December
10th Damaged on slip during air raid at Greenock and launched prematurely.
1 9 4 3
January Salvage
and completion in hand.
to
April
May Commissioned
for trials.
June Contractors
sea trials.
10th Accepted into
service with 11th Destroyer Flotilla in Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with Home
Fleet.
July On
completion of work-up deployed with Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
August Prepared
for foreign service and took passage to Freetown.
25th Sailed from Freetown to join Flotilla in Indian Ocean.
September Joined
Flotilla.
Deployed for convoy defence in South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
October Indian Ocean deployment in
continuation.
to Based
at Kilindini.
November
December Transferred
with Flotilla for Fleet duties based in Ceylon.
Deployed
for convoy defence and patrol off west coast of India
1 9 4 4
January Convoy
defence and patrol in continuation.
to February Deployed
for defend of convoys between Men and Durban.
March Deployed
with Flotilla in Indian
Ocean for Fleet
escort, patrol and
convoy defence in Indian Ocean.
12th Part of escort for HM Aircraft Carrier
BATTLER, HM Cruisers SUFFOLK
and NEWCASTLE with HM Destroyer QUADRANT during search in Indian
Ocean
for German U-Boat supply BRAKE. On interception by aircraft BRAKE
scuttled.
April Eastern
Fleet deployment in continuation.
to For
details of operations in Indian Ocean see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,
May and
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and
WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
June Deployed
with Fleet units off Burma and bombarded Martaban.
19th Part of destroyers screen for Force 60
with HM Destroyers QUALITY,
QUICKMATCH, ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE, RELENTLESS
and RAIDER.
(Note: Major warships in Force 60 were HM Aircraft Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS,
HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, French battleship RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers
NIGERIA, KENYA and CEYLON.)
July
25th Deployed with Flotilla as screen for
Eastern Fleet major units covering carrier
operations by HM Aircraft Carriers VICTORIOUS and
INDOMITABLE against
targets at Sabang, Sumatra.
On
completion bombarded shore targets (Operation CRIMSON).
August Passage
to Simonstown.
Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard Simonstown.
September Under
refit.
to
October
November Passage
to rejoin Flotilla at Trincomalee on completion of post refit
trials.
Resumed Flotilla duties with East Indies Fleet
.
December Flotilla
deployment in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Fleet
duties with Flotilla in continuation.
February Joined
Force 68 for offensive patrols and bombarded Cocos
with HM
Destroyers
ROCKET, RAPID and ROTHERHAM
(Operations OFFICE and training.)
See
above references for details
March Eastern
Fleet duties in continuation.
13th Bombarded Letapan, Burma
April
27th Deployed in Force 63 as screen for major
Fleet units providing cover for
landings at Rangoon (Operation DRACULA).
30th Deployed in Force 62 and bombarded
Matapan with HM Destroyers
RACEHORSE and REDOUBT (Operation GABLE.)
. (Note: Operation also included interception of enemy
evacuation craft.)
May
1st Took part in
bombardments at Car Nicobar with Flotilla.
(Operations BISHOP and GABLE).
Escorted
HMS NIGERIA with HMS REDOUBT and HMS RACEHORSE as
Force 63 during search for Japanese warships evacuating
personnel from
Nicobars and Andamans.
13th Despatched
from Trincomalee with HMS NIGERIA, HM Destroyers
RACEHORSE
and REDOUBT as Force 63 to reinforce Eastern Fleet ships
during interception of Japanese warships on passage to Indian Ocean for
support of evacuation from Nicobars.
(Operation DUKEDOM)
Remained with
Fleet screen during attacks on Japanese ships
. (See above
references.).
June
18th Deployed with HM Destroyers RACEHORSE, ROTHERHAM, REDOUBT
and RELENTLESS as screen for ships of 21st Aircraft Carrier
Squadron as
part of Force 63..
(Note: Squadron comprised HM Escort Carriers STALKER,
KHEDIVE
and AMEER, HM Cruisers ROYALIST and SUFFOLK and was
carrying out photo-reconnaissance flights over southern Malaya
(Operation
BALSAM).
July
5th Deployed with HMS NIGERIA, HM Destroyers ESKIMO and
VIGILANT
to cover minesweeping operations off Malaya
and Nicobar Islands.
(Operation
COLLIE).
Took part in
bombardment of Nacowry
(Note: Planned landings in Malay (Operation ZIPPER) was
postponed due
to American insistence and problems relating to return of
personnel
from SEAC in the PYTHON scheme. See above references, THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET
by J Winton and Final Report from the
to Supreme
Commander SEAC (HMSO).
August Passage with Eastern Fleet to await approval for landings.
September Remained in Eastern Fleet for
support duties during ZIPPER landings.
(See INVASION
FLEETS by J De Winser)
On release from
ZIPPER joined Flotilla at Singapore for support of the
re-occupation
October Passage to Simonstown
for refit.