D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
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1 9 4 0
May Contractors trials.
5th Commissioned for service
in Home Fleet.
17th Build completion and
Acceptance trials.
Made
good defects and prepared for work-up
June Completion
of First of Class Trials
4th Sailed to work-up
in West Indies and visited Martinique.
July Work-up
and trials in continuation.
On
completion took return passage to UK.
1st Joined 18th Cruiser
Squadron in Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
August Deployed
on convoy defence and patrol in NW Approaches.
Nominated for service in support of French landings at Dakar.
(Operation
MENACE - For details see RELUCTANT ENEMIES BY W Tute and MENACE
by A Marder).
30th Detached to join Force M with
HM Battleships BARHAM and RESOLUTION, HM Aircraft
Carrier
ARK ROYAL and HM Cruiser DEVONSHIRE screened by HM Destroyers
INGLEFIELD, ECLIPSE, ECHO and ESCAPADE.
31st Joined escort for transports with Force
M in NW Approaches.
September
1st Hit by torpedo from U32 off Hebrides
Escorted
to Clyde by HM Destroyer ANTELOPE.
4th Taken in hand for
repair at Greenock.
October Under repair.
to December
1 9 4 1
January Post
repair trials prior to rejoining Squadron In Home Fleet.
31st Prepared for operational
service on completion.
February Joined
Squadron at Scapa Flow.
Deployed for patrol in NW Approaches to intercept commerce raiders.
March Northern
Patrol in continuation.
26th Deployed with HM Cruiser NIGERIA to intercept
commerce raiders attempting to use
Denmark Strait for attacks on
Atlantic convoys.
28th Diverted to join HM Battleship KING GEORGE
V and two cruisers for interception of German
pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER reported on passage to Atlantic.
Search
proved unsuccessful.
30th Re-deployed with HM Cruiser NIGERIA to join HM Battlecruiser HOOD to
cover passage of
UK-Gibraltar route convoys against attack by German warships.
April
1st Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier ARGUS on
passage to Gibraltar with aircraft for a Malta delivery
by HMS ARK ROYAL (Operation WINCH)
5th Joined HE ARK ROYAL and W Battlecruiser RENOWN from Force H
in Bay of
Biscay
to search for German battleships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU following
attacks on
Atlantic convoys.
24th Escorted HIS ARK ROYAL taking aircraft to
Gibraltar further Malta delivery.
(Operation
DUNLOP)
May Attached
to Force H at Gibraltar pending transfer to 15th Cruiser Squadron based at
Alexandria.
(Note:
Part of a reinforcement of Fleet in eastern Mediterranean.)
6th Joined HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, HM
Cruisers NAIAD and GLOUCESTER in
Force
F for transit to join Fleet based at Alexandria covered by HM Battlecruiser RENOWN,
HMS
ARK ROYAL, HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD, FAULKNOR, FEARLESS, FORTUNE,
FORESIGHT, FORESTER, FURY, HAVELOCK and HARVESTER.
(Operation
TIGER: This also included escort for convoy taking tanks and aircraft to Middle
East
covered by ships of Force H. See THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by
D
MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and the Naval
Staff History (HMSO-2002)
for details of this operation and reinforcement of Fleet.)
8th Passage through Sicilian Narrows with ships of Force F as escort
for convoy with six F-Class
destroyers from Force H.
9th Joined HM Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE and
15th Cruiser Squadron off Malta as the escort
for TIGER convoy to Alexandria.
10th Under air attacks repelled
by aircraft from HMS FORMIDABLE and ships AA defences.
12th On arrival at Alexandria deployed with
Squadron in support of defence of Crete.
15th Landed troops of Leicester Regiment at Heraklion.
Joined HMS GLOUCESTER, HM Destroyers HAVOCK and HOTSPUR to form Force
B.
16th Joined HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH with Force B to give
cover to destroyers
carrying out patrols to intercept invasion craft on passage to
Crete.
21st Joined HM Cruiser GLOUCESTER, HM Battleships WARSPITE and VALIANT
(Force A)
for support of HM Cruisers NAIAD, PERTH, CALCUTTA and CARLISLE, HM Destroyers
KANDAHAR, KINGSTON and NUBIAN (Force C)
attacking invasion craft in Kithera
Channel. Under sustained air attack all day.
22nd Repelled series of heavy air attacks during
withdrawal from Kithera Channel.
Detached
with HMS GLOUCESTER to provide AA protection to destroyers KANDAHAR
and KINGSTON picking up survivors from HM Destroyer
GREYHOUND.
Subjected
to further air attacks during which HMS GLOUCESTER was hit and set on fire.
Left area with the two destroyers because of continuing air threat.
During
passage damaged by near miss from single aircraft causing flooding in the engine
room
which reduced speed and caused listing.
In
subsequent attack hit by three bombs which increased list.
Rolled
over and sank an hour later in position 34.35N, 23.10E.
Immediate
rescue of survivors by HM Destroyers KANDAHAR and KINGSTON impossible
because of continuing acute danger of air attacks.
Rafts
and boats left for those able to escape by swimming.
523 members of ship's company were
picked up after nightfall. (Casualty List
-
note on casualties)
(Note:
Both cruisers had low stocks of AA ammunition and the judgement to send them to
provide defence during rescue is one of the many criticisms made
after WW2 in
respect of the disastrous operations off Crete
in 1941