T or TUMULT-Class Destroyer ordered with the 6th Emergency Flotilla in March 1941
from Cammell Laird, Birkenhead and to be named HMS TEMPEST. The ship was laid
down on 3rd December 1941 (Build Number 1100) and launched on 24th March 1943 as
HMS TENACIOUS since a submarine had already been given the name selected. She
was the second RN ship to bear the name TENACIOUS last used by a WW1 destroyer
sold in 1928. The ship had been adopted by the civil community of Malvern,
Worcestershire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in March 1942. Build was completed on 30th October 1943.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ADRIATIC 1944 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944
- MEDITERRANEAN 1944 - OKINAWA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a field White a
bulldog's face 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 3
October Contractor's trials and
commissioned for service in 24th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note: Flotilla comprised HM Destroyers TROUBRIDGE, TEAZER, TENACIOUS,
TERMAGANT, TUSCAN,
TERPSICHORE, TUMULT and TYRIAN).
30th Build completion and acceptance
trials.
November On
completion of trials took passage to Scapa Flow for work-up.
Worked up with Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
December Prepared for foreign service and
took passage for Gibraltar.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed with Flotilla in Western Mediterranean.
20th
Joined Northern Attack Force for support of allied landings at Anzio.
Joined HM Cruisers ORION and SPARTAN, HM Destroyers JERVIS, JANUS,
LAFOREY, LOYAL, INGLEFIELD, URCHIN and KEMPENFELT, HM Escort
Destroyers BEAUFORT, BRECON, WILTON and TETCOTT.
(Operation SHINGLE. See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett)
.
22nd Provided naval gunfire
support off PETER Beach.
Under heavy air
attacks including use of Glider Bombs
When released from SHINGLE transferred with Flotilla to Adriatic for
support of
military operations,
patrol and convoy defence.
(For details of Anzio operation see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C. Barnett
February
2nd Bombarded Recanti and Pedaso, south
of Ancona with HMS TUMULT
March Adriatic deployment in continuation.
to (For details of naval
activities in Adriatic see THE LAST DESTROYER by F Mason.)
April
May Deployed in Central
Mediterranean for convoy defence and patrol.
19th Deployed with HM Destroyers
TERMAGANT and LIDDESDALE to reinforce the escort
of Convoy HA43 in central Mediterranean which had been under U-Boat
attack.
(Note: This convoy was escorted by co-belligerent Italian warships.)
20th Joined escort for HA43 and
commenced search operation.
After establishing
contact with a submarine carried out depth charge attacks.
Remained in area to
await inevitable surfacing of submarine.
21st Engaged U453 with surface gunfire
when submarine surfaced.
Shared credit for sinking of
U453 with HM Destroyers TERMAGANT and
LIDDESDALE in position 38.13N 16.36E, NW Cape Spartivento.
(Note: 50 survivors from U4563 were rescued. See U-Boats DESTROYED by P
Kemp.)
June
Mediterranean deployment with Flotilla in continuation
to Nominated for duty in
support of allied landings in South of France under overall
July US Navy command.
(Operation DRAGOON -
formerly ANVIL).
August Joined Carrier Task Force 88.
11th Deployed with HM Cruisers ROYALIST
& DELHI, HM Escort Carriers KHEDIVE,
EMPEROR, SEARCHER,
PURSUER and ATTACKER, HM Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE, TUSCAN,
TUMULT, TYRIAN, TEAZER, Greek NAVARINON and
six US Navy
destroyers as Task Group 88.1.
12th Sailed from Malta for assault area
with TG 88.1.
15th First aircraft took off from
carriers.
(For details of
Operation see INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO) and
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY).
27th
Released from DRAGOON and took passage with TG88.1 for Alexandria.
September Deployed in Eastern Mediterranean.
24th Joined British Aegean Force with
Flotilla.
October Supported re-occupation of Aegean Islands.
to (Note: Support for
allied reoccupation of Greece is to be confirmed.
November Operation MANNA)
December Eastern Mediterranean deployment with
Flotilla in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January
Nominated for deployment
with Flotilla in British Pacific Fleet after refit.
February Under refit in Malta and prepared for
new service.
March On completion took passage to
Sydney.
April On passage to Australia.
May Joined British Task Force 57.
Pennant Number changed to D23.
9th Deployed with HMS TERMAGANT in TF57.
Part of screen for HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS,
FORMIDABLE and INDEFATIGABLE during air operations against Sakishima
Gunto
Group of islands. (Operation ICEBERG TWO.)
(For details see
WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO), THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton.
TASK FORCE 57 by P
Smith and Naval Staff History.)
25th Detached with HMS TROUBRIDGE and HMS
TERMAGANT as escort for HM Battleship
KING GEORGE V
during passage with to Guam for meetings with American Naval Staff.
27th Transferred with ships of BPF to 3rd
US Fleet and redesignated as part of Task Force 37.
(Note: The was due
to change in US Command arrangements in the Pacific area.
See
above references.)
28th Arrived at Guam.
June Passage from Guam to rejoin
ships of BPF at Manus.
On arrival nominated
for service with ships of Flotilla for RN operation.
Allocated to Task
Group 112.2 (Operation INMATE).
(Note: This operation
was to carry out attacks en airfields at Truk to reduce threats of Japanese
air
attacks on allied forces in the area and
also to give operational experience to ships
newly deployed in Pacific area such as the
24th Destroyer Flotilla.)
12th Escorted HMS IMPLACABLE and HM Escort
Carrier RULER, HM Cruisers
SWIFTSURE,
NEWFOUNDLAND, UGANDA and ACHILLES with HM Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE,
TERPSICHORE and TEAZER during passage for air operations at Truk
as Task Unit
111.2.15.
(Note: HMS
TERMAGANT of Flotilla was deployed with HM Cruiser SWIFTSURE and
HM
Escort Carrier RULER in Task Unit 112.2.2 for screening duty.
14th Detached from Task Group 112.2 with HMS
TROUBRIDGE and TEAZER as screen for
HMS NEWFOUNDLAND,
HMS SWIFTSURE, HMS UGANDA to provide cover for
aircraft carriers
during air attacks on Truk and redesignated Task Unit 112.2.3.
15th Rejoined ships of Task
Force 112.2 and detached with HMS UGANDA and HMS
ACHILLES to carry out bombardment of seaplane base on island of Dublon.
(Note: Function was to provide counter battery fire and provide smoke
screen in the
event
of opposition from shore.
This
operation was not an unqualified success due to lack of experience by
cruisers and failures of communication with spotting aircraft.)
Rejoined Task Group on
completion for screening and cover during air attacks by
carrier aircraft.
16th Took passage to Manus at daybreak with
ships of Task Group.
July
6th Took passage from Manus to with ships of
British Pacific Fleet as Task Force 37 for
operations off Japan
.
13th Refuelled from
Replenishment Group.
(Note: This became
somewhat protracted owing to inadequacies and inexperience.)
16th Task Force 37 joined ships of US Task
Force 38 for air operations against Japan.
to Deployed as screen for HM Aircraft
Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS,
19th IMPLACABLE, to HMS KING GEORGE V with HM
Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES, UGANDA, EURYALUS, GAMBIA and
BLACK PRINCE, HM
Destroyers QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH, QUALITY,
QUADRANT, TEAZER, TROUBRIDGE, TERMAGANT,
TERPSICHORE,
GRENVILLE,
UNDAUNTED, UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN and ULYSSES during
combined attacks.
20th Refuelled from British Logistics Group 24th Air operation recommenced against
subsidiary targets.
(Note: British
aircraft carriers had been excluded from attacks on any primary
targets
for reasons outlined in above references.)
26th Replenished from British Logistics Group.
(Note: See above
references for outline of problems experienced including the
shortage of fuel from British tankers.)
28th Screening duties in continuation during
attacks on subsidiary targets.
31st Ships refuelled from British Logistics
Group and delayed by weather conditions.
August
4th Fuel for destroyers provided by major
warships.
(Note: See above references regarding continuation of fuel supply
problems.
5th Screening duties in
continuation during air operations.
9th
Detached with HMS TERPSICHORE and
TERMAGANT for screening of HM
Cruisers GAMBIA and NEWFOUNDLAND during bombardment of shore targets as
Task Unit 37.1.8
Bombarded Kamaisha,
Honshu, Japan with spotting aircraft from US battleships.
Rejoined Task Force
ships on completion.
11th Refuelled from British Logistics Group
Retained in
operational area as part of US Task Force 38.
Redesignated as Task
Group 38.5 with HM Destroyers BARFLEUR, NAPIER NIZAM,
WAKEFUL, WRANGLER, TROUBRIDGE, TERMAGANT and TEAZER for
screening of HMS INDEFATIGABLE, HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND and HMS GAMBIA.
(Note: Other
British Pacific Fleet ships had to return to Manus as fuel could not be
supplied from British tankers. See above references.)
13th Deployed as screen for HMS KING GEORGE V
and HMS 1MPLACABE during
joint attacks by
carriers and bombardments of targets in Tokyo area.
14th Refuelled with ships of
Task Group 38.5 from US tankers.
15th VJ Day. Operations
ceased.
16th Remained in operational area with US Navy
ships and deployed in support of shore
operations including
repatriation of allied prisoners of war and internees.
27th Attended surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay
with Token Force representing the British
Pacific Fleet
(For details of all
BPF activities see above references.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS Tenacious
at Hobart, Tasmania, 1945 before returning to UK (Bas Hanrahan)
HMS TENACIOUS remained with
the British Pacific Fleet for support of the military occupation and the repatriation of allied nationals from captivity. In addition the ship carried
out Fleet duties. After a visit to Melbourne in February with
HMS TUMULT and HMS UNDINE. She returned to UK and paid off into the Reserve
Fleet at Devonport. Re-commissioned in
1949 after a refit this destroyer served in the Clyde as Target Ship for the 3rd
Submarine Flotilla. In 1951 she was selected for conversion to a Type 16
Anti-Submarine Frigate at Rosyth. After completion in 1954 she again went into
Reserve until placed on the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO she was first
de-equipped at Devonport and arrived at Troon for breaking-up in June 1965.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS TENACIOUS
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked
with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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28/01/45
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31/01/45
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KMF 039
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01/02/45
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04/02/45
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(Note on Convoys)