Ex USS LAUB (Type A - BELMONT-Class) built by Bethlehem
Steel at Squantun was laid down on 20th April 1918
and launched on 25th August 1918. Commissioned on 17th March 1919 for US naval
service she was held in Reserve in 1939. The ship transferred to the RN under
the Lease Agreement en 3rd September 1940 and commissioned as HMS BURWELL at
Halifax, Canada. This name, not previously used for an RN ship was common to
towns in Nebraska, USA and Cambridgeshire. After a WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in March 1942 this
destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field barry wavy of
six White and Blue, a thistle slipped and
leaved proper charged with a hurt thereon a mullet 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
9th Commissioned as HMS
BURWELL at Halifax.
Prepared for
Atlantic passage via Newfoundland.
November Passage to Plymouth
5th On arrival taken In
hand by HM Dockyard Devonport for modifications to suit RN service
as a convoy
escort
1 9 4 1
January Under refit.
February Nominated for service
with 12th Escort Group.
13th Involved in collision
with sister destroyer HM Destroyer RIPLEY at Devonport.
24th Passage to Clyde on
completion of post refit trials.
March Joined Group.
23rd Part of escort with
ships of Group for convoy on passage in NW Approaches.
April Convoy escort duty
with Group in continuation.
Nominated for
transfer with Group for escort duty based in Iceland.
May Passage to Iceland.
Deployed for mid
Atlantic convoy defence.
June Atlantic convoy
escort with Group in continuation based in Iceland.
Nominated for
transfer to newly formed Newfoundland Escort Group
July Passage to St Johns
for escort of convoys to and from Mid Ocean Meeting Point.
August Part of escort for Convoy
HX145.
27th Detached from HX145
to assist in capture of U570 which had surrendered to an
RAF HUDSON
aircraft near Iceland.
Submarine had
been depth charged when it was surfacing in position 61 15N 18,35W.
(For details see
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
28th On arrival joined HM
Trawler WINDERMERE in an attempt to tow U570 which was
unsuccessful.
Resumed convoy
escort duty after HM Trawler KINGSTON AGATE had established a
tow for passage
to Thorlakshafn, Iceland.
(Note: Crew of
U570 was taken off by HM Destroyer NIAGARA.
U570 was later
taken to UK and eventually commissioned as HM Submarine GRAPH
September Transferred to 15th Escort
Group in continuation of service at Newfoundland.
October Deployed with 4th
Canadian Escort Group.
November Taken in hand for refit at
Boston.
December Under refit
1 9 4 2
January Under refit.
February Carried out post refit
trials.
3rd On completion took
passage to St Johns to resume duty with Group.
March Atlantic convoy escort
in continuation.
April After providing
defence for three convoys since refit was withdrawn for repair and took
passage to Londonderry.
May During repair at
Londonderry transferred to Liverpool to complete repairs.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Under repair at
Liverpool.
February On completion of post
repair trials took passage to Tobermory.
Worked-up for
operational service at Tobermory.
March Resumed Atlantic convoy
defence based at Londonderry.
Part of escort
for convoy to Gibraltar
April Passage from
Gibraltar to Azores and returned to Clyde with one mercantile.
Withdraw from
operational use for further work-up at Tobermory.
(Note: This
suggests change of ship's company.)
May Resumed North Atlantic
convoy escort after completion of work-up.
June Atlantic Convoy
escort duty in continuation.
to Future deployment
under consideration.
September
October Reduced to Reserve
status and paid-off in Clyde.
Nominated for
service as an Air Target Ship.
November Under conversion for new
role.
(Note: Ship was
disarmed and modified.)
December On completion deployed at
station in Clyde area for training of
aircrew for attacks
on shipping.
1 9 4 4
Air Target Ship
duties in Clyde area in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Withdrawn for Air Target
Ship duty.
Passage to
Milford Haven to de-store
February Reduced to un-maintained
Reserve status and laid up at Milford Haven.
March Laid-up at Milford
Haven.
to
August
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS BURWELL was placed on the Disposal List after VJ Day
and sold to BISCO on 4th March 1947 for demolition by T W Ward.. The ship was towed later to the
breaker’s yard locally.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
BURWELL
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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23/03/41
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23/03/41
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OB 301
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27/03/41
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27/03/41
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15/03/41
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27/03/41
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HG 056
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31/03/41
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02/04/41
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06/04/41
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06/04/41
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OG 058
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12/04/41
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21/04/41
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19/04/41
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30/04/41
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SC 029
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04/05/41
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08/05/41
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30/04/41
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12/05/41
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HX 124
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14/05/41
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20/05/41
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29/04/41
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18/05/41
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SC 030
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20/05/41
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20/05/41
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12/05/41
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18/05/41
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OB 322
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20/05/41
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20/05/41
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10/05/41
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21/05/41
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HX 126
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26/05/41
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28/05/41
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20/05/41
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30/05/41
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HX 128
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05/06/41
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06/06/41
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26/06/41
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04/07/41
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OB 339
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09/07/41
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12/07/41
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12/07/41
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15/07/41
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SC 037
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23/07/41
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28/07/41
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11/07/41
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16/07/41
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HX 138
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23/07/41
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27/07/41
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26/07/41
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31/07/41
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ON 001
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01/08/41
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09/08/41
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27/07/41
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02/08/41
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ON 002
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08/08/41
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08/08/41
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10/08/41
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13/08/41
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HX 144
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22/08/41
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30/08/41
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30/08/41
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04/09/41
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ON 011
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11/09/41
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11/09/41
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24/09/41
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27/09/41
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SC 046
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05/10/41
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10/10/41
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04/10/41
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10/10/41
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ON 023
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18/10/41
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19/10/41
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29/10/41
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02/11/41
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SC 052
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03/11/41
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05/11/41
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04/02/42
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07/02/42
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SC 068
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16/02/42
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20/02/42
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26/02/42
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04/03/42
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ON 071
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07/03/42
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08/03/42
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21/03/42
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25/03/42
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HX 181
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02/04/42
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02/04/42
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26/02/43
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28/02/43
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KMS 010G
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08/03/43
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11/03/43
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15/05/43
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16/05/43
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ON 184
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25/05/43
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31/05/43
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31/05/43
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06/06/43
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HX 242
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14/06/43
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15/06/43
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24/06/43
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25/06/43
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ON 190
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03/07/43
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09/07/43
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08/07/43
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14/07/43
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HX 247
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21/07/43
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22/07/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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