V-Class destroyers ordered from
Fair-field of Govan, Glasgow with the 8th Emergency Flotilla on 1st September
1941. She was laid down on 26th June 1942 and launched on 22nd April 1943 as
the 2nd RN warship to carry this name previously used for a WW1 destroyer lost
in 1919. She had been adopted by the civil community of St. Albans,
Hertfordshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in
February 1942. Build was completed on 10th December 1943 and the ship was fitted for
Arctic service.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ARCTIC 1944
-
NORMANDY 1944 - NORWAY 1944 -
MALAYA 1945 - BURMA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, in
front of a saltire coupled Gold
a sword erect Proper pommel and hilt also Gold.
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 Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for service in 26th Destroyer
Flotilla.
12th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with ships of
Home Fleet.
Joined 26th
Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note: This
comprised HM Destroyers ALGONQUIN (RCN), KEMPENFELT, SIOUX
(RCN), VENUS, VERULAM, VIGILANT and VIRAGO).
During work-up
took part in Home Fleet offensive sweep off Norway as screen for HM
Cruisers BELLONA
and KENT with HM Destroyers MYNGS, ZAMBESI and ALGONQUIN
(RCN) (Operation
COUNTERBLAST).
1 9 4 4
January Worked-up with Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Deployed with
Flotilla in Home Fleet after work-up.
February
6th Joined escort for
returning Convoy RA56 from Murmansk.
9th Detached from RA56
before arrival at Loch Ewe.
22nd Joined escort for Russian Convoy JW57
with HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE and 13 other
destroyers from
the Home Fleet.
28th Detached from JW57 on
arrival at Kola Inlet.
March
2nd
Joined Destroyer Escort for returning Convoy RA57 with HMS BLACK PRINCE
and HM
Escort Aircraft
Carrier CHASER with Home Fleet destroyers.
7th Detached from RA57
before arrival at Loch Ewe.
April
3rd Escorted HM Battleship
ANSON, HM Aircraft Carriers VICTORIOUS, FURIOUS, HM
Escort Carriers
SEARCHER, EMPEROR, PURSUER and FENCER with HM Cruisers
ROYALIST, BELFAST,
SHEFFIELD and JAMAICA for air attacks attack on German
battleship
TIRPITZ laying in Altenfjord..
(Operation
TUNGSTEN - See Naval Staff History and CONVOY! by P Kemp.
This operation also covered passage of
Russian Convoy JW58).
20th Independent passage to
Kola Inlet to embark personnel and escort ships awaiting convoy
to UK.
28th Embarked 17 personnel
for passage and joined escort for returning
Convoy RA59 with
HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HMS FENCER and HM Destroyers BOADICEA, ULYSSES,
VIRAGO, WALKER
and WHITEHALL of Home Fleet.
May
Nominated for duty with Force S in support of Normandy
landings.
(Operation
NEPTUNE - For details see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and LANDINGS
IN NORMANDY June
1944 (HMSO).).
3rd Detached with above
ships before arrival in UK.
Took part in Home
Fleet preparatory exercises including bornbardment practices.
(Note: Allocated
target in Fire Support Plan - Lion-sur-Mer)
June
5th Passage to Solent to
join Force S.
Sailed from Solent as escort for HM Landing Ship
(Headquarters) LARGS with HM Destroyers
VIRAGO, KELVIN, EGLINTON and five Motor Torpedo Boats as Convoy S7.
See references.)
6th Provided naval gunfire support
in accordance with Fire Plan.
7th Deployed for
interception patrol and naval gunfire support in Eastern Task Force area.
27th On release from NEPTUNE
took passage to Scapa Flow to resume Flotilla duties in Home Fleet.
July
Flotilla duties in Home Fleet in continuation.
August
10th Joined screen for HM
Aircraft Carrier INDEFATIGABLE, HM Escort Carriers, NABOB, HM
Cruisers KENT and
DEVONSHIRE with ships of Flotilla for series of air attacks on airfields at
Gossen, aircraft
minelay and shipping strikes off Norway
(Operation
OFFSPRING - See Naval Staff History (MINING)).
September
12th Escorted HMS FURIOUS
and HMS TRUMPETER with HMS DEVONSHIRE, HM Destroyers
MYNGS, MARNE,
MUSKETEER, ALGONQUIN and VIGILANT for minelay off Norway.
Planned shipping
strike by aircraft was cancelled but convoy sighted in area was attacked.
(Operation
BEGONIA - See above reference).
17th Deployed with Flotilla
and other Home Fleet destroyers to escort Convoy JW60.
Joined screen for HM Battleship RODNEY, HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Carriers
CAMPANIA and
STRIKER.
23rd Detached on arrival at
Kola Inlet.
28th Joined escort for
returning Convoy RA60 with HMS RODNEY.
October
3rd Detached for passage to
Scapa Flow.
23rd Escorted HM Aircraft
Carrier IMPLACABLE with HM Cruiser BELLONA and Home Fleet
destroyers during air attacks
on Sorreisa and Bardufoss airfield.
28th Escorted HMS IMPLACABLE
with HM Cruiser MAURITIUS and Home Fleet destroyers for
air strikes on
shipping at Bodo and Kristiansund.
November
12th Escorted HMS KENT and
HMS BELLONA with Home Fleet destroyers for shipping strike near
Egersund during
which several ships and escorts were sunk.
December
Nominated for service with Eastern Fleet with Flotilla.
1 9 4 5
January
Refit and preparation for foreign service at commercial shipyard in
Leith.
February
Passage to Trincomalee with ships of D26.
March
Joined Eastern Fleet and exercised for Fleet escort, patrol and military
support duties.
(For details of
Eastern Fleet deployments see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
April
8th Joined escort for HM Battleship QUEEN
ELIZABETH, French battleship RICHELIEU, HM
Cruisers LONDON
and CUMBERLAND with HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ, VIGILANT,
VIRAGO and VENUS
(Operation SUNFISH).
11th Bombardment of Sabang,
Sumatra
14th Deployed as screen for
HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, FS RICHELIEU and HMS LONDON during
to air operations. One aircraft was
lost and one enemy plane shot down.
15th (For details see WAR WITH JAPAN Volume
VI (HMSO).)
16th Remained with screen during during
offensive sweep against coastal shipping by HMS VENUS
and HMS VIRAGO.
20th Returned to Trincomalee with ships of
Force 62.
27th Sailed with Slips of East Indies Fleet
as Force 63 for operations in Andaman Sea to prevent any
interference
with landings at Rangoon by Japanese ships or aircraft
. (Operation
BISHOP - For details including names of ships involved see the above
reference.)
(Note: Operations
were conducted to prevent aircraft from bases in the Nicobars and Andamans
carrying out attacks and to destroy any shipping found in the area.
28th Sailed from Trincomalee to join Eastern Fleet
escort carriers.
May
1st Escorted HM Cruisers
PHOEBE and ROYALIST, HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR, KHEDIVE,
HUNTER and
STALKER with HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ, VENUS, VIRAGO and
VIGILANT which
were covering Rangoon landings (Operation DRACULA.
3rd On release from DRACULA
rejoined Force 63 in Andaman Sea..
6th Deployed with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM,
SAUMAREZ, VENUS and VIGILANT in
screen for HMS
QUEEN ELIZABETH, FS RICHELIEU, HM Escort Carriers SHAH and
EMPRESS, HM
Cruisers CUMBERLAND, SUFFOLK, CEYLON and TROMP during
bombardment of Car
Nicobar and Port Blair (Continuation of Operation BISHOP).
9th Returned to Trincomalee
and joined Force 51 with Eastern Fleet destroyers to intercept Japanese
warships sighted
in the entrance to the Malacca Straits (Operation DUKEDOM).
(Note: Force 51
included ships of Force 63 plus ships of the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron).
10th Sailed from Trincomalee for Ten Degree
Channel.
14th Detached with HM
Destroyers SAUMAREZ, VIGILANT, VENUS and VIRAGO to search for
enemy craft north
of Sumatra (Operation MITRE).
15th In action with Japanese
cruiser HAGURO and destroyer KAMIKAZE during which HAGURO
was sunk SW of
Penang.
(For full details
of this brilliantly executed night torpedo attack by the 26th Destroyer
Flotilla
see "SINK THE HAGURO"
by John Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN.)
June
Escorted HMS ROYALIST during series of offensive sweeps in Indian Ocean.
July
Deployed in support of military operations in Burma and Fleet screening.
Took part in
exercises and preparation for support of planned allied landings in Malaya
(Operation
ZIPPER).
(Note: This
operation was delayed until after VJ Day by US insistence. and problems
relating
to
release of long serving personnel from from SEAC in the PYTHON Scheme
See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Final Report of Supreme
Commander SEAC (HMSO)
August Deployed with escort for Eastern Fleet ships off Malaya and Burma prior
to the Malayan coast
landings.
September
4th Sailed from Trincomalee
with Escort Carriers to join Eastern Fleet ships off Malayan coast.
6th Joined convoy JME1F
Diverted to take
passage to Singapore.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS VERULAM returned to UK after
the Japanese surrender at Singapore and was deployed with the Londonderry
Flotilla in 1946. The next year she joined the Mediterranean Fleet and served
in the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla based in Malta for two years. She was selected
for conversion to Type 15 Anti-Submarine Frigate in 1951 and after completion
by HM Dockyard , Portsmouth she was deployed for Arctic Trials. After
attendance at the Coronation Review in 1953 she was placed in
Reserve. The ship re-commissioned in 1958 for duty as Trials Ship attached to
the Weapons Research Establishment at Portland and continued in that role until
1970 when she was placed on the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO for demolition by
J Cashmore on 1st September 1972 she arrived in tow at the breakers’ yard in
Newport on 23rd September that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VERULAM
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
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|
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
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|
|
|
|
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03/02/44
|
06/02/44
|
RA 056
|
09/02/44
|
11/02/44
|
20/02/44
|
22/02/44
|
JW 057
|
28/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
02/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
RA 057
|
07/03/44
|
10/03/44
|
28/04/44
|
28/04/44
|
RA 059
|
03/05/44
|
06/05/44
|
15/09/44
|
17/09/44
|
JW 060
|
23/09/44
|
23/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
28/09/44
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RA 060
|
03/10/44
|
05/10/44
|
04/06/45
|
10/06/45
|
OW 006/2
|
13/06/45
|
13/06/45
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23/06/45
|
23/06/45
|
WO 007
|
25/06/45
|
25/06/45
|
29/06/45
|
05/07/45
|
OW 007/2
|
08/07/45
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08/07/45
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|
|
|
|
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(Note on Convoys)
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