1 9 3 9
August Commissioned
from Reserve and manned by Reservists.
Attended
Royal Review of Reserve Fleet in Weymouth Bay.
Remained
in commission and allocated for war service based at Scapa Flow
On
completion of storing and manning to war complement took passage to join
12th
Cruiser Squadron.
(Note:
Commanding Officer Commander C Lambe, later Admiral Sir Charles Lambe),
September Deployed
on Northern Patrol for interception of mercantiles attempting to return to
Germany and commerce raiders on
passage to enter Atlantic
5th Carried out- first patrol.
October Northern
Patrol deployment in continuation
Intercepted
German mercantile attempting to run the Blockade.
Crew
who had scuttled the enemy ship on approach were taken prisoner.
November
21st Set up patrol line off North Rona as part of Home Fleet-
operation to intercept German
battleships
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU after the sinking of HM Armed Merchant
Cruiser
RAWALPINDI.
December Resumed
Northern Patrol deployment.
(Note:
Senior Officer of Squadron reported this Class of cruiser had proved unsuitable
for
Northern Patrol duty.)
Taken
in hand for weather damage repair in Belfast.
(Note:
Under way for 92 days since outbreak of war.)
1 9 4 0
January Resumed
to Northern Patrol duty.
26th Released from Northern Patrol and took
passage to Portsmouth.
29th Transferred to West Indies for duty with 8th Cruiser
Squadron for interception of blockade
runners
and for trade protection.
Prepared
for foreign service at Portsmouth.
February
5th Sailed from Portsmouth to join Squadron at Kingston, Jamaica.
Deployed
for interception patrol duties.
March
2nd Intercepted German blockade-runner on
passage from Aruba.
Enemy
ship scuttled on approach.
8th Intercepted German mercantile HANNOVER with HM Canadian Destroyer
ASSINIBOINE.
Took
enemy freighter in tow whilst a party from HMCS ASSINIBOINE fought the fires started
when
crew abandoned ship.
As
no tugs were available both ships secured
alongside and took ship to Jamaica as Prize.
(Note:
This mercantile became ss EMPIRE AUDACITY and later was converted for use as
an
escort carrier and renamed HMS AUDACITY. Sunk on 21st
December 1941 in
defence
of a convoy on passage from Gibraltar to UK.
Her
service helped establish the value of Escort Carriers in the relentless U-Boat
war).
(For
details of Atlantic operations see THE BLOCKADERS by A Cecil Hampshire).
April Convoy
defence role in eastern Atlantic with 8th Cruiser Squadron in continuation.
to
May
June
8th Deployed on patrol in Caribbean area as Senior Officer
Jamaica Force
July. Recalled
to UK to reinforce Home Fleet.
August Passage
to Greenock.
September
13th Taken in hand at commercial
shipyard for fitting of Degaussing cables and change
of
AA armament.
(See
THE TORPEDOMEN by A Poland for details of this equipment.)
October Nominated for duty
in Portsmouth command on completion for anti-invasion duties.
(Note:
New Commanding Officer Captain RS Lovatt).
11th Sailed from Greenock for Portsmouth.
Deployed
in SW Approaches based at Portsmouth.
November Channel
and SW Approaches Convoy anti-invasion patrol in continuation.
December Nominated
for escort of military convoy WS5A and took passage to join convoy in
SW Approaches.
24th Joined WS5A with HM Cruiser BERWICK for
Ocean Escort.
(Note:
HM Cruiser NAIAD and HM Cruiser BONAVENTURE had already joined
escort
with HM Corvettes CLEMATIS, CYCLAMEN, GERANIUM and
JONQUIL.)
25th In action with German cruiser HIPPER in
defence of military Convoy WS5A.
Laid
smoke screen to obscure troopships and took part in a brief engagement in poor
visibility
during which HMS BERWICK was damaged.
HIPPER
broke off action because of imaginary threat of torpedo threat.
(Note:
German ship had located convoy during night and waited until dawn before
attacking
what was considered a normal trade convoy.
For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval
Staff
History.
(Note:
The brief engagement was totally unsatisfactory.
An
intended air search for HIPPER by carrier SWORDFISH Aircraft cancelled
after
order from the Admiralty.
Only
two troopships were hit – ss EMPIRE TROOPER and ss ARABISTAN
which
were escorted to Azores by HMS CYCLAMEN.
27th Detached from Ocean Escort and took
passage to Gibraltar.
29th At Gibraltar.
1 9 4 1
January Resumed
convoy defence duties and available as Distant Cover for military Convoy
WS5A
which had been re-assembled.
(Note:
One source suggests that this ship rejoined the escort, for WS5A.arriving at
Freetown on 6th January.)
Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
February Nominated
for transfer to South Atlantic Command after routine docking.
Took
passage to Clyde for convoy defence in North Atlantic.
22nd Deployed in NW Approaches after arrival
in Clyde.
March
23rd Took passage to Devonport for docking
prior to foreign service.
April
8th On completion of docking took passage
from Devonport to South Atlantic.
May Deployed
for trade defence and interception duties in South Atlantic.
(Note:
Capture of ENIGMA documentation earlier in 1941 had enabled German radio
signals
to
be decrypted at. Bletchley Park. This information enabled
the Admiralty to identify
the
movements of U-Boat and Commerce Raider supply ships.
As
a result interception by British warships in the South Atlantic was made possible
with
certainty. See BREAKING THE ENIGMA by D Kahn and HITLER'S U-
BOAT
WAR by C Blair.)
June Diverted
for interception of supply ships with HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE.
15th Captured German freighter LOTHRINGEN in
position 19.49N 38.30 W after sighting by
aircraft
from HMS EAGLE.
(Note:
ENIGMA material obtained enabled more vital information to be obtained.)
This
ship was later used as a British mercantile named ss EMPIRE SALVAGE)
30th Captured Vichy French freighter VILLE DE
TAMATAVE east of St. Paul's Rock in the South
Atlantic.
July
22nd Captured Vichy French freighter VILLE DE
ROUEN east of Natal,. Brazil.
August Trade
defence and interception duties In South Atlantic in continuation. October
to
October
November Deployed
with HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE and DORSETSHIRE to intercept U-Boat
Supply
Ship PYTHON and Commerce Raider ATLANTIS known to be deployed in South
Atlantic for attacks on shipping and
re-supply of U-Boats.
The
RN ships were operating as independent units and deployed in specific areas where the
enemy
operations were intended.
(Note:
HMS DEVONSHIRE sank ATLANTIS on 22nd November. See above references.)
Nominated
for interception of PYTHON.
24th Under attack by U124 which was on
passage to met PYTHON for re-supply.
Hit
by two of three torpedo fired by U124 off St Paul’s Rock in position
03.02N 18.29W
north
of Pernambuco and 900 miles west of Freetown.
Ship
was steaming at high speed and bulkheads were unable to withstand stress of
an
explosion whilst under way.
One
torpedo struck amidships and the other aft.
Extensive
damage including loss of radio facilities.
Foundered
stem first.
27th 72 members of the ship's company were
rescued by US mercantile NISHAMA and were the
only
survivors. Five of those rescued died later.
420
of the ship's company lost their lives including Captain R S Lovatt, OBE, RN.
(Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)
(Note:
The rescued men were landed in Trinidad on December 7th 1941.
U124
still commanded by Korvette Kapitan Johann Mohr was sunk in position 41.02N
15.39W, west of Oporto. Portugal by HM Sloop BLACK SWAN and
HM Corvette
STONECROP
on 3rd April 1943 during an attack on Convoy
OS45.
There
were no survivors.
