Type II HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered
under the 1939 Emergency War Programme from J S White, Cowes, IoW on 4th September 1939. The ship was laid
down as J6108 on 1st January 1940.
She was launched 17th October 1940
as the first RN warship to carry the name, that of a fox-hunt in Hertfordshire.
Build completion date was 30th July
1941 and the ship had been adopted by the civil community of Watford,
Hertfordshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in
March 1942.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942-43 -
SICILY 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a
Field Red, a
hunting horn Gold and a
Battle
Axe White in saltire interlaced with a
horseshoe
inverted also 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 1
July
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for service in 1st Destroyer Flotilla.
30th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
August During trials
leaks were discovered in shaft glands which were repaired before Acceptance.
Passage to Scapa Flow on completion of trials and storing.
Worked-up for operational service with ships of Home Fleet at Scapa Flow
September Passage to
Portsmouth to join Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol in
English Channel.
(For
details of naval activities in
English Channel see HOLD THE NARROW
SEA by
P
Smith and THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW
SEAS by P Scott).
October Channel
deployment with Flotilla in continuation.
to
November
December
11th Detached
for duty with Home Fleet
13th Whilst on
passage in action with aircraft off Pembroke coast.
Hit
on Quarterdeck by bomb caused explosion in after 4in magazine.
18
ratings were killed
and 20 injured in after messdeck.
Y
mounting wrecked and lost overboard.
Damage
control
measures taken to deal with fires and flooding and ship settled by stern
with
quarterdeck awash.
After
propulsion restored took passage to Milford Haven
steering by engines.
Taken
in tow to HM Dockyard, Pembroke Dock by tug.
15th Taken in
hand for survey
1 9 4 2
January
3rd Paid-off
into Care and Maintenance.
February Under repair at Pembroke Dock
to June
July
Re-commissioned for service
10th Carried
out post repair trials on completion of dockyard work.
23rd On
completion of trials took passage to Plymouth.
24th Taken in
hand by HM Dockyard for modifications.
August On completed
of modifications took passage to Scapa Flow
Worked-up for service at Scapa Flow with Home Fleet.
September Deployed at
Scapa Flow.
15th Escorted
ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron during lay of section of the Northern Barrage
south of Faeroes
(Operation SN65A).
(For
details of minelaying operations in WW2 see Naval Staff History (MINING).)
October Deployed in
Western Approaches Command for convoy escort defence.
5th Joined military
convoy WS23 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BEAGLE, WRESTLER,
BICESTER, ZETLAND
and Greek destroyer KANARIS as escort during
passage in NW
Approaches.
(Note: HM Cruisers DESPATCH, DURBAN and HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser QUEEN OF
BERMUDA provided Ocean Escort for passage in
Atlantic.)
10th Remained for escort of WS23 when destroyers of Local
Escort detached.
15th Detached from WS23 with KANARIS and took passage to
Freetown after destroyers from
Freetown arrived for Local Escort
16th Deployed at Freetown.
23rd Escorted troopships BERGENSFJORD and LEOPOLDVILLE
during passage from Freetown
to Gibraltar.
31st Attached
to Central Task Force for planned allied landings in North Africa.
(Operation TORCH – For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett, Naval Staff History and for information on all ships involved BRITISH
INVASION
FLEETS by J de Winser).
November Deployed at
Gibraltar for briefing and preparation for support of TORCH
Deployed with Task Force for support of landing operations.
8th At Oran
for landings.
13th Searched
for survivors from Dutch destroyer ISAAC SWEERS sunk by U431
north west
of
Algiers.
On
release from Central Task Force attached to Destroyer Division 59 based at
Gibraltar.
December Deployment for
convoy defence duties in continuation based at Gibraltar.
1 9 4 3
January Gibraltar
deployment for convoy defence in continuation.
to
May
June Nominated
for support of planned allied landings in Sicily with Support Force East as part
of
Escort Group S.
(Operation HUSKY - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, Naval Staff History and
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS.).
Convoy defence duties in continuation.
July Joined
Support Force.
Passage to Bone.
5th Deployed
as part of escort for assault convoy KMS18
8th Detached
from KMS18 to refuel and rejoined escort on completion.
10th Detached
from KMS18 on arrival at BARK WEST Beach Head.
Deployed for naval gunfire support during landings and carried out patrols to
intercept any
attempt to interfere with landings.
August Resumed convoy defence
deployment.
8th Escorted
liners SATURNIA and VULCANIA from
Gibraltar to Malta.
September Deployment for
western Mediterranean escort and patrol in continuation.
6th
Torpedoed and sunk by U617 whilst on passage to Gibraltar in position 40 miles
east of Europa
Point
in position 36.06N, 04.44W.
Two
hits aft detonated after magazine and ship stayed afloat for only 8 minutes.
62 of
ship’s company were killed with 129 survivors.
(Note: Some survivors were rescued by a Spanish mercantile and avoided internment by
attracting the attention of a naval patrol craft which took them to safety in
Gibraltar.
U617 was later damaged in an A/S attack and then
abandoned off Morocco on 11th
September 1943).
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
PUCKERIDGE
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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21/07/42
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21/07/42
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WP 190
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23/07/42
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23/07/42
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13/12/42
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13/12/42
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TE 009
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14/12/42
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18/12/42
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12/12/42
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31/12/42
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UGS 003
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01/01/43
|
01/01/43
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08/02/43
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14/02/43
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KMF 009
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16/02/43
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16/02/43
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17/02/43
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17/02/43
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MKF 009
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19/02/43
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24/02/43
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25/02/43
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03/03/43
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KMF 010A
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04/03/43
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04/03/43
|
26/02/43
|
08/03/43
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KMS 010G
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11/03/43
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11/03/43
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10/07/43
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10/07/43
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MKF 018
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17/07/43
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23/07/43
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14/07/43
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14/07/43
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KMS 019Y
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unknown
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unknown
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26/07/43
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27/07/43
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MKS 019Y
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29/07/43
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31/07/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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