March
Contractors
trials.
7th
Build completion date.
(Note:
Radar Type 281B for aircraft
warning and control, Type 276 for
surface warning
and Type 277
for aircraft height-finding
were fitted during build
Development of new system of dealing
with radar information
was carried out
in this ships
and became standard requirement for
major warships.
These outfits were of new design..
See RADAR AT SEA by D Howse. for
details
of the
development and used of
radar by the RN.).
8th
Took passage after acceptance trials to
embark aircraft and prepare for service
in the Clyde
area before joining Home Fleet.
Nominated for service in Western
Approaches Command
Carried out sea trials on newly
developed Type 277 combined
air and surface warning
radar.
(Note: This
outfit had a height
finding capability. See RADAR AT SEA by
D Howse.)
April
Work-up
in continuation
Embarked 813 Squadron SWORDFISH (12),
WILDCAT (4) and
FULMAR (4) aircraft
and
personnel.
16th
Returned to builders
for repair of defects.
May
On
completion of repair resumed work-up
23rd
Commenced operational service.
June
Deployed
to provide air cover for transit of
outward Convoys OS79 and MKS53 to
Gibraltar,
inward
Convoys SL160 and MKS51 to Liverpool
from Gibraltar.
July
Atlantic
convoy air cover deployment in
continuation for outward OS82,
KMS56,
inward
Convoys SL163, MKS54,
inward SL163 and MKS54.
August
Atlantic
convoy air cover deployment in
continuation for outward OS85, KMS59,
inward
SL166 and MKS57
Nominated for escort of Russian convoy
with Home Fleet
ships
September
Aircraft
and personnel from 813 Squadron
disembarked.
Embarked 842 WILDCAT
aircraft and personnel.
Took passage to Scapa
Flow for Home Fleet deployment.
17th
Deployed
with HM Battleship RODNEY, HM Cruiser
DIADEM and HM Escort Aircraft
Carrier STRIKER screened by HM
Destroyers MARNE, METEOR,
MILNE, MUSKETEER,
VENUS,
SAUMAREZ,
SCORPION, VERULAM, VIRAGO, VOLAGE,
ALGONQUIN
(RCN)
and SIOUX
(RCN) as escort for Russian Convoy
JW60 during transit to Kola Inlet.
(Operation RIGMAROLE)
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp.
23rd
Detached from JW60 with Home Fleet
escorts
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
28th
Joined return convoy RA60 with same
ships
for escort during transit to Loch Ewe.
30th
SWORDFISH
aircraft F of 813 Squadron carried out
attack on U921 which was sunk
in position
72.32N
12.55E west of Bear Island. There were
no survivors from the submarine.
October
3rd
Detached
with Home Fleet ships, except Fighting
Escort, and took passage to Scapa Flow.
23rd
Deployed
with HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE. HM Escort Carrier TRUMPETER, HM Destroyers
SAUMAREZ, SCOURGE, SERAPIS, CASSANDRA,
CAMBRIAN and CAPRICE for joint
minelay and
shipping
strike off Norway
as Force 2 (Operation HARDY).
24th
Minelay
carried out by embarked AVENGER aircraft
and attacks on shore positions
by WILDCAT
aircraft.
(Note:
Anti-shipping operations
were cancelled because of weather.
For details of minelaying operations see
Naval Staff History
(Mining).)
27th
Returned to Scapa
Flow with Force 2.
813 SWORDFISH (12), WILDCAT (3) and
FULMAR (3) re-embarked
November
2nd
Deployed
with HM Cruiser BERWICK, HM Destroyers
CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA,
SAUMAREZ,
SCOURGE and SERAPIS as escort for
two mercantiles
to Murmansk.
.
(Operation GOLDEN)
(Note: ss
EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA
and ss SCYTHIA
were carrying about 11,000 Russian
nationals
captured in Normandy while serving in
the German army.
One shadowing Bv138 was shot down during
passage,
6th
Arrived at Murmansk.
(Note:
British personnel from
escort and the resident Naval Liaison
staff were unable to land or
witness the
disembarkation of
the Russian defectors.)
Passage to Kola
Inlet.
11th
Escorted returning two mercantiles
from Kola Inlet during passage to Clyde
with
HMS BERWICK, HM Destroyers CAMBRIAN,
CAPRICE, CASSANDRA,
SAVAGE,
SAUMAREZ, SCOURGE,
SCORPION and SERAPIS
as Convoy RA61A.
17th
Detached from RA61A on arrival in Clyde
and took passage to Scapa Flow
One shadowing Bv138 was shot down during
passage,
December
1st
Deployed
with HM Cruiser BELLONA and HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier NAIRANA with
HM Destroyers BEAGLE, BULLDOG, CAESAR,
CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE,
CASSANDRA,
KEPPEL, OBEDIENT, OFFA, ONSLAUGHT,
ONSLOW, ORIBI, ORWELL
and WESTCOTT
to join
Russian Convoy JW62 as
escort during passage to Kola Inlet.
(Operation
ACUMEN)
(Note: 14
Frigates and corvettes
were already with JW62.)
7th
Detached from JW62
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
10th
Sailed from Kola Inlet
as Escort for return Convoy RA62.
(Note: An
anti-submarine operation
was carried out against an assembly off
Kola
by frigates
of the escort. During
this operation U387 was sunk by HM
Corvette
BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE.
11th
HM Destroyer
CASSANDRA was torpedoed by U365 but able
to return to Murmansk for repair.
12th
HM Norwegian Corvette sank after hitting
a mine.
Under attack by torpedo bombers two of
which were destroyed.
13th
SWORDFISH
aircraft L and Q from 813 Squadron
attacked and sank U365 during defence
of RA62 in
position 70.43N 08.07E
NW of Lofotens.
There were no survivors from the
submarine.
180 hours of air operations were carried
out including
70 at night.)
19th
Returned to Scapa
Flow with Home Fleet
ships.
Took passage to Clyde
for repair.
28th
During
unsuccessful search for coastal convoys
sank 3 Norwegian fishing vessels.
(Note: This
was an unfortunate
error which caused local resentment.)
1
9
4 5
January
Home
Fleet deployment at Scapa Flow in continuation
Four
WILDCAT aircraft and personnel embarked
for special operation.
30th
Carried out attacks on shipping off Stadlandet
with HM Escort Aircraft Carriers NAIRANA
PREMIER and HM Cruiser BERWICK
screened by
Home
Fleet destroyers
(Operation WINDED).
February
6th
Deployed
with HM Cruiser BELLONA, HMS NAIRANA, HM
Sloop LAPWING, HM Corvette
and HM Trawler OSKOY(?),
screened
by HM Destroyers ONSLAUGHT, ONSLOW,
OPPORTUNE, ORWELL,
SERAPIS, ZAMBESI, ZEALOUS, ZEST
and Canadian
SIOUX to
provide
anti-submarine cover
during passage of Russian Convoy JW64
(Operation HOTBED).
Under surveillance
by German aircraft.
Ju88 destroyed.
Total U-Boat threat estimated as 11
submarines.
7th
Under
sustained attack by torpedo bombers of
which 6 were destroyed by fighters
from Escort
Carriers.
10th
Repeated
torpedo bomber attacks driven off but
poor convoy fire discipline posed threat
to
aircraft
from convoy.
12th
Experienced
extreme weather conditions with Force 11
winds.
13th
HM Corvette
DENBIGH CASTLE torpedoed.
(Note:
Towed to Kola Inlet but sank after
grounding).
15th
Detached on arrival
of JW64 at Kola Inlet.
16th
Anti-submarine
operations by Close Escort against
U-Boats waiting off Kola Inlet
to attack
return convoy.
(Note:
After sinking U425 with
HM Corvette ALNWICK CASTLE, HM Sloop LARK
was
torpedoed and
became a total
loss after tow to Kola
Inlet.
17th
Joined return convoy on departure from
Kola
Inlet.
20th
Despite
horrendous weather conditions launched
fighter attacks against enemy air
attacks
which
prevented
loss of ships in convoy.
21st
Ships in convoy dispersed due to
continuation
of extreme weather conditions.
27th
Returned
to Scapa Flow with HMS BELLONA, HMS
NAIRANA and Home Fleet destroyers.
(Note: Air
operations lasted
87 hours with 17 at night.)
Passage to Clyde
for repair.
Landed 813 Squadron aircraft and
personnel
March
Embarked 12 SWORDFISH and seven WILDCAT
aircraft of
825 Squadron.
Returned to Scapa
Flow to resume Home
Fleet duties.
12th
Joined
Close Escort of Russian Convoy JW65 with
HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Destroyers
ONSLAUGHT, OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SCORPION,
ZAMBESI, SIOUX
(RCN) and HM
Frigate
FARNHAM CASTLE to supplement
defence and provide air cover for
transit to Kola Inlet.
(Operation SCOTTISH)
15th
HM Escort Aircraft Carrier TRUMPETER
joined
escort.
20th
HM Sloop LAPWING sunk by U968 during
attacks
on convoy.
21st
Detached from JW65
on arrival at Kola Inlet.
23rd
Sailed
with HM Escort Carrier TRUMPETER, HMS
DIADEM, HM Destroyers MYNGS,
ORWELL, OPPORTUNE, SAVAGE, SCORPION
SCOURGE, ZAMBESI,
SIOUX (RCN)
and Norwegian
STORD to
provide
air cover
and supplement defence of return convoy
RA65
during
passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note: An anti-submarine operation to
clear assembled
U-Boats off Kola Inlet was carried out
before
departure of convoy.)
30th
Detached from RA65
on arrival at Scapa
Flow.
(Note: 87
hours of air operations
including 19 at night were flown.)
April
Passage to Clyde for repair
7th
Taken in hand for repair
May
Under repair in dock
June
5th
Sustained serious damage when undocking
Passage to London for repair
July
On completion allocated
for service in Nore Command for
trooping duties.
(Note: It
is assumed ship Paid-off and reduced to
small complement.)
August
Prepared
for new role.