Modified BLACK SWAN-Class Sloop ordered from Alex Stephen
at .Govan under 1941 Build Programme on 18th December 1941. The ship was laid down on 27th March 1942 and launched
on 7th July 1943 by Mrs Pitohar
as the 11th RN ship to carry this name, introduced in
1546 for a Galley. It had last been used for an Accommodation
Ship
during WW1. Build was completed on 12th December 1943. An Anti-submarine
Ahead Throwing Mortar (HEDGEHOG) and a centimetric surface warning radar (Type 273) as well as a standard
fire-control radar (Type 285) were all fitted during build. Following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in April 1942 this ship had been adopted by the civil community of
Hale., then in Cheshire.
B a t t 1 e H o n o u r s
ARMADA 1599 - CHINA 1900 - ATLANTIC 194-45 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944
- NORMANDY 1944 - KOREA
1951*
(*
Awarded
for UN Service)
H e
r a l d i c D
a t a
Badge: b a Field White , a Hart statant 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
1943
December Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in 7th Escort Group based at Greenock.
12th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Took
passage to Tobermory on completion of trials and storing.
1 9 4 4
January Joined
Group at Greenock on completion of work-up.
Deployed for convoy defence in NW Approaches and Irish Sea
February Atlantic
convoy escort and support in continuation.
Nominated for transfer to Gibraltar with Group
March Transferred
to Gibraltar for convoy defence.
Deployed in Atlantic and Western Mediterranean
April Gibraltar
deployment in continuation.
Nominated for anti-submarine duty in support of planned Allied landings in
Normandy.
(Operation NEPTUNE -For details of naval activities prior to and during Allied
landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards, LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
June 1944 (HMSO) and for information about all mercantiles and warships taking
part
D-DAY SHIPS by J de Winser.)
May Passage to
Clyde
Nominated for duly in Escort Group 113 for escort of military convoy Solent.
with
HM Sloop WHIMBREL, HM Destroyer BLENCATHRA and HM Frigates
WHITAKER and WALDEGRAVE.
Took
part in preparatory exercises for
NEPTUNE deployment.
Joined Escort Group at Milford Haven
31st During
passage from Milford Haven to the Solent collided with HM Sloop ROCHESTER
in
thick fog off Lands End.
(Note: Bow structure was damaged when HMS ROCHESTER was struck amidships.
The
damage was not repaired until after the Normandy landings.)
June
Nominated for escort of military Convoy EBP2 with
ships of Group and HM Frigates
SPRAGGE and STOCKHAM of 112 Escort Group.
(Note: Convoy consisted of five Personnel ships carrying Pre-loaded US Army Build-
up
Division to Western Task Force
area.)
4th
Operation postponed 24 hours.
6th Joined
EPB2 with ship of 112th and 113th Escort Groups in Bristol Channel.
7th Passage
to Solent as escort for EBP2.
8th Detached
from EBP2 on arrival off beach head and took passage to Plymouth.
Deployed for escort of Build-up Phase convoys in Channel with ships of Group
27th Retained
in Channel for escort and anti-submarine patrol duties on termination of
NEPTUNE.
July
Continued deployment in Channel.
to August
September
Channel deployment in continuation based at
Plymouth
19th. In
collision with troopship ss VIKING.
October Taken in
hand for repair and refit by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
November Under refit.
Nominated for service with 22nd Escort Group on completion.
December Carried out
Post refit trials at Plymouth on completion of dockyard work.
23rd Took
passage to Tobermory for work-up.
26th Commenced
work-up programme.
1 9 4 5
January On
completion of work-up took passage to
Liverpool to join Group.
Deployed with Group in Irish Sea and NW Approaches for Atlantic convoy defence.
(Note: During this period SCHNORKEL fitted U-Boats were concentrating attacks in
coastal
waters. See SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann, BUSINESS IN GREAT
WATERS by J Terraine, U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO) and
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
16th Took part
in sustained anti-submarine operation with ships of Group in
North Channel after
HM
Escort Aircraft Carrier THANE had bean torpedoed.
U482
was detected and sunk in combined attacks with HM Sloops AMETHYST, PEACOCK,
STARLING and HM Frigate LOCH CRAGGIE
(See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
February Western
Approaches convoy defence and anti-submarine patrols in continuation.
to
Nominated for service in Pacific after refit.
April
May After VE-Day
prepared for foreign service at Devonport.
June Took
passage from Plymouth to Malta
for work-up before joining British Pacific
Fleet Forward
Base at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
July On
completion of Mediterranean work-up took passage to Colombo.
August
20th At
Colombo and diverted to join Fleet at Hong long.
Nominated for service with Task Group 111.5.
(Note: Task Force comprised HM Light. Fleet Aircraft Carrier GLORY, HM Sloops
AMETHYST, HART, HM Australian Destroyer VENDETTA and RAN minesweepers.)
P o s t W a
r N o t e s
HMS HART was present at Rabaul on
6th September for the formal surrender of Japanese forces
in the area which was signed on
board HMS GLORY. The ship remained in the Far East until 1951 and had joined the 3rd
Frigate Flotilla in 1949 when the British Pacific Fleet was renamed Far East
Fleet. She was deployed with the UN naval forces off Korea after the outbreak
war as recognised by the KOREA Battle Honour. In May 1951 this Sloop returned
to UK and was Paid-off into Reserve at Plymouth. After
a period laid-up at Plymouth she was transferred to Lisahally,
Ulster. She was later returned to Plymouth and was placed on the Disposal List.
During November 1957 the ship was sold to the Federal German Republic and
refitted in UK before being renamed SCHEER on 24th
January 1958. She was deployed as a Radar Training Ship until 1967 when stricken from the Active List. In March 1971 the ship was sold for demolition
and broken-up in Hamburg.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
HART
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
07/02/44
|
10/02/44
|
ON 223
|
11/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
05/02/44
|
16/02/44
|
HX 278
|
17/02/44
|
20/02/44
|
14/02/44
|
18/02/44
|
ON 224
|
20/02/44
|
02/03/44
|
12/01/45
|
13/01/45
|
ONS 040
|
14/01/45
|
30/01/45
|
16/01/45
|
29/01/45
|
SC 165
|
29/01/45
|
31/01/45
|
07/02/45
|
unknown
|
HX 337
|
unknown
|
21/02/45
|
21/02/45
|
22/02/45
|
ON 286
|
22/02/45
|
09/03/45
|
23/02/45
|
unknown
|
HX 340
|
unknown
|
10/03/45
|
28/02/45
|
unknown
|
HX 341
|
unknown
|
15/03/45
|
29/03/45
|
unknown
|
HX 347
|
unknown
|
14/04/45
|
03/04/45
|
unknown
|
HX 348
|
unknown
|
20/04/45
|
17/04/45
|
18/04/45
|
ON 297
|
18/04/45
|
02/05/45
|
05/05/45
|
12/05/45
|
MKS 099G
|
12/05/45
|
12/05/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)