Type II
HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Scotts at
Greenock on 4th September 1939
under the1939 War Emergency Build Programme. The ship was laid down as Job No. J1115 on
1st March 1940 and launched on 10th March 1941 as the 1st RN ship to carry the
name of the Fox-Hunt at Petworth, West Sussex. Build
was completed on 16th October 1941 and after acceptance she served with the
Home Fleet. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in
February 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Farnham, Surrey .
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORWAY
1941 - ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a field Blue a stirrup
white and a spur Gold
interlaced and 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 1
October Contractor’s trials and commissioning.
16th Build completion and commenced acceptance trials.
November On completion of storing took passage to Scapa Flow for
work-up
with ships of Home Fleet
December Work-up for operational service at Scapa Flow.
Nominated for support of planned Commando raid
on Lofotens
(Operation ARCHERY).
22nd Deployed with HM Cruiser KENYA, HM Destroyers ONSLOW,
OFFA and ORIBI in preparatory exercises before
ARCHERY.
24th Passage to Sullom Voe, Shetlands in atrocious
weather with same ships
as escort for HM Landings Ships (Infantry)
PRINCE CHARLES and
PRINCE LEOPOLD.
25th Delayed at Sullom Voe by weather conditions and
assisted in pumping
150 tons of sea-water from HMS PRINCE CHARLES
26th Sailed with ARCHERY Force ships from Sullom Voe
after weather
conditions improved and deployed as screen.
27th Entered Vaagsfjord as leader for the two Landing
Ships whilst HMS
KENYA and Fleet destroyers prepared to provide
gunfire support.
(Note: HM Submarine TUNA had been deployed to
assist as Marker
during entry at western end of Fjord and RAF
HAMPDEN
aircraft carried out diversionary bombing.)
Laid smoke screen to cover HMS KENYA and
destroyers during the
bombardment of shore positions during the
landings,
(For details see THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson
and IN HARMS
WAY by B Crabb, Record of service for HMS KENYA)
Withdrew from Fjord with ARCHERY ships and took
passage to Scapa
Flow during which period two unsuccessful
attacks were made by
HEINKEL aircraft
28th Arrived at Scapa Flow to resume work-up.
1 9 4 2
January Allocated for service in Orkney and Shetland Command
for convoy
defence on completion of work-up.
9th Deployed with HM Escort Destroyer CALPE to
reinforce screen for
ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron during lay of
northern section of the
East Coast Barrier (Operation SN15A – See Naval
Staff History (Mining).
10th Commenced service in Orkney and Shetland Command.
February Deployed for convoy defence in NW Approaches.
to (Note: Orkney and Shetland Command provided
escorts for convoys
November to Iceland from Clyde and for coastal convoys between East
coast of UK to assembly points for Atlantic
convoys. Ships were
detached as required by CinC Home Fleet for
other duties.)
December Nominated for detached service with Home Fleet.
15th Deployed with HM Destroyers BLANKNEY and LEDBURY as
Western
Escort for Russian Convoy JW51A during initial
part of passage to Kola
Inlet in NW Approaches.
18th Detached from JW51A with Western Escort on relief by
Home Fleet
destroyers for Ocean Escort during transit to
North Russia.
22nd Deployed with HMS BLANKNEY and HMS LEDBURY as Western
Escort for Russian Convoy JW51B during initial
part of passage to Kola
Inlet in NW Approaches.
25th Detached from JW52 with Western Escort on relief by
Home Fleet
destroyers for Ocean Escort during transit to
North Russia.
1 9 4 3
January Resumed duties in Orkney and Shetland Command for
convoy defence.
to Nominated for foreign service on completion of
refit.
May (Note: As no Battle Honour NORTH SEA or ATLANTIC can
be
traced this ship was not involved in any actions
of significance
during deployment for escort of Iceland or
coastal traffic.)
June Passage to Middlesbrough for refit in commercial
shipyard.
16th Taken in hand for refit.
(Note: This ship was fitted with Fire control
radar Type 285 during
build and it is assumed that the fit of Radar
Type 291 was
carried out during this refit. For details of
development and
use of radar by RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.)
July Under refit.
August Allocated for service in Mediterranean with 59th
Destroyer Division.
21st Refit completion and commenced Post Refit Trials.
September Passage to Malta on completion of storing and preparation
for
foreign service.
Joined HM Escort Destroyers BICESTER, OAKLEY and
ZETLAND
for convoy defence and patrol based in Malta.
October Deployed for defence of convoys in central
Mediterranean.
to (Note: Convoys were escorted between North
African ports and
December east coast of Italy with patrols off Dalmatian coast for
interception of E-Boats and coastal traffic.)
1 9 4 4
January Deployment with 59th Division in continuation.
to
May
June Transferred to 22nd Destroyer Flotilla based in
Malta.
to Joined sister Escort Destroyers EXMOOR, CATTERICK,
LEDBURY,
December LIDDESDALE, TETCOTT and WHEATLAND for continuation
of convoy defence and patrol duties with support
of military operations in
Italy as required.
1 9 4 5
January Flotilla duties with interception patrols and gunfire
support
to in continuation.
February Nominated for return to UK for service in the 16th
Destroyer Flotilla
based at Harwich.
March
1st Deployed with other ships for bombardment of shore
targets at
Genoa in support of military operations.
3rd Released from
Mediterranean service and took
passage to join Flotilla
at Harwich.
Deployed with Flotilla for escort of convoys to
Scheldt estuary and
for patrols to intercept minelaying by
submarines and E-Boats in
Nore Command and anti-submarine operations
against SCHNORKEL
fitted U-Boats.
(For details see SEEK and STRIKE by W Hackmann,
HOLD THE
NARROW SEA by P Smith, HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR by C Blair
and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett).
April Nore Command deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
(Note: During early 1945 Atlantic convoys had
been re-routed via
English Channel and significant traffic was
needed for support
of military operations in the Low countries due
to advance
of allied forces and the improved access to
ports in Belgium and
the Netherlands.)
May Nominated for service in East Indies after VE Day and
took passage to
commercial Thames shipyard for refit.
29th Taken in hand for refit
June Under refit
July Post refit trials
2nd Refit completion and sea trials.
Took passage to Mediterranean for work-up after
completion
of preparation for foreign service with 18th
Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note: It is probable that many of the ship’s
company will have
changed before foreign deployment.)
Deployed in Mediterranean for exercises prior to
passage via Red
sea to join East Indies Fleet.
Commanding Officer during East Indies Service:
Lieutenant
Commander F G Woods, DSC. RN
August Passage to Ceylon to join Flotilla in East Indies Fleet.
(Note: Official records show this ship was part
of the East Indies
Fleet on VJ Day but not that she took part in
Operation
ZIPPER, the landings in Malaya after VJ Day.)
Deployed with Flotilla at Singapore for support
of re-occupation.
P o s t W a
r N o t e s
HMS CHIDDINGFOLD returned to Trincomalee
on release from duties at Singapore and was nominated for reduction to Reserve status. She
took passage from Trincomalee in October 1945 and arrived at Portsmouth to Pay-off
on 16th November that year. The ship was reduced to Reserve early in 1946 and laid-up
on 25th March in Category “B”. In 1950 she was transferred to the Reserve Fleet at
Harwich and remained there until 1952 when negotiations were in hand for loan service
in the Indian Navy. This transfer was announced on 17th June and took place after refit
by Messrs Crichton at Liverpool which completed in June 1953. This destroyer had been
renamed INS GANGA (D94) on 27th November 1952 but did not formally join the
Indian Navy until 18th June 1953. After trials and work-up in Home waters she took
passage to India for Fleet service with sister ships INS GOMATI (Ex HMS LAMERTON) and INS
GODAVERI (ii) (Ex HMS BEDALE which had been loaned to Poland as ORP
SLAZAK during WW2). The loan service was extended in August 1956 and the ship bought outright in April 1958. Before being stricken from the Active List in 1975 she
was deployed for training duties until being sold for demolition. This name was carried
forward for the second time in the RN when given to a HUNT-Class Minehunter on 6th October 1983. This new warship was still in service in 2000.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS CHIDDINGFOLD
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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15/12/42
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15/12/42
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JW 051A
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18/12/42
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25/12/42
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22/12/42
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22/12/42
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JW 051B
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30/12/42
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04/01/43
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15/09/43
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18/09/43
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KMF 024
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22/09/43
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29/09/43
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05/05/44
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16/05/44
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KMF 031
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18/05/44
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19/05/44
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21/06/44
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21/06/44
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MKF 032
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27/06/44
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04/07/44
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01/07/44
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01/07/44
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NSF 026
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03/07/44
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03/07/44
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07/07/44
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07/07/44
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NSF 026A
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08/07/44
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08/07/44
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17/07/44
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17/07/44
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SNF 027
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21/07/44
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21/07/44
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19/08/44
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19/08/44
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XIF 020
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23/08/44
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23/08/44
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18/07/44
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28/09/44
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KMF 033
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30/07/44
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31/07/44
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24/08/44
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unknown
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IXF 020
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unknown
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28/08/44
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03/09/44
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03/09/44
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MKF 034
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10/09/44
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14/09/44
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24/10/44
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unknown
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IXF 023
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unknown
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27/10/44
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01/11/44
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01/11/44
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XIF 024
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04/11/44
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04/11/44
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09/03/45
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09/03/45
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BTC 092
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12/03/45
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12/03/45
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(Note on Convoys)
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