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H . M . S
. U N D A U N T E D (ii) (R 5 3 )
“U" Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under a War Emergency
Programs in April 1911 from Cammell Laird at Birkenhead. The ship was laid down
on 8th September 1942 as Build Number 11104 and launched on 19th July 1943 as
the 8th RN warship to carry this name introduced in 1794 for a French Prize. It
had been last used by a submarine built in 1940 but which had been lost during
May 1941. Build was completed on 3rd March 1944. Following a successful WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings campaign during March 1942 she had been 'adopted' by the
civil community of Barking in Greater London.
Battle Honours
CHINA 1900 - DOGGER BANK
1915 - BELGIAN COAST 1916 - NORMANDY 1944 - OKINAWA 1945.
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Blue, a
falcon White hooded and belled Gold
D e t a i
l s
o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4
4
February
Contractor's sea trials and commissioning. for service in 25th Destroyer
Flotilla
March
3rd Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa
Flow to work-up for operational
duties with ships of Home Fleet..
April On
completion Joined HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, ULSTER, URCHIN, UNDINE, URSA
and URANIA
in Flotilla for screening of major Home Fleet units.
3rd Part of screen for H M Battleship
ANSON, H M Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS, HM Escort
Carriers SEARCHER, EMPEROR, PURSUER and
FENCER, H M Cruisers ROYALIST,
JAMAICA,
BELFAST and SHEFFIELD with HM Destroyers MILNE, ONSLAUGHT,
VERULAM, METEOR, SWIFT,
VIGILANT, VIRAGO, JAVELIN, WAKEFUL, URSA,
ALGONQUIN (RCN), SIOUX (RCN) and Polish ORP
PIORUN during air attacks on
German
battleship TIRPITZ in Altenfjord.
(Operation TUNGSTEN - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C.
Barnett
and CONVOY ! by P Kemp).
May Home
Fleet screening and patrol duties in continuation.
Nominated with ships of Flotilla for transfer to Foroe
G during allied invasion
of Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details of naval activities prior to and during landings and of
major ships
in Force G see
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944 (HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards).
Took part in preliminary exercises with ships of Force G.
June
Joined HM Destroyers JERVIS, CATTISTOCK, PYTCHLEY, COTTESMORE and Polish
ORP
KRAKOWIAK in Force G with ships of Flotilla
3rd At Spithead
in Assembly area.
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Joined Convoy G10 with fWS URSA for escort thropugh
swept channel.
(Note : Convoy comprised HM Frigate KINGSMILL (HQ Ship Force G2), four
Landing
Ships, Infantry. two Motor
Launches and four rescue craft.).
6th After arrival Provided naval gunfire
support for landings on GOLD Beach.
7th Escorted HM Cruiser APOLLO taking
General Eisenhower and Admiral B. Ramsay, Allied
Naval Commander
Expeditionary Force (ANXF) from Portsmouth to beachhead
areas.
Embarked General Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay
from HMS APOLLO after the cruiser
had damaged her propellers and took passage to
Portsmouth.
8th Deployed in Eastern Task Force Area
for gunfire support and defensive patrols to
intercept enemy surface craft and submarines attacking ships off beachhead.
25th
After completion of build-up phase retained in Channel.
July
Resumed Home Fleet duties at Scapa Flow with
Flotilla
August
Nominated for service in Pacific with Flotilla.
September Refit and
preparation for service with British Pacific Fleet..
to
October
November Passage to Trincomalee.
22nd Joined British Pacific Fleet on
formation.
December After arrival detached with Flotilla
for screening of Eastern Fleet major ships and patrol in Indian
Ocean.
1 9 4 5
January Detached for duty with Eastern
Fleet.
4th Part of screen for HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS and
INDEFATIGABLE,
HM Cruisers SUFFOLK, CEYLON,
ARGONAUT and BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers
UNDINE, GRENVILLE,
URANIA, URSA, KEMPENFELT, WHELP and WAGER as
Task Force 63.
(Operation LENTIL -
Air attacks on oil refineries at Pangkalan
Brandan, Sumatra).
(See Operation
Pacific by E Gray, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO).).
16th Sailed from Ceylon as
Task Force 63 (H M Battleship KING GEORGE V, H M Aircraft
Carriers
INDOMITABLE, ILLUSTRIOUS, VICTORIOUS and INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers BLACK
PRINCE, ARGONAUT and EURYALUS, HM Destroyers GRENVILLE,
UNDINE, URSA,
KEMPENFELT, WAKEFUL, WHIRLWIND, WAGER and WHELP.
(Note : Ships of
British Pacific Fleet to join US 5th Fleet at Sydney.
20th Refuelled at sea from Task Force 69.
24th Part of defence for TF63 during air
attacks on oil refinery at Pladjoe, North of Palembang,
Sumatra (Operation
MERIDIAN I).
26th Refuelled at sea from TF69, prior to
Operation MERIDIAN II)
. 28th Part of defence for TF63 during
attacks on refinery at Soengi-Gerong, Suratra,
30th Replenished and took passage to Fremantle.
February Transferred with BPF ships to US
5th Fleet and designated Task Force 57 (TF57).
(For details of
naval operations by TF57 see TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, OPERATION
PACIFIC, THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, Naval Staff History and WA R WITH
JAPAN)
Pennant Number for
visual signalling purposes changed to D25 to conform with US Navy
identity for
destroyers.
Worked up at Sydney
for operations in Central Pacific.
(Note : These included US Navy
signal and manoeuvring procedures adopted by RN ships for
use
during detached service with US Navy.
March
Exercised on passage to Manus.
7th On arrival future deployment undecided
by internal US wrangling. See above references
.
Waited for decision by US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
. 15th Allocated for service with 5th US
Fleet and given new identity -Task Force 57.
18th Sailed for Ulithi
as part of screen for ships of Task Force 57-
(Note: TF57 comprised :-
HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Aircraft Carriers
INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS, ILLUSTRIOUS, INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers SWIFTSURE,
GAMBIA (RNZN), BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT,
EURYALUS, HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, ULSTER, URANIA, UNDINE,
QUICKMATCH, QUIBERON, QUEENBOROUGH, KEMPENFELT,
WHIRLWIND and WAGER.
20th Joined 5th US Fleet at Ulithi.
23rd Sailed from Ulithi
with TF57 to operational area off Sakishima Gunto
. 26th Part of screen during air attacks on
airfields in Sakishima Gunto Group.
(Note : Provision in support during Okinawa landings Operation ICEBERG
ONE)
April
Screening duties with TF57 in continuation.
21st Took passage to Leyte
with TF57 on completion of 6th strike period.
23rd Arrived at Layte
for repair and replenishment.
Future deployment of TF57 under consideration
27th
Proposal to transfer BPF to SW Pacific area cancelled. BPF to remain
with 5th Fleet as Task
Force 57-
May
1st Took passage to operational area from Leyte with TF57 for continuation of attacks on
Sakishima Gunto Group (Operation
ICEBERG TWO).
(Note: Other ships in Task Force 57 were :-
HM Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE, HM Aircraft Carriers
INDOMITABLE,
INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers SWIFTSURE, UGANDA (RCN), GAMBIA (RNZN), EURYALUS and
BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, URSA, URCHIN,
UNDINE ,URANIA, QUILLIAM ,QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH,
QUEENBOROUGH, QUALITY, KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND and WESSEX.
4th After arrival in area
detached with ships of 25th Destroyer Flotilla to screen HMS KING
GEORGE V, HMS HOWE, HMS SWIFTSURE, HMS BLACK PRINCE, HMS
EURYALUS, HMS GAMBIA and HMS UGANDA during bombardment of airfields on
Miyako Shima.
(Note : During this bombardment the aircraft carriers of TF57 came under
sustained attack
by bombing including KAMIKAZE aircraft.)
Bombardment curtailed and force returned to rejoin aircraft carriers).
5th Deployment with screen for Task Force
in continuation
to (For details see above references
and Naval Staff History).
25th
26th Passage to Sydney BPF ships via Manus.
(Note: HMS KING GEORGE V with HMS TROUBRIDGE, HMS TENACIOUS and
HMS
TERMAGANT were detached for passage to Guam).
June
5th Arrived at Sydney for rest and
recuperation period.
(Note: Ships of BPF were transferred to US 3rd Fleet during this period
owing to a
re-organisation of US Navy command
structure in Pacific and were re-designated
Task
Force 37).
28th Sailed with Task Force 37 from Sydney
for Manus.
(Note: Task Force 37 comprised :-
HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE,
VICTORIOUS, IMPLACABLE, HM
Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES
(RNZN), UGANDA (RCN), EURYALUS, GAMBIA (RNZN) and BLACK PRINCE
with
HM Destroyers QUIBERON, QUADRANT, QUALITY., QUICKMATCH,
TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT, TEAZER, TERPSICHORE,
GRENVILLE, UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN. UNDINE and ULYSSES.
July
4th Arrived at Manus
with BPF.
6th Sailed for operational area with
TF37.
(Note : HMS
IMPLACABLE detached because of machinery
defect and joined later)
Transferred to US 3rd Fleet and BPF ships redesignated
as part of Task Force 37.
Passage to Japan with TF37 for joint RN and USN operations.
17th Deployed with HM Destroyers QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH, QUALITY, QUADRANT
, TROUBRIDGE,
TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT, TEAZER, TERPSICHORE, GRENVILLE,
UNDINE, URANIA,
URCHIN and ULYSSES to screen H M Battleship KING GEORGE V,
HM Aircraft
Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS and HMS IMPLACABLE, HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND,
ACHILLES (RNZN), UGANDA (RCN), EURYALUS, GAMBIA
(RNZN) and BLACK
PRINCE. TF37 during joint attacks with US TF38 on targets in Tokyo
and Yokohama areas.
18th Bombarded targets in South Honshu
with TF37.
In action against
surface suicide craft.
August Deployed in operational area
with TF37-
9th Part of screen TF37 ships during
combined air attacks and surface bombardment of
targets in North
Honshu and Hokkaido with US Task Groups.
12th Escorted ships of TF37 to Manus after reduction of British element due to lack of
fuel from
British sources
(See above references).
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS UNDAUNTED returned to UK after VJ Day and was reduced to
Reserve at Devonport. She was laid up initially at
Milford Haven but returned to Devonport in 1947.
After conversion to Anti-Submarine Frigate in 1954
she re-commissioned and remained in service until 1973 when placed on the
Disposal List. This destroyer was then used as a Target for submarine torpedo
trials and sunk by HM Submarine SWIFTSURE in November 1958. |
DRAFT