Ex USS CONNER (Type D - LEEDS-Class) built by Cramp and launched on 21st August 1917. Build completion date was 12th January 1918
and in 1939 the ship was held in Reserve. Transferred under Lease Lend
Agreement in 1940 and commissioned at
Halifax into the RN on 23rd October that year.
Ships of this Class differed from the other TOWNS in respect of hull
design, machinery configuration using 3 shafts, only three funnels and armament.
She was the 1st RN warship to carry this name and was adopted by the civil
community of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire after a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942.
In common with other TOWN Class ships the name was shared by a city in
Yorkshire and also a town in Maine, USA.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r
NORTH SEA 1941-45
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, a fleece Gold with blue band 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
Prepared for transfer to RN.
23rd Commissioned into RN service as HMS
LEEDS.
November
Passage to UK with call at St Johns.
Arrive din Plymouth.
17th Taken in hand for refit and modifications to suit RN use for convoy
escort.
(Note: In this case the most unusual
arrangement, especially relating to propulsion machinery
considered out date when ship was built, made
refit very necessary. This situation also
applied to HMS
LUDLOW.)
December Under refit
1 9 4 1
January Under refit
to (Note: Modified RAF Radar (Naval
Type 286M) was fitted.
February For details of development and use of radar
by RN see RADAR AT
SEA by D Howse)
Nominated for convoy
escort in
North Sea.
March
2nd Carried out post refit harbour and sea
trials.
On completion prepared
for operational service and took passage to
North Sea.
(Note: Work-up for operational
service to be confirmed.)
April Deployed on East Coast convoy escort
to
December
1 9 4 2 t
o 1 9 4 4
East Coast convoy escort in
continuation when serviceable.
(Notes: This ship had an abysmal
record for unreliability.
Contemporary records show she was
rarely operational for more than four consecutive
weeks at a time.
Bridge structure was modified and
Radar Type 271 was fitted whilst under repair
. Some sources indicate deployment on
escort for convoys to
Normandy
during allied
landings (Operation
NEPTUNE). This is not supported by the Naval Staff History
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944 and
no Battle Honour was awarded).
1 9 4 5
January East Coast convoy escort in continuation.
to
February
March Increasing defect load made deployment
questionable.
April Withdrawn from service.
10th Paid off at Grangemouth and de-stored
Placed on Disposal List.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS LEEDS was sold to BISCO on 4th March 1947 for demolition by T W
Ward at Grays, Essex. She arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard
on 19th January 1949.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
LEEDS
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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26/04/42
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27/04/42
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WN 275
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28/04/42
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28/04/42
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15/05/42
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15/05/42
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WN 283
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17/05/42
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17/05/42
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18/06/42
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19/06/42
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WN 298
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20/06/42
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20/06/42
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(Note on Convoys)