Ex-USS DORAN (Type C - ANNAPOLIS-Class) built by Newport News SB Co. The ship was laid down on 11th May 1918 and launched on 19th October that year. Build was
completed on 26th August 1919. She was held in Reserve and when another ship was selected to carry
the name DORAN, the ship was renamed BAGLEY. After transfer to the RN under the
US/UK Lend Lease Agreement IN 1940 she was renamed HMS ST MARY'S at Halifax on
23rd September 1940 when commissioned in the RN. This name is common to several
towns in both USA and UK and had not previously been
borne by a British warship. She was not adopted by a civil community
in UK following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign during 1941-42.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1942 - NORTH SEA 1943
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a Field White, a fleur-de-Lys Blue 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
September Prepared for transfer and
took passage to Halifax.
23rd Commissioned as HMS
ST MARY'S at Halifax.
Prepared for
passage to UK.
29th Sailed to
Newfoundland.
October Atlantic Passage to
Plymouth.
14th Taken in hand by HM
Dockyard Devonport for refit and modification to suit RN use as
convoy escort.
November Nominated for service with
1st Minelaying Squadron.
1st Carried out poet
refit trials on completion of dockyard work.
(Note : One
source suggests this refit was limited and may because of service recommended.
Took passage to
Kyle of Lochalsh to join Squadron.
(Note : Ship may
have worked-up in SW Approaches before leaving.)
12th Part of escort for HM
Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON and MENESTHEUS during lay
of minefield in
North Channel, NW Approaches (Operation SN43).
13th Escort for HM
Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS, PORT NAPIER and
SOUTHERN PRINCE
in continuation of North Channel minelay
(Operations SN4
and SN5).
For details of
all minelaying activities see Naval Staff History (Mining.).
17th Joined military
convoy WS4B in Clyde as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches with
HM Destroyer
BATH, HM Canadian Destroyers OTTAWA, SAGUENAY, SKEENA, and
ST LAURENT.
18th Detached from WS4B
with HMS BATH and returned to Clyde.
December Taken in hand for refit and
completion of modifications to suit RN use.
1 9 4 1
January Under refit.
February On completion of refit
carried cut post refit trials and took return passage to to Kyle of
Lochalsh to
resume Squadron duties.
March Deployed for escort of HM Auxiliary Minelayers
AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS, PORT
QUEBEC and SOUTHERN PRINCE during minelays for
Northern Barrage in NW
Approaches.
11th Operation SN68B.
19th Operation SN69.
28th Operation SN4.
April Minelaying escort in
continuation for Northern Barrage.
6th Operation SN8.
15th Operation SN71.
(Note : HMS
AGAMEMNON did not take part.)
May
6th Operation SN9A.
24th Operation SN9B
(Note : HMS
SOUTHERN PRINCE did not take part in either Operation.)
31st Joined military
convoy WS8X in Clyde with HM Destroyers BRIGHTON, SHERWOOD,
WILD SWAN, LEGION
(RCN), SAGUENAY (RCN), VANSITTART, WIVERN, and Polish
destroyer ORP
PIORUN.
June
3rd Detached from WS8X
during passage and returned to Clyde.
10th Operation SN64A3B
16th Operation SN66.
(Note : Only HMS
AGAMEMNON and HMS MENESTHEUS took part in both
Operations.)
July Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh and detached as required for Local convoy escort.
August Detached service for
mercantile convoy defence in continuation.
20th Collided with as
ROYAL ULSTERMAN and sustained structural damage during escort of
Convoy SD10 from
Iceland.
September Taken in hand for repair at
Liverpool in commercial shipyard.
October Under repair
to
November
December
15th On completion of post
refit trials took passage to resume Squadron duties.
1 9 4 2
January Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh.
19th Escorted HM Cruiser
Minelayer ADVENTURE during minelay off Cape Wrath.
(Operational
SN15B).
February
9th Escorted HMS PORT QUEBEC during Northern Barrage minelay in NW Approaches.
(Operation SN5B).
March
15th Escorted HM Auxiliary
Minelayers AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS,. PORT
QUEBEC and
SOUTHERN PRINCE
during Northern Barrage minelay in NW Approaches
(Operation SN81).
April
15th Joined military
convoy WS18 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BADSWORTH, GEORGETOWN,
LANCASTER,
LAUDERDALE, BOADICEA and SALISBURY as Local Escort for passage in
NW Approaches.
19th Detached from WS18
with Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
May
10th Joined military
convoy WS19 in Clyde with HM Destroyers KEPPEL, LEAMINGTON,
VOLUNTEER and
CASTLETON as Local Escort during passage in NW approaches.
15th Detached from WS19
and returned to Clyde.
June Resumed Squadron
duties for escort of minelayers.
1st Part of escort for
HMS AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT QUEBEC for
minelay in
Denmark Strait (Operation SN72).
20th Detached for duty
with Home Fleet.
Part of escort of
HMS AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS SOUTHERN
PRINCE to form
diversionary convoy during passage of Russian Convoy PQ17.
(Operation ES).
July Resumed Squadron
minelaying escort duties.
11th Part of escort for HM
Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS, PORT
QUEBEC and
SOUTHERN PRINCE during Northern Barrage Minelay
(Operation SN3C).
August Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh and detached as required for Local Escort duties.
to
November Sustained structural damage
after grounding off Lerwick.
December Re-floated after three days
Passage to Leith
for repair
1 9 4 3
January Under repair at Leith
February Nominated for work-up at
Tobermory before rejoining Squadron.
17th Took passage to
Tobermory on completion of Post Refit Trials.
March
3rd Rejoined Squadron at
Kyle of Lochalsh after completion of work-up.
17th Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON,
MENESTHEUS, PORT QUEBEC and
SOUTHERN PRINCE with destroyers of Squadron
during Northern Barrage minelay in NW
Approaches (Operation SN3C).
April Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh.
May
5th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and HMS FORT QUEBEC during
minelay in NW
Approaches to extend Northern Barrage (Operation SN111A).
13th Escorted HMS
AGAMEMNON during Northern Barrage minelay off Faeroes.
(Operation
SN123A)
Escorted HM
Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS and PORT QUEBEC for
continuation of
the Faeroes minelay in Northern Barrage
Operation
SN123B).
June
11th Escorted same ships
as SN123B in continuation of Faeroes minelay.
(Operation
SN123C.
29th Faeroes minelay
escort in continuation with same ships as 3J123A.
(Operation
SN222A).
July Deployed at Kyle of
Lochalsh.
August Part of escort for same
ships as SN123A during Northern Barrage minelay in Denmark
Strait (Operation
SN74).
September Transferred to Rosyth
Escort Force when 1st Minelaying Squadron disbanded.
October Deployed at Rosyth for
escort of East Coast envoys.
November Passage to Newport for
refit
6th Taken in hand at
commercial shipyard.
December Refit work delayed.
1 9 4 5
January Withdrawn from service
following survey.
To be reduced to
Reserve statue.
February Passage to Tyne to
de-store.
Paid off and
de-stored.
March Laid-up in Tyne.
to
July
August Placed on Disposal List.
September Remained in Tyne to lay-up
whilst awaiting dale for demolition.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Laid-up in Tyne.
to
February
March
20th Sold to Metal
Industries for demolition
April Awaiting tow in Tyne.
to August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS ST MARY'S was towed from Tyne
to the breaker’s yard at Rosyth in December 1945.
This destroyer completed in 1919 and discarded by the US Navy in 1935 had a
most creditable record compared with many others of this type loaned for RN
service in 1940.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
ST MARY'S
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been
cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
10/04/41
|
10/04/41
|
DS 001
|
11/04/41
|
11/04/41
|
14/04/41
|
14/04/41
|
SD 001
|
16/04/41
|
16/04/41
|
25/06/41
|
25/06/41
|
SD 006
|
27/06/41
|
27/06/41
|
21/07/41
|
21/07/41
|
DS 008
|
24/07/41
|
24/07/41
|
26/07/41
|
26/07/41
|
SD 008
|
28/07/41
|
28/07/41
|
19/08/41
|
19/08/41
|
SD 010
|
21/08/41
|
21/08/41
|
20/12/41
|
20/12/41
|
SD 018
|
23/12/41
|
23/12/41
|
28/12/41
|
28/12/41
|
DS 019
|
30/12/41
|
30/12/41
|
01/01/42
|
01/01/42
|
SD 019
|
04/01/42
|
04/01/42
|
11/02/42
|
11/02/42
|
DS 022
|
15/02/42
|
15/02/42
|
16/02/42
|
16/02/42
|
SD 022
|
19/02/42
|
19/02/42
|
25/02/42
|
25/02/42
|
DS 023
|
28/02/42
|
28/02/42
|
03/03/42
|
03/03/42
|
SD 023
|
07/03/42
|
07/03/42
|
03/05/42
|
03/05/42
|
SD 026
|
05/05/42
|
05/05/42
|
24/05/42
|
24/05/42
|
DS 027
|
26/05/42
|
26/05/42
|
27/05/42
|
27/05/42
|
SD 027
|
29/05/42
|
29/05/42
|
12/06/42
|
12/06/42
|
DS 028
|
14/06/42
|
14/06/42
|
15/06/42
|
15/06/42
|
SD 028
|
17/06/42
|
17/06/42
|
20/06/41
|
20/06/42
|
DS 006
|
22/06/41
|
22/06/41
|
23/07/42
|
23/07/42
|
DS 030A
|
25/07/42
|
25/07/42
|
26/07/42
|
26/07/42
|
SD 030A
|
28/07/42
|
28/07/42
|
28/11/42
|
28/11/42
|
DS 034
|
01/12/42
|
01/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
SD 034
|
05/12/42
|
05/12/42
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)
|