Type III HUNT
Class Escort Destroyer ordered from J S White of Cowes on 19th July 1940
under the 1940 War Emergency Programme and
laid down on 25th March 1941. The ship was launched on 11th July 1942 and build was completed on 7th
December that year. This destroyer was ‘adopted’ by the civil community of Deben and Woodbridge, Suffolk
following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in February 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1942 - NORTH AFRICA
1943 - MEDITERRANEAN 1943 - SICILY 1943 - AEGEAN
1943 - NORTH SEA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a field Green a stork’s head erased White
holding in the beak a sprig of oak 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
December Contractors trials and
commissioned for service in 22nd Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note: Flotilla
was deployed in western Mediterranean)
7th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work-up for
operational
service with ships of the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
(Note: Whilst on
passage was deployed as part of escort for Channel convoy.
Award of Battle
Honour suggests the ship was involved in defence
against enemy
attack, possibly during transit of Dover
Strait. To be
further
investigated.
For
details of naval activities in Home waters in 1942-43 see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett. HOLD THE NARROW SEA by
P
Smith and Naval Staff History.)
1 9 4 3
January Deployed at Scapa Flow
for working-up
13th Took part in major
Home Fleet exercise with HM Destroyers WALPOLE and LEDBURY
during work-up.
On completion of
work-up took passage to Gibraltar to join Flotilla for
convoy defence and
patrol based at
Gibraltar.
(Note: Following allied landings in
North Africa military build-up was maintained
by
sea and extensive escort of convoys was essential.
For
details of operations in the
Mediterranean in 1943-44 see THE BATTLE FOR
THE
MEDITERRANEAN
by D MacIntyre and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY.
February
17th Sank
Italian submarine ASTERIA off Bougie with HM Escort Destroyer WHEATLAND
20th
Despatched from Algiers to carry out anti-submarine search with HM Escort
Destroyers
WHEATLAND, LAMERTON and BICESTER.
(Note: Submarine had been detected by shore radar.)
Carried out joint
search operations lasting three days
23rd U443 located during
persistent searches by the three ships and sunk by depth charges attacks.
in
position 26.35N, 11.56E off
Algiers.
There were no survivors from U443.
March
Deployment on Mediterranean convoy defence in continuation.
4th Attacked
U83 of Cartagena.
(Note: This submarine was later sighted on the surface by an RAF aircraft which
then
attacked and sank it by depth charges..
April Convoy escort and
patrol in continuation.
May Carried
out interception patrols to prevent evacuation of German troops from Cape
Bon
area (Operation RETRIBUTION - See above references and Naval Staff History.)
June
Preparation for Sicilian landing and convoy defence duties (Operation HUSKY).
(For
details of HUSKY see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS and Naval Staff History).
July
Transferred to eastern Mediterranean for escort of assault convoys to Sicily.
Deployed as part
of Escort Group R
5th Escorted Assault
Convoy MWF36 from Port Said during passage to beach head.
7th Escorted Follow-up
Convoy MWF37.
13th Deployed at Syracuse
after detaching from MWF37.
Provided
anti-submarine and AA protection in beach head area.
August Central Mediterranean
deployment in continuation.
23rd
During escort of military Convoy MKF22 after
obtaining contact by sonar carried
out
two depth charge attacks on U548 south of Pantellaria.
Joined by Greek destroyer PINDOS which carried out further attack which forced
submarine to surface.
Engaged submarine and then made ramming attack sinking U548 in position
36.25N, 12.39E.
Sustained serious damage to bow structure and propeller shafts which disabled
Taken
in tow to Malta by
PINDOS.
September Under temporary
repair by HM Dockyard, Malta to enable permanent repair in
Gibraltar.
(Note: This damage to hull structure was such that her value future service
was put
in
doubt and her overall operational capabilities became suspect).
October Passage to
Gibraltar
November Under repair in
HM Dockyard, Gibraltar
to December
1 9 4 4
January Under repair
to
August
September Carried out
post repair trials and prepared for operational service.
18th On
completion allocated for service with 59th Destroyer Division in Malta.
Took
passage to Malta for
convoy escort and patrol in eastern Mediterranean
October Deployed in
support of military operations to re-occupy Aegean Islands.
Carried out patrols to intercept craft evacuating German troops.
November Continued
support duties during allied re-occupation of Greek mainland.
December
5th Provided
naval gunfire support by bombardment of Greek Communist positions near
Piraeus during allied military operations until 9th December.
1 9 4 5
January Deployed in
support of military operations off Greek and Albanian coasts.
February Transferred
to Home waters to supplement coastal convoy defence against attacks by
German Schnorkel1-fitted submarines.
Took
passage to Sheerness to join the 21st Destroyer Flotilla.
March Joined
Flotilla and deployed on defence of coastal convoys and patrol duty in Nore
to Command
April Nominated
for refit in commercial shipyard and took passage to Southampton
May Under
refit at Southampton
to
August
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS
EASTON paid off and was reduced to Reserve on 29th October 1945 after post
refit trials had been completed.
In 1946 she was brought forward for service in the 3rd Escort Group at
Portsmouth. However, during
service, a series of defects made her operational availability unacceptable and
the ship was withdrawn from
service in November 1947. During a later refit in 1949 whilst in Reserve her
structural condition was found
to be beyond economic repair and all work was stopped. After being de-equipped
this destroyer was used as
a training hulk at Rosyth until 1952 when placed on the Disposal List. Sold to
BISCO on 4th December that year
for demolition by Metal Industries she was towed to the Breakers Yard at
Charlestown near Rosyth on 15th January
1953.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
EASTON
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/02/43
|
09/02/43
|
KMF 009
|
16/02/43
|
16/02/43
|
06/02/43
|
18/02/43
|
KMS 009G
|
20/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
ET 012
|
27/02/43
|
02/03/43
|
14/04/43
|
14/04/43
|
ME 023
|
unknown
|
20/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
MW 027
|
unknown
|
04/05/43
|
17/05/43
|
22/05/43
|
KMS 014X
|
26/05/43
|
26/05/43
|
31/05/43
|
10/06/43
|
KMS 015
|
14/06/43
|
14/06/43
|
24/06/43
|
24/06/43
|
MKS 016
|
29/06/43
|
29/06/43
|
05/07/43
|
05/07/43
|
MWF 036
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
MWF 037
|
13/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
MEF 037
|
17/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
20/07/43
|
20/07/43
|
MWF 038
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
MEF 038
|
28/07/43
|
28/07/43
|
03/08/43
|
03/08/43
|
MWF 039
|
07/08/43
|
10/08/43
|
24/11/44
|
24/11/44
|
XIF 025
|
28/11/44
|
28/11/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)