Modified
BITTERN-Class Sloop ordered from
Denny of Dumbarton
under
the 1939 Programme
for the
Royal Indian Navy on 8th September
1939. The ship was laid down on
4th January
1940 and launched on 1st October
that year by Mrs Amery.
Build was completed on 23rd April
1941. She was the 3rd RN ship to
use the
name, introduced in 1869 and
previously used for a cruiser
broken-up in 1924.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
SICILY
1943 - BURMA 1944
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field White, on a base
barry
wavy Blue and White,
an
Anchor Gold, border gold.
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 1
April
Contractor's
sea
trials.
Commissioned
for
service.
23rd
- Build
completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
May
Passage
to
Tobermory on completion of trials
and storing.
Carried
out work-up for operational
service.
June
Nominated
for
convoy defence in Irish Sea
25th
- Passage
to Scapa Flow to complete work-up
with ships of Home Fleet.
July
Under
repair of
defects discovered during work-up. Deployed
in Irish Sea for convoy defence.
August
Irish
Sea
deployment in continuation. Nominated
for service in East Indies.
31st
- Joined
Convoy WS11 in Clyde as part of
escort during passage in NW
Approaches. Escort
included HM Battleship
REPULSE. HM Destroyers ENCOUNTER,
NESTOR
(RAN),
HM Sloops SENNEN and TOTLAND, HM
Armed Merchant
Cruiser
DERBYSHIRE.
September
4th
- Detached from WS11 when convoy
divided into Fast and Slow
sections.
Joined
escort for Slow section (WS11
A) with HMS TOTLAND during
Atlantic passage to
Freetown.
15th
- Arrived
at Freetown with WS11A.
18th
- Joined
HMS REPULSE, HMS ENCOUNTER, HM
Corvette WOODRUFF and HMS DERBYSHIRE
as escort for WS11A
during passage to Indian Ocean. Diverted
during passage for service in
Mediterranean and proceeded
independently to Suez
to
join
Mediterranean
Fleet.
October
(no
information)
November
4th
- Arrived
at Suez for AA defence
December
11th
- Transferred
to East Indies after Japan entered
WW2 and took passage to Colombo.
23rd
- On
arrival deployed on escort duty
with military convoys to
Singapore.
1
9 4 2
January
Escorted
military
Convoys BM10 and BM12 to Singapore
with reinforcements. (For
details of naval activities in
East Indies see OPERATION PACIFIC
by E Gray.
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett and
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).)
February
1st
- Joined
escort for joint Convoy DM2 and
B12 1o Batavia and Singapore in
Sunda Strait with HM
Australian Sloop YARRA. Convoy was
escorted by HM
Cruiser DANAE.
2nd
- HM
Cruiser EXETER, Netherlands
cruiser JAVA, HM Destroyer
JUPITER, HM Australian
Destroyer VAMPIRE and HM
Australian Sloop YARRA joined
escort. Returned
to Trincomalee when detached.
March to
April
Deployed
on
convoy escort in Bay of Bengal.
May
Transferred
to
west coast of India for coastal
convoy defence
June to
August
Coastal
convoy
deployment in continuation.
September to
December
Deployed
at
Bombay for escort of convoys to
and from Persian Gulf and Aden
1
9 4 3
January to
March
Indian
Ocean
convoy defence in continuation.
April
Nominated
for
transfer to Mediterranean.
May
Passage
to join
Fleet at Alexandria.
June
Deployed
on
defence of convoys in Eastern
Mediterranean.
Nominated
for escort of military convoys
during
passage to Sicily during planned Allied
landings (Operation HUSKY) (For
details of HUSKY see Naval Staff
History, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett and for information
about all mercantiles and warships
taking part
BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)
July
3rd
- Part of
escort for military convoy MWF36
during passage to landing beach in
Sicily.
10th
- Detached
from MWF36 on arrival at Beach
Head,
August
On
release from
HUSKY resumed deployment with 1st
Escort Group of Levant Command and
deployed for escort of convoys
in eastern Mediterranean.
September
Escorted
military
convoys supporting defence
operations in Aegean Islands. Deployed
with HM Australian
Minesweeper IPSWICH, French
Escorts COMMANDANT
DUBOC,
COMMANDANT DOMINIQUE and Greek
destroyer
KONDOURIOTIS.
12th
- Embarked
troops for passage to Casteloriso
for landings.
16th
- Passage
to Casteloriso but operation
abandoned.
October
Convoy
defence
in Aegean area in continuation.
November
After
military
operations in Aegean ceased
resumed envoy escort duties in the
eastern Mediterranean. (For
details of the disastrous naval
operations in defence of the
Aegean see WAR IN THE
AEGEAN
by Peter C Smith and Edwin
Walker.)
December
Transferred
to
Eastern Fleet and took passage to
Bombay.
Joined
escort for Bombay convoy at Aden.
27th
- On
arrival deployed for convoy escort
in Arabian Sea based at Bombay
1
9 4 4
January to
February
Convoy
defence
based at Bombay in continuation.
March
Transferred
to
Bay of Bengal for convoy defence
between Chittagong and Calcutta.
April to
May
Bay
of Bengal
convoy defence in continuation.
June
Transferred
to
anti-submarine patrol in Indian
Ocean
July
Transferred
to
Trincomalee for Indian Ocean
service.
15th
- Took
part in unsuccessful
anti-submarine search with
aircraft support for U181. (See
references.)
August to
September
Indian
Ocean
deployment in continuation.
October
Withdrawn
from
service for Long Refit at Bombay.
November to
December
Under
refit and
Paid-off
1
9 4 5
January
Under
refit. Re-commissioned
for service
February
Carried
out
post refit trials and work-up for
operational service.
March
7th
- On
completion prepared for support of
assault operations in Burma and
Malaya.
April
Deployed
in Bay
of Bengal.
27th
- Escorted
assault convoy for landings at
Rangoon with HM Indian Sloops
CAUVERY, GODAVARI,
KISTNA, NARBADA, and
HINDUSTAN (Operation DRACULA). (For
details see above references.)
May
Support
of
military operations and convoy
defence in continuation.
16th
- Deployed
with HM Indian Sloops CAUVERY,
GODAVARI, KISTNA, NARBADA and HINDUSTAN,
supported initially by HM
Cruiser PHOEBE and later by HM
Cruiser CEYLON.
Carried
out patrol between the Mergui
Archipelago and Port Blair,
Andamans for
interception
of
Japanese
craft evacuating Japanese forces
from Andamans.
June
Interception
patrol
duties in continuation.
July
Patrol
and
support duty in Indian Ocean and
Malacca Straits.
August
Withdrawn
from
operational service because of
High incidence of defects
3rd -
Taken in
hand for refit in Bombay.
P o s t W a
r
N o t e s
HMIS
SUTLEJ did not re-commission until
February 1946, largely due
to the disruption in India
following the end of WW2. In 1947,
after partition, she was retained
in the
Indian Navy and reclassified as a
Frigate.
During 1955 this sloop was
converted for use as a Survey Ship
and was Paid-off
on finally 31st December 1978.
Placed on the Disposal List in
1979 she was sold
for demolition in India.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMIS
SUTLEJ
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
16/05/41
|
unknown
|
HX
127
|
unknown
|
02/06/41
|
03/01/42
|
03/01/42
|
MA
001/2
|
07/01/42
|
07/01/42
|
08/01/42
|
14/01/42
|
BM
010
|
25/01/42
|
25/01/42
|
23/01/42
|
23/01/42
|
BM
012
|
27/01/42
|
04/02/42
|
28/01/42
|
30/01/42
|
NB
001
|
31/01/42
|
31/01/42
|
06/02/42
|
06/02/42
|
EMU
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
12/02/42
|
12/02/42
|
SJ
001
|
21/02/42
|
05/03/42
|
25/05/42
|
25/05/42
|
MB
006
|
30/05/42
|
30/05/42
|
14/06/42
|
14/06/42
|
BM
022
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
25/06/42
|
25/06/42
|
MB
008
|
30/06/42
|
30/06/42
|
06/07/42
|
06/07/42
|
BM
024
|
09/07/42
|
09/07/42
|
13/07/42
|
13/07/42
|
SCHOONER
|
14/07/42
|
07/08/42
|
28/08/42
|
28/08/42
|
BA
031
|
07/09/42
|
07/09/42
|
29/09/42
|
06/10/42
|
AB
001
|
06/10/42
|
06/10/42
|
09/10/42
|
09/10/42
|
BP
057
|
15/10/42
|
15/10/42
|
22/10/42
|
22/10/42
|
PB
008
|
25/10/42
|
28/10/42
|
03/11/42
|
03/11/42
|
BP
059
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
16/11/42
|
16/11/42
|
PB
012
|
22/11/42
|
22/11/42
|
24/11/42
|
07/12/42
|
OW
001/1
|
10/12/42
|
15/12/42
|
16/12/42
|
16/12/42
|
PB
017
|
unknown
|
22/12/42
|
01/01/43
|
01/01/43
|
BP
064B
|
07/01/43
|
unknown
|
11/01/43
|
11/01/43
|
PA
019
|
18/01/43
|
18/01/43
|
24/01/43
|
24/01/43
|
AP
015
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
05/02/43
|
05/02/43
|
PB
025
|
10/02/43
|
10/02/43
|
23/02/43
|
23/02/43
|
BP
069
|
24/02/43
|
unknown
|
25/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
BP
070
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
01/03/43
|
01/03/43
|
BP
070A
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
16/03/43
|
unknown
|
PB
031
|
unknown
|
19/03/43
|
03/04/43
|
03/04/43
|
BP
075
|
07/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
PB
035
|
17/04/43
|
17/04/43
|
16/06/43
|
23/06/43
|
KMS
016
|
28/06/43
|
28/06/43
|
11/07/43
|
11/07/43
|
MEF
036
|
13/07/43
|
15/07/43
|
20/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
AB
025A
|
27/12/43
|
27/12/43
|
11/03/44
|
11/03/44
|
BM
089
|
16/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
MA
027/3
|
27/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
28/03/44
|
28/03/44
|
CH
017A
|
29/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
09/04/44
|
09/04/44
|
HC
052
|
19/04/44
|
10/04/44
|
11/04/44
|
11/04/44
|
CH
022
|
12/04/44
|
12/04/44
|
15/04/44
|
15/04/44
|
HC
054
|
16/04/44
|
16/04/44
|
17/04/44
|
17/04/44
|
CH
024
|
18/04/44
|
18/04/44
|
21/04/44
|
21/04/44
|
HC
056
|
22/04/44
|
22/04/44
|
23/04/44
|
23/04/44
|
CH
026
|
25/04/44
|
25/04/44
|
27/04/44
|
27/04/44
|
HC
058
|
28/04/44
|
28/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
CH
028
|
01/05/44
|
01/05/44
|
29/05/44
|
29/05/44
|
CH
033A
|
31/05/44
|
31/05/44
|
08/06/44
|
08/06/44
|
CJ
030A
|
14/06/44
|
14/06/44
|
20/06/44
|
20/06/44
|
JC
052A
|
26/06/44
|
26/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
AM
004/1
|
29/06/44
|
02/07/44
|
05/07/44
|
05/07/44
|
CJ
033A
|
09/07/44
|
09/07/44
|
19/09/44
|
19/09/44
|
XC
030A
|
22/09/44
|
22/09/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)