Type I HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Yarrow
Shipbuilders at Glasgow as Job No 1834 under the 1939 Programme on 21st March
1939. She was laid down on 9th June 1939 and launched 22 February 1940 as the second ship to
carry the name previously used by a minesweeper built in 1917. The ship was
completed on 22nd July 1940 and later in March 1942 she was adopted by the
civil community of Wareham, Dorset after a successful WARSHIP
WEEK
National Savings campaign. All her service was spent in Home waters.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Red,
upon
a white roundel , a
Blue cornflower stalked and leaved Proper.
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 0
July
Contractor's trials and commissioned for service.
22nd Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
August On completion
of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.
Worked up for operational duties at
Scapa Flow with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
Deployed for patrol and convoy escort during work-up.
Nominated for service with 21st Destroyer flotilla based at Sheerness.
September
3rd Joined
Flotilla at Sheerness for coastal convoy escort and patrol.
(For
details of East Coast convoy defence see THREE CORVETTES by N Monsarrat).
October Deployed in
North Sea with Flotilla for North Sea convoy defence and patrol.
12th Detached
to escort HM Monitor EREBUS during bombardment of invasion barges at
Dunkirk.
Resumed convoy defence with Flotilla on completion.
November North Sea
duties in continuation.
10th Sustained
slight damage from bomb splinters during air attack on convoy.
December North Sea
convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
1 9 4 1
January North Sea
convoy defence in continuation.
to
February
March
11th In action
against aircraft attacking convoy and slightly damaged by near misses.
17th
Indecisive encounter with E-Boats in convoy attack off Humber estuary.
April North Sea
convoy defence in continuation.
May
16th Detached
for escort of HM Auxiliary Minelayer TEVIOT BANK and HM Coastal
to
Minelayer PLOVER with Paddle Minesweepers during lay of two sections of the
22nd East Coast
Mine Barrier.
(Operations BS56 and BS61 - See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
June Resumed
North Sea convoy defence and patrol with Flotilla..
July
26th Detached
for bombardment of Dieppe with HM Escort Destroyers QUORN and MENDIP.
August North Sea
convoy defence and patrol with Flotilla in continuation
to
December
1 9 4 2
January North Sea
convoy defence and patrol with Flotilla in continuation.
to
March
April
12th In action
with E-Boats attacking convoy off East Anglia.
(For
details of work of escorts in conjunction with Light Coastal Forces MTB’s and
MGB’s, see THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by P. Scott and HOLD THE
NARROW SEA by P
Smith).
May Flotilla
duties for North Sea convoy escort and patrol in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Deployed on
coastal convoy defence and interception patrol.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January North Sea
convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
to
April
May Nominated
for detached duty in Force G, Eastern Task Force for support of planned allied
landings in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE)
Took
part in preparatory exercises with Force G (Exercise FABIUS)
(For
details of naval activities before and during landings see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
June
1944 (HMSO), OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and D-DAY SHIPS by J de
Winser.)
Passage to Solent to join escort for Convoy G1 to GOLD Beach..
June
4th Deployed
in Solent.
Operation delayed by 24 hours
5th Escorted
Convoy G1 comprising 6th Minesweeping Flotilla, four Danlayers and 1st Division
of
150th
Minesweeping Flotilla with Polish destroyer ORP KRAKOWIAK, four Motor Launches
and
2nd Division of 55th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla.
6th Arrived
at Lowering Position at 030.
On
arrival detached from G1 and deployed in Eastern Task Force area.
Provided naval gunfire support during assault landings on GOLD Beech.
(For
details see above reference).
7th
Deployment in support of landings in Eastern Task Force area and for escort of
Build –up
to
convoys.
27th
28th After
termination of NEPTUNE remained in Channel area for support duties.
July Channel
deployment in support of military operations continued.
Carried out patrol in Seine Bay to
intercept attacks by E-Boate, explosive motor boats
and
submersible craft.
7th In
action against groups of E-Boats attacking shipping lying
off beaches with sister ship,
French escort destroyer LA COMBATTANTE .
Sustained slight damage
31st Carried
out Assisted Maintenance at Portsmouth for boiler super-heater re -tubing.
August Under
maintenance including replacement of boiler tubes.
24th On
completion resumed Channel support duties.
29th During
patrol off Cape D’Antifer with HM Frigate RETALICK intercepted German craft
carrying out evacuation of
Le Havre.
Received 26 hits including
one on bridge which killed Captain.
Extensive damage caused major disruption of
gunnery and radar services.
30th Returned
to Portsmouth for repair.
September Passage to
Chatham.
Taken
in hand for repair by HM Dockyard.
October Under repair
November On completion
of repair and trials rejoined Flotilla and resumed coastal convoy defence in
North
Sea and English Channel.
December Coastal convoy
defence and interception patrols against minelaying activities
by E-Boats and
submarines, based at Harwich
(See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and HOLD THE NARROW
SEA
by P Smith.).
1 9 4 5
January Convoy
defence and patrol in continuation.
February
2nd In action
against midget submarine off Zeebrugge which was probably destroyed.
March Convoy
defence and patrol duty in continuation.
to
May
June Deployed
in Nore Command for support of re-occupation operations.
to
July
August Transferred
to Portsmouth Command for duty in Local Flotilla.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS CATTISTOCK visited the Channel Islands in September and
later went to Gibraltar three times before the end of 1945 She ship remained in the Portsmouth Local
Flotilla at Portsmouth until Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status at Devonport on
26th March 1946. A proposed sale to Norway was not agreed and the ship transferred to the Reserve Fleet Sub-Division at Cardiff. She
was placed on the Disposal List in 1956. After being de-equipped she was sold to BISCO later in 1957 for
demolition by J Cashmore and arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard in Newport, Glamorgan on 2nd July
that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS CATTISTOCK
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
31/08/40
|
01/09/40
|
FS 0268
|
02/09/40
|
02/09/40
|
08/11/40
|
08/11/40
|
FS 0331
|
10/11/40
|
10/11/40
|
08/11/40
|
09/11/40
|
FN 0329
|
10/11/40
|
10/11/40
|
02/12/42
|
02/12/42
|
CW 138
|
03/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
CE 136
|
04/12/42
|
04/12/42
|
18/02/43
|
18/02/43
|
CW 157
|
19/02/43
|
19/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
CE 155
|
21/02/43
|
21/02/43
|
19/03/43
|
19/03/43
|
CW 164
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
CE 162
|
21/03/43
|
21/03/43
|
02/05/43
|
02/05/43
|
CW 175
|
03/05/43
|
03/05/43
|
20/05/43
|
20/05/43
|
WP 342
|
22/05/43
|
22/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
CE 178
|
24/05/43
|
24/05/43
|
03/06/43
|
03/06/43
|
CW 183
|
04/06/43
|
04/06/43
|
04/06/43
|
04/06/43
|
CE 181
|
05/06/43
|
05/06/43
|
05/07/43
|
05/07/43
|
CW 191
|
06/07/43
|
06/07/43
|
06/07/43
|
06/07/43
|
CE 189
|
07/07/43
|
07/07/43
|
09/07/43
|
09/07/43
|
CW 192
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
CE 190
|
11/07/43
|
11/07/43
|
21/07/43
|
21/07/43
|
CW 195
|
22/07/43
|
22/07/43
|
23/07/43
|
23/07/43
|
WP 374
|
25/07/43
|
25/07/43
|
27/07/43
|
27/07/43
|
WP 376
|
29/07/43
|
29/07/43
|
18/12/43
|
18/12/43
|
CE 230
|
19/12/43
|
19/12/43
|
22/03/44
|
22/03/44
|
CW 256
|
23/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
CE 254
|
24/03/44
|
24/03/44
|
20/06/44
|
20/06/44
|
FTM 013
|
20/06/44
|
21/06/44
|
09/12/44
|
09/12/44
|
ATM 009
|
10/12/44
|
10/12/44
|
10/12/44
|
10/12/44
|
TAM 013
|
11/12/44
|
11/12/44
|
13/12/44
|
13/12/44
|
TAM 016
|
14/12/44
|
14/12/44
|
24/12/44
|
24/12/44
|
ATM 020
|
25/12/44
|
25/12/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)