P or PALADIN-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered with 2nd
Emergency Flotilla in October 1939 from the Fairfield shipyard at Govan, Glasgow. The ship was laid down on 15th July
1940 launched on 28th May 1941 as the 5th RN ship to carry this name,
introduced in 1703 for a 4th Rate. It was last used for a pre WW1 destroyer
sold in 1920. Build was completed on 12th December 1941 at a cost of
£404,046, excluding the Admiralty supplied equipment such as weapons and communications outfits. Following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK for National Savings in March 1942 she was adopted by the civil
community of Poplar, Greater London.
B a t
t l e H o n o
u r s
VELEZ MALAGA 1704 - DIEGO SUAREZ 1942 - ATLANTIC 1942-43 - NORTH AFRICA 1942-43
- SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943 -
MEDITERRANEAN 1943
- AEGEAN 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Barry wavy
of 6 White and Blue.
a panther salient gardant Proper.
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 4 1
December Contractor's
sea trials and commissioning.
Nominated for service in East Indies with 12th Destroyer Flotilla.
12th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Deployed
for trials and work-up in Clyde area
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa
Flow,
1 9 4 2
January
1st Arrived at Scapa
Flow to continue work-up with Home Fleet.
17th Part of escort for HM Battleship KING
GEORGE V during passage from Scapa Flow
to
Iceland.
19th Arrived at Hvalfjord.
February Returned to
Scapa Flow with escort for HMS KING GEORGE V.
5th
Arrived at Scapa Flow.
17th Joined escort for HM Battleship MALAYA,
HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE, HM Cruiser
HERMIONE providing Ocean Escort for military convoy WS16 during passage
to the
Indian Ocean.
March
1st At Freetown with WS16.
5th Called at St Helena with HMS PALADIN.
12th Sailed from Simonstown
as escort for HMS FORMIDABLE with HMS PALADIN.
18th Called at Mauritius to refuel.
24th Joined Eastern Fleet at Colombo.
Deployed for screening duties with East Indies Squadron ships.
31st Part of screen for HM Battleship
WARSPITE, HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE,
INDOMITABLE, HM Cruisers CORNWALL, DORSETSHIRE, ENTERPRISE and EMERALD
with
HM Destroyers
FOXHOUND, NAPIER, NESTOR, PALADIN, AND HOTSPUR as Force
A.
April
1st Took part in search for Japanese
warships with Force A south of Ceylon.
5th Deployed with screen for Force
A during further search for Japanese warships in Indian Ocean.
6th Rescued survivors from HM Cruiser
DORSETSHIRE with HM Destroyer PALADIN and HM
Cruiser ENTERPRISE.
8th At Addu Atoll
and rejoined Force A.
9th Deployed with screen for Forces
A
and B during passage from Addu Atoll to
Bombay.
12th Deployed with Screen for Force A during
deployment in Arabian Sea.
(Note: Later transferred to Bombay with Force A ships after
the Japanese air attacks on
Trincomalee which was then considered too
vulnerable.
For details of Indian Ocean events in 1942 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett , OPERATION PACIFIC by E. Gray and WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO).).
Nominated for support of landings in Madagascar
(Operation IRONCLAD).
Took
passage to Durban for escort of IRONCLAD convoys
(See
RELUCTANT ENEMIES by W Tute, WATERY MAZE by B.
Fergusson,
WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO)) and Naval Staff History).
May
3rd Joined Force F with HM
Destroyer PALADIN and HM Aircraft Carrier INDOMITABLE for
Madagascar landings.
4th Part of escort for assault convoy with
HM Destroyers INCONSTANT, PALADIN, ANTHONY,
ACTIVE, LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, LOOKOUT, PAKENHAM, DUNCAN, JAVELIN, eight
Corvettes and four Fleet Minesweepers.
5th Provided support during landings at
Diego Suarez.
7th Deployed with HMS Battleship RAMILLIES,
HMS HERMIONE, HM Destroyers PALADIN,
JAVELIN and ANTHONY for bombardment of Vichy French positions.
(Note: Enemy surrendered after 15 minutes.)
8th Shared credit with HM Destroyer ACTIVE
for sinking French submarine MONGE.
(Note: This Vichy submarine was attempting to attack ships engaged in
support of the landings in
Madagascar).
10th On completion of IRONCLAD deployed in Indian
Ocean for trade defence and patrol..
On release from IRONCLAD took passage to UK.
June On
arrival taken in hand for refit in Clyde commercial shipyard.
July Under
refit.
August
14th Carried out post refit trials
20th Resumed operational service with Home
Fleet. Took passage to Gibraltar.
30th Joined HMS RAMILLIES as escort for
passage to Plymouth.
September
8th Arrived at Plymouth and detached to
resume Home Fleet duties
October Home
Fleet deployment in continuation.
Nominated for screening of Home Fleet ships deployed in support of
allied landings in North
Africa (Operation TORCH).
27th Joined HM Battleship RODNEY with HM
Destroyer PENN as screen during passage
from Scapa Flow for TORCH LANDINGS.
November Transferred to Force H for support of
landings..
Deployed with HM Destroyer PARTRIDGE, QUENTIN and PORCUPINE in screen
for HM
Battleships RODNEY, DUKE OF YORK and HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN to cover landings in
Algeria against attack
by Vichy French warships
7th Took part in
unsuccessful anti-submarine search operation.
Under air attack and sustained serious structural damage with casualties
after near miss.
Three of ship's company were killed and ten injured.
Some fires broke out with Flooding and contamination of fuel.
Withdrawn from operation and returned to Gibraltar at low speed for
repair.
(Note: Did not take part in cover for landings on 8th.)
For
details of TORCH see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff
History).
9th Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard
and placed in dry-dock.
December Carried out
post refit trials and took passage to rejoin Fleet units.
10th Resumed operational service at Oran for
convoy defence and screening..
20th Deployed with HMS PATHFINDER to
supplement escort of military convoy KMF5 which
was under U-Boat attacks in western Mediterranean.
21st Took part in rescue operations after ss STRATHALLAN was torpedoed and sunk by a torpedo
from U562
(Note: Over 1,000 troops were taken off by HM Destroyers LIGHTNING,
PATHFINDER and
PENN. HM Destroyer WISHART rescued
over 1,100 from boats.)
1 9 4 3
January
Mediterranean deployment in continuation.
8th Part of escort for HM Cruiser AJAX on
passage from Bone to Algiers in tow.
(Note: HMS AJAX had been badly
damaged in an air raid on 1st January.).
10th Deployed with HM Destroyers TARTAR as
escort for ss SCYTHIA to Arzeu,
near Oran
in
rough weather.
24th Deployed with HM Destroyers PATHFINDER,
ILEX and HOLCOMBE to escort HM Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS during passage in Atlantic from Freetown to
Gibraltar.
31st Detached with HM Destroyers PATHFINDER
and PENN to refuel at Casablanca.
February Rejoined HMS ILLUSTRIOUS with HMS PENN and HMS
PATHFINDER for escort to Clyde.
6th Detached from HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS and took passage to Clyde for refit.
Nominated for deployment
at Londonderry for defence of Atlantic convoys with 40th Escort
Group.
March Joined Group at Londonderry on
completion of refit.
Deployed with HM
Destroyers PENN in 40th Escort Group.
April Detached for Atlantic convoy
defence with H M Destroyers OFFA, ORIBI and PENN as part of
3rd Support Group.
(For details of the development of weapons and tactics used for convoy
defence and attack see
SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann and THE
TORPEDOMEN by E Poland).
17th Deployed with ships of Group in support
of the escort for Atlantic Convoy HX233 which was
under sustained attacks by several U-boats.
(See HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR Volume 2 by C. Blair.) .
May
Atlantic convoy support in continuation.
1st Part of escort for Convoy ONS5 with HM
Destroyers DUNCAN, IMPULSIVE and PENN.
(For details of this crucial stage of the Atlantic battle see THE BATTLE
OF THE ATLANTIC
by
D MacIntyre and above reference.)
4th Detached to refuel.
On
release from Atlantic convoy defence resumed Home Fleet duties with 12th
Destroyer
Flotilla.
28th Detached to join support for allied
landings in Sicily with 14th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Operation HUSKY - for details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
Naval
Staff History.)
Deployed as screen for
HM Battleships HOWE and KING GEORGE V with HM Destroyers
PENN AND PATHFINDER
June
Joined 14th Destroyer Flotilla and deployed for duties as part of screen
for major warships,
anti-submarine and interception patrols. Took part in preparatory exercises
prior to landings.
Sicily.
July
Flotilla deployment in continuation.
Passage to Mediterranean as
part of screen for HM Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE,
HM Cruisers DIDO and
SIRIUS of Home Fleet with HM Destroyers JERVIS, PENN and
PETARD
8th Deployed as screen for HMS KING GEORGE V
and HMS HOWE forming Reserve Covering
Group.
Stationed south of
Sardinia for use in the event of interference by the Italian Fleet to landings
in
Sicily.
(Note: HM Destroyer
PALADIN was also deployed in screen.
(Operation HUSKY -
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY. and Naval
Staff History).
August Based at
Bizerta for support and escort duties.
9th Deployed with HM
Cruisers AURORA, DIDO, SIRIUS, PENELOPE, HM Destroyers
JERVIS, PATHFINDER, PALADIN and PENN for bombardment of coastal areas near
Naples
and on west coast of Calabria (Operation
ANNOYANCE).
14th Carried out bombardment of Scalea with HMS SIRIUS, HMS DIDO and HMS PENN.
15th During passage for bombardment of Vibo Valentia, Calabria with HMS
PENN and another
ship investigated contact which proved to be an Italian Hospital Ship. This protected vessel
was allowed to proceed.
Engaged convoy with other ships before taking part in bombardment.
16th Returned to Bizerta
.
19th Deployed with HMS DIDO and HMS AURORA
with HMS PENN for interception of
convoy
Engaged convoy of barges, some of which were sunk .
Took passage to Palermo with HMS DIDO and HMS PENN.
20th Carried out uneventful interception
patrol.
22nd Passage to Palermo with HM Cruisers
AURORA, PENELOPE, HM Destroyers JERVIS and
PALADIN for interception patrols and support of military
operations.
September
1st Allocated to 28th Destroyer Division of
14th Flotilla.
(Note: Other ships in Division were HMS PATHFINDER and HMS PENN.
27th
Division comprised HM Destroyers JERVIS, PALADIN and WISHART.)
3rd Deployed with both Divisions at Algiers
and screened H M Battleships KING GEORGE V
and HOWE during exercises.
(Note: These were in preparation for allied landings at Salerno
(Operation AVALANCHE).
7th Deployed as screen for same ships
during passage to Augusta.
9th Part of screen for HMS KING GEORGE V
and HMS HOWE deployed to cover landings at
Taranto (Operation SLAPSTICK).
(Note: Italian warships surrendered at Taranto
were battleships ANDREA DORIA,
CAIO
DUILIO, cruisers CADORNA, POMPEO MAGNO and destroyer DA ROCCO.
Remained with screen during passage of surrendered Italian warships to
Malta.
(Note: Surrendered Italian warships on passage from La Spezia came under attack by German
aircraft
on passage west of the Straits of Bonifacio.
Battleship ROMA was sunk by a radio controlled bomb.
See
above references and THE NAVAL WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN by J
Greene and A Massignani.) )
15th Deployed with HM
Destroyers JERVIS, ILEX, PATHFINDER, PENN and PETARD as
screen for HM
Battleships WARSPITE and VALIANT to provide cover during allied landings
at Salerno (Operation
AVALANCHE).
16th Deployed with four
other destroyers as escort for HMS
WARSPITE during tow by two
US Navy tugs to Malta
after being hit by two bombs during in air attacks off Salerno.
19th Resumed Flotilla deployment as escort
for convoys between Algiers and Corsica.
25th Replaced Free French destroyer
LE FANTASQUE as escort for Free French Cruiser JEANNE
D'ARC during transport of troops from Algiers to Ajaccio.
(Note: LE FANTASQUE
had run aground.)
October
Transferred to Levant Force for support of operations in defence of
islands in Aegean against
German attempts to occupy after Italian surrender.
5th Sailed from Malta to join HM
Destroyers PETARD and PENN for Aegean duties.
6th Passage to Alexandria.
(Note: One source
records that during passage with HM Cruisers SIRIUS and DIDO ship took
part in
bombardment of Scalette.)
7th Sailed from Alexandria with HM
Cruiser CARLISLE and HM Destroyer PETARD to meet
HM Destroyer ALDENHAM
and Greek destroyer THEMISTOCLES for interception patrol
through Scarpanto Straits (Operation CREDENTIAL).
8th Carried cut patrol west of Cos and Leros with HM Destroyers
PETARD, ROCKWOOD and
Greek
MIAOULIS after
dusk.
9th Bombarded shipping at Kalymos.
Under attack by dive
bombers south of Scarpanto Strait.
Received two direct hits and four near misses.
Sank quickly with heavy loss of life after breaking in two in position
35.48 N 27.30E.
33 of ship's company
were killed.
(Note: HMS CARLISLE was seriously damaged in these attacks but taken in
tow to
Alexandria by HMS ROCKWOOD.).
For details see WAR
IN THE AEGEAN by P Smith and E Walker).
Addenda
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
PANTHER
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
16/06/42
|
17/06/42
|
HARPOON
|
12/06/42
|
16/06/42
|
16/09/42
|
26/09/42
|
GIBSPEC
|
16/09/42
|
26/09/42
|
20/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
KMF 005A
|
20/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
18/01/43
|
19/01/43
|
GUS 003
|
18/01/43
|
07/02/43
|
17/04/43
|
18/04/43
|
HX 233
|
06/04/43
|
21/04/43
|
19/04/43
|
21/04/43
|
SC 126
|
08/04/43
|
23/04/43
|
02/05/43
|
03/05/43
|
ONS 005
|
21/04/43
|
12/05/43
|
18/05/43
|
19/05/43
|
ONS 007
|
07/05/43
|
25/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
28/05/43
|
SC 131
|
18/05/43
|
31/05/43
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)
GERMAN ACCOUNT OF THE STUKA
ATTACK on HMS CARLISLE and HMS PANTHER
Click here for the account by Lt Col Hans Peter Eisenback, author of
"Fronteinsatze eines Stuka-Fliegers", kindly sent by the author.
Also the story of the US Combat Air Patrol at the time