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H . M . S
. U R C H I N ( R 9 9 )
"U" Class Fleet Destroyer ordered from
Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow on 12th June 1941 under the 1941 War Emergency Programme. The ship was laid down on 28th March 1942 as
Yard Number 831and launched on 8th March 1943 as the 5th RN ship to carry the name, introduced in
1797. It was previously used for a submarine transferred to the Polish Navy in 1941 and renamed SOKOL. Build
completion date for this destroyer was 24th September 1943. After a successful ‘WARSHIP WEEK’ National Savings
campaign in March 1942 the ship had been 'adopted' by the civil community of Ilford,
Essex, now in the Greater London Borough of Redbridge.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
EGYPT
1801 - ANZIO 1944 -
MEDITERRANEAN
1944 - NORMANDY 1944 - ADRIATIC 1944 - OKINAWA
1945
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a Field barry wavy of eight
White and Blue
a hedgehog Proper.
M o t t
o
Armatus de defendum :
'Armed to defend'.
D e t a i
l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 4 3
September
Contractors trials and commissioning for service with 25th Destroyer
Flotilla, Home Fleet.
24th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
October On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with
ships of
Home Fleet.
Nominated for service in Mediterranean.
Carried out work-up based at Scapa Flow.
November Prepared for
foreign service and took passage to join Fleet in Mediterranean.
December Joined
Mediterranean Fleet
Nominated for support of planned allied landings at Anzio
(Operation SHINGLE)
25th Deployed in
Malta.
1 9 4 4
January Passage to Naples to joined Northern Attack Force for support of landing of 1st
British Infantry
Division at Anzio.
20th Sailed from Naples with Assault Force.
21st Deployed for support during
landings.
(For details of operations at Anzio see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
Corelli
Barnett and Naval Staff History).
25th Deployed with H M Destroyers
JERVIS, JANUS, LAFOREY, LOYAL, INGLEFIELD,
TENACIOUS and KEMPENFELT, HM Escort Destroyers BEAUFORT, BRECON,
TETCOTT and WILTON as screen for HM
Cruisers ORION, SPARTAN, HM Anti-Aircraft
Ship ULSTER QUEEN
February Support of military
operations, convoy escort and patrol off west, coast of Italy.
March
10th Despatched to join HM Destroyers
BRECON, EXMOOR, BLENCATHRA and BLANKNEY in
search for U450
SE of Anzio.
After concentrated depth
charge attacks the submarine was forced to the surface and then
scuttled
51 survivors were rescued.
(Note : US
destroyer USS MADISON also took pert,
Sinking of U45O credited to the four HUNT Class Destroyers and USS MADISON..
See
HITLER'S U-EOAT WAR by C Blair and U-EOATS DESTROYED By P Kemp)
April
Support of military operations and patrol duty off west coast of Italy. in
continuation.
May
Nominated for service in Force G during allied invasion of Normandy with
ships of Flotilla
(Operation NEPTUNE).
Passage to UK to rejoin Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
18th Carried cut bombardment exercises
before joining Force G in Eastern Task Force.
(Note : Other destroyers in Force
G destroyers were :-
HM
Destroyers GRENVILLE, URSA, ULSTER, UNDAUNTED, JERVIS,
UNDINE. HM Escort Destroyers PYTCHLEY, CATTISTOCK, COTTESMORE
and
Polish ORP KRAKOWIAK.
30th Arrived at Greenock for Operation
NEPTUNE.
(For details of activities prior to and during Normandy landings see
LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K
Edwards).
June
3rd Part of escort for Convoy G14 to
Solent with HM Destroyer ULSTER.
(Note: Convoy comprised HM Cruisers BELFAST and DIADEM of Bombarding
Force "E"
which was to provide support for landings on JUNO Beachhead).
4th Operation NEPTUNE
postponed for 24 hours.
5th Passage from Solent
with Convoy G14 .
6th On arrival joined
ships of Force G off GOLD Beachhead.
9th Deployed with
Eastern Task Force for patrol and support duty.
25th On release from NEPTUNE
nominated for return to Mediterranean.
July
Prepared for foreign service.
Took passage to
Mediterranean .
Deployed for support
of military operations.
August Nominated for support of military
operations in Adriatic.
Passage to
Adriatic.
(For details of Adriatic operations see THE LAST DESTROYER by K. Mason,
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett
and WAR IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN
(HMSO).
September
4th Deployed with HM Destroyers UNDINE, LOYAL and KIMBERLEY, HM
River
Gunboats APHIS
and
SCARAB for bombardment of Rimini Area.
Nominated
for duty in Eastern Fleet after return to UK for refit and to prepare
for further foreign service.
Passage to UK.
October Taken in hand for refit at
Leith commercial shipyard
to Prepared for service
with Eastern Fleet.
November (Note: Re-assigned for service in
British Pacific Fleet on formation with Flotilla.)
December On completion of post refit
trials took passage to Trincomalee.
1 9 4 5
January Arrived at Trincomalee after.
delay for repair at Aden on passage.
Joined Flotilla
in British Pacific Fleet
Nominated for
detached service with ships of Eastern
Fleet for escort of Replenishment
Group (Force 69)
during planned air attacks on oil installations at Palembang by aircraft
carriers
of British
Pacific Fleet during passage to Sydney for service with US Navy.
(Operation
MERIDIAN),
13th Took part in Rehearsal for MERIDIAN.
15th Deployed with RFA ECHODALE, RFA
WAVE KING and RFA EMPIRE SALVAGE during
replenishment of
BPF ships (Force 63) prior to first air operations (MERIDIAN ONE)
16th On completion remained as escort
for Force 69 with HM Cruiser CEYLON.
(Note: RFA Tanker ARNDALE joined in replenishment area after passage
from Fremantle).
26th Replenishment Group met ships of
Force 63 for second refuelling period prior to continuing
air attacks
(MERIDIAN TWO).
(For details of MERIDIAN see THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, OPERATION
PACIFIC by E Gray and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
27th Returned to Trincomalee as escort
for Force 69.
February
Deployed at
Trincomalee to await arrival of HM Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE on passage
from UK to join
BPF.
22nd Joined HMS FORMIDABLE as escort with
HM Destroyer NAPIER (RAN) for passage from
Colombo to
Sydney with call at Fremantle.
March
10th Arrived at Sydney with HMS
FORMIDABLE and prepared for service with BPF in joint
operations with
US Navy in SW Pacific.
(Note : Pennant
Number for visual signalling changed to D28 to conform with US Navy
identification for destroyers.
Carried out
exercises in Australian waters including use of new signalling procedures.
24th Sailed from Sydney as escort for HMS
FORMIDABLE with HM Destroyer URSA during
passage to
Manus.
30th Arrived at Manus, Admiralty
Islands.
(Note : Manus
was Forward Base for BPF)..
7th On arrival at Manus future
deployment undecided by internal US wrangling.
See above references.
Under repair in dry-dock
(Note: Allocated for service with 5th
US Fleet as part of Task Force 57 which
comprised
HM
Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE, HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE,
VICTORIOUS, ILLUSTRIOUS
and INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE,
GAMBIA (RNZN), BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT, EURYALUS, HM Destroyers
GRENVILLE, ULSTER, URANIA, UNDAUNTED, UNDINE, URSA,
QUICKMATCH, QUIBERON, QUEENBOROUGH, KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND
and
WAGER.
April Sailed from Manus after
docking to join ships of BPF deployed as Task Force 57 in attacks on
Sakishima Gunto Island Group
with US Navy Task Groups.
(Operation
ICEBERG ONE – See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, OPERATION
PACIFIC by E Gray and WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO)
8th Arrived in Area COOTIE with HM
Cruiser UGANDA (RCN) and HM Destroyer URSA.
Deployed with
escort for the British Fleet Train (Task Force 112) to await return of BPF
to
replenishment area.
9th Joined BPF destroyer screen on
arrival for replenishment.
11th Deployed with TF57 for attacks on
Formosa.
to (Operation ICEBERG OOLONG) -
Special operation to neutralise airfields.
13th See above references).
16th Deployed with TF57 In
continuation of attacks on Sakishima
Gunto after refuelling.
to (Note : HM Aircraft Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS had joined TF57).
21st (Operation ICEBERG
ONE).
23rd At
Leyte with TF57 for repair and maintenance.
May
1st Part of screen for ships of TF57
to operational area for continuation of attacks
on Sakishima Gunto (Operation ICEBERG TWO).
(Note: Force 57 comprised :-
HM
Battleships KING GEORGE V V and HOME, H M Aircraft
Carriers
INDOMITABLE, INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, UGANDA (RCN), GAMBIA (RNZN), EURYALUS. BLACK PRINCE
with HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, URSA,
UNDINE, UNDAUNTED, URANIA,
QUILLIAM, QUIBERON, QUALITY, QUICKMATCH, QUEENBOROUGH,
KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND, WESSEX and URCHIN.
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,
HMNZS GAMBIA and HMCS UGANDA during bombardment of airfields
on Miyako
Shima.
(Note :During this bombardment the aircraft carriers of TF57 came under
sustained bombing
including KAMIKAZE aircraft.
Operation curtailed
and Force returned to rejoin aircraft carriers).
See above references for details of KAMIKAZE attacks on carriers).
5th Deployment with screen for Task
Force in continuation.
to For details Including
collision between HMS INDOMITABLE and HMS QUILLIAM see
25th above references and Naval Staff History).
26th Passage to Sydney with BPF ships
via Manus.
(Note: HMS KING GEORGE V with HM Destroyers TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS and
TERMAGANT detached for passage to Guam).
June
9th Arrived at Sydney for rest and
recuperation period.
(Note: Ships of BPF were transferred to US 3rd Fleet during this period
after a reorganisation
of
US Navy command structure in Pacific. They were redesigned as 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, UNDAUNTED, URANIA, URCHIN, UNDINE and ULYSSES.
HM
Aircraft Carrier INDEFATIGABLE was delayed by defects.
July
4th Arrived at Manus with BPF.
6th Sailed for operational area off Japan
with TF37.
(Note : HMS IMPLACABLE detached because of machinery defect and joined
later).
17th Part of Task Group 37.1.2 as escort
for TF37 carriers during combined attacks on targets in
Tokyo and Yokohama area (Operation OLYMPIC - Initial Phase).
18th Deployment with screen for major ships of Task Force 37 in continuation off Japan.
to (Note: HMS INDEFATIGABLE joined
TF37 in refuelling area with HM Destroyers
28th WAKEFUL, WRANGLER and
BARFLEUR on 20th July)
See above references.).
August
1st Deployment off Japan with 3rd US
Fleet In continuation for series of joint RN/USN air
attacks and
bombardment of targets in North Honshu and Hokkaido.
12th Withdrawn from forward area with
BPF ships because of lack of fuel from tankers of British
Fleet Train. See above references.
(Note : Some ships of Task Force 37 were retained as a Token Force and
deployed as Task
Group
38.5. See references.)
Deployed with HMS GRENVILLE as escort for HMS FORMIDABLE during return
passage to
Sydney with call at Manus.
28th Arrived at Sydney
and reverted to RN control.
P o s t W a r No t e s
HMS URCHIN was deployed the Flotilla in the far East as part of
the British Pacific Fleet based at Hong Kong until released from foreign
service in 1946. On arrival in UK the ship Paid-off at Harwich and was initially laid-up in Reserve there until 1952 when transferred to Chatham. She
was selected for conversion to an Anti-Submarine Frigate and towed to the Clyde for this work in a commercial
shipyard. On completion in June 1954 the ship re-commissioned for service in
the 3rd Training Squadron in which she served for two years before returning to
Reserve. After a refit at Devonport in 1959 this ship was converted for use as a
sea training ship for cadets at Dartmouth and re-commissioned in August that year to serve in the
Dartmouth Training Squadron. Paid-off in 1964 she was placed on the Disposal
List. Before sale for breaking-up her stern structure was removed and fitted in sister ship HMS ULSTER during 1966.. The hulk was later towed
to Troon where she arrived
in August 1967 for demolition. |
DRAFT