Type III HUNT-Class
Escort Destroyer ordered from Hawthorn Leslie at
Newcastle on 27th
April 1940 under the 1940 War Emergency Programme and laid down as Job No 4247
on
22nd February 1941. She was launched on 15th January 1942 as the first RN ship to carry this name. Build was
completed on
23rd August 1942. After a successful WARSHIP
WEEK in February 1942 this ship was adopted by the civil community of
Reigate and Horley
in Surrey.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
NORTH
SEA 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Green, a
battleaxe Gold and a hunting horn White in saltire.
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
August Contractor's sea trials and commissioning
23rd Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of trials and storing took passage
to Scapa Flow to work-up for operational
service.
September Worked-up with ships of Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On completion deployed on North Sea convoy
defence.
(For details of North Sea convoy defence see
THREE CORVETTES by N Monsarrat,
THE BATTLE FOR THE NARROW SEAS by P Scott) and
the BATTLE OF THE EAST
COAST by J P Foynes.)
October
Under repair in Thames shipyard.
Nominated for service in Mediterranean.
Passage to Gibraltar as part of escort of UK -
Gibraltar convoy.
November
2nd On arrival at Gibraltar joined Destroyer Division 58.
Deployed in support of allied landings in North
Africa
(Operation TORCH - For details see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett.
the Naval Staff History).
Carried out Inshore Escort duties.
December Inshore convoy defence in continuation.
11th Deployed as part of escort of Convoy MKF4 with HM Destroyer WISHART.
Torpedoed by U443 60 miles west of Oran in
position 35.55N 01.50W.
Two hits, one forward and one aft.
Sank by the stem in 4 minutes.
8 officers and 86 ratings survived and were
rescued by HMS WISHART.
89 of
the ship's company were lost.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS BLEAN
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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30/10/42
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unknown
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KX 005
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10/11/42
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10/11/42
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18/11/42
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18/11/42
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TE 005
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21/11/42
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20/11/42
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10/12/42
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10/12/42
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MKF 004
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11/12/42
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18/12/42
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(Note on Convoys)
