Type III HUNT Class Escort
Destroyer ordered from JS Write, Cowes IoW on 22nd
August 1940 under 1940 War Emergency Programme and laid down as Job No J6160 on
28th November 1941. She was launched on 3rd February 1943 after delay due to
bomb damage in the shipyard. This ship was the 1st RN warship to carry this
name, that of a fox-hunt in Cardiganshire, Wales. Completion date was 19th May
1943 and the ship was adopted by the civil community of the Isle of Anglesey
after a successful WARSHIP WEEK during 1942. She was the last HUNT
Class Escort Destroyer to be built at Cowes.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORTH SEA 1943-44
- ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1943-44 - NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Gold, a Lozenge Red charged with an escarbuncle
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 3
May Contractors trials and
commissioned for service in 15th Destroyer Flotilla..
19th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
Passage to Scapa
Flow to work-up for operational service with ships of Home Fleet.
June Work-up at Scapa Flow
in continuation.
July Passage to join
Flotilla at Plymouth.
12th Joined Flotilla at
Plymouth for convoy defence and patrol in English Channel and North Sea.
August Convoy defence and patrol
duties with Flotilla in continuation.
to
September
October Deployed at Plymouth.
20th Nominated for duty
with Force X for the interception of a German Blockade Runner
(MUNSTERLAND)
reported on passage through Channel to Atlantic.
(One of Operation
TUNNEL Series).
22nd Joined HM Cruiser
CHARYBDIS with HM Destroyers STEVENSTONE, ROCKET,
WENSLEYDALE,
LIMBOURNE and GRENVILLE.
23rd Force came under
attack by German torpedo boats during which HMS CHARYBDIS and
HMS LIMBOURNE
were sunk by torpedoes from T23 and T27.
(For details of
this disastrous and poorly executed operation see HOLD THE NARROW SEA
by P Smith and the privately
published TWO HONOURABLE YEARS by Craig Leith).
24th Returned to Plymouth.
December
2nd Sustained damage in
collision with merchant ship.
Taken in hand for
repair.
1 9 4 4
January Rejoined Flotilla on
completion of repair and resumed duties.
February
5th In action with HM
Escort Destroyers TANATSIDE, BRISSENDEN and WENSLEYDALE
against
Torpedo Boat T29, minesweepers M156 and M206 off north coast of
Brittany.
(Note: M156 was
damaged and later was sunk in air attack after ships returned to harbour.
March Deployed in English
Channel for convoy defence and interception. operations.
to
April
May Nominated for support
of planned allied landings in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
Allocated with HM
Escort Destroyers TANATSIDE and MELBREAK of Flotilla for duty
in Force O under
US Navy overall command..
Took part in
preliminary exercises prior to invasion.
(Note: Not
deployed during disastrous Exercise TIGER in April 1944.)
For details of
naval activities prior to and during allied assault see LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June
1944 (HMSO), OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and
D DAY SHIPS by J
de Winser for details of all ships involved.).
June Passage to Portland to join Group 1 Convoy O1.
4th Operation delayed
for 24 hours.
5th Sailed with Convoy
O1 for OMAHA Beach area.
6th Joined US
Battleships TEXAS and ARKANSAS, HM Cruiser GLASGOW, the Free French
cruisers MONTCALM
and GEORGES LEYGUES in Bombarding Force C for support of assault
on OMAHA Beach.
7th Deployed for gunfire
support, convoy defence and patrol in Western Task Force area as
required by Naval Commander
Western Task Force.
11th In action with two
E-Boats which attacked PHOENIX unit on passage to Beach Head.
17th Sustained slight
damage by shore battery fire off Cherbourg Peninsular.
25th When released from
NEPTUNE deployed in English Channel for
patrol and defence of
convoys.
July
1st Under shore battery
fire.
3rd Under shore battery
fire.
23rd In action with HM
Frigate THORNBOROUGH and three Motor Torpedo Boats against craft
evacuating
personnel from Le Havre.
(Note: Patrol
ships V716 and R229 damaged.)
Under fire from
shore batteries.
26th Sank German craft
during offensive sweep.
August Channel deployment in
continuation.
to
September
October Transferred to 16th
Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich for convoy defence and patrol duties in
North Sea against incursions of minelayers
in Thames Estuary area
November
9th Damaged in collision
with merchant ship. Holed aft to waterline
11th Taken in hand for
repair at Chatham.
December Under repair.
1 9 4 5
January Under repair.
February Rejoined Flotilla on
completion of repair
March Convoy defence and
patrol in North Sea in continuation.
to
April
May Nominated for service
in Far East after refit.
June Prepared for foreign
service at Chatham.
26th Extra ballast fitted
to improve stability.
July Passage to Malta for
refit.
August Under refit in Malta.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS TALYBONT completed refit
after VJ Day and then joined the Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta. During January 1947 she was badly
damaged when she collided with a wreck at Haifa and repaired in Malta before returning to UK to Pay-off and reduce to
Reserve status at Portsmouth. The ship
remained in Reserve until she was placed on the Disposal List in 1961 after
use at Rosyth for Artificer training. Sold to BISCO later that year for
demolition by
Shipbreaking
Industries she arrived at the breaker’s yard in tow at Charlestown, near
Rosyth on 14th February 1961 Fife and her scrap
value was £19,950.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
TALYBONT
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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23/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
PW 343
|
25/05/43
|
25/05/43
|
16/08/43
|
16/08/43
|
WP 386
|
18/08/43
|
18/08/43
|
20/08/43
|
20/08/43
|
WP 388
|
22/08/43
|
22/08/43
|
22/08/43
|
22/08/43
|
WP 389
|
24/08/43
|
24/08/43
|
02/11/43
|
02/11/43
|
WP 425
|
03/11/43
|
04/11/43
|
22/11/43
|
22/11/43
|
WP 435
|
24/11/43
|
24/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
26/11/43
|
WP 437
|
28/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
11/01/44
|
11/01/44
|
WP 460
|
13/01/44
|
13/01/44
|
17/01/44
|
17/01/44
|
WP 463
|
19/01/44
|
19/01/44
|
21/01/44
|
22/01/44
|
WP 465
|
24/01/44
|
24/01/44
|
05/02/44
|
05/02/44
|
WP 472
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
14/02/44
|
14/02/44
|
WP 477
|
15/02/44
|
16/02/44
|
16/02/44
|
16/02/44
|
WP 478
|
17/02/44
|
18/02/44
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26/02/44
|
26/02/44
|
WP 483
|
27/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
WP 484
|
01/03/44
|
01/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
WP 487
|
07/03/44
|
07/03/44
|
15/03/44
|
15/03/44
|
WP 492
|
17/03/44
|
17/03/44
|
19/03/44
|
20/03/44
|
WP 494
|
21/03/44
|
21/03/44
|
27/04/44
|
27/04/44
|
WP SP 30
|
29/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
04/05/44
|
04/05/44
|
WP 517
|
05/05/44
|
06/05/44
|
06/05/44
|
06/05/44
|
WP 518
|
07/05/44
|
08/05/44
|
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(Note on Convoys)
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