Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Vickers Armstrong at Barrow
under the 1940 War Emergency Programme on 4th July 1940. She was laid down as
Yard No 794, Admiralty Job No J3886 on 1st March 1941 and was launched on 22nd
November 1941 as the 1st RN ship to carry the name of this Yorkshire fox-hunt. Her build completion
date was 12th June 1942. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in February 1942 she was adopted by Border Urban District.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
SALERNO 1943
- SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field White, in front of a
roundel paly
wavy Blue
and White, a beagle courant Gold.
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
Contractor's trials and commissioned for service.
12th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.
Worked-up for operational service with ships of Home Fleet
During work-up took part in Diversionary Convoy operation covering passage of
the ill
fated
Russian Convoy PQ 17.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg.
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R. Woodman, CONVOY ! by P. Kemp and THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS
by B.
Schoefield.)
July On
completion of work-up nominated
for foreign service with 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Eastern Fleet.
29th Joined
military convoy WS21 in Clyde with HM Armed Merchant Cruiser RANPURA, HM
Destroyers LEDBURY and PETARD as Ocean Escort during
passage in
Atlantic.
August
10th Detached
with escort on arrival of WS21 at Freetown.
(Note: HMS LEDBURY left WS21 to join PEDESTAL convoy for Malta relief during the
Atlantic passage.)
15th Rejoined
WS21 as Ocean Escort during [passage to Capetown with HM Cruiser HAWKINS and
HM
Destroyer PETARD on
27th Detached
from WS21 with Ocean Escort on arrival at Capetown.
September
19th Arrived
at Kilindini and deployed for convoy defence in Indian Ocean.
October Indian Ocean
convoy defence duty in continuation.
November
30th Rescued
157 survivors from ss LLANDAFF CASTLE.
(Note: This ship was torpedoed by U177 NE of Durban.)
December Indian Ocean
deployment in continuation.
1 9 4 3
January Deployed in
Indian Ocean for convoy defence.
to
February
March
1st Joined military convoy WS26 with HM Destroyers
BLACKMORE and RELENTLESS as Local
Escort from Durban during passage in Indian
Ocean.
4th Detached
from WS26 and returned to Durban with Local Escort.
29th Joined
military convoy WS27 with HM Destroyers FOXHOUND, NAPIER and
ROTHERHAM
as
Local Escort from
Durban during passage in Indian
Ocean.
April
1st
Detached from WS27 with Local Escort and took passage to
Durban.
7th Under
routine docking and refit at Durban.
15th Post
refit trials.
Nominated for service in South Atlantic.
16th On
completion of trials escorted HM Battleship WARSPITE for part of return passage
to UK
(Note: HMS WARSPITE had been deployed for escort of PAMPHLET convoy taking ANZAC
troops back to Australia from
Middle East.
On
arrival at Freetown detached for escort of Atlantic convoys.
May Deployed
at Freetown.
22nd Passage to
Gibraltar with HM Destroyers ANTELOPE and FOXHOUND
25th Joined HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser CORFU, HM Cruiser SUFFOLK with HM Destroyers
ANTELOPE and FOXHOUND as Ocean Escort for military convoy WS30 during passage to
Freetown.
29th Detached
from WS30 with Ocean Escort on arrival at Freetown.
June
3rd Joined
WS30 with HM Cruiser SUFFOLK, HM Armed Merchant Cruisers CARNARVON
CASTLE and CORFU as Ocean Escort during passage to Capetown.
16th Detached
from WS30 with Ocean Escort on arrival at Capetown.
July Convoy
defence in South Atlantic and Indian Ocean in continuation.
August Transferred
to Mediterranean.
24th Part of
escort for Convoy CF13 to Gibraltar.
September Joined 50th
Escort Division at Algiers
and prepared for Salerno landings.
Deployed as part of Force V and screened aircraft carriers during passage to
take part in planned
allied landing operation at
Salerno. (Operation AVALANCHE)
For
details of AVALANCHE see Naval Staff History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by
J de
Winser.
Deployed for convoy escort and patrol off beach head.
October Escort of
military convoys in continuation.
November Transferred to
Mediterranean HUNT Flotilla in Malta.
December Joined 18th
Destroyer Flotilla based in Malta.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed for
convoy escort and patrol duties in Central Mediterranean.
to
June
July Took
part in preparatory exercises for support and convoy escort of panned landings
in South
France landings under US Navy overall command (Operation DRAGOON).
August Passage to
Oran.
10th Deployed
at Oran
11th Part of
escort of AM1 military convoy from Oran with H M Destroyers CLEVELAND and
CALPE.
13th Detached
to refuel.
14th Rejoined
AM1
15th Arrived
at beach head.
(For
details of DRAGOON see above references.)
On
release from DRAGOON returned to CinC Mediterranean command.
September Deployed for
patrol and escort in Mediterranean,
Joined British Aegean Force based at Alexandria
24th Deployed
in support of operations to reoccupy Aegean Islands with HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers
ATTACKER, EMPEROR, HUNTER, KHEDIVE, PURSUER and SEARCHER, HM Cruisers
ORION, AJAX, ROYALIST, BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT, AURORA, COLOMBO,
Destroyers
of
24th Flotilla and nine other HUNT Class including five manned by Greek Navy.
October Deployed for
interception of craft evacuating German troops.
5th
Bombarded Levitha with HM Cruiser AURORA
On
termination of Aegean islands defence operations resumed convoy defence in
eastern Mediterranean,
November Deployed for
Convoy escort and patrol in
Eastern Mediterranean
(Note: Operation MANNA to support re-occupation of Greece was in progress.)
For
details see Naval and Military Staff Histories (HMSO).
December Joined 22nd
Destroyer Flotilla based in Malta for escort and patrol in the central
Mediterranean
and
Adriatic.
1 9 4 5
January Deployment
for escort duty and support of military operations in Adriatic Sea and in Aegean
Sea
to in
continuation.
April For
details of work of HUNT Class destroyers in Adriatic see THE LAST DESTROYER by
FA
Mason.
May
1st Took
part in landing on the Island of Rhodes with HM Destroyer KIMBERLEY and
Greek
HUNT
Class Destroyer KRITI.
On
release took passage to UK to prepare for foreign service and give leave.
Nominated for service in Eastern Fleet.
June
Preparation for foreign service and refit
July Passage
to Durban for refit.
August Under refit
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS CATTERICK was deployed in the Mediterranean on completion of
refit in January 1946. This ship was transferred on loan to the Royal Hellenic
Navy in the following May and renamed HHMS HASTINGS. Later the ship was
reclassified as a Frigate and served in the Greek Navy until 1963 when she sold
for breaking up at Piraeus. She arrived there for demolition in June that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS CATTERICK
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/02/43
|
01/02/43
|
CM 038
|
05/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
14/02/43
|
16/02/43
|
CM 039
|
17/02/43
|
03/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
CM 040
|
23/03/43
|
01/04/43
|
30/03/43
|
11/04/43
|
MC 006
|
13/04/43
|
13/04/43
|
10/05/43
|
10/05/43
|
TS 039
|
15/05/43
|
15/05/43
|
16/05/43
|
18/05/43
|
SR 004F
|
23/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
13/08/43
|
15/08/43
|
CF 013A
|
22/08/43
|
24/08/43
|
25/08/43
|
25/08/43
|
CF 013B
|
31/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
30/09/43
|
30/09/43
|
NSF 004
|
06/10/43
|
06/10/43
|
07/10/43
|
07/10/43
|
SNF 004
|
10/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
16/10/43
|
25/10/43
|
KMF 025
|
29/10/43
|
30/10/43
|
02/11/43
|
03/11/43
|
XIF 003
|
06/11/43
|
06/11/43
|
31/10/43
|
12/11/43
|
MKF 025A
|
14/11/43
|
24/11/43
|
15/11/43
|
25/11/43
|
KMF 026
|
30/11/43
|
30/11/43
|
15/01/44
|
25/01/44
|
KMF 028
|
29/01/44
|
29/01/44
|
03/02/44
|
04/02/44
|
XIF 009
|
07/02/44
|
08/02/44
|
09/02/44
|
09/02/44
|
IXF 009
|
13/02/44
|
13/02/44
|
02/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
MKF 029
|
09/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
13/03/44
|
NSF 017
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
15/03/44
|
15/03/44
|
SNF 017
|
18/03/44
|
18/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
05/04/44
|
KMF 030
|
12/04/44
|
12/04/44
|
15/04/44
|
15/04/44
|
XIF 013
|
unknown
|
20/04/44
|
21/04/44
|
unknown
|
IXF 013
|
unknown
|
25/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
XIF 014
|
04/05/44
|
04/05/44
|
05/05/44
|
unknown
|
IXF 014
|
unknown
|
09/05/44
|
15/05/44
|
15/05/44
|
MKF 031
|
22/05/44
|
29/05/44
|
24/05/44
|
24/05/44
|
NSF 023
|
27/05/44
|
27/05/44
|
11/06/44
|
19/06/44
|
KMF 032
|
24/06/44
|
24/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
unknown
|
XIF 017
|
unknown
|
02/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
unknown
|
IXF 017
|
unknown
|
08/07/44
|
12/07/44
|
13/07/44
|
XIF 018
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
IXF 018
|
22/07/44
|
22/07/44
|
28/07/44
|
28/07/44
|
MKF 033
|
04/08/44
|
11/08/44
|
18/07/44
|
30/07/44
|
KMF 033
|
31/07/44
|
31/07/44
|
10/08/44
|
10/08/44
|
AM 001
|
15/08/44
|
15/08/44
|
24/08/44
|
01/09/44
|
KMF 034
|
07/09/44
|
07/09/44
|
10/09/44
|
11/09/44
|
XIF 021
|
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
16/09/44
|
16/09/44
|
IXF 021
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44
|
10/10/44
|
10/10/44
|
MKF 035
|
15/10/44
|
21/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
MKF 035A
|
22/10/44
|
02/11/44
|
06/11/44
|
16/11/44
|
KMF 036
|
19/11/44
|
19/11/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)