Ex USS CONWAY. This ship
had been built by US Navy Yard at Norfolk Virginia and was launched as USS
CRAVEN on 29th June 1918 with completion on 19th October 1918. After US Navy
service she was placed on the Disposal List and the name allocated to a new
warship. Pending sale for scrap she was renamed USS CONWAY. She was transferred
to the RN under the US/UK Lend Lease Agreement en 23rd October 1940. On commissioning
she was renamed LEWES which is common to towns in Delaware, USA and in East
Sussex. This name had been used by a Paddle Minesweeper in 1918 on completion
of build and sold in 1922. In March 1942 following a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in May 1942 this ex USN destroyer was adopted by the
civil community of Lewes, East Sussex. Unlike other four funnelled Ex USN destroyers
transferred to the RN she had 3in guns as main armament instead of 4in
weapons.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r
NORTH SEA 1942
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge: On a Field
White,
a
lion's gamb
erased Blue charged with a mullet White
grasping a cross crosslet
in fitchy
Black.
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
Pre-acceptance trials.
23rd
Transferred to RN and renamed HMS LEWES at Halifax.
Commissioned for service and prepared for passage to UK.
November On passage via
St. Johns, Newfoundland.
11th Arrived
at Devonport.
Taken
in hand for modifications by HM Dockyard to suit RN use as
a convoy escort.
December Under refit
1 9 4 1
January Under
refit.
February Carried
out post refit trials.
March Prepared
for convoy defence service.
April
Deployed at Devonport.
22nd
Sustained damage during air raid at Devonport
May Under
repair
to
December.
1 9 4 2
January Carried
out post repair trials and prepared for East coast convoy defence in Rosyth
Command
Passage to Rosyth.
February Joined
Rosyth Escort Force.
(Note: This Ex US Navy destroyer was the last to begin RN operational RN
service).
March Deployed
at Rosyth for escort of East coast convoys.
to
(Note: During this period fitted with Radar Type 286 and VHF Radio telephone
outfit
November in general
use by East coast escorts.
See RADAR AT SEA by D Howse).
Future deployment under discussion.
December Selected for
use as an Air Target ship after refit and modification.
Withdrawn from operational service.
(Note: This Class of destroyer had not been notably successful as convoy
escorts.
Several other TOWN Class were withdrawn from escort duty and converted for this
duty,
essential for training of aircrew in anti ship operations)
1 9 4 3
January Under refit
and conversion for new duties at Humber shipyard.
February On completion
nominated for service in South Atlantic.
March After
preparation for foreign service took passage to Simonstown with Convoy WS29.
to
Deployed on South Atlantic Station for air target duties.
December
1 9 4 4
January Detached
for passage to Casablanca.
(Note: This reasons for this requirement are not known)
February Return
passage to Simonstown to resume target duties.
March South
Atlantic service in continuation
to
Nominated for transfer to Ceylon for duty in Eastern Fleet as Target Ship.
July (Note: Eastern Fleet had been reinforced with Fleet aircraft carriers and training
for future
deployments involving shipping attacks was essential)
August. Passage to
Ceylon to join Eastern Fleet.
September Deployed at
Ceylon and carried out escort duty with convoy to Addu Atoll.
October Deployed
with Eastern Fleet for Air Target duties.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Eastern
Fleet duties in continuation
Nominated for transfer to British Pacific Fleet for Air Target Ship duties.
February Passage
from Trincomalee to Fremantle with escort for HM Destroyer Depot Ship TYNE
to
Detached from HMS TYNE on arrival and took passage to Sydney to join BPF.
March
April
Deployed at Sydney as Air Target Ship.
to
August
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS LEWES remained in commission after VJ Day and continued in the
training role until she paid-off at Sydney in November 1945. Placed on the Disposal List whilst at Sydney she
was de-quipped and then sold to BISCO for disposal, All valuable items were removed and on 25th May 1946 the ship
was scuttled off Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
LEWES
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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27/03/42
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28/03/42
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WN 263
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30/03/42
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30/03/42
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13/04/42
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13/04/42
|
WN 269
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14/04/42
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14/04/42
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13/05/42
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14/05/42
|
WN 282
|
15/05/42
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15/05/42
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19/05/42
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20/05/42
|
WN 285
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21/05/42
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21/05/42
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24/05/42
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25/05/42
|
WN 287
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26/05/42
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26/05/42
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28/05/42
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29/05/42
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WN 289
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30/05/42
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30/05/42
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03/06/42
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04/06/42
|
WN 291
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05/06/42
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05/06/42
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07/06/42
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08/06/42
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WN 293
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09/06/42
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09/06/42
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10/09/44
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10/09/44
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XC 029
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13/09/44
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13/09/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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