Type III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered on 23rd
August 1940 from J. S. White of Cowes under the 1940 War Emergency Programme
and laid down on 2nd September 1941 as Job No J6056. The ship was launched on
23rd November 1942 as the first RN warship to carry the name, that of a
Devonshire fox-hunt. In December 1942 it was proposed that she be transferred
to the Free French navy but this was cancelled early the next year. She was
adopted by the civil community of Barnstaple, Devonshire following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942. After
completion on 18th March 1943 she entered RN service.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1943-44 - NORTH SEA 1944 - NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field per fess wavy
Blue and White
a cubit arm
vested blue charged with a fesse indented
and double
cotised Gold, the hand proper grasping a horn 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 2
December Proposal made
to transfer to Free French Navy.
1 9 4 3
January Transfer
arrangements cancelled.
February Fitting out
and build in continuation.
March Contractors
trials and commissioned for service with 1st Destroyer Flotilla
18th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Passage to work-up on completion of trials and storing.
April Worked-up
for operational service
(Note: Work-up at Tobermory to be confirmed.
Most
ships of this Class worked-up at
Scapa Flow with ships of Home Fleet)
May Joined
Flotilla based at
Portsmouth for convoy defence and
patrol duties in English Channel.
June Deployed
in English Channel and detached as required for special operations to intercept
to convoys
or blockade runners attempting to pass through English Channel
September (For details o
naval activities in Channel see HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith and THE
BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by P Scott).
October Detached for
offensive patrols off French coast based at
Plymouth.
(Operation TUNNEL- Attacks on coastal shipping and blockade runners).
23rd Deployed
with HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS and H M Destroyers GRENVILLE, .LIMBOURNE,
ROCKET, TALYBONT and WENSLEYDALE to intercept the German blockade runner
MUNSTERLAND.
(Note: This was a badly planned and poorly executed disastrous operation.
HMS
CHARYBDIS and HMS LIMBOURNE were lost in action with warships escorting
a
coastal convoy off the North Brittany.
For
full details see HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P. Smith and ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).
On
release resumed deployment with Flotilla for convoy escort and patrol duties in
Channel
November Flotilla
deployment for convoy defence and patrol.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Channel and
North Sea convoy escort and patrol with Flotilla in continuation.
to
March
April
24th In action against E-Boats of the 9th German MTB Flotilla attacking coastal convoy off
Hastings with HM Destroyers
BERKELEY, VOLUNTEER, Free French Destroyer LA
COMBATTANTE and Light Coastal
Forces.
May
Transferred to Force J for support of
Normandy landings (Operation
NEPTUNE).
(For
details of naval activities prior to and during the landings see OPERATION
NEPTUNE by
K Edwards, LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY June 1944 (HMSO) and D DAY SHIPS by J de
Winser for information
relating to all ships involved.)
2nd Loading
and Sailing Exercise, Full Rehearsal (Exercise FABIUS)
to
Landings made at Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex.
6th
18th Took part
in Defence exercise in Channel off Brighton with Forces G, J and S
See
references.
On completion deployed in Solent to prepare for NEPTUNE.
Allocated target in Pre-Arranged Fire Plan - Beaches at Beny-sur-Mer.
June Joined HM
Destroyers KEMPENFELT, FAULKNOR, VENUS, FURY, VIGILANT,
BLEASDALE, SIOUX (RCN), ALGONQUIN (RCN), GLAISDALE and French LA
COMBATTANTE for Force J support during assault..
3rd Deployed
with HMS VENUS and French LA COMBATTANTE as escort for Convoy J9
to
JUNO Beach
Head.
4th
Operation postponed 24 hours.
5th Escorted
Convoy J9 comprising HM Frigate LAWFORD, 10 Landing Ships (Infantry), three
Motor
Gunboats and two US Navy Coastguard Cutters through Swept Channel.
6th On
arrival in area took up bombardment position.
Provided preliminary bombardment prior to landings.
Deployed in Eastern Task Force area during assault for naval gunfire support.
7th Deployed
for defensive patrol to prevent access by enemy naval forces and to give gunfire
support. (For
details see references.)
12th In action
against E-Boats off Le Havre during patrol with HM Destroyers ISIS and Norwegian
GLAISDALE.
Inflicted damage on enemy craft of 4th Flotilla.
27th On release
from NEPTUNE resumed duties with Flotilla at Portsmouth.
July Patrol
and escort duties in English Channel in continuation.
6th Assisted
in rescue work and with wounded after HM Frigate TROLLOPE was torpedoed during
action against E-Boats in Seine
Bay off Le
Havre.
(Note: HMS TROLLOPE was badly damaged and later beached later at Arromanches).
27th During
patrol with HM Destroyer BLEASDALE embarked casualties from HM Steam Gunboats
GREY
SHARK and GREY SEAL which had been in action against a German convoy and its
escorts off Pointe de Barfleur
(For
details see THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by Peter Scott).
August Patrol and
convoy escort duty in English Channel with Flotilla in continuation.
September Transferred to
16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich for convoy defence in North Sea.
(Note: An Increased E-Boat and minelaying activities were threatening passage of
convoys to
ports
in Belgium and
France.
In
addition U-Boats with 'Schnorkel1 device were being deployed in all UK coastal
waters).
October
31st Sank
German E-Boat off Nieuport during patrol.
November
30th Detonated
mine during patrol with HM Frigate STAYNER off
Ostend.
Major
damage was sustained to forward structure abreast 4in magazine causing some
flooding.
Forward 4in mounting disabled.
Ship
took on list and fire broke out due to fuel and coolant leakages.
There
were 32 casualties including 14 killed.
Took
passage stern first to Thames Estuary under own power escorted by Salvage Vessel
LINCOLN SALVOR and Tug EUSTON CROSS.
December
1st
Examination on arrival at Sheerness revealed extensive buckling of keel plate
and a hole 12 feet
wide
and 11 feet long.
Taken
in hand for repair in Thames shipyard.
1 9 4 5
January
Under repair.
to
May
June Nominated
for foreign service and to be held as Reserve for deployment in the Far
East
if
required.
28th On
completion carried out post refit trials in Thames Estuary area.
July Prepared
for foreign service.
August Passage to
Mediterranean and worked-up for operational deployment.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS STEVENSTONE joined 3rd Destroyer
Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet after working-up. During March
1946 she collided with HM Frigate BRISSENDEN in March 1946.
On return to UK next year she Paid-off
and reduced to Reserve
status at Harwich. Subsequently she transferred to lay-up in Chatham and to Hartlepool later. Placed on the
Disposal List in November 1958 she was sold to
BISCO for demolition by Clayton in 1959 and arrived
at the breaker’s yard in Dunston on 2nd September
that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
STEVENSTONE
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
PW 311
|
22/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
19/05/43
|
19/05/43
|
PW 341
|
21/05/43
|
21/05/43
|
07/06/43
|
07/06/43
|
WP 351
|
09/06/43
|
09/06/43
|
16/06/43
|
16/06/43
|
PW 355
|
18/06/43
|
18/06/43
|
17/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
WP 371
|
19/07/43
|
19/07/43
|
23/07/43
|
23/07/43
|
WP 374
|
25/07/43
|
25/07/43
|
10/08/43
|
11/08/43
|
WP 383
|
12/08/43
|
12/08/43
|
19/09/43
|
19/09/43
|
WP 403
|
21/09/43
|
21/09/43
|
29/09/43
|
29/09/43
|
WP 408
|
02/10/43
|
02/10/43
|
05/10/43
|
05/10/43
|
WP 411
|
07/10/43
|
07/10/43
|
09/10/43
|
09/10/43
|
WP 413
|
11/10/43
|
11/10/43
|
27/10/43
|
28/10/43
|
WP 422
|
29/10/43
|
29/10/43
|
07/11/43
|
07/11/43
|
CE 220
|
08/11/43
|
08/11/43
|
14/11/43
|
14/11/43
|
WP 431
|
16/11/43
|
16/11/43
|
25/11/43
|
25/11/43
|
CE 224
|
26/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
CW 227
|
27/11/43
|
27/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
WP 438
|
30/11/43
|
30/11/43
|
30/11/43
|
30/11/43
|
WP 439
|
02/12/43
|
02/12/43
|
05/12/43
|
05/12/43
|
CE 227
|
06/12/43
|
06/12/43
|
18/12/43
|
18/12/43
|
WP 448
|
20/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
23/12/43
|
23/12/43
|
CE 231
|
24/12/43
|
24/12/43
|
25/12/43
|
25/12/43
|
CW 234
|
26/12/43
|
26/12/43
|
03/01/44
|
03/01/44
|
CE 234
|
04/01/44
|
04/01/44
|
07/01/44
|
08/01/44
|
WP 458
|
09/01/44
|
09/01/44
|
09/01/44
|
10/01/44
|
WP 459
|
11/01/44
|
11/01/44
|
15/01/44
|
16/01/44
|
WP 462
|
17/01/44
|
17/01/44
|
19/01/44
|
19/01/44
|
CE 238
|
20/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
02/02/44
|
02/02/44
|
WP 471
|
05/02/44
|
05/02/44
|
20/03/44
|
20/03/44
|
CE 253
|
21/03/44
|
21/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
WP 499
|
31/03/44
|
31/03/44
|
02/04/44
|
02/04/44
|
WP 501
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
18/04/44
|
19/04/44
|
WP 509
|
20/04/44
|
20/04/44
|
16/06/44
|
16/06/44
|
FTM 009
|
16/06/44
|
17/06/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)
|