Ex-USS THOMAS (Type C) built by Newport News
SB Company and laid down for the US Navy on 23rd March 1918. The ship was
launched on 4th July 1918 and she commissioned for service on 24th April 1918. This destroyer was held in
Reserve in 1939 and transferred to the RN under the UK/US Lend-Lease Agreement on 3rd September 1940. She
commissioned for RN service as HMS ST ALBANS at Halifax on 23rd September 1940 and was the 6th
RN ship to bear this name, introduced in 1687 for a 4th Rate,
The name was last used in 1764 for a 3rd Rate which was broken up in 1814. This
name is associated with the Charles Beauclerk, First Duke of St Albans who was
son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn. In common with other ships loaned by the USA
the name was common to towns in both countries, in this case the city in Herefordshire and two towns in the
USA.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
BARFLEUR 1892 - LAGOS 1759 -
ST LUCIA 1778 - ST KITTS 1782
- THE SAINTES 1782 - ATLANTIC 1941-43 -
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942 - ARCTIC 1942 - NORTH SEA 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue a saltire couped
White, charged with
a
hurt,
thereon a mullet also 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 from US Navy and passage to Halifax under US Navy command.
23rd
- Commissioned for RN service as HMS ST ALBANS.
On completion
of trials took passage to Plymouth via St Johns, Newfoundland.
October
Arrived at
Plymouth.
11th
- Taken in hand for refit and modification for RN service by HM Dockyard
Devonport.
Nominated for service with 1st Minelaying Squadron
based at Kyle of Lochalsh. (Note: This ship was to be detached
for convoy defence as required by C in C Western Approaches.)
November
On completion
of post refit trials took passage to join Squadron.
18th
- Detached for escort of military convoy in NW Approaches. Joined convoy WS4B with sister
destroyers HMS BATH and HMS ST MARY'S as part of Local escort
from Clyde. (Note: HM Destroyers HIGHLANDER, OTTAWA (RCN),
SAGUENAY (RCN), SKEENA (RCN), ST LAURENT (RCN), HM Cruiser CAIRO were
also deployed.)
19th - Detached
from WS4B and resumed Squadron duties.
26th - Deployed
with HM Destroyers CHARLESTOWN, BATH and ST MARY'S as escort for ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron during minelay in Northern Barrage (Operation SN11
- See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
December
8th - Deployed
with HM Destroyers BATH, KEPPEL and DOUGLAS as escort for minelay by ships of
1st Minelaying Squadron in Northern Barrage covered by HM
Cruiser ARETHUSA and HM Battlecruiser HOOD (Operation
SN10A).
18th - Deployed
for escort of military convoy WS5A with HMS BATH as Local Escort during passage
in NW Approaches
20th
- Detached from WS5A after HM Destroyer HARVESTER, HIGHLANDER and VESPER took
over Local Escort duties.
1 9 4 1
January
Deployed with
Squadron for escort of minelayers.
February
Passage
to Sheerness for repair.
11th - Taken in
hand for repair by HM Dockyard, Chatham
March
Under
repair. Nominated for transfer to Royal Norwegian Navy.
W a r S e r v i c e
a s H N o r M S S T A L B A N S
April
Norwegian
ship's company joined for turnover.
14th
- Refit work completed.
22nd
- Transferred to Royal Norwegian Navy for loan service. (Note:
Name was unchanged.)
Passage to Scapa Flow for work-up
with ships of Home Fleet.
May
Nominated for
Atlantic convoy defence with 7th Escort Group
3rd - Collided
off Scapa Flow with HM Trawler ALBERNI which sank. Work-up
suspended and ship under repair.
June
4th
- Joined Group at Liverpool for Atlantic service. (Note:
Ships in Group included HM Destroyers WANDERER, NEWPORT, BEAGLE, CAMPBELTOWN,
WESTCOTT and six Flower Class Corvettes.)
18th - Rescued
survivors from ss EMPIRE DEW which had been sunk by a U-Boat on 12th June.
July
Atlantic convoy
escort with Group in continuation.
August
Deployed as
escort for Convoy SL81 with ships of Group.
3rd - Took part
in sinking of U401 with HMS WANDERER and HM Corvette HYDRANGEA during
attack on SL81. (For details see HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair and
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
September
Atlantic
convoy defence with Group in continuation.
October
Deployed with
Group for escort of Convoy ONS22.
7th - Sustained
damage during escort of ONS22 and took passage to Iceland for temporary repair.
November
Passage
from Iceland to Thames for permanent repair. Taken in hand
for repair in London.
December
On completion
returned to Liverpool top rejoin Group for Atlantic convoy defence.
1 9 4 2
January to March
Atlantic convoy
defence with Group in continuation (Note: During
this period Group provided escort for Convoys HX171 and SC68 which
arrived with loss of merchant ships.)
April
Under refit in
Liverpool during which Radar Type 271 for surface warning was fitted. (See
RADAR AT SEA by D Howse for details of development and use of radar in RN.)
On
completion resumed convoy defence in Western Approaches.
28th
- Deployed with HM Destroyers BADSWORTH, BOADICEA, MATCHLESS. SOMALI, VENOMOUS, HM
Auxiliary AA Ship ULSTER QUEEN, HM Minesweepers BRAMBLE, LEDA
and SEAGULL as Ocean Escort for Convoy PQ15 during passage from Iceland to Kola
Inlet. (Note: For details of all Russian Convoys see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, CONVOY ! by P Kemp, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B
Schofield and ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
May
2nd
- Carried out attacks on submarine with HM Minesweeper SEAGULL in defence of
PQ12.
Submarine which was then found to be
Polish JASTRZAB
was badly damaged and forced to surface.
Crew
were taken off and
submarine sunk by gunfire. (Note: ORP JASTRZAB had been out of
station. See CONVOY! by P Kemp.)
21st - Deployed
with HM Destroyers BOADICEA, ESCAPADE, INGLEFIELD, BADSWORTH, VENOMOUS,
HM Auxiliary AA Ship ULSTER QUEEN, as escort of return convoy QP12 from
Kola Inlet to Iceland. (Note: Local
Escort was provided from Kola Inlet by HM Minesweeper BRAMBLE, GOSSAMER.
LEDA and SEAGULL.)
June
Resumed duties
with 1st Minelaying Squadron on release from QP12. Nominated for
return to RN manning after refit.
July
Passage
to Falmouth for refit.
2nd
- Taken in hand for refit in commercial shipyard at Falmouth.
August to September
Under
refit. Norwegian personnel replaced by RN. Nominated
for service in Western Approaches Command for convoy escort.
S e r v i c e
a s H M S S T A L B A N S
October
Commissioned
for RN service.
29th
- Refit completion and passage to Tobermory for work-up after post refit
trials.
November
8th - Took
passage to join Western Approaches Command for operational use.
Deployed
as part of escort for Convoy ON 144. Detached from
ON 144 and took passage to Plymouth for repair.
16th
- Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
December
Transferred to
Portsmouth for completion of repairs. Nominated for
use as an Air Target Ship at Rosyth on completion.
1 9 4 3
January to March
Deployed in
Rosyth Command as a Target Ship for training of aircrew. Nominated
for service with Western Local Escort Force based at Halifax, Nova
Scotia.
April
Under
repair at Portsmouth prior to passage to Halifax.
Part of escort for Convoy ON 177 during Atlantic
passage.
May to November
Deployed with
Western Local Escort Force for defence of coastal traffic between ports in USA and
Canada as well as during passage to Mid Ocean Meeting Point where escort
transferred to ships of Western Approaches.
December
Nominated for
reduction to Reserve status and took passage to UK.
1 9 4 4
January
Paid-off
and laid up in Reserve.
February to May
Laid-up. Nominated
for transfer on loan to Soviet Navy after refit.
T r a n s f e r t o
R u s s i a n N a v y
June
Passage to Tyne
2nd
- Taken in hand for refit at Palmers shipyard, Hebburn.
July
Russian ship's
company joined ship.
16th - Formally
transferred to Soviet Northern Fleet and renamed DOSTOINY.
August
Passage to
North Russia
P o s t T r a ns f e r N o t e s
This destroyer served with the
Northern Fleet until 1948 and was returned to Britain at Rosyth on 28th
February 1949. Renamed HMS ST ALBANS the ship was de-stored and placed on the
Disposal List. Sold to BISCO on 4th April that year for demolition by
Metal Industries she arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard in Charlestown near Rosyth on 18th May 1949.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HNorMS ST ALBANS
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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30/06/41
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01/07/41
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OB 341
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05/07/41
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06/07/41
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24/06/41
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05/07/41
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HG 066
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09/07/41
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09/07/41
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14/07/41
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15/07/41
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OB 346
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18/07/41
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01/08/41
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08/07/41
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19/07/41
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HG 067
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24/07/41
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24/07/41
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30/07/41
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01/08/41
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OG 070
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01/08/41
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12/08/41
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13/07/41
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03/08/41
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SL 081
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08/08/41
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08/08/41
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13/08/41
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13/08/41
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OS 003
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18/08/41
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01/09/41
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29/08/41
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29/08/41
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OG 073
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02/09/41
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13/09/41
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15/08/41
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02/09/41
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SL 084
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08/09/41
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08/09/41
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12/09/41
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13/09/41
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OS 006
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17/09/41
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03/10/41
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05/09/41
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18/09/41
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SC 043
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20/09/41
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20/09/41
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02/10/41
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02/10/41
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ON 022
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07/10/41
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15/10/41
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23/12/41
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23/12/41
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CT 008
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24/12/41
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01/01/42
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31/12/41
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01/01/42
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ON 052
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05/01/42
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11/01/42
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27/12/41
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09/01/42
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SC 062
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12/01/42
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12/01/42
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20/01/42
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21/01/42
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ON 058
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21/01/42
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21/01/42
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20/01/42
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30/01/42
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HX 171
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31/01/42
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01/02/42
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07/02/42
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07/02/42
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ON 064
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11/02/42
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24/02/42
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07/02/42
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17/02/42
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HX 174
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21/02/42
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21/02/42
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11/04/42
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11/04/42
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UR 019
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15/04/42
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15/04/42
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18/04/42
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18/04/42
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RU 019
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22/04/42
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22/04/42
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10/04/42
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28/04/42
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PQ 015
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05/05/42
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05/05/42
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21/05/42
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21/05/42
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QP 012
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29/05/42
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29/05/42
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15/06/42
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28/06/42
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SL 113
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03/07/42
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05/07/42
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as
HMS ST ALBANS |
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07/11/42
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08/11/42
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ON 144
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13/11/42
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27/11/42
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04/12/42
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05/12/42
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PW 258
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06/12/42
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06/12/42
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07/12/42
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07/12/42
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WP 260
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09/12/42
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09/12/42
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15/12/42
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15/12/42
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WP 264
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19/12/42
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19/12/42
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26/12/42
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26/12/42
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PW 269
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27/12/42
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28/12/42
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30/01/42
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11/02/43
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SC 067
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13/02/42
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15/02/42
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06/04/43
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10/04/43
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ON 177
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17/04/43
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23/04/43
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12/04/43
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25/04/43
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ON 178
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29/04/43
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02/05/43
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01/05/43
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04/05/43
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HX 237
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07/05/43
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17/05/43
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30/04/43
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12/05/43
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ON 181
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18/05/43
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18/05/43
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25/05/43
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25/05/43
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HX 241
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28/05/43
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10/06/43
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31/05/43
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03/06/43
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HX 242
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06/06/43
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15/06/43
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01/06/43
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10/06/43
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ON 187
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13/06/43
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15/06/43
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16/06/43
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27/06/43
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ON 189
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01/07/43
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01/07/43
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08/07/43
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08/07/43
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HX 247
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14/07/43
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22/07/43
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09/07/43
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18/07/43
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ON 192
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21/07/43
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22/07/43
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23/07/43
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25/07/43
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HX 249
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26/07/43
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06/08/43
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24/07/43
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04/08/43
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ON 194
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07/08/43
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07/08/43
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20/08/43
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20/08/43
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HX 253
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25/08/43
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04/09/43
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21/08/43
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28/08/43
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ON 198
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01/09/43
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04/09/43
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01/09/43
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12/09/43
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EN 200
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15/09/43
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18/09/43
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16/09/43
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18/09/43
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HX 257
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19/09/43
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30/09/43
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22/09/43
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24/09/43
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HX 258
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28/09/43
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06/10/43
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22/09/43
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03/10/43
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ON 203
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07/10/43
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10/10/43
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05/10/43
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07/10/43
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HX 260
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08/10/43
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20/10/43
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08/10/43
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09/10/43
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UT 003
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10/10/43
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17/10/43
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18/10/43
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21/10/43
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HX 262
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22/10/43
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02/11/43
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09/10/43
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26/10/43
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ONS 020
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26/10/43
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26/10/43
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26/10/43
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26/10/43
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XB 080
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28/10/43
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29/10/43
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(Note on Convoys)
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