LOCH-Class Twin Screw
Fast Frigate ordered on 2nd February 1943 from Harland and Wolf at Belfast and
laid down on 28th December 1943 as Job No. J3397 (Yard No. 1247.). The ship was
launched on 18th June 1944 as the 1st Royal Navy ship to carry the name. Build
was completed on 19th December 1944. This ship was adopted by the civil
community of Kingsbridge and Salcombe Urban District, Devonshire in place of HM
Fleet Minesweeper LEDA which was sunk in the Barents Sea on 20th September 1942
by U435. HMS LEDA had previously been adopted after a WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in February 1942.
G e o g r a p h i c D a t a
Inland Loch in Isle of Islay.
Grid Reference NS2365
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
H era l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue,
upon a saltire couped white
two sprigs
of bell heather slipped and
leaved proper.
(Explanation:
Bell heather is one of the Badges of the McDonald clan in whose
country was the island. The saltire is a general Scottish motif.
Note: The 'Scottish Clan' map shows the Loch to be in Clan Macdonnel
territory, but the Clan may be 'inferior’ to Clan Macdonald whose
Chief is The Lord of the Isles).
D e t a i l s o f 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 4
October Transferred
from builder's yard in Belfast to Fitting Out Base at Dalmuir in the
Clyde
for completion of work.
(Note: Two specialist bases were set up in 1944 specifically for this purpose.
The
other site was on the River Tees at
Sunderland for LOCH Class built
at
shipyards on the East coast of UK)
25th
Commanding Officer: Lieut. Cdr R Johnston DSC
RNR appointed.
November Fitting out at
Dalmuir.
December Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in 23rd Escort Group.
18th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Tobermory.
1 9 4 5
January On
completion of work-up joined Group at Londonderry.
February Deployed
with Group in NW Approaches for defence of Atlantic convoys.
Nominated for modification to hull structure.
(Note: This was to provide additional stiffening required in all LOCH Class.
A
design fault had been reported by ships in service and those which
were not modified during build were taken in hand when available.).
March Taken in
hand for modification in Tyne shipyard.
April On
completion rejoined Group for anti-submarine patrol and convoy defence.
Deployed In NW Approaches and North Sea.
May After
VE Day joined escort for Convoy RN1 taking Norwegian Government officials
to
Oslo (Operation DOOMSDAY).
Visited ports in Norway during return passage.
Escorted surrendered U- Boats from Norway to UK for destruction
(Operation DEADLIGHT).
Nominated for service in East Indies Escort Force.
June Under
refit and prepared for foreign service at Londonderry.
New Commanding Officer: Lieut. Cdr. H Vernon RNR appointed.
July On
completion took passage to join Eastern Fleet and called at Gibraltar.
August Passage in
continuation with call at Aden.
15th VJ
Day.
Joined Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee and nominated for escort of assault convoys
to
Malaya. (Operation ZIPPER).
(Note: The planned assault landings near Port Swettenham were delayed due to
the
insistence of the US Government and problems in defence departments in London
about implementation of the PYTHON Scheme to return. long service SEAC
personnel.
.
See Final Report by Supreme Commander South East Asia ,THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET by J Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).).
September Deployed for
escort of convoys from Bombay to Malacca Straits.
On
release from ZIPPER deployed at Singapore for support of military operations in
the Dutch East Indies and the
repatriation of allied personnel including civilians
(RAPWI)
from Java and Sumatra.
October Support
and repatriation duties in continuation.
(For details of the work of LOCH Class frigates in the East Indies see SEAGULLS
IN
MY
BELFRY by CC Anderson).
November Deployed at
Sourabaya as Guardship.
December Passage to
Ceylon.
Involved in minor
collision at Colombo
with sister ship HMS LOCH LOMOND
1 9 4 6
January Passage
to Singapore to resume support duties with call at Galle, Ceylon.
Deployed for escort of craft carrying refugees from Batavia to Singapore.
Passage to Vizgapatan and Karachi.
February Return
passage to Singapore.
Deployed as Guardship at Batavia.
New Commanding Officer: Lieut. Cdr T E Edwards RNR appointed.
March Passage
to Semarang as escort for troopship with Gurkha soldiers embarked.
Returned to Singapore.
Embarked Governor to Christmas Island and Cocas Islands for visit.
Grounded on reef on approach and damaged propeller.
Carried out anti-piracy patrol in Malacca Strait.
April
Nominated for return to UK to pay off.
Passage to Colombo with call at Trincomalee.
Docked at Colombo.
(Note: This routine docking for inspection of underwater fittings is to be
confirmed.)
May Returned
to Trincomalee to prepare for return passage to UK.
Sailed for Aden after call at Colombo to refuel.
June Passage
in Red Sea and Suez Canal transit.
Called at Malta and
Gibraltar.
July Arrived
at Devonport
Paid-off and de-stored
August Reduced to
Reserve status and laid-up in Reserve Fleet, Plymouth.
F i n a l P h a s e
HMS LOCH GORM was selected for modernisation in 1951
but this was never
implemented, presumably due to financial constraints. She remained in Reserve
and after her machinery had been preserved went to Glasgow in 1954 for the installation of dehumidification equipment. The ship then joined other ships in
Reserve at Barrow, although it had been planned for her to to be laid-up at
Gibraltar. In 1956 she was offered
for sale to Portugal but this never materialised and the ship went on the Disposal
List. Placed on the Sales List during
1960 she was sold in April 1961 to Kavounides Shipping Ltd and converted by
Canaan Laird for use as a passenger ferry
Renamed ORION, she was sold in 1966 and broken up in Yugoslavia.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
LOCH
GORM
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No. |
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
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14/02/45
|
21/02/45
|
MKS 083G
|
21/02/45
|
22/02/45
|
21/02/45
|
22/02/45
|
ON 286
|
22/02/45
|
09/03/45
|
28/02/45
|
unknown
|
HX 341
|
unknown
|
15/03/45
|
17/03/45
|
18/03/45
|
ON 291
|
19/03/45
|
06/04/45
|
22/03/45
|
23/03/45
|
ONS 045
|
23/03/45
|
11/04/45
|
23/04/45
|
23/04/45
|
WN 687
|
24/04/45
|
25/04/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)