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H . M . S . A
F R I D I ( L O 7 )
“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 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withdrawn from programme after collision with HM Cruiser PENELOPE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.
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.)
December Transferred to Rosyth
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.)
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
Battalion, Royal Hampshire 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 Destroyer GRENADE 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 GRENADE.
Ship sank in position 66.14 N
05.45E. |
DRAFT