Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from Vickers-Armstrong,, Barrow under
the 1940 War Programme on
23rd August 1940 with sister ship HMS PENYLAN. She was laid down as Job No.
3989 on 29th August 1941. The ship
was launched on 13th June 1942 as the first RN ship to carry the name, that of
a Yorkshire fox-hunt. Build was completed
on 4th November 1942 and after her
Acceptance Trials she was prepared for service with the 5th Destroyer Flotilla
based at Alexandria. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in January 1942 this
ship was adopted by the civil community of Luton Rural District, Bedfordshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
SICILY 1943 - AEGEAN 1943
- ATLANTIC 1944*
- ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944*
(* See Text.)
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, issuant from rock, Black,
a
hurst of oaks, proper.
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
October Contractors Trials and commissioning.
Nominated for service in 5th Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet.
November
4th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of trials and calibrations,
prepared for foreign service
December Nominated for escort of military convoy in Atlantic during
passage from Clyde to Durban.
Passage to Clyde to join Convoy WS25 as Ocean
Escort.
18th Sailed from Clyde as Ocean Escort for WS25 with HM
Destroyer QUILLIAM and HM Armed
Merchant Cruisers CARNARVON CASTLE and CHESHIRE.
(Note: Local Escort during passage in NW
Approaches was provided by HM Destroyers
BADSWORTH, HAYDON and WOLVERINE until 24th.)
27th HM Destroyer ILEX joined Ocean Escort.
30th Local escort for passage into Freetown provided by
HM Corvette CROCUS and WOODRUFF.
31st Detached from WS25 with Escort on arrival at
Freetown.
(Note: Detached from WS25 during passage to
refuel in the Azores and the rejoined WS25.)
1 9 4 3
January
3rd Joined WS25 with HMS QUILLIAM, HMS CHESHIRE as
Ocean Escort.
4th HM Armed Merchant Cruiser ALCANTARA joined Ocean
Escort.
9th HMS ALCANTARA detached from Ocean Escort.
16th HM Destroyer EXPRESS joined Ocean Escort during
passage in Indian Ocean.
18th Detached from WS25 on arrival and Durban and took
independent passage to Red Sea.
Nominated for convoy escort duties in Eastern
Mediterranean
February Eastern Mediterranean deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
to
April (Note: During this period the 8th Army was advancing
into Cyrenaica and
support convoys were providing assistance to the
military campaign.
May Took part in the interception of craft evacuating
enemy personnel from North Africa.
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C Barnett and
Naval Staff History (Operation RETRIBUTION.)
June Deployed in central Mediterranean for convoy defence
and patrol with ships of Flotilla.
(Note: No record of participation in attack on Pantellaria can be traced,
(Operation CORKSCREW.)
Nominated with ships of Flotilla for escort
duties during planned allied landings in Sicily.
(Operation HUSKY)
July Prepared for escort of assault convoys
(Note: Convoys were assembled in Algeria and at Alexandria as
well as other ports in
the Mediterranean and escorted to the assault
beaches.
See Naval Staff History.
10th Part of escort for HUSKY assault convoy.
Present at landings and then deployed for escort
of follow-up convoys.
August Released from HUSKY and took passage to Alexandria to
resume Flotilla duties in
Eastern Mediterranean.
Convoy defence and patrol duties in
continuation.
(Note: In this period convoys were being passed
through the Mediterranean and ships
based at Alexandria were deployed for escort to
central Mediterranean.
September Deployed with Flotilla for defence and support of military
shore operations in
Aegean following the surrender of Italian
garrison. Escorted cruisers based at
Alexandria and carried troops and stores.
(For details see WAR IN THE AEGEAN by P Smith
and E Walker. and Naval Staff History.
October Detached for patrol based at Limassol, Cyprus, to intercept craft
taking German troops to
replace Italian garrisons in Aegean Islands.
3rd Deployed for interception patrol based in Cyprus.
6th Carried out patrol with Greek destroyer MIAOULIS
(Ex sister ship HMS MODBURY)
8th Deployed for daytime offensive sweep with MIAOULIS
covered by US Army aircraft.
(Operation CREDENTIAL)
9th Escorted HM Cruiser CARLISLE with HM Destroyer PANTHER during interception operation.
Under sustained air attacks in Scarpanto Strait
during which HMS PANTHER
was sunk and HMS CARLISLE badly damaged.
Took HMS CARLISLE in tow for return passage to
Alexandria.
20th Deployed for support of military operations.
27th Under air attacks SE of Casteloriso during passage
to Cos.
November Aegean support in continuation.
9th Carried out search for invasion craft.
11th Bombarded Kalymos harbour with HM Destroyer PETARD
and Polish destroyer ORP
KRAKOWIAK.
On completion during return passage came under
air attack by He213 Glider bombs
launched from aircraft in position 36.23N
25.62E.
Hit aft by one of the weapons which failed to
exploding but caused extensive damage.
Steering gear failed and main engines used to
steer ship until flooding
of gearing room prevented further use of
propulsion machinery.
Taken in tow by HMS PETARD to Turkish coastal
waters for temporary repair.
15th Taken in tow by HM Destroyer BLENCATHRA on
completion.
Passage to Alexandria lasting five days.
December
1st Under repair at Alexandria to enable passage to UK
for survey and to enable a
decision on future action.
Awaiting tow at Alexandria.
1 9 4 4
January At Alexandria.
February
10th Passage to UK as part of return military convoy MKS40 from Mediterranean.
March
Arrived in UK with KMS40
(Note: The award for two Battle Honours dated
1944, for service in the Atlantic
and English Channel has not been researched but
is recorded in three
standard references. This suggests an engagement
with submarines,
surface ships or aircraft during passage with
MKS40 which was under
U-Boat attack on 1st March and /or later during
passage in
in English Channel.)
April Awaiting survey and decision on future deployment
May Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status.
June Passage to Hartlepool for lay-up.
7th Laid-up in Category B (to be refitted before
service.)
July Laid-up at Hartlepool.
to
August
August
(not included)
to December
1 9 4 5
(not included)
P
o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS
ROCKWOOD was placed on the Disposal List in 1946 and sold to BISCO for
demolition. The
ship was taken in tow to Gateshead for breaking-up by J J King in August 1946.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
ROCKWOOD
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/03/43
|
01/03/43
|
MW 022
|
06/03/43
|
06/03/43
|
14/04/43
|
14/04/43
|
ME 023
|
unknown
|
20/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
MW 027
|
unknown
|
04/05/43
|
31/05/43
|
08/06/43
|
KMS 015
|
14/06/43
|
14/06/43
|
05/07/43
|
05/07/43
|
MWF 036
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/08/43
|
10/08/43
|
GUS 012
|
20/08/43
|
06/09/43
|
06/08/43
|
23/08/43
|
UGS 014
|
30/08/43
|
02/09/43
|
30/08/43
|
05/09/43
|
KMS 024
|
10/09/43
|
10/09/43
|
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
|
09/02/44
|
10/02/44
|
MKS 040
|
21/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
MKS 040G
|
22/02/44
|
22/02/44
|
22/02/44
|
22/02/44
|
SL 149MK
|
02/03/44
|
07/03/44
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
CE 257
|
05/04/44
|
05/04/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)