Type II HUNT Class
Escort Destroyer ordered from Alex. Stephens of Govan, Glasgow on 20th Dec.
1939 with 15 others of this Type under the 1939 War Emergency Programme. The
snip was laid down as Jon No J1479 on 10th February 1942. The ship was launched
on 2nd December 1941 as the first RN warship to carry the name, although a WW1
minesweeper had been named BLACKMOREVALE after the Somerset Hunt. Build was
completed on 14th April 1942 and following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in March 1942 she had been adopted by the civil community of
Langport, Somerset.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1943 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944
- SALERNO 1943
- ADRIATIC 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field per fess wavy Red and Blue.
a five bar gate 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
April
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for service with 2nd Destroyer
Flotilla.
14th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On
completion of trials and storing worked-up for operational service.
On
completion prepared for work-up
May Worked-up
for operational service.
Prepared for foreign service and nominated for escort
of military convoy during passage to
Freetown.
June
1st Joined
Convoy WS19P with HM Battleship NELSON and HM Destroyer DERWENT as Ocean
Escort during Atlantic passage.
15th Detached
from W519P on arrival at Freetown.
Retained at
Freetown for Local Escort duties.
24th Passage
from Freetown with HM Destroyer BRILLIANT to meet military convoy WS20
during Atlantic passage from
Clyde.
26th Joined
WS20 with HMS BRILLIANT as escort for passage to
Freetown.
July
Transferred to Indian Ocean for convoy defence.
2nd Detached
from WS20 with other ships of Local Escort on arrival.
6th Joined
WS20 with HM Battleship MALAYA, HM Destroyers BRILLIANT and WIVERN as
Ocean
Escort during passage to Cape of Good Hope.
17th Detached
from WS20 with HMS MALAYA and escorted ships from convoy into Capetown.
19th Deployed
at Simonstown for convoy defence in South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
August Convoy
defence based at Simonstown in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Convoy
defence in continuation based at Simonstown.
February Passage to
join military convoy WS26 during passage from Freetown to Cape.
20th Joined
escort for W526 as relief for HM Destroyer QUALITY
23rd Detached
from W326 in Indian Ocean after ships for Capetown had left convoy.
Passage to Durban for Indian Ocean convoy defence duties
March
1st
Rejoined WS26 of Durban with as escort for part of passage with HM Minesweeper
CARNATIC (RIN), HM Destroyers CATTERICK and RELENTLESS.
3rd Detached
from WS26 and took passage to join Convoy DN21 as escort.
After
arrival of DN21 at Durban took passage to Simonstown for refit.
Taken
in hand for refit on arrival.
April Under
refit
May On
completion of post refit trials took passage to Freetown to resume Atlantic
convoy defence.
June Deployed
for Local Escort duties at
Freetown.
20th Passage
to Gibraltar
26th Joined
military convoy WS31 off Gibraltar with HM Destroyers AMAZON, BULLDOG and
FOXHOUND for Ocean Escort to Freetown.
July Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean
4th Arrived at Freetown with WS31.
6th Rejoined
military convoy WS31 with HM Armed Merchant Cruiser CORFU and the French QUERCY,
HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND, BULLDOG and WOLVERINE as escort during passage to
Cape.
15th Detached
from WS31 with same destroyers on relief by HM Destroyers QUADRANT and
REDOUBT
Returned to Freetown.
Took
passage to MEDITERRANEAN
August Passage to
Malta to join
Division.
Joined 57th Division and deployed for convoy defence in central Mediterranean.
September Joined Northern
Attack Force for escort and support duties in Task Force 85.
(Note: Other ships deployed were HM Destroyers LAFOREY, LOOKOUT, LOYAL,
NUBIAN and TARTAR, HM Escort
Destroyers MENDIP, DULVERTON,
TETCOTT, BELVOIR, BROCKLESBY, QUANTOCK, BEAUFORT,
BRECON, EXMOOR, LEDBURY and Greek PINDOS.)
8th Deployed
as escort for military convoy TSF1X during passage from
Palermo
to
Salerno beach head.
(Operation AVALANCHE - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett
and
Naval Staff History).
October On release
from AVALANCHE resumed envoy defence duties with Division.
November Joined 60th
Destroyer Division based in Malta.
to
Deployed for convoy defence and support of military operation in Adriatic.
December
1 9 4 4
January Convoy
escort and support in continuation.
16th Carried
out bombardment of Durazzo, Albania with HM Escort Destroyer LEDBURY.
February Central
Mediterranean and Adriatic convoy defence and support in continuation.
to
May
June
Transferred to 5th Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet in continuation.
11th Took part
in engagement against four German E-Boats in Adriatic with HM Escort
Destroyer
EGGESFORD. One enemy vessel was sunk and 10 survivors rescued.
July Flotilla
deployment in continuation.
Nominated for escort of military convoys during allied landings in the South of
France under
US
Navy command.
Took
passage to Naples.
(Operation DRAGOON - See above references for details).
August Joined escort
for Stores Convoy SM2 at Naples with HM Escort Destroyers ALDENHAM
BEAUFORT, BELVOIR, EGGESFORD, LAUDERDALE, WHADDON and
Greek PINDOS.
(Note: Commanding Officer was Lieut, J S Kerans, RN who later achieved national
fame when
in
command of HM frigate AMETHYST, she escaped down the
Yangtse
River from
Chinese detention in 1950).
13th Sailed
from Naples with Convoy SM2. Arrived in Assault area.
On
release from DRAGOON resumed Flotilla duties.
September Recalled to
UK for refit at
Sheerness prior to service with Eastern Fleet. Passage to Sheerness.
October Taken in
hand for refit Under refit.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Under refit
February Post refit
trials in Nore Command.
March Deployed
briefly for convoy defence.
(Note: Additional escorts were required to counter extensive E-Boat and midget
submarine
activities in Thames Estuary area - See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith).
April Prepared
for foreign service with 18th Destroyer Flotilla in Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Trincomalee.
Commanding Officer: Lt. Cdr. J S Kerans, RN.
28th Joined
Flotilla at Bombay.
May Deployed
as Weather Ship in Andamans during landings at Rangoon.
(Operation DRACULA - See OPERATION PACIFIC by E Grey and Naval Staff History).
On
release from DRACULA deployed with Eastern Fleet for convoy defence, support of
military operations and patrol in
Indian Ocean.
June Eastern
Fleet deployment in continuation.
to Took
part in preparatory exercises prior to planned landings in Malaya.
July
(Operation ZIPPER).
August Eastern Fleet deployment
on continuation,
(Note: ZIPPER
landings were delayed by US insistence and problems relating to early return
of long serving
personnel on Far East Station.
September
4th Sailed
from Trincomalee as part of escort for aircraft carriers during passage to
Malacca
Straits
(Note: For details of ZIPPER landings see BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)
6th Joined
military convoy JE1F in Malacca Strait and part of ESCORT to ZIPPER beachhead.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS BLACKMORE was deployed at
Singapore after release from ZIPPER and nominated for return to UK to pay off
into Reserve. The ship sailed from Trincomalee 8th October 1945. and on arrival
at Plymouth he paid off Devonport on arrival and was laid up there in Reserve
Fleet until 1952. After being placed on the Sales
List she was transferred on loan to
Denmark on 18th July 1952. After refitting she joined the Danish Navy as a
Frigate and was renamed ESBERN SNARE.
This ship was in Danish naval service until 1966 when stricken from the Active
List.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS BLACKMORE
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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10/01/43
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20/01/43
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MC 003
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23/01/43
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23/01/43
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11/06/43
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11/06/43
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ST 069
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17/06/43
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17/06/43
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28/07/43
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28/07/43
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SL 134
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09/08/43
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19/08/43
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08/09/43
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08/09/43
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TSF 001X
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09/09/43
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09/09/43
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unknown
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01/09/44
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SM 006
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01/09/44
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unknown
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(Note on Convoys)
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