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Ex USS RINGOLD (Type C -
ANNAPOLIS Class) built by Union Iron Works at San Francisco and laid down on
20th October 1917. She was launched on 14th April 1918 and commissioned for
service in the USN on 14th November that year. The ship was transferred to the
Royal Navy under the US/UK Lend/Lease Agreement of 3rd September 1940 and
handed over at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 26th November 1940. Her name, which is
common to two towns in USA and one in Nottinghamshire had twice been used for
an RN ship having been introduced in 1695 for a 3rd Rate. It was last used by a
HUNT-Class minesweeper built in 1918 and sold in 1928. This
destroyer was appropriately adopted by the civil community of Newark after a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942,.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
VELEZ
MALAGA 1704 - LAGOS 1759 - ATLANTIC
1941-42 - NORTH SEA 1943-44
H e r a l d i
c D a ta
Badge: On a Field Blue, a Cormorant Gold, in his beak an eel Silver.
M o t t o
Deo Fretus Erumpe: 'Trust in
God and sally forth'
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
November Pre-acceptance trials and
passage to Halifax
26th Formally transferred
to RN.
Renamed HMS
NEWARK when commissioned for service.
December Took passage to St Johns
Newfoundland with sister destroyer HMS NEWMARKET
Sustained damage
in collision with HMS NEWMARKET during transit.
(Note: Both
ships required repair before making Atlantic passage.)
5th Taken in hand for
repair at St Johns.
1 9 4 1
January
29th On completion of
repair sailed from St Johns for UK.
February Disabled in heavy weather
had to be towed back to St Johns.
On completion of
repair work took passage to Devonport.
March
9th Taken in hand for
refit and modification to suit RN deployment by HM Dockyard Devonport.
(Note: Changes
made included removal of mainmast and shortening of foremast, the
removal of after
3in and 4in guns and replacement by 12pdr RN HA gun.
After torpedo
tubes were removed and British Depth Charge Throwers were
fitted.
RN ASDIC
equipment was also fitted.)
April
10th Damaged in collision
with HM Destroyer VOLUNTEER at Devonport before completion of
dockyard work.
Repair arranged
at Belfast and took passage.
18th Arrived at Belfast
for hull structure repair.
May
5th Sustained damage
during air raid at Belfast.
June Completion of repair
delayed by disruption of work in shipyard caused by air raid damage.
July Under repair.
Nominated for
service with 1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh.
August Carried out post repair
trials on completion of shipyard work..
15th Commenced operational
service with 17th Destroyer Division at Kyle of Lochalsh.
22nd Escorted HM Auxiliary
Minelayer AGAMEMNON during minelay in Northern Barrage.
(Operation
SN22B).
25th Escorted HM Minelayer
ADVENTURE, HM Auxiliary Minelayers PORT QUEBEC,
MENESTHEUS and
SOUTHERN PRINCE with HM Destroyers CHARLESTOWN and
CASTLETON for
minelay in Northern Barrage between the Faroes and Iceland.
(Operation SN70A)
September
4th Escort HM Auxiliary
Minelayer PORT QUEBEC during minelay in Northern Barrage.
(Operation
SN23A.)
16th Escorted HM PORT QUEBEC for further minelay in Northern Barrage.
(Operation
SN23B).
Detached for
escort of military convoy and took passage to Clyde.
October
1st Joined military
convoy WS12 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BADSWORTH, LANCASTER,
BRADFORD and BRIGHTON as Local Escort
during passage in NW Approaches.
3rd Detached with same
destroyers and took passage to Clyde.
Resumed duties
with Squadron.
22nd Escorted HMS PORT QUEBEC for further minelay in Northern Barrage. (Operation SN24C).
November
9th Escorted HIS PORT QUEBEC and HMS MENESTHEUS with
HMS CHARLESTOWN and
HMS BRIGHTON
during minelay in Northern Barrage between Faroes and Iceland.
(Operation
SN83B).
19th Escorted HMS
MENESTHEUS during minelay in Northern Barrage (Operation SN25A).
Nominated for
detached service for escort of military convoy.
December
9th Joined military
Convoy WS14 in Clyde for Local Escort in the NW Approaches with HM
Destroyers
BEVERLEY, CROOME, LANCASTER, SHERWOOD, WESTCOTT,
WITHERINGTON and
HM AA Ship ULSTER QUEEN.
12th Detached with Local
Escort and resumed Squadron duties.
1 9 4 2
January
3rd Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON during Northern Barrage minelay in Butt of Lewis.
(Operation
SN26A).
February
2nd Escorted HM Minelayer
ADVENTURE, HM Auxiliary Minelayers PORT QUEBEC,
MENESTHEUS,
SOUTHERN PRINCE and AGAMEMNON with HM Destroyers
LANCASTER and
WELLS for minelay to extend and reinforce section of East Coast Barrier
north of
Aberdeen. (Operation SN17) .
(Note:
Destroyers forced to return to harbour due to weather conditions.)
9th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON and HMS MENESTHEUS with sister TOWN-Class
destroyers HMS
LANCASTER and HMS ST MARY'S during minelay in Denmark Strait
(Operation SN5B)
.
15th Under refit.
March Under refit.
to
April
May Carried out post refit
trials and prepared for work-up at Tobermory.
Resumed Squadron
duties at Kyle of Lochalsh on completion.
June
1st Escorted HM
Minelaying Cruiser ADVENTURE, HM Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON
and MENESTHEUS
with HM Destroyer ST MARY'S during minelay in Denmark Strait
(Operation SN72).
11th Escorted HMS
ADVENTURE, HMS MENESTHEUS, HMS AGAMEMNON, HMS
SOUTHERN PRINCE
with HM Destroyers BRIGHTON, CASTLETON, WEL1S and HM
Minesweeper SCOTT
for lay of a deep anti-submarine minefield in Faroes Bank area
(Operation SN3B).
(Note: HMS SCOTT
was deployed as a specialist Survey Ship to ensure the precise location
of this field to
deny use of area by U-Boats entering Atlantic.
July
31st Escorted HMS
ADVENTURE, HMS AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS. HMS
SOUTHERN PRINCE
and HMS PORT QUEBEC for minelay in Northern Barrage between
Faroes and
Iceland with HMS BRIGHTON, HMS CASTLETON, HMS LANCASTER and
HMS SCOTT
(Operation SN82).
(Note: See above
for use of HMS SCOTT.)
August
19th Escorted same ships
as for SN82 for minelay in Denmark Strait with H M Destroyers
BRIGHTON, CASTLETON and CHARLESTOWN (Operation SN73).
20th During escort for
minelay rescued 52 survivors from U464 which had been scuttled by crew
after damage by
air attack. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
(Note: U464 was
one of a series of ten Type XIV U-Boat Tankers.)
September
2nd Escorted same ships
as for SN73 for minelay in Denmark Strait with HM Destroyers
BRIGHTON, CHARLESTOWN,
LANCASTER and HM Minesweeper
SCOTT
(Operation SN89 -
See above Note re HMS SCOTT).
16th Escorted HMS
ADVENTURE, HMS AGAMEMNON and HMS MENESTHEUS with HMS
CHARLESTOWN for
minelay in Faroes area of Northern Barrage
(Operation
SN65A).
On completion
took passage to Tyne for refit and further modifications to suit RN service as
convoy escort.
October Under refit
to (Note: This was
Stage 2 of conversion included:
December Replacement of Bridge
structure by improved design.
Installation of
surface warning Radar Type 271 and combined warning radar Type
291 (See RADAR AT
SEA by D House.)
Removal of
forward torpedo tubes and replacement by RN triple mounting.
Replacement of
beam gun mountings by 20mm Oerlikon guns.
1 9 4 3
January Post refit trials.
On completion of
work-up detached for escort of Gibraltar route convoys.
February Atlantic convoy defence
on UK-Gibraltar route in continuation.
March Resumed Squadron duties
at Kyle of Lochalsh.
21st Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT
QUEBEC
during lay of a
Deep minefield in Northern Barrage off Iceland with HMS CHARLESTOWN
(Operation SN90A)
April Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh.
May
5th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON and HMS PORT QUEBEC during lay of minefield to the east
of Iceland in
Northern Barrage with HMS CASTLETON, HMS ST MARY'S and HMS SCOTT.
Encountered
exceptional weather conditions.
(Operations
SN111A - See above Note re HMS SCOTT.)
26th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT QUEBEC during lay
of modified Mk1
Mines in an experimental field off Isle of Lewis with HMS CASTLETON and
HMS SCOTT for
navigational accuracy (Operation SN123B).
June
11th Escorted same ships
as SN123B in further lay of modified mines off Lewis.
(Operation
SN123C).
July Under refit at
Cardiff
to
August
September On completion of post refit
trials resumed Squadron duties at Kyle of Lochalsh.
4th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT
QUEBEC during
minelay SE of
Iceland in position west of Northern Barrage with HMS SCOTT for navigational
purposes.
(Operation SN222B).
October On disbandment of 1st
Minelaying Squadron transferred to Rosyth Escort Force.
(Note: For full
details of all minelaying operations see The Naval Staff History (Mining) which
also gives
details of materiel used.)
November Deployed for convoy escort
of East Coast convoys. Based at Rosyth.
to
December
1 9 4 4
East Coast convoy
defence in continuation.
(Note: Not
deployed for escort or support of allied landings in Normandy.
(Operation
NEPTUNE. - See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO).)
1 9 4 5
January Withdrawn from
operational service for use as an Air Target Ship.
to (Note: Conversion
included removal of armament and ship was used for training of aircrew
June in attacks on
shipping.)
Deployed for
service as an Air Target Ship.
July Withdrawn from
training use and Paid-off.
De-stored and
reduced to Reserve status.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS NEWARK was placed on the Disposal List after VJ Day
and sold to P & W MacLellan Ltd on 18th July
1947. She was towed to the breakers yard at Bo'ness
near Edinburgh later that year for demolition.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
NEWARK
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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06/09/41
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06/09/41
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DS 011
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09/09/41
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09/09/41
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09/09/41
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09/09/41
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SD 011
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13/09/41
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13/09/41
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30/10/41
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30/10/41
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CT 005
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02/11/41
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08/11/41
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25/10/41
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02/11/41
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CARGO
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04/11/41
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04/11/41
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27/11/41
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27/11/41
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DS 017
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30/11/41
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29/11/41
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04/12/41
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04/12/41
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SD 017
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07/12/41
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06/12/41
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17/01/42
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17/01/42
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DS 020
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20/01/42
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20/01/42
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21/01/42
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21/01/42
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SD 020
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23/01/42
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23/01/42
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12/06/42
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12/06/42
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DS 028
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14/06/42
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14/06/42
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15/06/42
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15/06/42
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SD 028
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17/06/42
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17/06/42
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02/08/42
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06/08/42
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AT 019
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07/08/42
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07/08/42
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10/08/42
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10/08/42
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TA 019
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11/08/42
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16/08/42
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19/10/42
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03/01/43
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KX 003
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11/01/43
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25/10/42
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03/01/43
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03/01/43
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KX 008
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13/01/43
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21/01/43
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14/01/43
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15/01/43
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MKS 005X
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17/01/43
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25/01/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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