Type I HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered on
11th April 1939 from Alexander Stephen at Govan,
Glasgow as part of the 1939 Programme with 9
other Type I. She was laid down as Admiralty Job No.1472 on
27th
July 1939, the
same day as sister ship HMS TYNEDALE in this shipyard. She was
launched on 16th July 1940 as the first RN ship to bear the name of
the Buckinghamshire fox-hunt. Build
was completed on 28th February 1941.
Following a WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign
in February 1942 the ship was adopted by the civil community
of Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORTH SEA 1941-43 -
SICILY 1943 -
SALERNO 1943 - MEDITERRANEAN 1943 -
SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944 - ADRIATIC 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
On a Field, Red within a stirrup a primrose 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
February Contractors trials and commissioning.
28th Build completion and Acceptance Trials.
March Prepared for passage for working-up.
Worked-up for operational service.
April Joined Rosyth Local Escort for North Sea convoy
defence and patrol duties.
May North Sea convoy defence in continuation.
5th Whilst at Hull during air raid sustained slight
splinter damage.
(Note: This superficial damage was the only
sustained during war service.)
June North Sea convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
Rosyth Escort force deployment in North Sea for
convoy escort and patrol.
Nominated for foreign service in Mediterranean.
1 9 4 3
January Deployed in North Sea.
February Withdrawn from Rosyth Command and prepared for foreign
Service.
March
16th Joined joint military convoy WS28 to Middle East and MCF28 to North Africa in
Clyde with HM Destroyers BADSWORTH, DOUGLAS,
EGGESFORD and
GOATHLAND, Polish ORP KRAKOWIAK, HM Sloops
WOODPECKER and
WREN for escort during Atlantic passage.
21st Detached with KMF28 Section and took passage to
Gibraltar as escort.
24th Deployed with 60th Destroyer Division based at
Gibraltar for convoy defence in
western Mediterranean.
April Mediterranean convoy defence in continuation.
to (Note: During May destroyers in Mediterranean
were also deployed to establish
May blockade of Cape Bon area to intercept craft evacuating enemy personnel.
from North Africa (Operation RETRIBUTION).
June Deployed with HM Destroyers LAFOREY, LOOKOUT, LOYAL,
JERVIS, TARTAR
and NUBIAN as screen for HM Cruisers AURORA,
PENELOPE, ORION,
NEWFOUNDLAND and EURYALUS which provided cover
for British landings on
Pantellaria (Operation CORKSCREW).
July Nominated for convoy escort and support during
allied landings in Sicily and joined
Support Force East with ships of Division.
7th Deployed with Escort Group W as escort for Convoy
SB5 from Sfax.
10th Arrived at BARK WEST beachhead with SB5 and deployed
for naval gunfire support
and patrol during landings by XXX Corps SW of
Syracuse.
(For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by Corelli Barnett and
Naval Staff History
Deployed for convoy defence, patrol and support
during build-up.
August Based in Malta and nominated for escort and support of
planned Allied landings
at Salerno
September
8th Escorted convoy to assault area (Operation
AVALANCHE. See above references).
9th Deployed for escort duties in support of allied
landings.
Later released from AVALANCHE
for convoy escort in central Mediterranean with ships
of Division.
October
Convoy escort in
central Mediterranean
with ships of Division in continuation.
to
Supported shore operations in Adriatic.
December
1 9 4 4
January Adriatic and central Mediterranean deployment in continuation.
to Nominated for support of planned landings in South
Frame, under US command.
June
July Prepared for planned operation.
August Took passage to Naples to join US warships for convoy
escort.
13th Sailed from Naples as escort for SM2 Convoy during
passage to the Assembly Area
with HM Destroyers ALDENHAM, BLACKMORE,
BEAUFORT, BELVOIR,
EGGESFORD, LAUDERDALE and Greek destroyer
PINDOS.
(Operation DRAGOON. See INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF
FRANCE (HMSO)
and the above references.)
15th Arrived at Assembly Area.
Passage to Assault Area.
22nd Released from DRAGOON and reverted to RN control.
Took passage to Malta to resume duties with
Division.
September Deployed in Aegean in support of reoccupation of islands.
Carried out patrols to intercept evacuation
craft and any Italian warships.
24th Engaged ex-Italian torpedo boats TA37, TA38 and TA39
in Straits of Otranto.
(Note: This was an inconclusive encounter.)
October Support of shore operations in Greece and Adriatic in
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Under refit at Alexandria.
February Took passage to Malta to resume duties on completion of
post refit trials.
to Resumed Support and convoy escort duties with
Division in Adriatic.
May
June Passage to Gibraltar for refit.
5th Taken in hand for refit.
17th On completion carried out post refit trials.
Retained at Gibraltar.
August Deployed at Gibraltar on VJ Day.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS WHADDON took
passage to UK from Gibraltar on 29th September 1945. The ship was Paid-Off at Devonport and
destored. After being reduced to Reserve status this destroyer was laid up in
the Reserve Fleet at
Plymouth. She remained there until 1954 when transferred to Cardiff in tow and placed on the
Disposal List in 1958. During the
following year she was sold to BISCO for demolition by Shipbreaking Industries
and arrived at the Breakers yard in Faslane during April 1959.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS WHADDON
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
15/03/43
|
15/03/43
|
KMF 011
|
23/03/43
|
23/03/43
|
05/04/43
|
05/04/43
|
TE 020A
|
unknown
|
08/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
TE 020B
|
08/04/43
|
08/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
MKS 011
|
14/04/43
|
16/04/43
|
09/05/43
|
09/05/43
|
ET 020
|
10/05/43
|
14/05/43
|
28/07/43
|
05/08/43
|
GUS 011
|
06/08/43
|
26/08/43
|
14/12/43
|
14/12/43
|
NV 011A
|
15/12/43
|
15/12/43
|
04/03/44
|
04/03/44
|
VN 025
|
05/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
24/03/44
|
24/03/44
|
VN 029
|
25/03/44
|
25/03/44
|
03/04/44
|
03/04/44
|
VN 031
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
13/04/44
|
13/04/44
|
VN 033
|
14/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
VN 027
|
15/04/44
|
15/03/44
|
12/05/44
|
12/05/44
|
VN 039
|
12/05/44
|
13/05/44
|
22/05/44
|
22/05/44
|
VN 041
|
23/05/44
|
23/05/44
|
13/08/44
|
13/08/44
|
SM 002A
|
15/08/44
|
15/08/44
|
19/08/44
|
19/08/44
|
SRM 003
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)