSO
-2002)
8th Detached and returned to Alexandria.
(Note: This may have been due to a defect, but
in any event precluded taking a part in the
action with an Italian battle group which
attempted to make an attack on this convoy
on 9th July (Battle of Calabria)
18th Deployed with HM Destroyer HEREWARD for escort of Convoy AN2 to
Piraeus
Resumed Fleet screening duties with Flotilla on
return
(Note: Ship may have escorted a southbound AS
Series convoy on return passage.)
August
Eastern Mediterranean deployment in continuation.
30th Joined HM Destroyer DECOY, ILEX, JANUS, NUBIAN, VAMPIRE (RAN),
VENDETTA
(RAN) and GARLAND as screen for HM Aircraft
Carrier EAGLE, HM Battleships MALAYA
and WARSPITE, HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, KENT,
LIVERPOOL, ORION and SYDNEY
(RAN) to provided Distant Cover for Convoy MS2
to Malta from Egypt.
(Operation MB3)
.
31st Under air attacks during which ORP GARLAND was damaged.
September
1st Detached from MS2 with covering Force on arrival in Malta and took
passage to meet HM
Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Battleship
VALIANT, HM Cruisers COVENTRY and
CALCUTTA (Force F) joining the Fleet from
Gibraltar
(Operation HATS).
2nd Met Force F and took passage with screen for major Fleet units for
air attacks on Rhodes
4th Carried out depth charge attacks after detecting submarine contact
whilst part of escort for
HMS WARSPITE.
5th Arrived at Alexandria with Fleet after attacks on Rhodes.
8th Deployed with HM Destroyers DAINTY, DECOY, JANUS, JERV1S, JUNO,
MOHAWK,
STUART (RAN) and VAMPIRE (RAN) as screen for HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS
EAGLE, HM Battleships MALAYA, RAMILLIES,
VALIANT, HMS WARSPITE, HM
Cruisers AJAX, GLOUCESTER, LIVERPOOL, ORION,
SYDNEY (RAN) and YORK to
provide cover for passage of Convoys M?3 from
Egypt and MF4 from Malta .
(Operation MBB6).
October
11th During entry of Convoy MF3 into Valetta, mined in position 35.24N
14.34E, 15 miles south
of Delimara.
Sustained major structural damage and towed into
Malta by HMS DECOY.
12th Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard, Malta.
November
Under repair.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January
Under repair
to Damaged steering gear was replaced using items
from HM Destroyer GALLANT.
February
March
Sustained further damage during air raid on
Malta.
23rd On completion of post refit trials took passage to Gibraltar to work
-up.
27th Worked-up for operational service at Gibraltar.
April Deployed at Gibraltar for work-up.
On completion took passage to Malta to resume
duties with Flotilla in Eastern Mediterranean.
(Note: Ship may have taken passage with
reinforcement ships on passage to join Fleet at
Alexandria (Operation SALIENT)
28th Deployed with HM Cruisers ABDIEL, DIDO, HM Destroyers JAGUAR, JERVIS
and JUNO
as escort for HM Supply Ship BRECONSHIRE during
passage to Alexandria.
30th Arrived at Alexandria with same ships and resumed Flotilla duties in
Eastern Mediterranean.
May
Deployed with Flotilla for Fleet duties in Eastern Mediterranean.
7th Escorted m Cruiser AJAX with HM Destroyers HAVOCK and HOTSPUR for
bombardment of Benghazi.
28th Deployed with HM Cruisers ORION, DIDO, HM Destroyers DECOY, JACKAL.
HOTSPUR,
KIMBERLEY and HEREWARD for evacuation of troops
from Heraklion
(Note: Destroyers ferried troops from shore to
cruisers outside the harbour.
29th During return passage to Alexandria under air attacks in approaches
to Kaso Straits.
Disabled by near misses which damaged steering
gear beyond repair which in view of air threat
Ships company taken off by HMS HOTSPUR which
then sank the ship by torpedo in
position 32.23N 25.40E.
(See above references for details of the
disastrous operations in defence of Crete).
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS IMPERIAL
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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29/09/39
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29/09/39
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OA 012G
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02/10/39
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02/10/39
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02/10/39
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02/10/39
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OG 001
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03/10/39
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08/10/39
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26/09/39
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03/10/39
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HG 001
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05/10/39
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06/10/39
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10/12/39
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unknown
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TC 001
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17/12/39
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17/12/39
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22/12/39
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28/12/39
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TC 002
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30/12/39
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30/12/39
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15/01/40
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15/01/40
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ON 008/1
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19/01/40
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19/01/40
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29/01/40
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29/01/40
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HN 009B
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02/02/40
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02/02/40
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05/02/40
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05/02/40
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ON 010/1
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08/02/40
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08/02/40
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08/02/40
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08/02/40
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HN 010
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11/02/40
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11/02/40
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13/02/40
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13/02/40
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ON 012/1
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16/02/40
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16/02/40
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16/02/40
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18/02/40
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HN 012
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19/02/40
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19/02/40
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23/02/40
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23/02/40
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ON 015/1
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27/02/40
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27/02/40
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28/02/40
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29/02/40
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HN 015
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01/03/40
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01/03/40
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(Note on Convoys)
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