W-Class destroyer ordered in December 1941 from
Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow with ships of the 9th Emergency Flotilla and laid
down as Yard No 833 on 14th September 1942. Launched on 29th September 1943 she
was the 5th RN ship to bear this name. It had been first used for a Brig-Sloop
in 1805 and lastly by a destroyer built in 1895 which was sold in 1920. Build
was completed on 30th March 1944 and she was initially deployed in the Home
Fleet. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK campaign for National Savings in March
1942 this destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Wood Green,
Middlesex, now part of the Borough of Haringey.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
None
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a field White a pentacle Red
within an annulet also Red.
M o t t
o
'Endless endeavour'
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 4
March Contractor’s sea trials and
commissioning.
30th Build completion and acceptance
trials.
April Passage to Scapa Flow on
completion of trials, calibrations and storing.
Work-up with
ships of Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On completion
deployed with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla Home Fleet pending formation
of 27th Destroyer
Flotilla.
May
6th Deployed with HM
Destroyers SAVAGE, WAKEFUL, ALGONQUIN (RCN). Polish ORP
PIORUN and ORP BLYSKAWICA
as screen for HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS, HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier
SEARCHER and HM Cruiser BERWICK during air operations against coastal
convoy traffic of Kristiansund, North, Norway.
(For details of
the successful attack see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C
Barnett, CONVOY !
by P Kemp and Naval Staff History.)
June Remained at Scapa Flow
for deployment with Flotilla as Home Fleet screen providing Distant
Cover if required
to prevent interference by major German warships during the allied landings
in Normandy.
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details of
naval activities prior to and during landings see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June 1944 (HMSO)
and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards.
Deployed in NW Approaches with Flotilla.
9th Sustained major structural damage
from explosion of own depth charges.
After structure
buckled causing considerable flooding in compartments.
10th Taken in tow to Lyness for emergency repair in dry dock.
On completion
towed to Middlesbrough for repair in commercial shipyard
(Note : In
addition to carrying oil drums filled with water, The Bofors
mountings, searchlight,
gunnery director and all torpedoes were landed as well as having forward
fresh water
and
fuel tanks filled with sea water to ensure stability during passage. Portable
pumps
were
also embarked in case of dire emergency!)
July Paid-off during repair at
Middlesbrough..
Nominally joined
27th Destroyer Flotilla on its formation.
(Note : This
Flotilla was intended for service in British Pacific
Fleet
and to prepare for foreign service before sailing
to
Australia in September.)
August Under repair.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Under repair
to
March
April Re-commissioned for service
in 27th Destroyer Flotilla, British Pacific Fleet.
to On completion of
repairs carried out sea trials and took passage to complete
May re-storing and prepare for
work-up.
June Worked-up for operational
service
July Passage to Sydney to
prepare for service in 3rd US Fleet as part of Task
Force 37 with
Flotilla.
August Arrived in Sydney and prepared
for operational use.
Pennant Number D35
for visual signalling was allocated to conform with
US Navy
identification for destroyers.)
(Note : Although
nominally part of the British Pacific Fleet on VJ Day
this
ship was not deployed operationally with the Flotilla off Japan
during
the final bombardments and air operations. Battle Honour
not therefore awarded.)
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS
WIZARD was however deployed with the Flotilla off Japan and took part with HM
Destroyer TENACIOUS in the repatriation of allied personnel captured by Japan,
held at Hammamatsu. Later she returned to
Sydney and was under repair there in November 1945 before taking passage with
the Flotilla to return to UK. In February 1946 she joined the Local Flotilla at
Plymouth until selected for conversion to a Type 15 Anti-submarine
Frigate in 1951. Recommissioned in 1954 she served in the Mediterranean with
the 5th Frigate Squadron
and took part in the Suez operations in November 1956. On return to UK in May
1957 she refitted at Chatham before joining the Dartmouth Training Squadron for
two years before being deployed in the West Indies with the 8th Frigate
Squadron until 1964 (see note below). On return she resumed Cadet training and remained with
the Dartmouth Squadron until 1966 when she paid-off and was reduced to Reserve
status. This ship was placed on the Disposal List and sold to T W Ward for
demolition on 16th February 1967. Taken in tow to Inverkeithing she arrived at
the breaker’s yard on 7th March that year.
Addendum
HMS WIZARD'S
MOVEMENTS JULY 1963
by Jim White
I note that
the record says that she returned from the West
Indies in 1964 to rejoin the Dartmouth
Training Squadron. For the record I
sailed on her as a cadet at the end of July 1963 when she was part of the
Training Squadron. For a week we were accompanied by five other frigates
of the squadron namely ROEBUCK, JUNO, JUPITER, VENUS and VIRAGO. We
sailed from Plymouth and met the
Royal Yacht near Eddystone and accompanied her
to Dartmouth after which we sailed
to Morgat in Brittany, returning to Plymouth.
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