1 9 4 0
February Contractors
trials.
10th Build
completion and commissioned for service
Commenced Acceptance Trials
15th Worked-up
at
Portland
March Deployed with HM Destroyers HESPERUS and HIGHLANDER
as 9th Destroyer Flotilla in
Western Approaches Command for Atlantic
convoy defence
April Transferred to Home Fleet with Flotilla after German
landings in
Norway.
Escorted military convoys to
Norway and deployed for support and defence against air
attacks.
May Norwegian
support in continuation.
13th Provided
support during assault landings at Bjerkvik, near Narvik
with HM Battleship
RESOLUTION, HM
Cruisers AURORA and EFFINGHAM,. HM Destroyers SOMALI,
FAME,
WREN and BASILISK.
(Note: French
army mortar mounted forward was used.)
28th Deployed
in Rombaksfjord with HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
FAME and
WALKER to
cover
landing by French
Foreign Legion.
29th Took
part in evacuation of allied troops from Bodo with HM
Destroyers ARROW,
ECHO,
FIREDRAKE and VANOC.
June Norwegian evacuation support in continuation.
4th Co-ordinated
evacuation arrangements at Harstad.
8th Part
of escort for Group II Evacuation convoy with HM Cruisers COVENTRY and
SOUTHAMPTON. HM Destroyers
FAME, FIREDRAKE, BEAGLE and ECHO.
(For details of the disastrous naval operations
off
Norway see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett, .NARVIK by D Macintyre, Naval Staff History (HMSO-2001_
and THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by
Adams.)
. 10th Arrived
at Scapa after completion of Norwegian evacuation.
Resumed duty In Western
Approaches with 9th Destroyer Flotilla.
11th Deployed for Atlantic convoy defence.
16th Detached to cover evacuation of troops from St. Nazaire.
(Operation AERIAL - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser.)
July Returned to Atlantic convoy escort duty with
Flotilla
August Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
September Transferred to
Liverpool
(See THE
BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D Macintyre).
October convoy
escort in continuation.
November
8th Attacked
and sank Italian submarine COMANDANTE FAA DI BRUNO during defence
of Convoy HX84.
December Atlantic
convoy escort with Group in continuation.
1 9 4 1
January Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to
March
April Part
of escort for military convoy WS8A.
Nominated for duty with Force H
with HM Destroyers HESPERUS and HARVESTER
in Force H
at Gibraltar.
May Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS for passage
from
6th Deployed
as escort for HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL
and HM Cruiser
SHEFFIELD with HM Destroyers HESPERUS, HARVESTER,
KASHMIR
and KIPLING during cover of passage of military convoy taking
tanks to the
Middle East.
(Operation TIGER
- This operation also included passage of HM Battleship QUEEN
ELIZABETH, HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, NAIAD and
FIJI to reinforce the Fleet in the
Eastern Mediterranean.
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre and the Naval Staff
History (HMSO-2001)
10th Returned to
Gibraltar from position west of Malta.
12th Retained at
Gibraltar for service in Force H.
19th Deployed
for initial escort of major ships covering
Malta aircraft delivery by HM Aircraft
Carriers
ARK ROYAL and FURIOUS (Operation SPLICE)
Withdrawn from Force
H because of inadequate anti-aircraft capability.
June Returned to Atlantic convoy escort duty.
July Atlantic
convoy escort in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Atlantic convoy escort in continuation.
to For details of development of anti-submarine
weapons and tactics see SEEK
AND STRIKE
February by W Hackmann, U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO).
March Transferred to 5th (British) Escort Group as Senior
Officers’ Ship.
April Deployed with Group for Atlantic convoy escort.
to
July
August Deployed with Group off Eastern American coast for escort
of convoys from the
Caribbean
area to
Newfoundland and
Gibraltar.
September Joined escort of Convoy
WAT13
October Deployment
in American coastal waters in continuation.
to (See above references)
December
1 9 4 3
January
12th Escorted
Tanker Convoy TM1 with HM Corvettes PIMPERNEL and GODETIA.
(Note: This
convoy suffered severe losses in U-Boat attacks during passage to
Mediterranean from the West Indies.
Covered passage of convoy
SC1 with 9th British Escort Group.
February Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
March
16th Participated
in defence of Convoy SC122 with H M Corvettes GODETIA, PIMPERNEL,
BUTTERCUP, LAVENDER,
SAXIFRAGE, HM Frigate SWALE, HM Destroyer
LEAMINGTON of
Group against sustained U-Boat attacks from STURMER Group.
(For details see
CONVOY by M Middlebrook and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.).
April Escorted
Convoy SC126 with ships of Group.
(See above references)
May Atlantic convoy defence with Group in continuation.
Deployed in Support
role.
June Deployed with Group in Joint anti-submarine operations
with RAF Coastal Command
to to attack submarines in transit through
Bay of Biscay. Cover was provided by HM
August Cruisers
SCYLLA,
GLASGOW and
BERMUDA with HM Escort Carrier ARCHER.
(Operations MUSKETRY and SEASLUG - For
details see CONFLICT OVER THE BAY by N.
Franks, ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR.).
September Resumed convoy defence with Group in
Support role.
30th Escorted
military convoy to establish aircraft bases in
Azores.
Deployed with
HM Destroyers WARWICK and VOLUNTEER, HM Sloop
LOWESTOFT
and the Corvettes HMS BUTTERCUP,
FMS LAVENDER and HMS GODETIA.
(Operation ALACRITY).
October Atlantic
convoy support with Group in continuation.
to (For details of development and use of radar
by RN see RADAR AT
SEA by D Hawse)
December
1 9 4 4
January Atlantic convoy support in continuation.
to
April
May Nominated
for support of
Normandy landings and joined 14th Escort Group with HM
Destroyers
FAME, HOTSPUR, ICARUS and INCONSTANT.
Transferred to Plymouth Command.
June
5th Deployed
with Group in SW Approaches to prevent entry of U-Boats into English
Channel for attacks
on invasion convoys (Operation
NEPTUNE).
(For full details
of naval activities prior to and during landings see LANDINGS
IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944 (HMSO),
OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K Edwards
and D-DAY SHIPS by J de Winser.)
12th Deployed
in English Channel and under unsuccessful attack by torpedo bombers south
of
Lyme
Bay
18th Participated in
sinking of U767 with HMS
FAME and HMS INCONSTANT in Channel in
position U9.03N 03-13W.
July Under refit in Liverpool.
to
August
September On completion of post refit trials rejoined
Group for convoy escort in SW Approaches
and
Irish Sea.
October Deployed in SW
Approaches and Channel area for convoy defence.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
Irish Sea and Channel coastal convoy defence
in continuation.
February Under
repair at
Portsmouth.
to
March
April Rejoined Group in continuation of support and escort role in
Irish Sea.
30th Participated
in sinking of U242 by Hedgehog attack with HM Destroyer HESPERUS and
RAF aircraft NW of
Anglesey.
(Note: The credit for this sinking is in dispute
See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp).
May
8th On cessation of hostilities against Germany deployed with Home Fleet.
29th Escorted
rms
ANDES carrying Norwegian Government officials back to
Oslo with HMS
HESPERUS.
June Nominated for service
Air Target Ship duty.
Taken in hand for conversion to suit new role.
July Deployed as an Air
Target Ship for training of aircrew.
to