I-Class Fleet
Destroyer built by J. S. White at Cowes ordered in October 1935 under the 1935
Build Programme. The ship was laid down on 29th January 1936 and launched on
1st March 1937. Build was completed on 29 January 1938 at a build cost of
£258,965, which excluded Admiralty supplied items such ass guns and
communications equipment. .After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in March 1942 she was adopted by Hornsey, Essex. No previous RN warship
had carried the name. This Class of destroyer was designed for use as a
minelayer (See BRITISH DESTROYERS by E. March).
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORWAY 1940 - DUNKIRK 1940
- ARCTIC 1941-44 - ATLANTIC 1942-43 - NORMANDY
1944 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, a mountain
gold erupting proper
upon waves blue and white.
M o t t o
Cor unum, Via una : '
One heart, one way'
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 Serving with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Pleat.
3rd Nominated for transfer to Home Fleet
with flotilla.
14th On arrival at
Plymouth
deployed on anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort duties in SW
Approaches.
17th Searched for survivors from HM Aircraft
Carrier COURAGEOUS in
English Channel.
October Transferred to Home Fleet..
25th Joined Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
November Deployed with Home Fleet major units as
screen during convoy cover and interception
patrols,
For details of naval activities in
Home Waters during 1939 - 1940 see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett..
December Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
Nominated to join 20th Destroyer
Flotilla for minelaying duties.
1 9 4 0
January
4th Escorted HM Battleship NELSON to
Portsmouth from Loch Ewe for repair after detonating
magnetic mine.
8th Resumed duty with Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
17th Towed HM Destroyer DUNCAN, escorted by
HM Destroyer EXMOUTH to Rosyth after
collision during escort of Convoy
ON8.
24th Converted for use in minelaying role at
Portsmouth.
27th Joined new Flotilla at Immingham.
(For details of all minelaying
activities see Naval Staff History (Mining). ).
February
Deployed with Flotilla at Immingham.
March
3rd Took part in minelay with HM
Destroyers EXPRESS, ESK and ICARUS in Heligoland
Bight (Operation IE1 – This was
first Flotilla operational deployment.).
5th Detached for anti-submarine duty in
Moray
Firth.
27th Diverted to load mines at Immingham for
minelay off
Norway.
April
3rd Joined Force WV at
Scapa Flow for
minelaying with Flotilla off
Norway.
(Operation WILFRED/R4 )
5th Laid minefield in Vest Fjord with HM
Destroyers ESK, ICARUS and IVANHOE.
On completion of lay joined HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN and Fleet units.
Lost contact due to weather during
the engagement off
Norway with
the German battleship
SCHARNHORST.
Returned to patrol limits of mined
area but later detached far repair.
17th Under repair.
23rd Provided cover during landings at Andalsnes
(Operation SICKLE).
29th Laid minefield off
Trondheim with HMS ICARUS and HMS IVANHOE
(Operation ZMA).
May
15th During passage for minelay off Dutch coast developed
boiler defects and returned to
Immingham (Operation CBX2)
18th Laid minefield in East Coast Barrier with Flotilla
and HM Auxiliary Minelayer
PRINCESS
VICTORIA (Operation BS5).
Detached on completion and not present when HMS
PRINCESS VICTORIA was mined in
Humber estuary.
20th Deployed for series of minelays with
Flotilla in East Coast Barrier.
21st Operation BS6
23rd Operation BS7
25th Operation BS8.
27th Despatched to assist in evacuation of
BEF from
Dunkirk and took passage to
Dover.
(Operation DYNAMO
28th First trip to Dunkirk and embarked troops for passage to Dover.
29th Second trip to Dunkirk and returned to Dover
31st Made two trips to Dunkirk and returned to Dover.
(Note: Total number of troops embarked was
2,917.)
For details see Naval
Staff History (HMSO, 2002) and BEF SHIPS by J de S
Winser.)
June
1st Sustained damage to propeller and withdrawn from DYNAMO.
2nd Passage to Thames for repair.
3rd Taken in hand at Green & Silley Weir shipyard in
Blackwall, London.
24th Rejoined Flotilla at Immingham to resume minelaying
operations in East Coast Barrier with
Flotilla and auxiliary minelayers.
25th Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayer TEVIOT BANK, HM
Minelayer PLOVER, HM Destroyers
INTREPID
and
ICARUS with HM Destroyer ESK (Operation BS18)
July
17th Carried out trial lay of Mark XX Mine with
HMS EXPRESS (Operation BS24).
18th Operation BS25 with HMS EXPRESS.
21st Operation BS26 with Flotilla, except HMS IVANHOE.
24th Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK with HMS ICARUS and HMS
INTREPID (Operation BS27).
Remained in area alone to confirm satisfactory
lay and remove Danbuoys.
27th Carried out minelay with Flotilla, except HMS
IVANHOE (Operation BS28).
August
2nd Carried out minelay with HMS PLOVER, Dutch
minelayer VAN
DER ZAAN and
Flotilla
except HMS IVANHOE (Operation BS30).
6th Diverted to lay minefield off Dutch coast near
Thornton Bank with Flotilla and
an escort of
Motor Torpedo Boats (Operation C3X4).
13th Although nominated for anti-invasion patrol duties
continued minelaying in East
Coast Barrier
. Escorted HMS PLOVER and HNethMS VAN DER ZAAN
with HMS INTREPID.
(Operation BS3D.
16th Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK with HMS INTREPID
(Operation BS32).
20th Escorted HMS PLOVER and HNethMS VAN
DER
ZAAN with HMS ICARUS
(Operation BS33).
25th Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK, HMS PLOVER and HNethMS.
VAN DER ZAAN with
HMS ESK and
HMS ICARUS (Operation BS34)
26th In hand for Boiler cleaning at Swan Hunter shipyard,
Newcastle.
(Note: Ship not therefore available for
deployment during the disastrous minelay off Dutch
coast when HMS IVANHOE and HMS
ESK were lost and HMS EXPRESS received
serious structural damage.
(Operation CBX5 - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY and Naval Staff
History (Mining) )..
September
3rd Transferred to Dover Command for
anti-invasion minelaying In Dover Strait .
First stage of lay (Operation MSI A).
6th Second stage of lay (Operation MS1A).
7th Reverted to A/S role and deployed on anti-invasion patrol and
escort duties.
October
Escort and patrol duty In North Sea in continuation
10th Re-deployed as minelayer with Flotilla at Immingham.
Continued Operation BS Series in East Coast
Barrier.
22nd Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK and HMS PLOVER with HMS ICARUS
(Operation BS4O)
21st Repeated BS40 (Operation BS42).
November
6th Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK with HMS ICARUS (Operation
BSU5)
7th Docked in
Hull for investigation of excess vibration and refit
December Under
refit.
1 9 4 1
January Under refit
16th Rejoined Flotilla after post refit trials.
Escorted HMS TEVIOT BANK but unable to commence
lay because of weather.
Diverted to Rosyth to await suitable
opportunity.
(Operation BS50)
20th Deployed with HMS INTREPID for Home Fleet minelaying
operation off Fro Havet,
Norway.
(Operation EA)
February
2nd Operation cancelled on passage due to
inclement weather for minelaying.
Transferred to Plymouth for series of minelays
in French coastal waters.
18th Arrived at
Plymouth with HMS ICARUS and HMS INTREPID.
20th Laid minefield off
Brest with HMS ICARUS and HMS INTREPID
escorted by ships of
5th
Destroyer Flotilla and Light Coastal Forces
craft (Operation GS).
24th Laid field with same ships near lie de Baa from
Dartmouth (Operation GT).
26th Laid magnetic mines off Cap d'Antifer (Operation JL).
27th Boiler cleaning at
Portsmouth.
March On completion resumed Channel minelaying operations
19th Laid field near Ile de Bas from
Dartmouth
(Operation GU).
22nd Laid field between
Le Havre and
Cherbourg.
Operation GT).
28th Laid field off
Brest (Operation GX).
31st Laid field off
Brest (Operation GZ).
April Passage to Immingham for boiler cleaning.
18th On completion took passage to Join Flotilla at
Plymouth.
21st Laid mines off Lea Triages, north of Brittany
(Operation HB).
22nd Returned to Immingham to embark torpedo tubes and
revert to destroyer role.
May Joined Home Fleet for A/S duties on completion.
6th Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron for
minelay in Faeroes-Iceland field
of Northern
Barrage, with (MS INTREPID covered by Home Fleet
cruisers.
(Operation SN9A).
19th Landed 278 survivors of HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
SALOPIAN at Greenock.
20th Destroyer Flotilla disbanded.
June Deployed with Home Fleet.
10th Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron with HM
Destroyer ANTHONY during lay
of two
minefields in Northern Barrage covered by HM
Cruiser NIGERIA.
(Operations SN64A and 64B).
18th Taken in hand for repair to boilers in Hull shipyard
July Under repair.
August
Carried out post-repair trials and took passage to Scapa Flow.
8th Joined 3rd Destroyer Flotilla in Home Fleet for A/S
escort of Fleet Unite and
convoy defence
in NW Approaches.
September Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
29th Escorted Russian Convoy PQ1 from Iceland to
Murmansk.
For details of all Russian convoy operations see
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by P Kemp, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B.
Schoefield and
ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman).
October
10th Arrived at
Murmansk with
PQ1.
18th Escorted HM Cruiser
SUFFOLK with HM Destroyer ESCAPADE from
Archangel to
UK.
November Deployed with Flotilla in Home Fleet.
December Home Fleet deployment in continuation but
availability reduced by a succession of defects.
Withdrawn for refit.
30th
Taken in hand for refit at Woolston, Southampton by Thornycroft shipyard.
1 9 4 2
January Under refit
to
June
July
27th On completion carried out post refit
trials.
August
Rejoined 6th Destroyer Flotilla, Hone Fleet for
Russian Convoy and Fleet escort duty after
completing work-up.
September Part of Fighting Escort for Russian
Convoy
PQ 18
16th Sank U457 in position 72.05N 43.15E during defence
of PQ18.
(Note: There were no survivors.
17th Detached from PQ18 and joined return convoy QP14
with Fighting Escort.
18th Detached from QP14 with HM Destroyer FURY and took
passage to Spitzbergen to
collect RFA OLIGARCH on completion of refuelling
escorts.
19th Rejoined QP18 with HMS FURY and RFA OLIGARCH.
25th Remained with QP14 as Western Local
escort during passage to Loch Ewe and joined by
HM Destroyer WORCESTER.
October
Home Fleet deployment with Flotilla in continuation.
20th Joined escort for returning Russian Convoy QP1.
26th Detached from QP15 escort and returned to
Scapa Flow..
November
22nd
Escorted HM Battleship ANSON during provision of
Distant Cover by Home Fleet major
warships for passage of Russian Convoy JW51B.
1 9 4 3
January Home Fleet deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
February
21st Escorted HM Cruiser SCYLLA during
passage of Russian Convoy JW53.
27th Detached from JW53 with HMS SCYLLA and
screen on arrival at Kola Inlet.
March
1st Joined return Convoy RA53 with HMS
SCYLLA and other screening destroyers on
departure from Kola Inlet as escort
during passage to Home waters.
12th Detached from RA53 with four other
destroyers of Ocean Escort.
(Note HMS SCYLLA had detached on
10th March.)
15th Transferred for temporary duty in
Western Approaches Command to reinforce support for
Atlantic
convoys which were being subject to increasing attacks by U-boats.
Joined 3rd Support Group with HM
Destroyers OFFA,
PENN and
PANTHER.
(For details of Atlantic convoy
defence during 1943 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY, THE
BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D
MacIntyre, U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO) , CONVOY by M
Middlebrook, and CONVOY ESCORT
COMMANDER by P Gretton and HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.).
April Deployed with Group in support of
Atlantic convoy defence
25th Took passage from
Newfoundland
to support escort for Convoys ONS5 and SC128 under
threat from U-Boats of FINK and
AMSEL U-Boat Groups.
May Deployment in support of SC128 in
continuation.
4th Detached and took passage to
Iceland to
refuel,
Returned to
Clyde.
June Under refit at
Hull in Amos & Smith shipyard
July
27th Carried out post refit trials before
resuming Home Fleet duties in Flotilla.
(Note: Ship may have worked-up
before operational service.)
August Deployed with Home Fleet for escort and
anti-submarine patrol duty.
16th Relieved escort for 1st Minelaying
Squadron ships during lay of minefield in
Denmark Strait
for part of Northern Barrage, with
HM Escort Destroyer MIDDLETON
(Operation SN74).
Returned to
Scapa Flow
when original escorts had refuelled.
September Home Fleet Flotilla deployment in
continuation.
to October
November
18th Deployed as part of Ocean Escort for
Russian Convoy JW54A.
24th Detached from JW54A on arrival at Kola
Inlet,
28th Joined return Convoy RA54B to relieve
Local Escort and part of Ocean Escort for passage
to Home waters.
December
5th Detached from RA54B on relief by Local
Escort in NW Approaches,
22nd Joined Russian Convoy JW55B as Ocean
Escort with eight Home Fleet destroyers.
29th Detached from JW55B before arrival at
Kola Inlet.
1 9 4 4
January
1st Joined returning Convoy RA55Bl to Ocean Escort and relieved Local
Escort.
7th Detached from RA55B with Ocean Escort
before arrival at Loch Ewe and resumed Fleet
duties.
February
Deployed with screen for Hone Fleet major units during
an anti-shipping strike off
Norway
(Operation POSTHORN)
(Note: The Home units also covered
transit of Russian Convoy JW57 to Kola Inlet.
25th Rescued the only 2 survivors from HM
Destroyer MAHRATTA, sunk by U990 during
defence of JW57.
March
29th Joined Russian Convoy JW58 during
passage from Loch Ewe as relief for Local Escort/
(Note: Ocean Escort included two
Escort Aircraft Carriers and anti-submarine defence was
augmented by Sloops of 2nd Escort
Group with separate destroyer screen.)
April
4th Detached from JW58 with ships of
escort on arrival at Kola Inlet.
7th Joined return Convoy RA58 with escort
on departure from Kola Inlet.
12th Detached from RA58 on arrival at Loch
Ewe and resumed Hone Fleet duties.
(Note: Details of all warships and
escorts are recorded in CONVOYS TO RUSSIA and
THE ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM by A
Hague, which includes losses.)
May Deployed with Flotilla in preparation
for assault.
2nd Final Joint exercise with Forces S, G
and J in Channel (Exercise FABIUS).
4th Took part in landings exercises west
of Littlehampton.
18th Took part in Defence exercise with
Force S off
Brighton.
Nominated for duty with in support
of
Normandy landings with the 23rd Destroyer
Flotilla.
Joined Force S in
Solent with Flotilla.
(Note: For details of
Normandy landings see Naval Staff History
LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June
1944 and
OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards).
June Assembled at
Portsmouth with Force S ships and craft.
6th Provided naval gunfire support on
SWORD Beaches during landings.
Subsequently deployed in Eastern
Task Force area on convoy escort and patrol as
required
by Eastern Task Fore Commander.
27th Remained in Channel area after
termination of
NEPTUNE
July Released from Channel duties and
return to
Scapa Flow
to resume Home Fleet duties.
26th Taken in hand for refit at Immingham.
August Under refit.
September On completion carried out post refit trials..
October
Joined 14th Escort Group for convoy defence in Western Approaches.
November Deployed for convoy defence duty in SW
Approaches
to December
1 9 4 5
January Deployment in Western Approaches in
continuation.
to February
March Transferred to 8th Destroyer Flotilla at
Portsmouth for convoy defence in English Channel
(Note: Increased attacks by
SCHNORKEL fitted submarines and re-routing of convoys
via
English
Channel required additional escorts.) See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and HOLD THE NARROW
SEA
by P Smith.)
April Deployment in Channel In continuation.
May
14th Visited St. Peter Port,
Guernsey after
reoccupation of Channel Islands.
June
7th Escorted HM Cruiser
JAMAICA with
HM King George VI embarked to visit Channel
Islands.
17th Reduced to Reserve at Harwich.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS IMPULSIVE remained in Reserve Fleet at Harwich until placed on
the Disposal List later in 1945. The ship was sold to BISCO for demolition by
T W Young at Sunderland in 1946 and arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard on 22nd January 1946.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS IMPULSIVE
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
12/11/39
|
12/11/39
|
ON 002/1
|
14/11/39
|
15/11/39
|
15/11/39
|
15/11/39
|
HN 002
|
18/11/39
|
18/11/39
|
22/12/39
|
28/12/39
|
TC 002
|
30/12/39
|
30/12/39
|
15/01/40
|
15/01/40
|
ON 008/1
|
19/01/40
|
19/01/40
|
19/01/40
|
19/01/40
|
HN 008
|
22/01/40
|
22/01/40
|
12/08/41
|
16/08/41
|
DERVISH
|
29/08/41
|
31/08/41
|
29/09/41
|
29/09/41
|
PQ 001
|
11/10/41
|
11/10/41
|
02/09/42
|
09/09/42
|
PQ 018
|
18/09/42
|
21/09/42
|
13/09/42
|
unknown
|
QP 014
|
25/09/42
|
26/0942
|
17/11/42
|
20/11/42
|
QP 015
|
26/11/42
|
30/11/42
|
22/12/42
|
26/12/42
|
JW 051B
|
30/12/42
|
04/01/43
|
15/02/43
|
21/02/43
|
JW 053
|
27/02/43
|
27/02/43
|
01/03/43
|
01/03/43
|
RA 053
|
12/03/43
|
14/03/43
|
14/03/43
|
27/03/43
|
SC 123
|
28/03/43
|
03/04/43
|
18/03/43
|
29/03/43
|
HX 230
|
31/03/43
|
02/04/43
|
06/04/43
|
17/04/43
|
HX 233
|
18/04/43
|
21/04/43
|
08/04/43
|
19/04/43
|
SC 126
|
21/04/43
|
23/04/43
|
21/04/43
|
02/05/43
|
ONS 005
|
03/05/43
|
12/05/43
|
29/04/43
|
09/05/43
|
ONS 006
|
11/05/43
|
17/05/43
|
06/05/43
|
12/05/43
|
ON 182
|
14/05/43
|
22/05/43
|
13/05/43
|
21/05/43
|
HX 239
|
24/05/43
|
28/05/43
|
15/11/43
|
18/11/43
|
JW 054A
|
24/11/43
|
24/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
RA 054B
|
05/12/43
|
09/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
22/12/43
|
JW 055B
|
29/12/43
|
30/12/43
|
31/12/43
|
31/12/43
|
RA 055B
|
07/01/44
|
08/01/44
|
02/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
RA 057
|
07/03/44
|
10/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
02/04/44
|
JW 058
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
RA 058
|
14/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
26/07/44
|
26/07/44
|
FTM 049
|
26/07/44
|
27/07/44
|
04/12/44
|
11/12/44
|
AT 172
|
12/12/44
|
12/12/44
|
13/12/44
|
13/12/44
|
TA 170
|
14/12/44
|
21/12/44
|
28/12/44
|
28/12/44
|
BTC 021
|
31/12/44
|
31/12/44
|
30/01/45
|
07/02/45
|
AT 187A
|
08/02/45
|
08/02/45
|
03/02/45
|
10/02/45
|
AT 188
|
11/02/45
|
11/02/45
|
13/02/45
|
13/02/45
|
TA 187
|
14/02/45
|
19/02/45
|
07/02/45
|
14/02/45
|
AT 189A
|
15/02/45
|
15/02/45
|
11/02/45
|
17/02/45
|
AT 189
|
18/02/45
|
18/02/45
|
21/03/45
|
21/03/45
|
VWP 101
|
22/03/45
|
22/03/45
|
23/03/45
|
23/03/45
|
VWP 103
|
24/03/45
|
24/03/45
|
25/03/45
|
25/03/45
|
VWP 105
|
26/03/45
|
26/03/45
|
31/05/45
|
31/05/45
|
TA 208A
|
01/06/45
|
06/06/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)
|