Type
II HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered on 4th September 1939 from Swan Hunter
at Newcastle under the 1939 War Emergency Programme with three other Type I and
14 Type. She was laid down as Admiralty Job Number J4139 on 18th December 1939
and launched on 20th August 1940 as the second RN ship to bear the name, that
of a fox-hunt in Oxfordshire. It was first used for a minesweeper in WW1. Build
was completed on 21st June 1941 and she was not adopted by a civil community
after a National Savings WARSHIP WEEK campaign during 1941-42.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941 - LIBYA 1941-42
- MALTA
CONVOYS 1942
H e r a
l d i c D a t
a
Badge:
On a Field Green, three rushes, two in saltire and
one in pale,
slipped and leaved Gold, interlaced with a stirrup White.
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
June Contractors trials
and commissioned for service.
21st Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
Passage to
work-up or operational service on completion of trials and storing.
July On completion of
work-up joined Irish Escort Force based in Clyde.
Nominated for
service at Gibraltar.
August Passage to Gibraltar,
30th Arrived at Gibraltar for convoy defence and patrol.
September Taken in hand for repair.
On completion of
repair-deployed at Gibraltar.
17th Escorted HM Cruiser
MANCHESTER and HM Destroyer FIREDRAKE during passage from
Gibraltar to USA for repair.
Detached in
position 25 Degrees West and returned to Gibraltar.
25th Joined HM Destroyers
COSSACK, FURY, GURKHA, LANCE, LAFOREY, LIGHTNING,
ORIBI and
FARNDALE as screen for HM Battleships PRINCE OF WALES, RODNEY, HM
Cruisers
EDINBURGH, EURYALUS, KENYA and SHEFFIELD as escort for Malta
Relief
Convoy during
passage from Gibraltar to Sicilian Narrows as Force A (Operation HALBERD.
For details see
THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre, Naval Staff
History and MALTA
CONVOYS by R Woodman)
(Note:
Mercantiles from Clyde were identified as WS11X but changed to GM1 for passage
in
Mediterranean.)
27th Under air attacks
during which HMS RODNEY was torpedoed.
Transferred to
Force X and joined HM Destroyers COSSACK, FORESIGHT, FORESTER,
FURY, LAFOREY,
ORIBI, ZULU, and FARNDALE as screen for HM Cruisers EDINBURGH,
EURYALUS,
HERMIONE, KENYA and SHEFFIELD as escort for Malt
convoy through Sicilian
Narrows after Force A retreated to west.
Detached from
Force X to join Convoy MG3 from Malta as escort to Gibraltar.
Diverted on
passage to MG3 to assist in rescue of passengers on ss IMPERIAL STAR that had
been torpedoed in
earlier air attacks.
28th Embarked 300 military
personnel from IMPERIAL STAR and took passage to Malta.
(Note: HM
Destroyer ORIBI had been standing by the mercantile and after disembarkation
made
an unsuccessful
attempt to row IMPERIAL STAR but this had to be abandoned and the
mercantile was
sunk. See references.)
Landed soldiers
In Malta and returned to Gibraltar.
October Transferred to 2nd
Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria.
(Note: Original
intention was for this ship and sister HMS FARNDALE to take passage
from Malta after
arrival of GM1. This was changed.)
Took passage to
Alexandria via Cape of Good Hope and Red Sea.
November Passage in Indian Ocean and
Red Sea.
15th Joined Flotilla on
arrival at Alexandria and deployed for maintenance of supplies and personnel
to Tobruk
garrison (Operation AGGRESSION).
(Note: Reinforcement troops and stores were taken to Tobruk in this Operation that
lasted
several weeks and
passages were subjected to sustained air attacks.
30th Deployed with HM
Escort Destroyer AVON VALE and an A/S Trawler for escort of Fast
Section of Convoy
A to Tobruk.
(Note: Convoy
comprised HM Auxiliary CHAKDINA taking stores and Stores Ship
KIRKLAND with
cased petrol.
December
2nd Arrived at Tobruk
with convoy AT1 ships.
Return passage to
Alexandria.
Support duties in
continuation.
1 9 4 2
January
30th Escorted ss ANTWERP from Alexandra to Tobruk.
February
6th Returned to Alexandria with ss ANTWERP.
12th Joined HM Cruiser
CARLISLE, HM Destroyers LANCE, AVON VALE and ERIDGE as escort
for Convoy NW9A
from Alexandria to Malta comprising ss CLAN CHATTAN and ss CLAN
CAMPBELL
(Operation MFM).,
13th Convoy MM9A merged
with Convoy NW9B and later under air attacks during which ss
CLAN CAMPBELL was
damaged and later sunk whilst on passage to Tobruk in another
air attack.
(Note: None of
the four ships in MM9A and MM9B reached Malta. See THE BATTLE FOR
THE
MEDITERRANEAN.)
March Mediterranean Fleet
deployment in continuation.
20th Deployed with HM
Destroyers AVON VALE, BEAUFORT, DULVERTON, ERIDGE,
HURWORTH and
SOUTHWOLD to carry cut anti-submarine operation on planned route
for Convoy ME10
during departure from Alexandria.
Under attack by
U652 in position 10 miles NE Bardia.
Hit by torpedo
that caused major damage including loss of after gun mounting.
Extensive
flooding and structural damage aft disabled ship.
Tow by HMS ERIDGE
failed due to increase of flooding.
Port propeller
gland plate fractured and loss of steam from No 2 Boiler made it impossible to
operate pumps for
removal of water.
Fifteen of ship's
company lost their lives, but the remainder were transferred by boat to HMS
ERIDGE before
ship sank.
(Note: Casualty
List was published on 2nd May 1942.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS HEYTHROP
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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21/07/41
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27/07/41
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TC 012
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27/07/41
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29/07/41
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19/08/41
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20/08/41
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OG 072
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27/08/41
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01/09/41
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24/09/41
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25/09/41
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HALBERD
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27/09/41
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27/09/41
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23/12/41
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23/12/41
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TA 005/M
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24/12/41
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25/12/41
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10/01/42
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10/01/42
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AT 015/M
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12/01/42
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12/01/42
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18/01/42
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18/01/42
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AT 018/M
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20/01/42
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20/01/42
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03/02/42
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03/02/42
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AT 025/M
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05/02/42
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05/02/42
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08/02/42
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08/02/42
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AT 026/M
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unknown
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unknown
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(Note on Convoys)
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