RIVER-Class Frigate ordered or. 8th May 1941 in the 1941 War Programme from Charles Hill, Bristol and laid down as Yard
No 291 on 31st January 1942. She was the 2nd of the Class built in this
shipyard and was launched on 10th October that year by Mrs J Hodges whose
husband worked for the shipbuilder. This ship was the 7th RN ship to carry the name,
introduced in 1757 for a 6th Rate and previously by a vessel hired during WW1.
Build was completed on was 20th
February 1943. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK campaign for National Savings the ship
had been adopted by the civil community of Droylesden .Lancashire, now in Tameside Metropolitan Borough, Greater Manchester.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
LOUISBURG 1758 - QUEBEC 1759
- HAVANA 1762 - SICILY 1943 -
ATLANTIC 1943 - BURMA
1945
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
No
details are given in the official Record of Heraldic Crests which was exceptional
as the name had been
previously used for several warships since 1757.
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 3
February Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in Western Approaches Command.
27th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
March Carried out
sea trials in Bristol Channel,
15th On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Tobermory
16th Arrived
at Tobermory to commence work-up for operational service.
April
Passage to join Western Approaches Command for Atlantic convoy defence.
May
Deployed for Atlantic convoy defence.
Nominated for support of planned allied landings in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY)
June
Passage to Mediterranean as part of escort for military convoy.
Deployed in Mediterranean
July
Joined Support Force East for
escort and support of HUSKY
(For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett. Naval Staff History
and
for information about all mercantiles and warships involved BRITISH INVASION
FLEETS by J de Winser.)
7th Part of
escort for assault convoys.
(Note: This deployment continued until build-up of military units was complete.)
August
9th
Transferred East Indies
Station or convoy defence
Passage to Kilindini to join East.
Indies Escort Force.
September Deployed at Kilindini for
defence of Indian Ocean
convoys.
October
20th Joined
military convoy WS33 at Durban as part of escort during passage to Kilindini.
26th
Detached from WS33 on arrival.
30th
Deployed with HM Destroyer RAPID for escort of WS33 during passage from
Kilindini to
Aden
November Deployed for
Indian Ocean convoy defence.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Indian Ocean
duties in continuation
to
Nominated for refit
February Passage to
Simonstown.
March Taken in
hand for refit at HM Dockyard Simonstown.
April On
completion of post refit trials resumed Indian Ocean-convoy defence.
May Indian
Ocean .deployment in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Transferred
to Trincomalee for duty with East Indies Fleet.
Deployed for convoy defence in
Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal.
(For
details of operations including landings on coast of Burma see THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET
by J
Winton, OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray and Naval Staff History.)
February Allocated for
escort of RFA Tanker ECHODALE in Task Force 62 for replenishment of ships
carrying cut air operations.
(Operation STACEY - Photo-reconnaissance flights over Malaya and Sumatra.)
22nd Sailed
from Trincomalee with RFA ECHODALE for replenishment duty.
23rd Detached
from Force 62 and joined screen for Task Force 61 in place of HM Frigate SPEY
which
had a machinery defect.
(Note: Task Force 62 comprised HM Escort Aircraft Carriers EMPRESS and AMEER,
HM
Cruiser KENYA screened
by HM Destroyers VOLAGE, VIRAGO, VIGILANT, HM
Frigates SWALE and PLYM.)
24th Refuelled
from one of the Escort Carriers.
26th
Reconnaissance flights commenced.
March Operation
STACEY deployment in continuation.
7th Returned
to Trincomalee on completion of STACEY.
Resumed convoy defence duties.
April Deployed
with Force W for escort duties.
to (Note:
During this period Assault landings were carried out at Rangoon
August Operation
DRACULA and Force W provided escorts during passage of convoys.
Took
part in extensive preparatory exercises.
(Note: Military convoys to ports in India and Burma required suitable escorts by
ships of
Force
W for planned landings in Malaya Operation ZIPPER.)
Landings in Malaya were postponed until after VJ Day but requirements for
escorts in
Bay
of Bengal were undiminished.
This
delay was due to administrative problems in UK relating to the return of long
serving SEAC personnel and the insistence of
the US Government for postponement.
(See
above references and the SEAC Final
Report (HMSO).)
P o s t W a r N o t es
HMS TRENT took passage to Cape Town after VJ Day and was refitted in a commercial shipyard. After
completion the ship remained on the East Indies Station and was
deployed in the Indian Ocean. She was transferred to the Royal Indian Navy at Bombay in May 1946 for use as a Survey Ship.
Following conversion for this type of duty, the ship served as HMIS KHUKRI until 1951
when she was renamed INS INVESTIGATOR. The name change was made after the earlier Survey Ship carrying the name, long been
associated with surveying in the East Indies area, was sold. INS INVESTIGATOR Paid-off at the end of September 1974
after over 25 years use as a survey ship.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
TRENT
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
Date convoy sailed |
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No. |
Left convoy |
Date convoy arrived |
|
|
|
|
|
06/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
ON 177
|
17/04/43
|
23/04/43 |
18/04/43
|
24/04/43
|
HX 235
|
03/05/43
|
05/05/43 |
01/06/43
|
01/06/43
|
XK 008
|
10/06/43
|
10/06/43 |
28/06/43
|
28/06/43
|
KMF 018
|
07/07/43
|
11/07/43 |
17/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
MKS 018
|
22/07/43
|
22/07/43 |
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
GUS 010
|
22/07/43
|
09/08/43 |
14/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
MKF 019
|
28/07/43
|
30/07/43 |
08/08/43
|
09/08/43
|
OS 053KM
|
17/08/43
|
17/08/43 |
17/08/43
|
17/08/43
|
OS 053
|
27/08/43
|
27/08/43 |
31/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
ST 075
|
unknown |
unknown |
26/09/43
|
26/09/43
|
CF 014
|
04/10/43
|
10/10/43 |
20/10/43
|
20/10/43
|
CM 046
|
26/10/43
|
unknown |
26/10/43
|
27/10/43
|
CM 046A
|
02/11/43
|
02/11/43 |
10/11/43
|
10/11/43
|
AB 020S
|
19/11/43
|
19/11/43 |
29/11/43
|
29/11/43
|
BA 056
|
07/12/43
|
07/12/43 |
20/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
AB 025A
|
27/12/43
|
27/12/43 |
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
AB 029A
|
13/02/44
|
13/02/44 |
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
AKD 014A
|
09/02/44
|
19/02/44 |
18/02/44
|
18/02/44
|
BA 062A
|
24/02/44
|
24/02/44 |
29/01/44
|
29/02/44
|
BA 059
|
04/02/44
|
04/02/44 |
05/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
AKD 017
|
10/03/44
|
23/03/44 |
01/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
CM 049B
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44 |
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
AKD 017F
|
25/03/44
|
25/03/44 |
28/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
CM 055
|
04/07/44
|
04/07/44 |
14/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
CM 055A
|
19/07/44
|
19/07/44 |
09/08/44
|
09/08/44
|
AB 043
|
14/08/44
|
14/08/44 |
21/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
BA 077
|
26/08/44
|
26/08/44 |
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
ABF 004
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44 |
27/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
BAF 005
|
02/10/44
|
02/10/44 |
20/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
ABF 005
|
25/10/44
|
25/10/44 |
09/11/44
|
09/11/44
|
ABF 005A
|
14/11/44
|
14/11/44 |
28/11/44
|
28/11/44
|
ABF 006
|
04/12/44
|
04/12/44 |
12/12/44
|
12/12/44
|
BAF 007
|
17/12/44
|
17/12/44 |
30/12/44
|
02/01/45
|
BAF 008
|
03/01/45
|
03/01/45 |
04/01/45
|
04/01/45
|
AJ 007/2
|
11/01/45
|
11/01/45 |
16/01/45
|
16/01/45
|
JA 002/2
|
22/01/45
|
22/01/45 |
25/01/45
|
25/01/45
|
ABF 008
|
30/01/45
|
30/01/45 |
08/05/45
|
08/05/45
|
KRS 002/
|
10/05/45
|
10/05/45 |
(Note on Convoys)