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H . M . S
. U R S A ( R 2 2 )
"U" Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under the War
Emergency Programme in on 12th June 1941 for build by
J. I
Thornycroft at Woolston.
The ship was laid down on 2nd May 1942 and launched on 22nd July 1943 as the
2nd RN ship to carry the name previously used for a WW1 destroyer sold
in 1926. Build was completed on 1st March
1944. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK in March 1942 she was
'adopted' by the Hendon, then part of Middlesex but now in the London Borough of Barnet.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
BISCAY 1944
- NORMANDY 1944
- OKINAWA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field
Blue., a brown bear passant Proper.
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 commissioned
for
service with 25th Destroyer Flotilla..
March
1st Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow for
work-up with ships of
Home Fleet.
April
On completion of work-up deployed in NW Approaches with H M Destroyers
GRENVILLE,
ULSTER, ULYSSES, URCHIN,
UNDINE, UNDAUNTED and URANIA for screening and
interception patrol duties.
May Home
Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
14th Part of screen for HM Escort Carriers
EMPEROR and STRIKER, HM Cruisers SHEFFIELD
and ROYALIST with HM Destroyers ONSLOW, OBEDIENT, WAKEFUL, Polish
ORP
PIORUN and ORP BLYSKAWICA
during series of air attacks in Rorvik and Stadlandet areas
off Norway
Transferred to English Channel for duty with Force G in support of planned landings in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
For details of activities prior to and during landings see OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO)).
Joined HM Destroyers JERVIS, CATTISTOCK, PYTCHLEY, COTTESMORE and
Polish
ORP KRAKOWIAK with other ships of Flotilla in Force G.
Took part in preparatory exercises for GOLD Beach assault.
June
Passage to Assembly area for escort of Convoy G10 with HMS UNDAUNTED.
3rd Deployed in West Solent with Convoy
G10.
(Note : Convoy comprised HM Frigate KINGSMLLL (HQ Ship Force G2), four
Landing Ships
(Infantry), two Motor Launches and four rescue craft).
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Passage through swept channel as
escort for Convoy G10.
6th After arrival joined ships of Force G
and bombarded beach defences on GOLD Beach
in
accordance pre-arranged Fire Plan.
9th Deployed on interception patrol duties
off beachheads.
In action with E-Boats with HM Norwegian Destroyer GLAISDALE and ORP
KRAKOWIAK
off Le Havre.
Patrol and support duties in continuation till released from NEPTUNE.
25th Retained in Channel area.
July
Deployed for attacks on enemy coastal traffic i
Bay of Biscay.
See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith..
August
Channel deployment in continuation.
14th Part of screen for HM Cruiser
MAURITIUS with HM Destroyer IROQUOIS (RCN) for an
offensive operation off French coast.
15th Carried out attack on German Aircraft
Repair Ship RICHTOFEN and Minesweeper M385
off Sables d 'Olonne,
NW of La Pallice.
Minesweeper was damaged and beached. Later became a total loss.
22nd Deployed with HM Cruiser MAURITIUS and
HM Canadian Destroyer IROQUOIS for
offensive patrol off Audierne
23rd Carried out attack on coastal convoy
sinking patrol boats V702, V717, V720, V729 and V730.
September
Nominated for service with Flotilla in British Pacific Fleet after
refit..
October Under
Refit and preparation for foreign service.
November Passage
to Trincomalee to join Eastern Fleet prior to BPF service.
22nd Transferred to British Pacific Fleet
on formation, during passage.
For details of BPF operations see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,. THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO) and Naval
Staff History).
December Joined
Fleet at Trincomalee.
Deployed for Fleet screening and patrol duties in Indian Ocean.
1 9 4 5
January
Nominated for screening duty for HM aircraft Carriers IMPLACABLE,
VICTORIOUS, INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers SUFFOLK, ARGONAUT and
BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT, WHELP, WAGER,
GRENVILLE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED and UNDINE during planned air attacks
on oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra as
Force 65 (Operation LENTIL).
1st Sailed from Trincomalee with Force
65 for LENTIL.
4th Deployed with screen during air operations.
7th Returned to Trincomalee with ships of
Force 65.
13th Took part in Full Dress Rehearsal off
Ceylon for planned air attacks on oil refineries
at Pladjoe and Soeengei,
Palembang, Sumatra (Operation MERIDIAN)
(Note : Force 63 comprised
HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft
Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS.
INDOMITABLE, .INDEFATIGABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers
BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT and EURYALUS screened by HM
Destroyers GRENVILLE, UNDINE, UNDAUNTED, KEMPENFELT,
URSA,
WAGER, WAKEFUL, WHIRLWIND and WHELP.
16th Joined Force 63 on departure from
Trincomalee.
20th Replenished from Force 69.
(Note : HM Cruiser CEYLON and HM Destroyer WESSEX joined with Force 69.)
24th Deployed as part of destroyer screen
during air operations for MERIDIAN I
(Note : Operation was delayed 24
hours by adverse weather.)
26th Replenished from Force 69.
29th Deployed with screen during air
operations for MERIDIAN II.
(See WAR WITH JAPAN Vol VI (KM30) and THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by John
Winton. for details)
30th Replenished and took passage to
Sydney for service as British Pacific Fleet.
February
4th Arrived at Fremantle.
On arrival at Sydney worked up for
Pacific operations with US Navy in SW Pacific.
Designated Task Force 113 pending transfer to US Navy overall command..
(Note : Exercises included US Navy communications
methods and procedures.
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changes to D29 to suit US
Navy
ientity for destroyers.)
28th Took passage to Forward British base
at Manus, Admiralty Islands with ships
of
BPF as Task Force 113.to take part in joint RN/USN operations.
(Note : Deployment of RN ships had not been sanctioned by US Joint
Chiefs of Staff
and
approval was awaited.)
March
During passage using US Navy
procedures for manoeuvring and communications.
7th Arrived at Manus.
Docked at Manus.
(Note : Other
ships of BPF Took passage as Task Force 113 to US Forward Base at
Ulithi and replenished.
Deployment
with US Navy had been subject to delay in receiving approval
and
eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet as Task Force 57.
BPF
sailed from Ulithi as Task Force 57 to operational
area
Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.)
March
7th Arrived at Manus.
10th Docked at Manus.
(Note : Other
ships of BPF Took passage as Task Force 113 to US Forward Base at
Ulithi and replenished.
Deployment with US Navy had been subject to delay in receiving approval
and
eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet as Task Force 57.
BPF
sailed from Ulithi as Task Force 57 to operational
area
Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.)
On completion of docking
escorted H M Cruisers UGANDA with HM Destroyer
URCHIN to reinforce British TF57 during air attacks on Formosa to
support U S
invasion of Okinawa
(Operation ICEBERG).
April
8th Joined Task Force 57 with HMS
URCHIN during replenishment in Area COOTIE.
9th Deployed
with screen for ships of BPF and sailed from COOTIE Area to carry out
air operations on airfields in Formosa (Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
11th Part of screen during attacks on
airfields at Schinchiku and Matsuyama.
to On completion returned with
Task Force 57 to rejoin operations with US Navy
13th Task Force 58 on Sakishima
Gunto airfields (Operation ICEBERG ONE).
14th Replenished in Area COOTIE.
16th Deployed with screen for Task
Force 57 during air operations.
19th Replenished in Area
MOSQUITO ONE
20th Fleet screening in continuation during
final air attacks on Sakishima Gunto
by Task Force 57-
On completion took
passage to the US Navy Base at Leyte with Task Force
57 ships
(Note : For details of
operations in Formosa and Sakishima Gunto see OPERATION PACIFIC
by E Gray, TASK FORCE 57 by P smith and above references.)
23rd
Arrived at Leyte.
(Note : HM Depot Ship
TYNE, HM Repair Ships RESOUCRE and ARTIFEX were at Leyte.)
May
1st Sailed from Leyte
as part of screen for HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE,
FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS and INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers
GAMBIA, BLACK PRINCE and
EURYALUS with HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN,
UNDINE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED,
QUILLIAM, QUEENBOROUGH, QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH, QUALITY,
KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND and WESSEX to join ships of US
Task Force 58 for joint
air attacks on Sakishima Gunto
group (Operation ICEBERG TWO).
3rd Replenished in MOSQUITO Area.
4th Detached with H M
Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN, UNDINE, URANIA and UNDAUNTED
as
screen for HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS HOWE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, UGANDA
(RCN)
and GAMBIA (RNZN) during bombardment of airfields at Miyako
Shima.
During the bombardment the
aircraft carriers of Task Force 57 were carrying out flying operations
some 30 miles away and
came under heavy and sustained attacks including KAMIKAZE suicide
bombers.
(Note :
HMS FORMIDABLE and HMS INDOMITABLE damaged in these attacks).
Rejoined aircraft carriers on completion of
bombardments. (See above references.)
5th Part of screen during air attacks by TF57
carriers deployed in rotation with US to
TF59 carriers
24th KAMIKAZE attacks continued. HMS VICTORIOUS
and HMS FORMIDABLE were damaged.
25th On release from operations returned to Manus with TF57 screen.
27th Ships of US 5th Fleet re-designated 5th US
Fleet.
(Note :
ships of BPF were accordingly redesigned Task Force 37).
June Passage to
Sydney for R&R.
(Note : 25th
Destroyer Flotilla - M Destroyers GRENVILLE, URANIA, ULYSSES, URCHIN and
UNDINE transferred to 4th Destroyer Flotilla. These ships took passage
to join joint USN/RN
operations off Japan.
July Deployed in
Australian waters and SW Pacific.
Not included
in any references giving details of operations off Japan.)
August Pacific area
deployment in continuation.
17th Ships of BPF reverted to RN control.
Joined Task Unit 111.2 and
took passage to Subic Bay.
27th Sailed from Subic
Bay as part of screen for HM Aircraft carrier INDOMITABLE, HM Light Fleet
Carrier VENERABLE, H M Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, EURYALUS and BLACK PRINCE with HM
Destroyers KEMPENFELT,
QUADRANT, WHIRLWIND and HM Auxiliary PRINCE ROBERT
(RCN) for passage to
support reoccupation of Hong Kong.
29th Met HM Battleship ANSON AND HM Light Fleet
Carrier VENGEANCE.
30th Entered Hong Kong with ships of Task Unit
111.2.
P o s
t W a r
N o t e s
HMS URSA returned to UK after
re-occupation of Hong Kong and paid off into Reserve at Portsmouth during 1946.
She remained there until 1952 when transferred to Chatham. The ship was
selected for conversion to a Type 15 Anti-submarine Frigate and converted by
Palmer shipyard at Newcastle in 1953-54. She re-commissioned as a Frigate
in 1955 and joined the 6th Frigate Flotilla for service with the Fleet in the Mediterranean until 1959. Although intended to re-commission after a refit this
ship was reduced to Reserve in Malta. In 1961 she joined the 5th Frigate
Flotilla and was damaged in a collision with HM Destroyer BATTLEAXE on 1st
August 1962 during exercises in the Clyde. After she had been repaired she was
deployed with the 8th Frigate Flotilla until paid off on 28th November 1966 and
reduced again to Reserve status. HMS URSA was placed on the Disposal List and
sold for breaking up in 1967 at Newport, Glamorgan where she arrived on 23
September 1967. |
DRAFT