Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Swan Hunter at Newcastle on 23rd August 1940 and laid down on 12th December
1940 as
Job Number J4275. She was launched as HMS HATHERLEIGH on 18th December 1941 as
the 1st RN ship to bear this name, that of a Devonshire fox-hunt. The ship was
transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy on 24th March 1942 and renamed HHelMS KANARIS. Build
was completed on 10th August 1942.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
No British Battle Honours were
awarded as
the ship
served in an allied Navy
Ship Badge
None is included in the Official
List of Heraldic Crests for RN warships
as she
was never
in commission with the Royal Navy.
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e a s H H e l M S
K A N A R I A S
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search)
1 9 4 2
March
Transferred to Royal Hellenic Navy whilst fitting out.
April to June
Fitting-out in continuation.
July
Contractors trials.
August
Commissioned for service as HHelMS KANARIS.
10th - Build completion and commenced Acceptance trials.
Passage to
Scapa Flow on completion of trials and storing.
September
Worked-up for operational service in Royal Navy with ships of Home Fleet
at Scapa Flow
1st - Escorted HHelMS ADRIAS (Ex HMS BORDER) to Tyne for repair.
2nd - Return passage to Scapa Flow as escort for HM Aircraft Carrier
FURIOUS with HM Escort Destroyer BLEAN
Resumed work-up on arrival. On
completion took passage to join escort for military Convoy WS23 in Clyde as
part of Ocean Escort during passage to Durban
30th - Arrived in Clyde and joined HM
Cruisers DESPATCH, DURBAN, HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser QUEEN of BERMUDA, HM Escort Destroyer PUCKERIDGE, HM
Destroyers ANTELOPE and VELOX for Ocean Escort. (Note: WS23 comprised eight
troopships and a Local Escort of three destroyers was provided for passage in
NW Approaches.)
October
4th - Joined WS23 after delayed departure.
15th - Detached from WS23 before arrival at Freetown and made
independent passage.
16th - At Freetown.
20th - Sailed from Freetown with HMS DURBAN, HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
CARTHAGE as Ocean Escort during passage to Durban. (Note: Local Escort was
provided for initial stage of passage from Freetown.)
November
5th - Detached from WS23 at Durban.
Took independent passage to
Alexandria from Durban with call at Aden. Joined HHelMS PINDOS for Fleet duties
on arrival in Alexandria.
December
Deployed at Alexandria.
1 9 4 3
January to April
Deployed for escort of convoys in eastern
Mediterranean (Note: Convoys were no long proceeding direct to Malta from
Alexandria as ships bound for Malta joined coastal convoys for Benghazi and
then detached for Malta. Coastal convoys were escorted from ships based
at Alexandria and later by ships from Malta.)
May
Deployed for support of military
operations during advance of Eighth Army into Tunisia, Joined 5th Destroyer
Flotilla to intercept craft evacuating
personnel from Cape Bon area (Operation RETRIBUTION – For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval Staff History).
June
Deployed in Malta for convoy defence. Nominated for support of planned
allied landings in Sicily. (Operation HUSKY – For details see BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser, Naval Staff History and THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre.)
July
Deployed with Greek Destroyers PINDOS, ADRIAS, MIAOULIS, THEMISTOCLES and
Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers for escort of Assault Convoys to British landing
areas in Sicily.
9th - Present at initial landings and provided naval gunfire support.
Deployed
for escort of Build-up phase convoys.
12th - Deployed with HM Destroyers ESKIMO and EXMOOR in an attempt to
enter harbour at Augusta which failed after coming under fire from shore
battery.
August to December
Resumed Mediterranean convoy defence duties on
release from HUSKY (Note: Did not take part in landings at Salerno in September
1943 (Operation AVALANCHE), or Operation ACCOLADE for defence of military forces
in Leros and Cos).
It is not known to what extent this ship was involved in the
indiscipline amongst Greek naval personnel at Alexandria during this period.
1 9 4 4
January to February
Convoy defence in continuation.
March
19th - Sustained serious structural damage in collision with HM Cruiser
HAWKINS during passage in Red Sea.
25th - Taken in hand for repair at Massawa.
April to July
Under repair
August
Resumed Mediterranean Fleet service with 5th Destroyer Flotilla at
Alexandria
September
Nominated for service in British Aegean Force for support of
re-occupation of islands in Aegean with Greek destroyers THEMISTOCLES. PINDOS,
MIAOULIS and KRITI. (Operation MANNA) (Note: This included provision of naval
gunfire support, landing of troops and interception of craft attempting to
carry out evacuation of German garrisons.)
October to November
Deployed in Aegean for support of MANNA in continuation.
December
Deployed in support operations in Greek coastal waters and convoy
defence. Present at re-occupation of Piraeus.
1 9 4 5
January to May
Deployed with other Greek Navy destroyers for support of military
operations in Greece and for convoy defence.
June to August
Deployed in for operations in Greek coastal waters as required by Greek
authorities.
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HHelMS
KANARIS remained in Greek naval service after VJ Day. In 1959 the ship was
returned to the Royal Navy. Placed
on the Disposal List she was sold for demolition to a Greek shipbreaker
and arrived in tow at a local
shipbreaking yard in 1960.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HM Hellenic Ship
KANARIS
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
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|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
13/11/42
|
13/11/42
|
CM 035
|
21/11/42
|
23/11/42
|
22/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
PA 016
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
21/01/43
|
21/01/43
|
MH 003/M
|
26/01/43
|
26/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
ME 016
|
01/02/43
|
01/02/43
|
29/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
MW 027
|
unknown
|
04/05/43
|
31/05/43
|
08/06/43
|
KMS 015
|
14/06/43
|
14/06/43
|
18/06/43
|
18/06/43
|
XTG 002
|
24/06/43
|
29/06/43
|
05/07/43
|
05/07/43
|
MWF 036
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
MEF 037
|
15/07/43
|
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
|
10/08/43
|
10/08/43
|
GUS 012
|
20/08/43
|
06/09/43
|
06/08/43
|
30/08/43
|
UGS 014
|
01/09/43
|
02/09/43
|
30/08/43
|
30/08/43
|
GUS 014
|
01/09/43
|
26/09/43
|
17/09/43
|
18/09/43
|
MKF 024
|
23/09/43
|
07/10/43
|
15/09/43
|
25/09/43
|
KMF 024
|
29/09/43
|
29/09/43
|
17/10/43
|
23/10/43
|
MKF 025
|
26/10/43
|
04/11/43
|
27/10/43
|
06/11/43
|
KMF 025A
|
11/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
17/11/43
|
17/11/43
|
MKF 026
|
30/11/43
|
09/12/43
|
03/01/44
|
03/01/44
|
XIF 007
|
08/01/44
|
08/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
XIF 008
|
25/01/44
|
25/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
28/01/44
|
MKF 028
|
29/01/44
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
SNF 014
|
11/02/44
|
11/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
SNF 015
|
24/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
14/02/44
|
26/02/44
|
GUS 031
|
26/02/44
|
18/03/44
|
21/02/44
|
27/02/44
|
KMF 029
|
02/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
18/02/44
|
01/03/44
|
UGS 033A
|
03/03/44
|
29/02/44
|
11/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
XIF 011
|
15/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
IXF 011
|
19/03/44
|
21/03/44
|
03/09/44
|
03/09/44
|
MKF 034
|
07/09/44
|
14/09/44
|
|
|
|
|
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(Note on Convoys)
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