Type III HUNT
Class Escort Destroyer ordered from John Brown at Clydebank on 4th July 1940
under the 1940 War Emergency
Programme and laid down as Job Number 1579 on 30th December 1940.
The ship was launched
11th October 1941
as the first RN warship to carry the name. Her build was completed on
22nd February 1942
and after a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 she was adopted
by the civil community of Wednesbury, Shropshire.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942-44 - DIEPPE 1942 - BISCAY 1944 - NORMANDY 1944
- NORTH
SEA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field per fess wavy White and Red
A stirrup with leather
leather Red, counterchanged White.
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 2
February Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in 1st Destroyer Flotilla.
22nd Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Greenock.
Nominated for
service with Flotilla based at Portsmouth.
March Worked up
for operational service in Clyde area.
28th Deployed in Channel
during passage to Portsmouth in search for HM ML443 missing after
St Nazaire raid
(Operation CHARIOT).
April Joined
Flotilla at Portsmouth and deployed for convoy defence and interception patrol in
Channel.
24th In action
with E-Boats off Fecamp, damaging one.
May
6th In
action with E-Boats in English Channel off Cap d'Ailly.
(For
details of Channel operations see HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P. S and THE BATTLE OF
THE
NARROW SEAS by P Scott.)
June Deployed
to intercept German coastal convoy off the Cotentin Peninsular with HM Steam
Gunboats 7 and 8.
See above references.
July Channel
deployment in continuation.
August Nominated for
support of planned Canadian assault on port of Dieppe .(Operation JUBILEE)
19th Escorted
Landing Ships, Infantry during passage to
Dieppe.
Sustained slight damage from shore return fire.
Rescued survivors from HM Escort Destroyer BERKELEY after she had been disabled
by air
attacks.
Sank
disabled ship by torpedo.
(For
details of JUBILEE see Naval Staff History and THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson)
September Channel
deployment with Flotilla in continuation.
October
7th Engaged
shore battery at Le Havre.
13th Deployed
as part of Force A with HM Escort Destroyers COTTESMORE, ESKDALE,
GLAISDALE and QUORN to intercept German commerce raider KOMET during passage
through English Channel to the Atlantic. (See above references).
November Detached for escort of military convoys on passage to
Gibraltar for planned allied landings in
North Africa
(Operation TORCH – See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY and Naval Staff History)
7th Part of
escort for Convoy KMS2 to Gibraltar for North African landings.
9th Arrived
at Gibraltar.
10th Escorted
Dutch liner NIEUW ZEELAND into Gibraltar after torpedo attack west of Gibraltar.
12th Stood by
HM Destroyer MARNE after disabled by torpedo and seriously damaged.
(Note: HMS MARNE had been part of escort for HM Destroyer Depot Ship HECLA sunk by
U515
and hit by another torpedo in same attack.
See
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair for details.
18th Returned
to UK as part of escort for Convoy MKF1.
December Resumed Channel
duties with Flotilla.
11th Attacked
enemy convoy off Dieppe with HM Destroyer WHITSHED.
German mine clearance ship (SPEERBRECHER) was sunk.
1 9 4 3
January Flotilla deployment for Channel convoy defence,
interception f coastal convoys and patrol
to continuation.
March
April
27th Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyer GOATHLAND to intercept coastal convoy 60 miles
NNE
of Ouissant.
Italian blockade runner BUTTERFLY and an A/S trawler, UJ1402 were sunk.
There
were 33 casualties including 8 killed.
May Channel
deployment in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Channel
deployment in continuation.
February Nominated for
special duty as Headquarters ship during the planned allied invasion of
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
(For
details of naval activities prior to and during NEPTUNE see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
June
1944 (HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards).
1st In
action with E-Boats during attack on convoy CW243 off Beachy Head.
Sustained serious structural damage.
Taken
in hand for repair and conversion for use as an HQ ship.
March Under repair
and conversion.
to
April
May On
completion joined Force G for duty as Senior Officer's Ship Assault Group
G3 and took part
in
preparatory exercises.
(For
details see above references).
June Deployed
in Solent prior to landings.
Nominated for passage in Convoy G16 comprising nine Landings Craft, Infantry and
two Rescue
craft, escorted by HM Escort Destroyer HAMBLEDON.
4th
Operation delayed 24hrs.
5th Passage
to beach head through swept channel.
Naval
Officer in Charge GOLD
Beach embarked.
6th Deployed
off GOLD Beach as HQ ship.
(See
above references and D DAY SHIPS by J de Winser.).
7th Remained
in area as HQ Ship.
July Deployed
for HQ Ship duties after end of Build-Up Phase of NEPTUNE.
Carried out patrol interception duties as required.
August Deployed in
Channel for patrol and interception.
12th Attacked
three trawlers south of Lorient and rescued 22 survivors.
September Channel duties
in continuation
to
Nominated for return to Flotilla duties after conversion.
December
1 9 4 5
January
3rd Taken in
hand for refit and conversion back to Escort Destroyer role.
February Under refit.
Nominated for duty with 21st Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness.
14th On
completion of post refit trials took passage for work-up.
March Deployed
with Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol in North Sea and Thames
area.
(Note: During this period German surface and submarine activities ware being
used for
minelaying and attacks on coastal convoys.
See
SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann).
April Flotilla
deployment in continuation.
May
8th
After VE Day deployed in Nore Command for convoy
escort.
23rd In
collision with LST 238 and sustained structural damage.
June Nominated
for service in Eastern Fleet after refit
On
completion of repair took passage to Immingham for refit prior to foreign
service.
July Under
refit.
to
August
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS ALBRIGHTON was not required for
foreign service after VJ Day but completed refit before she entered Reserve at Plymouth in December
1945. The ship was transferred to Penarth in 1953
before going to Gibraltar to be laid up. She was placed on the
Disposal List in 1955 and returned to UK where she was laid-up at Barrow to await her fate. After discussions
with the Federal German navy this ship was selected with seven other RN ship
for transfer to West Germany. She
was refitted in Liverpool before commissioning in 1959 when she was renamed RAULE.
During subsequent service RAULE was deployed in the Baltic for anti-submarine
training for nine years. Finally in 1968 she was Paid-off and sold in 1969 for
breaking-up by Eisen and Metall
at Bremen.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS ALBRIGHTON
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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23/07/42
|
24/07/42
|
WP 191
|
25/07/42
|
25/07/42
|
28/07/42
|
28/07/42
|
PW 193
|
29/07/42
|
30/07/42
|
03/10/42
|
03/10/42
|
PW 227
|
04/10/42
|
07/10/42
|
05/10/42
|
05/10/42
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PW 228
|
06/10/42
|
09/10/42
|
25/10/42
|
02/11/42
|
KMS 002G
|
10/11/42
|
12/11/42
|
12/11/42
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12/11/42
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MKF 001X
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18/11/42
|
19/11/42
|
29/11/42
|
30/11/42
|
WP 256
|
01/12/42
|
01/12/42
|
04/12/42
|
04/12/42
|
PW 258
|
05/12/42
|
06/12/42
|
05/12/42
|
05/12/42
|
WP 259
|
07/12/42
|
07/12/42
|
22/02/43
|
22/02/43
|
PW 298
|
23/02/43
|
24/02/43
|
23/02/43
|
23/02/43
|
WP 299
|
25/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
26/02/43
|
26/02/43
|
PW 300
|
28/02/43
|
28/02/43
|
27/02/43
|
27/02/43
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WP 301
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01/03/43
|
01/03/43
|
01/03/43
|
02/03/43
|
WP 302
|
03/03/43
|
03/03/43
|
05/03/43
|
05/03/43
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WP 304
|
06/03/43
|
07/03/43
|
04/03/43
|
05/03/43
|
PW 303
|
06/03/43
|
06/03/43
|
08/03/43
|
08/03/43
|
PW 305
|
10/03/43
|
10/03/43
|
09/03/43
|
09/03/43
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WP 306
|
11/03/43
|
11/03/43
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17/03/43
|
17/03/43
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WP 310
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19/03/43
|
19/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
PW 311
|
22/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
21/03/43
|
21/03/43
|
WP 312
|
23/03/43
|
23/03/43
|
24/03/43
|
24/03/43
|
PW 313
|
26/03/43
|
26/03/43
|
25/03/43
|
25/03/43
|
WP 314
|
27/03/43
|
27/03/43
|
29/03/43
|
29/03/43
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WP 316
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31/03/43
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31/03/43
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05/04/43
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05/04/43
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PW 319
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07/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
06/04/43
|
06/04/43
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WP 320
|
08/04/43
|
08/04/43
|
09/04/43
|
09/04/43
|
PW 321
|
10/04/43
|
11/04/43
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17/05/43
|
17/05/43
|
PW 340
|
18/05/43
|
19/05/43
|
01/11/42
|
18/06/43
|
WN 356
|
20/06/43
|
04/11/42
|
19/06/43
|
19/06/43
|
WP 357
|
21/06/43
|
21/06/43
|
04/08/43
|
04/08/43
|
WP 380
|
06/08/43
|
06/08/43
|
08/08/43
|
09/08/43
|
WP 382
|
10/08/43
|
10/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
WP 393
|
02/09/43
|
02/09/43
|
11/09/43
|
11/09/43
|
CE 206
|
12/09/43
|
12/09/43
|
01/10/43
|
01/10/43
|
WP 409
|
03/10/43
|
03/10/43
|
27/10/43
|
28/10/43
|
WP 422
|
29/10/43
|
29/10/43
|
02/11/43
|
03/11/43
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WP 425
|
04/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
CE 219
|
05/11/43
|
05/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
CE 221
|
13/11/43
|
13/11/43
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14/11/43
|
14/11/43
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CW 224
|
15/11/43
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15/11/43
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20/11/43
|
21/11/43
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WP 434
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22/11/43
|
22/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
28/11/43
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WP 438
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30/11/43
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30/11/43
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02/12/43
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02/12/43
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WP 440
|
04/12/43
|
04/12/43
|
15/01/44
|
15/01/44
|
CE 237
|
16/01/44
|
16/01/44
|
31/01/44
|
31/01/44
|
WP 470
|
02/02/44
|
02/02/44
|
20/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
WP 480
|
23/02/44
|
23/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
CE 247
|
25/02/44
|
25/02/44
|
27/02/44
|
27/02/44
|
CW 250
|
28/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
01/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
WP 485
|
03/03/44
|
03/03/44
|
09/03/44
|
10/03/44
|
WP 489
|
12/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
29/10/44
|
29/10/44
|
ON 263
|
01/11/44
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15/11/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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