T-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under the War
Emergency Programme in March 1941 from Denny at Dumbarton. The ship was laid down on 25th November 1941 at the same
time as her sister snip HMS TERMAGANT in the same shipyard. She was launched en 17th June 1943 and
completed en 20th January 1944. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK in March 1942 the ship had been adopted by
Barrow-in-Furness, then in the county of Lancashire,
now in Cumbria.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
MARTINIQUE 1794 - TENERIFFE
1797 - JAVA 1806 - ADRIATIC
1944 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944
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
December Contractors sea trials.
Commissioned for service
1 9 4 4
January
20th Build completion and Acceptance trials.
Worked-up with Home
Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Joined 24th Destroyer
Flotilla in the Home Fleet on completion of work-up.
February Transferred with Flotilla for
support duties in Mediterranean.
March Deployed on escort and
support of military operations in Adriatic and central
to Mediterranean
June
July Nominated for duty with
ALPHA Gunfire Support Group during allied landings in the
South of France
(Operation ANVIL).
Carried out
preparation for support role.
27th Operation ANVIL renamed DRAGOON.
August Joined HM Cruisers ORION,
AURORA, AJAX and BLACK PRINCE, US cruiser
QUINCY, French
cruiser GLOIRE, US destroyers LIVERMORE, EBERLE, KEARNEY
and ERICSSON
with HM Destroyer TERMAGANT in Malta forming Gunfire
Support Group
ALPHA.
6th Sailed for landing support duty.
14th Met HM Battleship RAMILLIES which
joined Group from UK and took up position
for bombardment
duties en shore batteries in YELLOW beach area.
(For- full
details see INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO)
15th Provided naval gunfire support with ALPHA
Group during landings
17th Released from bombardment duties but
remained in assault area.
28th Released from DRAGOON duty with HMS
TERMAGANT and USS QUINCY
Reverted to
control by CinC Mediterranean.
September Deployed on support and escort
duty in Eastern Mediterranean.
18th Bombarded Melos in Cyclades.
19th Took part in sinking of U407 with HM
Destroyer TROUBRIDGE and Polish destroyer
ORP GARLAND north of Crete.
47 of the submarine crew were rescued.
(Note: HM Destroyers BRECON and ZETLAND also took part in
hunt for U407 which
was first sighted by ORP GARLAND. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by
P Kemp.)
24th Transferred to British Aegean Force
with ships of 24th Flotilla and joined H M
Escort
Carriers, HUNTER, STALKER, EMPEROR,
ATTACKER, SEARCHER PURSUER
and KHEDIVE, HM Cruisers ORION, AJAX, ROYALIST, BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT, AURORA and COLOMBO
together with HUNT Class destroyers.
Deployed in
support of military operations to re-occupy islands in the Aegean
and Greek
mainland. Carried out interception of craft evacuating German troops.
Provided support gunfire.
(For details of operations in 1944 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
October
Deployment
with British Aegean Force in continuation.
7th Deployed with HM Cruiser BLACK
PRINCE and took part in sinking caique and
landing craft
near Volvos in Gulf of Salonika.
17th Took part in occupation of Scarpanto with HM Destroyer CLEVELAND.
November
Deployed in central Mediterranean
Nominated for duty with British Pacific Fleet after UK refit.
December
Passage to Plymouth for refit in HM Dockyard, Devonport
Taken in hand
for refit
1 9 4 5
January Under refit and preparation for
service in Pacific.
to Radar and communications fit up-dated.
February (For details of development
and use of radar see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse).
March
Post refit
trials and prepared for foreign service.
Took passage
to Australia to join 24th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note:
British Pacific Fleet designated Task Force 113 were transferred to US 5th
Fleet on 23rd March and redesignated Task Force 57 after approval by US
Chiefs of Staff had been delayed whilst ships were at Manus, Admiralty
Islands,
Forward British Pacific Fleet base.
See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton, OPERATION PACIFIC
by Edwyn Gray, TASK
FORCE 57 by P Smith and WAR WITH JAPAN,
Volume VI (HMSO) for details of all operations in 1945.)
April Exercised in
Mediterranean prior to onward passage to Sydney.
May
Deployed in Australian
waters in preparation for service with US Navy.
Took passage to
join British Pacific Fleet at Manus.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to D33 to conform with US
Navy
designation for destroyers.
June Deployed at Manus with British Pacific Fleet.
(Note: RN
Ships deployed with US 5th Fleet as Task Force 57 had had returned
to Manus in late May after completion of
attacks on Sakashima Gunto
with US Task Forces. They then went to Sydney, Australia for R&R.)
11th Transferred to Task Group 112.2
and joined H M Destroyers TROUBRIDGE,
TENACIOUS and
TEA2ER of 24th Destroyer Flotilla to form Task Unit 112.2.15
for screening
duties during planned attack to neutralise airfields at Truk.
(Operation
INMATE).
(Note:
Task Group 112.2 comprised in addition:
Task Unit 1 KM Fleet Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE.
Task Unit 2 HM Escort Aircraft Carrier RULER, HM Destroyer TERMAGANT.
Task Unit 5 HM Cruisers UGANDA (RCN), ACHILLES (RNZN) and
NEWFOUNDLAND.
See above references.)
12th Deployed with screen for Task
Group during passage to Truk.
13th Joined HMS NEWFOUNDLAND, HMS
UGANDA and HMS ACHILLES with Task
Unit 15 ships
for screening duties and redesignated Task Unit 3.
14th Detached and deployed as screen
for Force 5 which was to remain in area 20 miles
from
flying-off position during air attacks by Force 2.
15th Rejoined main force and redeployed with HMS TERMAGANT to screen HMS
IMPLACABLE
and HMS RULER during bombardment of targets at Truk
by cruisers.
(Note: The
bombardments were less than satisfactory owing to lack of experience in
carrying out shore bombardments, poor communication procedure and
failures
of
equipment
17th Returned to Manus with Task Group 111.2.
Transferred with
Flotilla to 3rd US Fleet for service with Task Force 37.
(Note: Ships of British Pacific Fleet had been transferred to US 3rd
Fleet as part of a
re-organisation of US naval
commands in Pacific area and had been redesignated
Task Force 37.
Task Force 37 then comprised:
HM Battleship KING
GEORGE V.
HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS, IMPLACABLE and
INDEFATIGABLE.
HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND, BLACK PRINCE, EURYALUS, ACHILLES,
UGANDA (RCN). HM Destroyers
4th Destroyer Flotilla: GRENVILLE, UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN, ULYSSES,
UNDAUNTED QUALITY, QUADRANT, QUIBERON (RAN),
QUICKMATCH (RAN).
24th Destroyer Flotilla TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT,
TERPSICHORE, TEAZER.
4th Joined Task Force 37 on arrival at
Manus from R&R.
6th Sailed from Manus
to join US Task Groups In operational area off Japan.
(Note: HMS
INDEFATIGABLE detached for defect repair during passage.)
13th Task Force 37 ships met refuelling
Group before starting operations.
17th Deployed with screen for HMS KING
GEORGE V, Carriers and Cruisers of
BPF during
combined air attacks with US Navy Task Groups of Force 38 on
airfields and
shore targets north of Tokyo.
18th Deployment for screening duties in
continuation during further combined air
attacks.
(Note: BPF
aircraft attacks were restricted to secondary targets as part of
a
deliberate US policy to restrict attacks on Japanese warships to
US Navy aircraft.)
19th After further air operations by
BPF carriers withdrew with screen to replenish.
20th Replenished with BPF ships delayed
by typhoon threat In planned area.
HM Aircraft
Carrier INDEFATIGABLE joined BPF.
(Note: First
signs of shortage of fuel from British sources became apparent.)
23rd During passage with screen,
destroyers were refuelled from cruiser in order
to ensure
full availability during forthcoming air strikes and bombardments.
24th Deployed with screen for BPF ships
during air attacks on subsidiary targets
to (Note: Despite US navy
restrictions British aircraft sank two Japanese frigates
25th and seriously damage
Escort Carrier KAIYO.)
After
withdrawal to replenish came under air attacks.
27th Returned with screen for BPF to
rejoin US Task Groups in operational area.
(Note: Fuel
shortage from RN tankers increasing evident.)
29th Screening deployment in
continuation.
Remained with
screen for cruisers and carriers when HMS KING GEORGE V
detached for
bombardment with US Task Group 37-1.
30th Screening duty continued.
(Note:
British aircraft from Task Force 37 sank Japanese Frigate OKINAWA
NNW of Maizuru - See WARSHIPS DESTROYED by P
Kemp.)
31st Deployed for screening during
passage of Task Force 37 ships or replenishment.
August
1st Replenishment transferred to new
area because of swell conditions.
2nd Passage with screen for BPF ships
to renew operations.
. 4th Refuelled during passage from BPF
cruiser.
(Note: Availability of fuel in destroyers was of Increasing concern.)
9th Detached from screening duty
during air strikes and joined Task Group 38.5
with HMS TERMAGANT
and TENACIOUS as screen for HMS GAMBIA
and HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND.
Took part
in bombardment of shore targets at Kamaisha, Honshu
during main
attack by
US Task Unit 34.8.1 on Japan Iron Works.
Rejoined
Task Force 37 on completion of detached duty.
10th Fuelling programme altered and
screening duty during further series of
combined
attacks continued.
(Note:
Decision to extend operational period was made by US Admiral of
US 5th Fleet following the entry of USSR into war with Japan.).
11th Transferred to US Task Force 38
for deployment in Task Group 38.5.
(Note: During
Replenishment period agreement with US Navy was made
for fuel to be provided for Token Force of RN ships required to
take part in surface ship bombardments and air attacks in Tokyo area.
Remaining British Pacific Fleet ships took passage to Manus prior
to
R&R in Australia.)
Token British element of Task Group 38.5 comprised:
HM Battleship KING GEORGE V. HM Cruisers GAMBIA and NEWFOUNDLAND.
HM Destroyers TROUBRIDGE, TERMAGANT, TENACIOUS
TERPSICHORE, TEAZER. HM Destroyers BARFLEUR, NAPIER, NIZAM,
WAKEFUL, WRANGLER
13th Deployed with screen for TG38.5
during air attacks in Tokyo area.
Determined
attempts by Japanese to carry out bombing attacks defeated by early
interception 25 miles from aircraft carriers of Task Force 38.
15th Screening duties continued for
passage to operation area after refuelling with US
warships of Task Force 38.
Deployed
with screen for Task group 38.5 final air strikes.
Air
attacks after formal surrender all failed.
27th Deployed with reformed Task
Force 37 and anchored in Sagami Bay.
For
details see above references.)
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS TERPSICHORE was deployed
for the support of repatriation of allied personnel from Japan and attended the final surrender of Japan with
reformed Task Force 37 in Tokyo Bay on 2nd September. On release from service
with the British Pacific Fleet the
ship returned to UK in 1946. She was placed in Reserve and laid up at Devonport. In 1953 this ship was converted
for use as a Type 16 Anti-submarine Frigate by her builders at Wololston. After completion and trials in her
new role in 1954 she was replaced in Reserve at Devonport.
Refitted during 1958.and in 1960 laid-up at Lisahally, Northern Ireland. This destroyer was placed on
the Disposal List in 1964 and sold to BISCO for demolition by West of
Scotland Shipbreakers. She arrived at the Breaker's
yard in Troon, Ayrshire under tow on 17th May 1966.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS TERPSICHORE
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have 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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13/02/44
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04/03/44
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UGS 033
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08/03/44
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12/03/44
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21/04/44
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21/04/44
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IXF 013
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21/04/44
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25/04/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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