Type II HUNT-Class
Escort Destroyer ordered from Hawthorn Leslie at
Newcastle under the 1939 War Emergency
Programme on
12th December 1939 with 16 others of this Type.
The ship was laid down as Job Number J4210 on 29th May 1940 and launched on 5th
September 1941 as the second RN ship to bear the name, that of a fox-hunt in Oxfordshire. It was first used for a minesweeper in WW1.
Build was completed on
18th June 1942 and she was not adopted by a
civil community after a National Savings WARSHIP WEEK campaign during 1941-42.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORTH AFRICA 1942-43 -
MALTA CONVOYS 1942 -
MEDITERRANEAN 1942-43 - SOUTH
FRANCE
1944 - ADRIATIC 1944 - AEGEAN 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On afield Red, a stirrup White and a key erect
upwards Gold
interlaced.
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
June Contractors trials and commissioning.
16th Build completion and acceptance trials.
Prepared for work-up.
July On completion of work-up joined Londonderry Special
Escort Force.
29th Joined military convoy WS21 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BRAMHAM,
WILTON,
KEPPEL and SALISBURY as Local Escort during
passage in NW Approaches.
August Nominated for detached service as escort for Malta
Relief convoy.
4th Detached from WS21 and took passage to Join Malta Relief Convoy
WS21S which
had sailed from Clyde for Gibraltar on 2nd
August (Operation PEDESTAL).
(Note: This deployment was with Home Fleet
destroyers for escort of convoy and
screening of HM Battleships NELSON and RODNEY,
HM Cruiser NIGERIA
and KENYA with HM Destroyers AMAZON, ASHANTI,
ESKIMO
MALCOLM, PATHFINDER, PENN, QUENTIN, TARTAR,
VENOMOUS
WISHART, WOLVERINE, BRAMHAM, DERWENT, LEDBURY,
WILTON and ZETLAND.)
11th After passage through Strait of Gibraltar Joined HM Cruisers
CAIRO, MANCHESTER,
KENYA and NIGERIA in Force X with HM
Destroyers ASHANTI, FURY,
INTREPID, ICARUS, PATHFINDER, PENN, DERWENT,
LEDBURY, WILTON
BRAMHAM and WILTON as escort for ships during
passage through Sicilian
Narrows to Malta.
12th Under submarine and air attacks during which HM Aircraft Carrier
EAGLE was sunk
by U73.
Further attacks by Italian submarines during
which HMS CAIRO was sunk and HMS
NIGERIA was hit by torpedoes from Italian AXUM.
Detached with HMS DERWENT and HMS WILTON to
escort damaged HMS
NIGERIA back to
Gibraltar.
For details of the passage of PEDESTAL Convoy
see PEDESTAL by Peter C Smith,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and
the Naval Staff History.
18th On release from PEDESTAL took passage to Londonderry to resume
escort duties in
NW Approaches.
28th Joined military convoy WS22 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BULLDOG,
KEPPEL,
ZETLAND, BEVERLEY, CHESTERFIELD and Polish
destroyer ORP
BLYSKAWICA as Local Escort for passage in NW
Approaches.
September
1st Detached from WS22 with HM Destroyers BULLDOG, KEPPEL, ZETLAND and
ORP BLYSKAWICA.
On return to Londonderry deployed in NW
Approaches for convoy escort.
October NW Approaches escort duty in continuation.
4th Joined military convoy WS23 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
WRESTLER,
ZETLAND, PUCKERIDGE and Greek destroyer KANARIS
as escort during
passage in NW Approaches.
8th Detached from WS23 and resumed to Clyde with Local Escort.
On return to Londonderry resumed duty in Local
Escort Force.
Nominated for escort of military convoys to
North Africa for allied landings.
Escorted convoys to Gibraltar.
November Deployed at Gibraltar.
Joined Eastern Task Force for- support of
landings at Oran.
(Operation TORCH – See Naval Staff History and
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY.)
On release from TORCH Joined 58th Destroyer
Division based at Algiers for
convoy defence in western Mediterranean.
December Western Mediterranean deployment in continuation.
1 9 4 3
January Convoy defence based at Algiers in continuation.
February Deployed with sister HUNT Class destroyers for patrol
and convoy escort.
17th Took part in search for Italian submarine ASTERIA in defence of
convoy.
(Note: Sinking of ASTERIA is credited to HM
Destroyers EASTON and
WHEATLAND.)
20th Deployed with HM Destroyers LAMERTON and WHEATLAND to carry out
search
for U443 detected by shore radar at Algiers.
23rd Took part in sinking of U443 in position 36.55N 02.25E with HMS
WHEATLAND
and HMS LAMERTON after three day search and
destroy operation.
Submarine sunk by sustained depth charge attacks
There were no survivors.
March Convoy defence and patrol based at
Algiers in continuation.
to
April
May Took part in blockade of Cape Bon area to prevent
escape of craft being used for
evacuation of enemy personnel from North Africa
(Operation RETRIBUTION).
9th During deployment with HMS OAKLEY came under air attack by SPITFIRE
aircraft and sustained major damage from near
miss
Bomb exploded alongside causing flooding and
extensive damage
Taken in tow to Malta for temporary repair.
June Under repair in Malta. Passage to UK for permanent
repair,
July Passage to UK for repair
August Under repair
to
September
October Nominated for service in 59th Destroyer Division in
Malta.
Post repair trials and work-up for foreign
service.
November Passage to Malta to resume patrol and convoy defence
duties.
Deployed in Adriatic and central
Mediterranean.
December
2nd Damaged during air raid at Bari when an ammunition ship was hit and
exploded.
(Note: Later sister destroyer HMS ZETLAND was
also damaged but less seriously.)
Taken in tow by HMS ZETLAND to
Taranto for repair.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair.
15th On completion carried out post repair trial and resumed convoy
defence duty.
February Deployed for convoy escort In Central Mediterranean and
for support of military
to operations in Adriatic.
April
May Deployed in Adriatic
5th Carried out bombardment of Ardea in support of shore operation .
June Adriatic support and convoy defence in continuation
to
July
August Passage to Naples to Join US Navy ships for escort of
Assault convoys.
(Operation ZIPPER – See BRITISH INVASION FLEETS
by J de Winser and
Naval Staff History.)
(Note: British ships were under overall command
of US Navy.)
12th Part of escort for Assault Convoy SM1 (CAMEL) and sailed from
Naples with
HM Trawlers CROWLIN, MEWSTONE, AILSA CRAIG and
six US Navy minor
minor warships.
15th Detached from SM1 (CAMEL) on arrival off beachhead.
September On release from DRAGOON returned to RN control and
deployed in Adriatic for
the support of guerrilla and other shore
operations as well as convoy escort.
October Support of re-occupation of Aegean islands and convoy
defence in continuation
to
November
December Piraeus guardship, convoy defence and support in
continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Piraeus guardship, convoy defence and support duties in
continuation.
Based in Malta.
Nominated for refit in Alexandria
February Passage to Alexandria for refit.
March Under refit.
April Nominated for service in 18th Destroyer Flotilla,
Eastern Fleet.
May Passage to UK.
June Taken in hand for refit to improve habitability.
July On completion and re-commissioning took to Indian
Ocean to join Flotilla
in Eastern Fleet.
August Arrived at Trincomalee before VJ Day and Joined
Flotilla.
28th Sailed from Trincomalee as part of escort for Convoy JMA2BS during
passage
to assault beachhead near Port Dickson
(Operation ZIPPER – See above references and WAR
WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS BICESTER remained in Eastern
Fleet aid became Leader of 29th Destroyer Flotilla at Bombay. She was deployed for Fleet duties until return to UK in November. After arrival
at Sheerness on 12th December 1945 she was deployed in the More Local
Flotilla. In 1947 she became Leader of Flotilla and was deployed for training
and local duties until January 1950 when
she paid-off and was put in Reserve at Chatham. Although brought forward to attend the Coronation Review
in 1953 this ship did not re-commission for operational service before being placed on the Disposal List in 1955. She
was sold to T W Ward in 1956 and arrived
in tow at the breakers yard in Grays, Essex on 23rd August 1956
for demolition.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS BICESTER
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
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Date convoy
sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy
arrived
|
|
|
|
|
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26/10/42
|
06/11/42
|
KMF 001
|
08/11/42
|
08/11/42
|
27/11/42
|
06/12/42
|
KMF 004
|
07/12/42
|
07/12/42
|
13/12/42
|
16/12/42
|
TE 009
|
18/12/42
|
18/12/42
|
18/12/42
|
18/12/42
|
ET 006
|
20/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
05/01/43
|
05/01/43
|
MKF 006
|
06/01/43
|
14/01/43
|
11/01/43
|
11/01/43
|
ET 009
|
16/01/43
|
16/01/43
|
26/01/43
|
26/01/43
|
TE 014
|
30/01/43
|
30/01/43
|
21/01/43
|
07/02/43
|
KMS 008G
|
08/02/43
|
10/02/43
|
09/02/43
|
09/02/43
|
ET 011
|
11/02/43
|
13/02/43
|
09/02/43
|
11/02/43
|
TE 015
|
13/02/43
|
13/02/43
|
17/02/43
|
17/02/43
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MKS 008
|
22/02/43
|
01/03/43
|
18/03/43
|
18/03/43
|
ET 015
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22/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
01/04/43
|
01/04/43
|
TE 020
|
04/04/43
|
04/04/43
|
04/04/43
|
04/04/43
|
ET 017
|
06/04/43
|
09/04/43
|
22/10/43
|
25/10/43
|
KX 011
|
01/11/43
|
01/11/43
|
10/11/43
|
10/11/43
|
KMS 031
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18/11/43
|
21/11/43
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12/08/44
|
12/08/44
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SM 001A
|
14/08/44
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14/08/44
|
01/11/44
|
01/11/44
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XIF 024
|
04/11/44
|
04/11/44
|
06/11/44
|
06/11/44
|
IXF 024
|
10/11/44
|
10/11/44
|
24/11/44
|
24/11/44
|
XIF 025
|
28/11/44
|
28/11/44
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|
|
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(Note on Convoys)