Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Swan Hunter at Newcastle on
23rd August
1940 and laid down on 5th August 1941 as Job Number J4297. She was allocated to the
Royal Hellenic Navy on 24th March 1942 and launched as HHelMS MIAOULIS on 13th April
1942. Build completion date was 25th November 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
M I A O U L I S
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search)
1 9 4 2
November
Contractors trials
25th - Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
December
11th - Commissioned for service with 5th Destroyer based at Alexandria.
On completion
of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to
work-up with ships of the Home
Fleet.
1 9 4 3
January
Working-up for Operational service.
Nominated for escort of military
convoy during Atlantic passage.
22nd - Joined escort for joint convoy KMS8 to Middle East and KMF8 to the
Mediterranean in Clyde.
23rd - Deployed with HM Cutters BANFF and FISHGUARD, HM Armed Merchant
Cruisers CANTON and CILICIA, HHMS ADRIAS, HM
Destroyer QUADRANT, French Sloop
SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA
and HM Destroyer RELENTLESS for escort of joint convoy during its passage in
Atlantic.
30th - Detached and returned to Londonderry.
February
Nominated for escort of military convoy KMF9 to Gibraltar. (Note: During
stay at Londonderry some personnel were changed due
to ill-feeling between Greek and
RN ratings. RN ratings were carried in the warships of allied nations to assist
with radio and
visual communications.)
10th - Passage to Gibraltar as escort for KMF9.
22nd - Detached at Gibraltar and carried out anti-submarine exercises
prior to
passage to join Flotilla in eastern Mediterranean
March
Joined 5th Destroyer Flotilla for convoy defence and support of army operations. (Note: Other
ships in Flotilla were HM Destroyers ALDENHAM,
BEAUFORT, BELVOIR. CROOME,
DERWENT, HAYDON,
DULVERTON, HOLCOMBE, HURSLEY, HURWORTH,
ROCKWOOD and TETCOTT, all HUNT
Class.)
Deployed in eastern Mediterranean.
April to May
Flotilla deployment in continuation (Note: During
this period destroyers carried out interception patrols
to enforce a blockade of the
Cape Bon area in order to prevent enemy forces attempting to leave the area after the
defeat of
the Afrika Korps in Tunisia - Operation RETRIBUTION.)
June
Convoy defence and patrol in central Mediterranean. Nominated for
support of allied landings in Sicily (Operation HUSKY)
July
10th - Took part in allied invasion of Sicily as part of Support Force
East with
other allied ships including Greek destroyers KANARIS, MIAOULIS, THEMISTOCLES
and SAKHTOURIS. (Operation HUSKY)
August
Convoy defence and support of military operations in Sicily and Italian mainland in
continuation.
(Note: During this period allied military forces were being built up in preparation
for planned landings on mainland which involved
provision of escorts for
military convoys in central and western
Mediterranean.)
September
Flotilla duties in continuation.
(Note: Not included in Northern
Attack Force providing support for landings at Salerno (Operation
AVALANCHE.))
Transferred with Flotilla to Alexandria for support of military
operations
in Aegean..
(Note: Increase in naval activity was anticipated in support of the
planned
allied operations to occupy Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. (Operation
ACCOLADE) – See IMPROVISE AND DARE by J S
Guard, WAR IN THE AEGEAN by E.
Walker and P Smith and the above references.)
October
1st - Deployed with sister destroyers HMS ALDENHAM and the Greek THEMISTOCLES
for interception patrol.
2nd - Planned attack on convoy cancelled.
4th - Passage to Limassol with HM
Destroyers ALDENHAM and ROCKWOOD .
6th - Deployed with HMS ROCKWOOD for patrol north of Rhodes.
7th - Took part in attack on invasion craft with HM Cruisers PENELOPE
and SIRIUS.
9th - Under air attacks during patrol in Aegean.
17th - Took part in attack on invasion convoy with HM Destroyer HURSLEY during which
an escort UJ2109 (Ex HMS WIDNES) was sunk and a
transport TRAPANI badly damaged. (Note: TRAPANI
was sunk the next night by HM Destroyers PENN
and JERVIS.)
18th - Took part in bombardment of Kos.
20th - Deployed to carry relief stores to Leros.
26th - Carried out further supply deployed with stores to Leros.
November
Support of evacuation of personnel from Aegean islands.
11th - Bombarded Kos and Rhodes.
On completion of evacuation
resumed Flotilla convoy defence duties based at Alexandria.
December
Flotilla duties in continuation.
1 9 4 4
January to June
Deployed in eastern Mediterranean with Flotilla.
July
Transferred to newly formed Greek Flotilla with other RHelN ships.
August to September
Nominated for support of military operations to
reoccupy islands in
eastern Mediterranean with ships of Greek Flotilla.
October to December
Deployed in support of allied re-occupation of
Greece (Operation
MANNA) with Greek Flotilla. (Note: Details of this operation
are available in Naval and Military Staff Histories (HMSO).)
1 9 4 5
January to May
Deployed with Greek Flotilla in support of re-occupation and for convoy
defence.
June
Resumed control by Greek naval authority after VE Day.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HHMS
MIAOULIS remained in Greek service until 23rd September 1960 when she was returned
to the Royal Navy. The ship was placed on the Disposal List and sold for
breaking up in Greece on 19th July 1961.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HM Hellenic Ship
MIAOULIS
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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24/01/43
|
24/01/43
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KMF 008
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27/01/43
|
01/02/43
|
08/02/43
|
09/02/43
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KMF 009
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15/02/43
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16/02/43
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01/04/43
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01/04/43
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ME 022
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06/04/43
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06/04/43
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24/05/43
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30/05/43
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GTX 001
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unknown
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04/06/43
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16/06/43
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23/06/43
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KMS 016
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28/06/43
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27/06/43
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05/07/43
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05/07/43
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MWF 036
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10/07/43
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10/07/43
|
03/08/43
|
07/08/43
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MWF 039
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10/08/43
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10/08/43
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06/08/43
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23/08/43
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UGS 014
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30/08/43
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02/09/43
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17/09/43
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18/09/43
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MKF 024
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23/09/43
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07/10/43
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15/09/43
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25/09/43
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KMF 024
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29/09/43
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29/09/43
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13/11/43
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14/11/43
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MKS 031
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23/11/43
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23/11/43
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15/11/43
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25/11/43
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KMF 026
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27/11/43
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30/11/43
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03/01/44
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03/01/44
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XIF 007
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08/01/44
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08/01/44
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23/02/44
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unknown
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IXF 010
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unknown
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26/02/44
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02/03/44
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02/03/44
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MKF 029
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09/03/44
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16/03/44
|
11/03/44
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13/03/44
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NSF 017
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14/03/44
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14/03/44
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16/03/44
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16/03/44
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IXF 011
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20/03/44
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21/03/44
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23/03/44
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unknown
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XIF 012
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unknown
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28/03/44
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08/04/44
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08/04/44
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MKF 030
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15/04/44
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21/04/44
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07/05/44
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07/05/44
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VN 038
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08/05/44
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08/05/44
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17/05/44
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17/05/44
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VN 040
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18/05/44
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18/05/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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