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SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2

by Lt Cdr Geoffrey B Mason RN (Rtd) (c) 2004

HMS CAESAR (R 07) -  Ca-class Destroyer
including Convoy Escort Movements 

Edited by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.Net

HMS Caesar (Navy Photos, click to enlarge)return to Contents List 
 

Ca-class Fleet Destroyer of the 11th Emergency Flotilla built by John Brown of Clydebank and to be fitted for use as a Flotilla Leader with additional accommodation for the Staff Officers. The ship was laid down on 3rd April 1943 and was intended to carry the name RANGER) but before her launching on 14th February 1944 this was changed to CAESAR to conform with the new naming policy. She was the sixth Royal Navy warship to carry the name, first introduced in 1642 and previously been carried by a battleship sold in 1921. After completion en 5th October 1944 she joined the Home Fleet to work-up for operational service.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE 1794 - CUT  OF GIBRALTAR   1801 - STRACHAN'S ACTION 1805 - BASQUE ROADS  1809  - WALCHEREN 1809 - BALTIC  1854

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge: On a Field Blue. the head of Caesar, gold.

 

M o t t o

Veni,  vidi vici :   ' I came,  I saw I conquered’

 

 

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

 

September            Builders trials and commissioning.

 

October                 Passage to Clyde for full power trials

           5th              Build completed trials and commenced Acceptance Trials.

                              (Note: Recommendations made for changes to ventilation in Gearing Room and Type 293

                                           radar office. See BRITISH DESTROYERS by Edgar March).

                              Carried out work-up at Scapa Flow with ships of Home Fleet.

 

November             Joined 7th Destroyer Flotilla Home Fleet after work-up at Scapa Flow.

         14th              Part of escort for HM Escort Aircraft Carrier PURSUER and HM Cruiser EURYALUS

                              with HM Destroyers NUBIAN, VENUS and ZEPHYR during air attacks on shipping off

                              Tromso.

                              (Note: German Patrol craft V6413 was sunk during this operation..

                                          For details of Hone Fleet operations in this period see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE

                                          CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).

         29th              Part of escort for HM Cruiser BELLONA, HM Escort Carriers CAMPANIA and NAIRANA

                              with snips of the 7th Flotilla and HM Destroyers ONSLOW, OBEDIENT, OFFA, ORIBI,

                              ONSLAUGHT and ORWELL.

                              (Note: These ships were being deployed to provide cover for passage of Russian Convoy

                                           JW62 to Kola Inlet. For details off all Russian Convoy operations see ENGAGE THE

                                           ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett, CONVOY ! by P Kemp, CONVOYS TO

                                           RUSSIA by RA  Ruegg  RUSSIAN CONVOYS by R Woodhead and THE RUSSIAN

                                           CONVOYS by B Schoefield).

 

December

           1st              Joined escort of JW62.

                              Convoy under threat from STOCK Group of U-Boats which failed to make contact.

           2nd             Diversion of convoy avoided attacks from GRUBE U- Boat Group.

           7th              Detached on arrival of JW62 at Kola Inlet without loss.

         10th              Part of escort for returning Convoy RA52 with same ships.

         11th              Sister destroyer HMS CASSANDRA hit by torpedo from U365 and badly damaged.

         12th              HM Norwegian Corvette TUNSBERG CASTLE sunk by mine with heavy loss of life.

         13th              U365 sunk by aircraft from HMS NAIRANA.

         19th              Detached after arrival of convoy at Loch Ewe without loss of any mercantiles.

 

1 9 4 5

 

January                  Deployed with 7th Flotilla in tone Fleet and later transferred to Atlantic for convoy

to                            defence in Western Approaches.

March

 

April                       Nominated for foreign service

 

May                        Refit and preparation for service with Eastern Fleet

to

July

 

August                   Passage to Trincomalee with Flotilla

 

P o s t  W a r   N o t e s

HMS CAESAR was deployed with HM Cruiser SUSSEX with HM Destroyers CARRON and CAVALIER to cover  the passage of a military convoy taking 5th Indian Division to Soerabaya. The ship returned to UK to reduce to Reserve in 1946. In January 1951 it was decided that ships of the CAESAR Class in Reserve should be modernised and work was slowly progressed. This ship completed modernisation at Rosyth in 1960 and was commissioned for operational service in the 8th Destroyer Squadron. Her service, mainly in the Far East, ended in June 1965 when she Paid-off and was placed on the Disposal List. After being de-equipped at Chatham the ship was sold to BISCO in 1966 for demolition by  Hughes Bolcow and arrived in tow at the Breaker’s yard in Blyth on 6th January 1967.

 


 

Addenda

 

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of  HMS CAESAR

by Don Kindell

 

These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above

 

 

 

 

 

Date convoy sailed

Joined convoy as escort

Convoy No.

Left convoy

Date convoy arrived

 

 

 

 

 

29/11/44

01/12/44

JW 062

07/12/44

07/12/44

10/12/44

10/12/44

RA 062

18/12/44

19/12/44

24/12/44

29/12/44

AT 177

30/12/44

30/12/44

31/12/44

31/12/44

TA 175

01/01/45

07/01/45

05/01/45

05/01/45

TA 177

06/01/45

13/01/45

01/01/45

06/01/45

AT 179

07/01/45

07/01/45

08/01/45

13/01/45

AT 180

14/01/45

14/01/45

14/01/45

14/01/45

TA 178

15/01/45

22/01/45

28/01/45

28/01/45

TA 182

29/01/45

05/02/45

23/01/45

29/01/45

AT 184

30/01/45

30/01/45

12/02/45

12/02/45

TA 187A

13/02/45

19/02/45

16/02/45

16/02/45

TA 188

17/02/45

24/02/45

19/02/45

19/02/45

TA 189A

20/02/45

27/02/45

19/02/45

24/02/45

AT 191

25/02/45

25/02/45

01/03/45

01/03/45

TA 189C

02/03/45

10/03/45

26/02/45

03/03/45

AT 194

04/03/45

04/03/45

05/03/45

05/03/45

TA 191

06/03/45

11/03/45

08/03/45

08/03/45

TA 194

09/03/45

17/03/45

12/03/45

12/03/45

TA 194A

13/03/45

19/03/45

10/03/45

16/03/45

AT 195

17/03/45

17/03/45

20/03/45

20/03/45

TA 196A

21/03/45

27/03/45

17/03/45

21/03/45

AT 198

22/03/45

22/03/45

 

 

 

 

 

(Note on Convoys)

 


 

HMS CAESAR in HONG-KONG, POST-WAR

by James Chapman

 

 

I spent 37 years in the RAN starting as an SBA and recently someone sent me some images of Hong Kong in the 1950/60's as a 'remember when..'.  One such image was of Jenny's Side Party  (Mrs. Ng Muk Kah BEM, a famous Hong Kong lady who worked on the ships in harbour for decades, and died in 2009, aged 92) with HMS CAESAR (D 07) in the background and behind her, carrier HMS BULWARK.  CAESAR had such beautiful lines, and I noticed the timing of her sojourn in Honkers looks about right. Jim Chapman, CMDR RAN (Rtd)

 

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