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Ex USS ABEL P. UPSHUR (Type A - BURNHAM-Class).
Built by Newport News SB Company The ship was launched 14th February 1920 and completed on 20th May 1920. She was held in
Reserve in 1939and
transferred to Royal Navy service under the Lease Lend Agreement
in 1940. In common with other destroyers of this type transferred the selected
name is also that of a town in Suffolk
and one in Michigan, USA.
After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National savings campaign in February she was
adopted by the civil community of Canterbury,
Kent.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43 - NORTH AFRICA 1942 -43 - SICILY 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, a key Gold and
a sword point downwards White.
pommel and hilt also Gold, in saltire
enfiled by a mural crown also
Gold, 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
September Prepared for transfer to RN
9th Commissioned at
Halifax as HMS ABEL P UPSHUR and prepared for early departure.
(Note: Selected
RN names had not then been announced.)
10th Selected RN Names
announced and nominated as HMS CLARE.
Passage to
Plymouth with call at St Johns Newfoundland.
26th Arrived at Plymouth
Nominated for
service with 17th Destroyer Flotilla in Western Approaches Command.
Taken in hand for
modifications by HM Dockyard Devonport to suit RN deployment as
a convoy escort
(Note: This must
have been limited due to early requirement for operational service and
did not include
all changes required
October Passage to Liverpool
2nd Assumed new name and
became HMS CLARE
9th Joined Flotilla and
deployed on convoy escort in NW Approaches.
November
17th Withdrawn from
service after defects.
Under repair in
Liverpool.
Transferred to
Portsmouth for completion of repair work by HM Dockyard.
December Under repair
1 9 4 1
January Under repair.
February
18th On completion began
post refit trials.
21st In collision with
mercantile PETERTON
Transferred to HM
Dockyard Devonport for conversion to Long Range Escort.
(Note: This
decision suggest damage caused by the collision was significant and would
enable ship to be
fully modified for RN service.
Passage to
Plymouth.
March Under repair and
conversion.
to (Note: Work
undertaken included removal of 4in guns mounted abeam and 3 torpedo tube
September mountings .
. Close Range AA armament fitted
See also General
Information on TOWN Class Destroyers.
October Nominated for service in
41st Escort Group for defence of West African convoys.
14th On completion took
passage to Liverpool to join Escort Group.
Deployed with
ships of Group for escorted of Outward OS Convoys to Sierra Leone
and returning
convoys in SL series.
(Note: Other
ships in Group were HM Sloops IBIS,
ABERDEEN, ENCHANTRESS,
HARTLAND and
WALNEY also deployed for this route were part of 41st Escort Group.
November Deployment with Group in
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Continued convoy escort
with Group
to
September
October Under Refit.
(Note: This
included installation of HEDGEHOG Ahead Throwing Anti-submarine weapon
prior to
rejoining 41st Escort Group for defence of convoys from UK to Gibraltar for
planned allied
landings in North Africa
(Operation TORCH
- See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett,
Naval Staff
History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser for details
with movement of
all ships involved.).
November Continued escort duty with
Group for convoys to and from Gibraltar.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Deployment continued on
Gibraltar route with 41st Escort Group.
to
June
July Detached for escort
of military convoys for planned allied in Sicily and nominated for service
in support Force
East..
(Operation HUSKY
– See above references for details.)
8th Deployed with ships
of Support Force East during landing of 1st Airborne Division SW of
Syracuse.
When released
deployed for escorted of GUS convoy from Gibraltar to
USA.
September Joined escort for return
Convoy UT1 from Argentia to UK.
On arrival took
passage to Cardiff for refit in commercial
shipyard.
October Under refit.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Damaged by fire on board
which delayed completion.
February Under refit and repair to
fire damage.
to Future deployment
for use as Air Target Ship decided.
May
June On completion
converted for new duty
(Note: Armament
removed and any weapon equipment no longer required in due role.)
July Deployed at station
in Irish Sea as target for training of aircrew in attacks on shipping..
1 9 4 5
January Irish Sea deployment in continuation.
to Nominated for
reduction to Reserve status.
July
August Paid-off and de-stored.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS CLARE was laid up in the
Reserve Fleet at Barrow and placed on the Disposal List and sold to West of
Scotland Shipbreakers on 25th August that year. The
ship arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard in Troon,
Ayrshire on 18th February 1947.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
CLARE
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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17/10/40
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17/10/40
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OB 230
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20/10/40
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20/10/40
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03/10/40
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21/10/40
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SL 050
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26/10/40
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26/10/40
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29/10/40
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29/10/40
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OG 045
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02/11/40
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13/11/40
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11/11/40
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12/11/40
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OB 242
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14/11/40
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15/11/40
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31/10/40
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15/11/40
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HG 046
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16/11/40
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19/11/40
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07/11/41
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08/11/41
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OS 011
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25/11/41
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28/11/41
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30/11/41
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02/12/41
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SL 094
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20/12/41
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30/12/41
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05/01/42
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11/01/42
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OS 016
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20/01/42
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23/01/42
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27/01/42
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31/01/42
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SL 099
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16/02/42
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16/02/42
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03/04/42
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03/04/42
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SL 105
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22/04/42
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22/04/42
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02/05/42
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03/05/42
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OS 027
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19/05/42
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19/05/42
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24/05/42
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24/05/42
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SL 111
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13/06/42
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16/06/42
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08/06/42
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08/06/42
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SL 111F
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13/06/42
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13/06/42
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20/08/42
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20/08/42
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OS 038
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05/09/42
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07/09/42
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14/09/42
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14/09/42
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SL 122
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05/10/42
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06/10/42
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26/10/42
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26/10/42
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KMF 001
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08/11/42
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08/11/42
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15/11/42
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17/11/42
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MKF 002
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21/11/42
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23/11/42
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27/11/42
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27/11/42
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KMF 004
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29/11/42
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06/12/42
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10/12/42
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12/12/42
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MKF 004
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18/12/42
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18/12/42
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26/12/42
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26/12/42
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KMF 006
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03/01/43
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03/01/43
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06/01/43
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06/01/43
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MKF 006
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13/01/43
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14/01/43
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24/01/43
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24/01/43
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KMF 008
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25/01/43
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01/02/43
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22/01/43
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02/02/43
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HX 224
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03/02/43
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05/02/43
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25/02/43
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02/03/43
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KMF 010A
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03/03/43
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04/03/43
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06/03/43
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08/03/43
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MKF 010A
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14/03/43
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14/03/42
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31/03/43
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01/04/43
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KMS 012G
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09/04/43
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16/04/43
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10/04/43
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24/04/43
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MKS 011
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23/04/43
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16/04/43
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01/06/43
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03/06/43
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XK 008
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10/06/43
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10/06/43
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25/06/43
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25/06/43
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KMS 019G
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06/07/43
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06/07/43
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14/07/43
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14/07/43
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KMS 019Y
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unknown
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unknown
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17/07/43
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17/07/43
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MKS 018
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22/07/43
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22/07/43
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27/06/43
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19/07/43
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UGS 011
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19/07/43
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unknown
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22/07/43
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25/07/43
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GUS 010X
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27/07/43
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13/08/43
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21/08/43
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21/08/43
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UT 001
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04/09/43
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04/09/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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