Ex USS MEADE
(Type A - BURNHAM-Class) built by Bethlehem Steel at Squantum
and launched 24 May 1919. Build was completed on 8th September 1919 and the ship
was held in Reserve in 1939.
Transferred under the Lease/Lend Agreement in 1940 and commissioned at
Halifax into the RN on 24 September 1940. In common with other TOWN Class ships
the name was shared by a town in the Isle of Man and and
also a town in New Jersey, USA.
This ship was the 1st RN warship to
carry the name and was adopted by the civil community of the county of
Huntingdonshire
after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t
t l e
H o n o u r
ATLANTIC
1941-42
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a
Field per fess wavy white and blue,: a demi ram
erased proper, armed Gold supporting
between the legs
a hurt charged with 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
November Prepared for
transfer
26th
Commissioned into RN service as HMS RAMSEY.
December
5th Took
passage to Plymouth
17th On arrival taken
in hand by HM Dockyard Devonport for refit and modifications to suit RN
deployment as a convoy escort.
1 9 4 1
January Allocated
for service with 5th Escort Group based at Liverpool.
29th Refit
completed.
February
2nd Carried
out post refit trials prepared for operational duty
Deployed with Group for convoy escort in NW Approaches.
March
9th Taken in
hand for repair in Liverpool after machinery breakdown.
April Under
repair.
(Note: Modified RAF radar (Naval Type 286M) fitted
See
RADAR AT SEA by D Howse for details of development and use of radar in RN.).
5th On
completion of post repair trials deployed for Local convoy escort duty.
May Local
escort in continuation.
Nominated for duty with Newfoundland Escort Force on formation.
June
3rd Joined military convoy WS9A in
Clyde with HM Cruiser CAIRO,
HM Destroyers COSSACK,
MAORI,
OTTAWA (RCN), RESTIGOUCHE (RCN),
RICHMOND, SIKH, VANQUISHER,
WINCHELSEA, ZULU and HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser AUSONIA as Local Escort during
passage in NW Approaches.
7th Detached
with Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
Took
passage to Newfoundland.
July Deployed
for convoy escort in western
Atlantic between
Canada
and mid-Atlantic Meeting
Point.
August Transferred
to 22nd Escort Group in continuation.
September Convoy escort
duty in continuation.
to (Note:
For details o convoy defence tactics and U-Boat deployment in 1941-42 see U-BOAT
October WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO), THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by
Macintyre and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.).
November Under refit in
Boston, USA.
to (Note:
Additional centimetric radar Type 271 fitted to prove surface warning.
December see above
reference)
1 9 4 2
January Under refit.
February On completion
rejoined Group and deployed for convoy defence with Western Local Escort
Force.
March Convoy
escort in Canadian area with Group.
April
5th Taken in
hand for further repair to turbines at Halifax
May Turbine
repair transferred for completion at Charlestown, South Carolina USA.
June Under
repair.
July
Completion of turbine repair work to be continued in UK.
27th Sailed
from Halifax with routine mercantile Convoy HX200.
August Passage to
UK with convoy
HX200.
7th Detached
from HX200 on arrival at Liverpool and taken in hand for completion of turbine
repair in commercial shipyard
September Transferred to
Belfast for repair.
October Transferred
to Clyde shipyard for completion of work.
Nominated for service with 6th British Escort Group.
22nd On
completion of post repair trials joined Group.
November Completed one
Atlantic escort crossing and withdrawn from service for further refit.
Paid
off and taken in hand for Long Refit at commercial shipyard in Grimsby.
(Note: Previous record seems difficult to reconcile with the decision to fit a new
Bridge structure to this ship.)
December Under refit
1 9 4 3
January Under refit.
to
May
June
Re-commissioned for service.
On completion of post refit trials took passage to
Tobermory for work-up prior to
deployment
July Worked-up at
Tobermory for convoy escort deployment.
August Withdrawn from service as
a convoy escort
(Note: This may
have been due to poor performance during work-up.)
New deployment as
Air Target Ship decided
September Converted for
use as an Air Target ship.
(Note: Main armament removed and equipment not required for new role such as
depth
charges.)
October
Deployed at Station in
Irish Sea for training of aircrew in
torpedo attacks on shipping..
to
December
1 9 4 4
Air
Training Ship deployment in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Air Training
Ship deployment in continuation.
to
Nominated for reduction to Reserve after VE Day.
June
July Paid off
and de-stored at Rosyth.
Reduced to Reserve.
August Laid-up at
Grangemouth
P o s t
W a r N o t e s
HMS RAMSEY was laid up at
Grangemouth
until 1947. Placed on the Disposal List in 1947 she was sold to BISCO on 18th
February 1947 for demolition by P & W MacLellan
at Bo’ness. She arrived in tow at the Breaker's yard
near Edinburgh in July that year.
S p e c i a l
N o t e
This service of this ship is typical of that of many
others transferred under Lend Lease in 1940. Experience in Atlantic convoy
escort revealed their many deficiencies in structural design and machinery. (See
General Information).
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS RAMSEY
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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16/02/41
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16/02/41
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OB 287
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19/02/41
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21/02/41
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07/03/41
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07/03/41
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OG 055
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20/03/41
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20/03/41
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06/04/41
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06/04/41
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OB 308
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11/04/41
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13/04/41
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31/03/41
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13/04/41
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HX 118
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14/04/41
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18/04/41
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20/04/41
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04/05/41
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HX 122
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08/05/41
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08/05/41
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12/05/41
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12/05/41
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OB 322
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18/05/41
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20/05/41
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06/05/41
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18/05/41
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HX 125A
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22/05/41
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22/05/41
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28/05/41
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28/05/41
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OB 327
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01/06/41
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01/06/41
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10/06/41
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16/06/41
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HX 132
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23/06/41
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28/06/41
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10/06/41
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16/06/41
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SC 034
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22/06/41
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29/06/41
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26/06/41
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02/07/41
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OB 339
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03/07/41
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12/07/41
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22/07/41
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25/07/41
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HX 140
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unknown
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06/08/41
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06/08/41
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11/08/41
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ON 004
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18/08/41
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18/08/41
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24/08/41
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02/09/41
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SC 041
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06/09/41
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11/09/41
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01/09/41
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10/09/41
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ON 012
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14/09/41
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14/09/41
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29/09/41
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04/10/41
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SC 047
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12/10/41
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20/10/41
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22/02/42
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22/02/42
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SC 071
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28/02/42
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10/03/42
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19/02/42
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03/03/42
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ON 068
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09/03/42
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09/03/42
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18/03/42
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18/03/42
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SC 075
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24/03/42
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03/04/42
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02/07/42
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02/07/42
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TAW 001
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unknown
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10/07/42
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27/07/42
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01/08/42
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HX 200
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06/08/42
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07/08/42
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16/10/42
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30/10/42
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SL 125
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03/11/42
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09/11/42
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(Note on Convoys)
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