P or PALADIN-Class Fleet
Destroyer ordered with 2nd
Emergency Flotilla in October 1939 from the Vickers Armstrong shipyard
at
Newcastle. She was laid down on 26th December 1939 with two sister
ships HMS
PENN and HMS PETARD. Despite damage during an air raid the ship was
launched as
had been programmed on 10th June 1941. She was the 10th RN ship to
carry this
name, introduced in 1740 for a Sloop. It was last used for a pre WW1
built
destroyer sold in 1921. Build was completed on 31st August 1942 at a
cost of
£408,200, which excluded Admiralty supplied equipment such as weapons
and
communications outfits .After a successful WARSHIP WEEK for National
Savings in
March 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Thurrock, Essex.
B a t t l e
H o n o u r s
QUEBEC
1759 - HAVANA
1762 -
BALTIC 1854-55 - NORTH AFRICA 1942
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, a
porcupine proper in front of two tridents 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
August Contractors trials and
commissioning.
31st Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials.
September On completion of trials
and storing took passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with Home Fleet.
Nominated for
deployment with Force H at Gibraltar.
October Passage to Gibraltar
to join HM Destroyers PANTHER, PARTRIDGE, PATHFINDER and
PENN in 3rd
Destroyer Flotilla based at Gibraltar.
Deployed for
escort of military convoys during passage to Mediterranean for the
planned allied
landings in North Africa.
November Deployed with Flotilla
and 12 other destroyers in the screen for HM Battleships DUKE OF YORK,
RODNEY, HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Aircraft Carriers FURIOUS, VICTORIOUS ,
FORMIDABLE, HM
Cruisers BERMUDA, ARGONAUT and SIRIUS which providing cover against
surface
warship interference during landings.
(Operation
TORCH. See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett, RELUCTANT
ENEMIES by W
Tute, BRITISH INVASION FLEET by J de Winser and the Naval Staff
History.)
Carried out
anti-submarine patrols for military convoy defence during follow up phase.
December
8th Deployed with HM
Destroyers ANTELOPE. VANOC, BOREAS and Polish ORP BLYSKAWICA as
escort for
troopship ss OTRANTO, HM Depot Ship MAIDSTONE and ss TEGELBUG during
passage from
Gibraltar to Oran.
Under
submarine attack and hit by torpedoed by U602, 70 miles NNE in position 35-55N
40.00E.
Sustained
major structural damage with flooding.
Casualties
included seven killed or missing and three wounded.
10th Transferred
personnel not required for damage control to HMS VANOC.
Taken in tow
by HM Frigate EXE and topweight jettisoned in an attempt to reduce increasing
list.
Tow
transferred to French tug for remainder of passage to Arzeu, Algeria.
Remained at
Arzeu.
1 9 4 3
January Prepared for tow to
Oran
to
February
March Passage under tow to
Oran for survey.
28th Docked at Oran.
May After survey taken
in hand for repair to allow passage to Gibraltar in two parts
to Two Sections
taken in tow by tugs and took passage to UK as part of separate convoys
June SL129 and AX? to
SW Approaches.
Individual
escort was provided for final passage in English Channel to Portsmouth.
N o t e
The two sections of this ship
ware used for accommodation
of crews of Landing Craft in Stokes Bay at Portsmouth and were identified as PORK
(Forward Section) and PINE (After
Section). The Sections were placed on the Disposal List in 1946 and sold for
breaking-up. The Forward Section being towed to Plymouth and the After
Section
to Southampton.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
PORCUPINE
by Don Kindell
no convoy escort duties have
been identified
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