Ex USS MCLANAHAN (Type A – BELMONT-Class) built by
Bethlehem Steel, Quincy. The ship was laid down on 20th
April 1918 and launched on 22nd September 1918. Commissioned on 5th September 1919 for US naval service she was held in
Reserve in 1939. The ship transferred to the RN under the UK/US Lend Lease
Agreement on 26th November 1940 and commissioned as HMS
BRADFORD at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 8th
October 1940. This name was common to a town in Philadelphia, USA and the English city.
It had first been used by the Royal Navy in 1658 for 28 Gun
ship and by a hired Trawler in 1915. After a successful WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 the ship was adopted
by the civil community of Hebden, Royd
and Hepton, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43
- NORTH AFRICA 1942 -
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1943
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue. a ram's head erased affrente
White,
armed and gorged with a mural crown gold, the
crown
charged with a hurt. thereon
a mullet also White.
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 0
October
8th Commissioned as HMS
BRADFORD at Halifax.
29th On completion of
preparation for ocean passage sailed for Plymouth with call Newfoundland.
November Taken in hand for
modifications to suit RN use as a convoy escort.
to On completion took
passage to Scapa Flow to work-up for operational service with ships of Home
Fleet.
December Withdrawn from work-up
because of high incidence of defects.
Selected for
refit and for conversion into a Long Range Escort.
See General
Information.
1 9 4 1
January Taken in hand by HM
Dockyard Sheerness.
February Under conversion for new
role.
to Nominated for
service in 43rd Escort Group based at Londonderry for defence of Atlantic convoys
August (Note: Sister destroyers
CLARE and STANLEY were also converted.
Some sources
suggest Surface warning Radar Type 271 was fitted during in this period but
this fit is
unlikely in view of the short supply in 1941 when few sets of this new equipment
were available.
For details of
development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse.)
November Post refit trials.
Carried out
work-up for operational service..
October Joined Group at
Londonderry.
(Note: Other
ships in this Group were HM Sloops ROCHESTER, HASTINGS, SANDWICH,
LEITH and sister
destroyer HMS NEWPORT.)
November Deployed with Group for
Atlantic convoy defence.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Atlantic convoy defence
in continuation.
to
March
April
18th Sustained damage in
collision with HM Sloop SCARBOROUGH during Atlantic convoy
defence
deployment.
May Taken in hand for
repair in Humber shipyard.
June Under repair
to (Note: Type 271
Radar may have been installed at this refit. See above.)
July
August Post refit trials.
September Deployed with Group for
Atlantic convoy defence.
October Deployed as part of
escort for military convoy KMS2 to Mediterranean.
(Note: This was
part of preparation for planned allied landings in North Africa.
By this period an
anti-submarine mortar (HEDGEHOG) ad been fitted.
For details of
the development of new weapons and tactics for defence of
convoys see SEEK
AND STRIKE by W Hackmann.)
November Deployed for convoy defence
in Mediterranean during the allied landings in North Africa.
(Operation TORCH.
For details see Naval Staff History, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by
Corelli Barnett and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser).)
December On release from TORCH
returned to UK as part of escort for returning mercantile convoy.
Taken in hand for
repair at Liverpool.
1 9 4 3
January On completion of repair
resumed convoy defence duties in NW Approaches.
to
February
March Transferred to English
Channel for coastal convoy defence.
April Returned to Liverpool
for repair.
May Under repair in
Liverpool shipyard.
Found beyond
economic repair and withdrawn from operational service.
Paid Off.
14th Taken In tow from
Liverpool to Plymouth.
Selected for use
as an Accommodation Ship.
June
2nd Re-commissioned as
tender to HMS FOLIOT at Tamerton Foliet, Plymouth.
(Note: HMS
FOLIOT used for Combined Operations personnel and this destroyer was
used to provide
accommodation for these waiting draft.
July Accommodation Ship
duties in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 4
Deployment as
Tender to HMS FOLIOT in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Deployment as tender to
HMS FOLIOT in continuation.
to
August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS BRADFORD was de-stored after
VJ Day and placed In the Reserve Fleet at Plymouth. The ship was later put on the Disposal List
and sold to BISCO on 19th June 1946 for demolition by West of Scotland Shipbreakers. During
August that year she was towed to the breaker’s yard at Troon,
Ayrshire to be broken up.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
BRADFORD
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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28/10/41
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28/10/41
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OG 076
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11/11/41
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11/11/41
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26/12/41
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26/12/41
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SL 096
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01/01/42
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13/01/42
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30/01/42
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06/02/42
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OS 018
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15/02/42
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20/02/42
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21/02/42
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23/02/42
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SL 101
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01/03/42
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15/03/42
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24/03/42
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26/03/42
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OS 023
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11/04/42
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11/04/42
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16/04/42
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16/04/42
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SL 107
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05/05/42
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07/05/42
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25/10/42
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25/10/42
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KMS 002G
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27/10/42
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12/11/42
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15/02/43
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15/02/43
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UC 001
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16/02/43
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06/03/43
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15/05/43
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15/05/43
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WP 339
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17/05/43
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17/05/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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