TRIBAL-Class Destroyer ordered on 10th March 1936 from Vickers-Armstrong, Newcastle
under the 1935
Build Programme and laid down on 9th June that year. The ship was launched on
8th June 1937 as the 2nd
RN ship to bear this name, introduced in 1907 for a destroyer which was sold in
1919. HMS COSSACK, a sister ship was also launched at this shipyard on the same
day. Build was completed on 3rd May 1938 for a tender price of £341,462 which excluded supply of weapons and
communications outfits by
the Admiralty.
B a t t l e H
o n o u r s
DOVER PATROL 1914-18 - ZEEBRUGGE 1918
- NORWAY 1940
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge: On a Field barry wavy, Blue and White, issuing
from the base
an Afridi’s head and shoulders affronte proper.
D e t a i l s
o f P r e - W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 8
April
29th Commissioned for
service in 1st TRIBAL Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet
May
3rd Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Portland to work-up for service
with Flotilla as
Senior Officer’s ship.
On completion of
working-up took passage to join Flotilla at Malta.
June
3rd Arrived in Malta and
joined Flotilla.
Deployed in Malta
for exercises.
July Nominated for
Non-Intervention Patrol duty off Spanish coast .
Deployed for
patrol and visited Barcelona and Marseilles before return to Malta
August Took part in
Mediterranean Fleet Exercise and Visits programme.
Called at Greek
ports.
September On completion of exercises
took passage to Istanbul with HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE and HM Destroyer COSSACK of Flotilla,
Passage from
Istanbul to Alexandria. to rejoin Flotilla.
(Note: Planned
visits to Black Sea ports cancelled in view of Munich
crisis
October Deployed at Alexandria
with Mediterranean Fleet.
24th Sailed for Cyprus.
November Passage to Malta.
9th Arrived in Malta and
taken in hand for routine docking.
December
17th Undocked and prepared
to resume Flotilla duties.
(Note: Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to F07.
1 9 3 9
January Deployed in Malta with
Flotilla.
February Passage to Gibraltar to take part in joint Exercises with ships of Home and
Mediterranean
Fleets.
March Deployed for joint Fleet
exercises based at Gibraltar
(Note: These
were an annual event in peace-time and reintroduced in 1946.)
18th Sailed from Gibraltar
with Mediterranean Fleet ships for Spring Visits to ports
in South France.
Later withdrawn
from programme after collision with HM Cruiser PENELOPE
during transfer
of mail.
Passage to Malta
for repair by HM Dockyard
April Transferred with
ships of Flotilla to 4th Destroyer Flotilla as new identity.
On completion of
repair took passage to Alexandria to rejoin Flotilla.
(Note: Mediterranean Fleet had been ordered to assemble there after Italian
invasion of
Albania on 7th.)
May On release from Fleet
assembly deployed with Flotilla in Eastern Mediterranean
for Fleet and
Flotilla exercises and visits programme.
26th Visited Mersa Matruh
with HM Destroyer GURKHA (i)
June Exercise and visits
programme in continuation including visits to Greek ports.
to July
August Deployed for Fleet
exercises in Aegean with ships of Flotilla
(Note: This
series of exercises was carried out in anticipation of outbreak of war
possibly
involving Italy.)
Nominated for
deployment in Red Sea as war station.)
18th Returned to
Alexandria.
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)
September
2nd Passage to Red Sea
via Suez Canal for surveillance duties with HM Destroyers
GURKHA (i),
MOHAWK and SIKH of Flotilla.
(Note: Surveillance was required on movement of Italian ships in Red Sea
ports.)
10th On release from
surveillance returned to Alexandria.
October Transferred with
Flotilla from Mediterranean Fleet for service in Home waters.
Passage from
Alexandria to UK with calls at Malta and Gibraltar
Nominated for
service in North Sea with Humber Force based at Immingham.
November Joined
Humber Force.
(Note: Ships of
2nd Cruiser Squadron and 7th Destroyer Flotilla were based
at Immingham for
interception of German warships taking passage to
Atlantic via NW Approaches.)
*Transferred to
Rosyth (before 23rd) in continuation of North Sea deployment including
escort between UK
and Norway.
(Note: ON Series
between Methil and Bergen.
HN Series between
Bergen and Methil.)
*With units of
Home Fleet searched for German ship(s) that had sunk HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser
RAWALPINDI on the 23rd. Erroneously believed to be pocket
battleship
DEUTSCHLAND, but actually battlecruiser SCHARNHORST.
December Rosyth-based duty in
continuation
1 9 4 0
January Owing to accumulation of
defects including leaks and problems with Turbine
blades, withdrawn
from operational use for repair.
(Note: Cracks in
hull structure developed in ships of this Class due to excess
of calculated
stress factors when ship was moving at high speed in
heavy weather
conditions.
Similarly damage
was caused to blades of steam turbines in most of
the British built
TRIBAL Class destroyers in the first months of their
service. Blades
were replaced at refits in 1939 and 1940)
16th Passage to West
Hartlepool.
17th Taken in hand by
commercial shipyard.
February Under repair.
March
19th Carried out post
refit trials and on completion took passage to resume
duties in Home
Fleet.
April Home Fleet duties
with Flotilla in continuation.
7th Sailed from Forth as
part of destroyer screen for HM Cruisers GALATEA
and GALATEA with
HM Destroyers GURKHA (i), SIKH, MOHAWK, ZULU.
COSSACK, KASHMIR, KELVIN, Polish destroyers ORP GROM, ORP
BURZA and ORP
BLYSKAWICA to carry out search for German warships
reported on
passage in North Sea.
8th Deployed as screen
for Striking Force with same ships during sweep to the
northward in
search for German warships.
Striking Force
and screen ordered to join ships of Home Fleet at sea off
Norwegian coast.
9th Joined Home Fleet
with Striking Force.
Detached with HM
Destroyers GURKHA (i), SIKH, MOHAWK, SOMALI,
MATABELE and
MASHONA as screen for HM Cruisers MANCHESTER,
GLASGOW,
SHEFFIELD and SOUTHAMPTON to carry out attacks on
warships and
transports in Bergen
Operation
cancelled and took passage with same ships to rejoin Home Fleet.
(Note: Admiralty
decided that attack at this strength was unlikely to be
successful For
details see NAVAL OPERATIONS IN THE
CAMPAIGN OFF
NORWAY, April – June 1940. ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by J
Adams and NORWAY 1940 by F Kennedy.)
Under sustained
and heavy air attacks during which HMS GURKHA (i) was
sunk , HM
Battleship RODNEY hit by falling aircraft with HMS
SOUTHAMPTON and
HMS GLASGOW slightly damaged by near misses.
10th Passage to Scapa Flow
to refuel and re-ammunition.
11th Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HM Destroyers SOMALI, MASHONA, SIKH,
MATABELE and
MOHAWK as screen for HMS GLASGOW and HMS
SHEFFIELD during inshore interception on Norwegian coast northward from
Alesund
12th Screen deployment
during patrol.
13th Deployed in search
operation by same ships for ships reported by aircraft.
Nominated for
support of planned landings at Namsos.
(Operation HENRY)
Deployed with the
six destroyers of screen to destroy enemy shipping
believed to be at
Alesund.
(Note: On
arrival the ships were found to be Norwegian. See References)
Under air attacks
at Alesund.
(Note: Landing
Parties from the cruisers were embarked in destroyers
14th Rejoined Cruisers and
refuelled.
15th Deployed off Kya
Light to await arrival of troop convoy to carry out landings
at Namsos
(Operation MAURICE.)
16th Arrived at Lillesjona
with troopships and ferried troops ashore.
(Note: HM
Destroyers NUBIAN, SIKH, MATABELE and MASHONA
also carried
troops from ships of MAURICE convoy.)
Under sustained
air attacks.
17th Escorted mv CHOBRY to
Namsos with HM Cruiser CURLEW and same
five TRIBAL Class
destroyers.
(Note: Army
Headquarters staff controlled landings from ship.
See above
references for details.)
Heavy air attacks
continued.
18th Passage to UK with
HMS NUBIAN
26th Escorted supply
convoy from UK to Andalsnes with HM Destroyers
WITHERINGTON and
AMAZON for support of military forces landed
for Operation
SICKLE on 18th.
27th Under series of air
attacks.
28th Deployed off Namsos
for support of military operations.
May Nominated for support
of evacuation of troops from Namsos.
1st Deployed with Fleet
units off Namsos pending evacuation which was
delayed to allow
military forces to disengage from shore operations.
Under air
attacks.
2nd Embarked troops of
Royal Lincolnshire Regiment from shore and
transferred them
to French Auxiliary Cruiser KANTARA.
Remained at
Namsos to evacuate rearguard.
3rd Embarked troops of *Hallamshire
(Sheffield) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regt.
Shelled transport
vehicles abandoned on quayside before sailing.
Took passage as
escort for returning troopships and came under series of
air attacks.
French destroyer BISON was hit and badly damaged.
Rescued survivors
from BISON with HM Destroyers GRENADE and *IMPERIAL
when decision
made to sink the French warship by gunfire..
Subsequently hit
by two bombs and capsized with loss of 100 lives,
including some
survivors from BISON and 13 army personnel.
Survivors were
rescued by HM Destroyers IMPERIAL and *GRIFFIN.
Ship sank in
position 66.14 N, 05.45E.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
AFRIDI
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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16/12/39
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16/12/39
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ON 005/1
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19/12/39
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19/12/39
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21/12/39
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21/12/39
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HN 005
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24/12/39
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24/12/39
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29/12/39
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29/12/39
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ON 006/1
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01/01/40
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01/01/40
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30/03/40
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30/03/40
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HN 023A
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03/04/40
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03/04/40
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24/04/40
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24/04/40
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TM 001/1
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27/04/40
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27/04/40
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(Note on Convoys)
* ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS
With thanks to John Gritten who served on her from 23 November
1939 until her loss
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