P
or PALADIN-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered with
2nd Emergency Flotilla in October 1939 from the Vickers Armstrong shipyard at
Newcastle and laid down on 26th December 1939 at the same day as sister ships
HMS PETARD and PORCUPINE. She was launched en 12th February 1941 and was the
2nd RN ship to carry this name, last used for a destroyer built in WW1 and sold
in 1921. Build completed on 10th February 1942 at a cost of £408,200, which
excluded the Admiralty supplied equipment such as weapons and radio outfits.
After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 she was
adopted by the civil community of Camberwell, Greater London.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1942-43 - MALTA
CONVOYS 1942 - NORTH
AFRICA 1942-43 - SICILY
1943 - SALERNO
1943 - AEGEAN 1943 - MEDITERRANEAN
1943 - BURMA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Barry wavy of six white and blue.
a demi lion erased Black, enfiled with a ducal coronet Gold.
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 2
February Contractor's sea trials and commissioning.
20th Build completion and acceptance
trials.
March
Under repair to damage during sea trials.
April
11th On completion took passage to Scapa
Flow to work-up with Home Fleet.
19th Arrived at Scapa Flow.
May
Deployed with Hone Fleet after work-up for screening duties and Atlantic
convoy cover.
June
Deployed as screen for HM Battleship RODNEY during cover for passage of
military convoy
WS19 to Freetown.
19th Joined
WS19 during passage from Freetown with HMS RODNEY, HM Destroyers
DERWENT,
PATHFINDER and QUENTIN.
26th Detached from WS19 on relief by HM
Cruiser SHROPSHIRE.
July
Return passage to rejoin Hone Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Nominated for defence of Malta relief convoy.
31st Passage to Clyde to joined escort for
military convoy WS21S.
August
2nd Sailed from Clyde with HM Destroyers
AMAZON, ASHANTI, ESKIMO, MALCOLM,
PATHFINDER, QUENTIN, SOMALI, TARTAR, VENOMOUS, WISHART, WOLVERINE,
BICESTER, BRAMHAM, DERWENT, LEDBURY, WILTON and ZETLAND as screen for
HM Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, HM Cruisers KENYA and NIGERIA to cover
passage
of WS21S to Gibraltar.
10th Joined Force X as screen for HM
Cruisers CAIRO, KENYA, NIGERIA and MANCHESTER
with H M Destroyers INTREPID, ICARUS, FURY, PATHFINDER, LEDBURY,
BRAMHAM,
TARTAR and ASHANTI for Close
Escort of convoy for whole of passage to Malta.
12th Rescued survivors
from ss EMPIRE HOLT with HMS BRAMHAM,.
13th Rescued survivors
from American ss SANTA ELIZA.
Attempt to
tow tanker ss OHIO failed due to air attacks. Took off mercantile crew.
15th Assisted in saving
badly damaged tanker OHIO with HM Destroyer BRAMHAM and HM
Fleet Minesweeper RYE.
(For full details of this Operation see PEDESTAL by P Smith and THE
BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre and the Naval Staff History)
21st Passage to UK from Gibraltar as part of
screen for Home Fleet major units.
September
Resumed duties in NW Approaches with Home Fleet.
October
Nominated for screening duty of Hone Fleet ships deployed in support of
allied landings in North
Africa (Operation TORCH).
Passage to Gibraltar
27th Deployed with HM Destroyer PANTHER as
escort for HMS RODNEY during passage to
Gibraltar for planned landings.
November
8th Deployed in support of landings in
North Africa as part of screen for units of Home Fleet
deployed in western Mediterranean.
(For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY and Naval Staff History).
December
Deployed with 3rcl Destroyer Flotilla in western Mediterranean.
Escorted convoys and supported military operations.
18th Rescued 173 survivors from HM Destroyer
PARTRIDGE sunk by U565 west of Oran.
21st Joined HM Destroyers LAFOREY,
LIGHTNING, PENN and WISHART in rescue operations
when troopship ss STRATHALLAN was torpedoed during passage of
KMF5.
(Note: Over 1,000
troops were taken off. Other ships including HMS WISHART rescued 1,179 others
from
boats. The troopship caught fire and sank later.)
1 9 4 3
January Force H deployment with Flotilla in
continuation
15th Embarked WRNS personnel at Gibraltar
for passage to Algiers for duty on the staff of allied
Naval Commander.
25th Deployed with HM Destroyers PATHFINDER
and PANTHER for the escort of HM Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS during passage in Atlantic from the Indian Ocean.
Joined HM Destroyers ILEX and HOLCOMBE for escort.
Carried out search for missing aircraft before arrival at Freetown.
26th Sailed from Freetown with HM Destroyers
PANTHER, PATHFINDER, ILEX and HOLCOMBE
as escort for HMS ILLUSTRIOUS.
31st Detached from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and took
passage to Casablanca with HMS PATHFINDER
and HMS PANTHER to refuel.
February Rejoined HMS ILLUSTRIOUS with HMS PATHFINDER as escort during passage to
UK
Taken in hand for refit.
Nominated for service in
7th Destroyer Flotilla on completion.
March
Resumed Flotilla duties.
Nominated for detached service for Atlantic convoy defence based at Londonderry
Deployed with 40th Escort Group for convoy defence.
Transferred to 3rd Support Group and deployed for reinforcement of
escorts fir Atlantic convoys
under threat of sustained attacks by U-Boat Groups. See THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC
by D MacIntyre.
April
Joined HM Destroyers IMPULSIVE and OFFA with HMS PANTHER in Support Group.
(For details of development of weapons used in this crucial stage of the
Battle of the Atlantic see
SEEK AND STRIKE by W. Hackmann, THE TORPEDOMEN by E. Poland and RADAR AT
SEA by D Hawse).
14th Exercised with Group off Londonderry
prior to support operations,
17th Deployed with Group in support of the
passage of Convoy HX233 which was under a sustained
series attacks by several U-boats.
See HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.
18th Transferred to support escort of Convoy
HX230 to supplement anti-submarine defence.
29th Sailed from St. John's Newfoundland to
support escort of Convoy ONS5.
May
1st Joined HM Destroyers DUNCAN, HM
Frigate TAY and four corvettes with HMS IMPULSIVE
and HMS PANTHER to supplement anti-submarine defence for Convoy ONS5
which was under
attack by U-Boats of FINK and AMSEL groups.
(Note: Passage was delayed by fog off Newfoundland.)
For
details of this crucial battle see THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by D MacIntyre,
U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO) and HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR).
4th Detached to refuel.
5th Atlantic convoy support in
continuation.
June
Resumed Home Fleet duties with 12th Flotilla.
Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean
for support of the planned landings in Sicily with Home
Fleet ships (Operation HUSKY).
Passage to Mediterranean to join 14th Destroyer Flotilla for screening
duties.
July
Deployed as part of screen for HM Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE, HM
Cruisers DIDO,
and SIRIUS of Home Fleet with HM Destroyers JERVIS, PANTHER, PALADIN
and PETARD
to provide cover for passage of military convoys to Oran and Malta.
8th Deployed as screen for HMS KING
GEORGE V and HMS HOWE forming Reserve Covering
Group as part of Force Z
(Operation HUSKY - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.
Barnett
and Naval Staff History).
(Note: To be stationed south of Sardinia for use in the event of
interference by the Italian Fleet
to landings in
Sicily.
9th Sailed from Algiers with Force Z to
take up station.
August Based at Bizerta for support and escort duties.
9th Deployed with HM Cruisers AURORA,
DIDO, SIRIUS, PENELOPE and HM Destroyers
JERVIS, PATHFINDER, PALADIN and PANTHER far 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 PANTHER.
15th During passage for bombardment of Vibo
Valentia, Calabria detached to investigate contact
which proved to be an Italian Hospital Ship.
Allowed ship 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 PANTHER and intercepted convoy
of barges, some of which were sunk in brief engagement.
Took passage to Palermo with HMS DIDO and HMS PANTHER.
. 20th Carried out uneventful interception
patrol.
22nd Passage to Palermo with HM Cruisers
AURORA, PENELOPE, HM Destroyers JERVIS,
PANTHER and PALADIN for interception patrols and support of military
operations.
September
2nd Allocated to 28th Destroyer Division of
14th Flotilla.
(Note: Other ships in Division were HMS PATHFINDER and HMS PANTHER.
27th Division comprised
HMS JERVIS, HMS PALADIN and HMS WISHART.)
3rd Deployed with both Divisions at
Algiers and screened HM 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: Italian warships on passage from La Spezia came under attack by
German aircraft on
passage west
of the Straits of Bonifacio and 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, PANTHER and PETARD as
screen for HM Battleships WARSPITE and VALIANT to provide cover during
allied
landings at Taranto .
16th Deployed with four other destroyers as
escort for HMS WARSPITE during tow by two US
Navy tugs to Malta after battleship had been being hit by two bombs
during in air attacks off
Salerno.
19th Resumed Flotilla deployment as escort
for convoys between Algiers and Corsica.
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 Taranto with HM Destroyer
PETARD to join HMS PANTHER for support of
operations in Aegean area after the Italian surrender and prevent a
German occupation.
6th Passage to Alexandria.
7th Deployed in support of military
operations in the Aegean
. 9th Sailed from Alexandria with HMS PETARD
and HMS PATHFINDER for bombardment of
an assembly of barges at Kalymnos
16th Embarked stores for garrison at Leros
and sailed from Alexandria as screen for HM Cruiser
AURORA with HM Destroyers JERVIS, HURSLEY and the Greek destroyer
MIAOULIS.
Landed stores and withdrew to westward under sustained air attacks.
17th Laid up during daylight in Turkish
waters with destroyers.
After nightfall carried out interception west of Kalymos with same ships
.
Bombarded ships at Port Kalymos.
Return fire damaged HMS HURSLEY
.
(Note: Ex British Minesweeper WIDNES captured in 1941 was sunk as UJ2109.)
18th Sank wreck of transport TRAPANI with
HMS JERVIS.
Met HMS AURORA and returned to Alexandria with same destroyers.
27th Embarked troops and stores for passage
to Leros.
Sailed with HM
Destroyer DULVERTON and Greek MIAOULIS.
Met HM Cruiser PHOEBE and later transferred troops in Partheni Bay.
Carried cut anti-shipping sweep west of Levitha and returned to
Alexandria with HM Cruiser
AURORA.
November Aegean defence duties in continuation.
3rd Embarked troops of 1st Bn Kings Own
Royal Rifle Corps at Alexandria.
Sailed with HM Cruiser PHOEBE, HM Destroyer FAULKNOR, ECHO and
PATHFINDER
for Leros.
Owing to lack of space, motor transport and Bren carriers were not
taken.
4th After lay up in Gulf of Doris during
daylight landed troops at Leros.
5th Laid up in Turkish waters during
daylight.
7th Deployed with HMS PATHFINDER for
interception of invasion craft between
and Paros
and Naxos.
No contact made but
sank German decoy ship GA45 off Crete.
(Note: The enemy
deployed this type of ship to entice submarines to carry out a surface
engagement similar to the role of British Q Ships in WW1)
13th Deployed with HM Destroyers ALDENHAM
and BLENCATHRA to reinforce destroyers
off
Leros.
Under succession of
air attacks.
15th Bombarded German troop concentration
in Alinda Guma Neck, Leros in support of
Royal West Kents with
HMS ALDENHAM and HMS BLENCATHRA.
Carried cut
interception patrol with HMS ALDENHAM around Leros.
No German build-up
convoys sighted.
Hit by shore fire
with little damage.
16th Laid up In Turkish waters during
daylight.
Embarked injured
troops brought from Leros by small craft.
Covered tow of
damaged destroyer HMS ROCKWOOD by HMS BLENCATHRA
during passage to Alexandria.
December Deployed in Aegean area
in support of evacuation.
3rd Escorted damaged Greek destroyer
ADRIAS with HM Destroyer JERVIS to Kavavia
Bay from Casteloriso
to lay up pending tow.
4th Escorted Greek Escort Destroyer ADRIAS
and tug BRIGAND to Limassol.
5th Escort of ADRIAS during passage to
Alexandria with HMS JERVIS until relieved by
HM Destroyers EXMOOR
and ALDENHAM
10th
On release from Aegean Force resumed Flotilla duties with Fleet.
For details of the
disastrous operations in the Aegean during late 1943 see WAR IN
THE AEGEAN by P Smith
and E Walker and A SAILORS WAR by SR Lombard-
Hobson.
21st After transfer to Adriatic for convoy
defence and support of shore operations.
Carried cut offensive
sweep between Manfredonia and Dubrovnoik with HM Destroyer
TYRIAN.
No shiopping was
encountered.
26th Carried cut further patrol between San
Benedetto to Anconba.
Nominated for service
with Eastern Fleet
1 9 4 4
Januiary Passage to join Eastern Fleet at
Trincomalee
Transferred to 16th
Destroyer Division of 11th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note: HM Destroyers
PALADIN, PATHFINDER and PETARD were also transferred.)
February Under repair.
(Note: Although
nominated for escort duties with HMS PETARD and HMS PALADIN did
not go to Kilindini
with ships of Flotilla for escort of military Convoy KR8 during
passage
of which troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL was sunk with heavy loss of life.
On completion of
repair deployed for screening and patrol duty in Indian Ocean with other
Fleet destroyers.
March Screening and convoy defence in
continuation.
April
16th Part of screen for HM Battleships QUEEN
ELIZABETH, VALIANT, French battleship
RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers
NEWCASTLE, NIGERIA, CEYLON, GAMBIA and Dutch cruiser
TROMP with HM
Destroyers ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE, PETARD, QUIBERON,
NAPIER, NEPAL, NIZAM and Dutch destroyer
VAN GALEN as Force 69.
18th Covered Force 70 air operations by HM
Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS and the US aircraft
carrier USS SARATOGA
against airfields and other shore installation at Sabang, NW Sumatra.
(Operation COCKPIT).
24th Returned to Trincomalee with Force 69
screen.
May Eastern Fleet deployment in
continuation.
6th Part of screen for HMS QUEEN
ELIZABETH, HMS VALIANT, French RICHELIEU, HM Cruiser
NEWCASTLE and Dutch
cruiser TROMP with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE,
NAPIER, NEPAL,
QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH and Dutch VAN GALEN as Force 65.
15th Replenish in Exmouth Bay, NW Australia
from tankers of Task Force 67.
17th Covered air operations by HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS and USS SARATOGA against harbour and
oil refineries at
Sourabaya as Force 66 (Operation TRANSOM).
27th Arrived at Trincomalee with Force 65
screen.
June
Ocean convoy defence and Fleet screening.
to
July
August
Transferred to 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
Nominated for return to UK for refit.
September
2nd Sailed from Trincomalee for escort of
ships on passage to joiun Eastern Fleet
8th Joined Escort Aircraft Carriers for
escort during passage to Trincomalee.
Took passage from Colombo to UK
via Bombay and Mediterranean.
September
Passage in Mediterranean with calls at Malta and Gibraltar.
20th Under refit by HM Dockyard, Chatham
October
Under refit
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
Post refit trials.
18th Arrived at Scapa Flow to work-up with
Home Fleet
February
2nd Took passage from Scapa Flow to rejoin
Flotilla in Ceylon.
14th Sailed from Gibraltar.
March
Deployed for exercises in eastern Mediterranean.
2nd Took passage to Trincomalee with call at
Aden.
15th Joined HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM, TARTAR
and VERULAM in 10th Destroyer
Flotilla at Trincomalee for deployment in East Indies Fleet.
April
27th Part of screen for HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH,
French RICHELIEU, HM Escort Carriers
SHAH, EMPRESS, HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND, SUFFOLK, CEYLON and Dutch
TROMP with 5 destroyers of Eastern Fleet as Force 63 for bombardment of
Car Nicobar
and Port Blair, Andamans.
May
2nd Escorted East Indies Fleet providing
cover for allied landings at Arakan with HM Destroyer
TARTAR.
13th Joined RFA Tanker OLWEN as escort for
support of East Indies Fleet ships as Force 67 during
interception of Japanese warships on passage in Malacca Strait to
Andamans
(Operation DUKEDOM - See following references.)
(Note: During this operation the Japanese cruiser HAGURO was sunk.)
17th Returned to Trincomalee with part of
East Indies Fleet.
June
5th Deployed with H M Destroyers TARTAR,
ESKIMO, NUBIAN and PALADIN for a shipping
strike between Nicobars and Sabang (Operation IRREGULAR).
For details of naval activities in Indian Ocean in 1943 and 1944 see
OPERATION PACIFIC by
E Gray, WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) and Naval Staff History).
13th Sank landing craft SW of Sumatra with HMS
PALADIN.
July
Deployed with Flotilla based at Trincomalee.
to
(Note: During this period Eastern Fleet ships prepared for landing
operations in Malaya which
August were revised and later
postponed because of problems in London relating to
demobilisation of long serving personnel in the Far East under the
PYTHON Scheme and
US
insistence. (Operation ZIPPER)
See above
references and Final SEAC Report (HMSO).
September
Deployed at Penang in support of re-occupation and convoy defence.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS PENN was released from support and convoy escort
duties In October and returned to Bombay on 11th October 1945. She was used as an Air Target ship based at
Singapore for training of aircrew until February 1947 after which she was attached to the 4th Submarine
Flotilla. Her deployment as a target for submarine training terminated at the end of the year when she took passage to
UK for reduction to Reserve status. The ship was laid-up in Harwich after de-storing and later was selected for
use In damage control trials at Portland. On completion she was put on the Disposal List and sold to The West of
Scotland Shipbreaking Company for demolition in late 1949. The ship arrived at the breaker's yard in Troon,
Ayrshire on 31st January 1950.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
PENN
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
15/07/42
|
20/07/42
|
OS 033
|
01/07/42
|
20/07/42
|
16/09/42
|
26/09/42
|
GIBSPEC
|
16/09/42
|
26/09/42
|
13/12/42
|
14/12/42
|
TE 009
|
13/12/42
|
18/12/42
|
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
|
29/02/44
|
04/03/44
|
MA 025/3
|
29/02/44
|
04/03/44
|
04/03/44
|
08/03/44
|
AM 001/1
|
04/03/44
|
08/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
13/03/44
|
CJ 019B
|
11/03/44
|
13/03/44
|
19/03/44
|
22/03/44
|
BM 090A
|
19/03/44
|
22/03/44
|
27/05/44
|
01/06/44
|
AB 040A
|
27/05/44
|
01/06/44
|
14/07/44
|
19/07/44
|
CM 055A
|
14/07/44
|
19/07/44
|
09/08/44
|
14/08/44
|
AB 043
|
09/08/44
|
14/08/44
|
15/07/45
|
21/07/45
|
WO 008
|
15/07/45
|
27/07/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)