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.

 

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Addendum

 

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMIS SUTLEJ

by Don Kindell

 

These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above 

(Note on Convoys)