1
9 4 2
December
Contractors
trials
1
9 4 3
January
3rd
-
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned
for service in 10th
Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet.
27th
- On
completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with
ships
of Home Fleet.
February
Work-up
for
operational service.
29th
-
Deployed in NW Approaches for
interception patrol and convoy defence.
March
Detached
for
convoy defence
based at Freetown.
April
Deployed
for
convoy defence
and interception of blockade
runners in South Atlantic.
May
5th
-
Escorted rms
QUEEN MARY with HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS
during passage to Canada in
Atlantic.
(Note:
QUEEN MARY was taking Winston
Churchill and Staff Officers to attend
meeting
with
President Roosevelt.
HMS
CHARYBDIS detached during
passage because of weather conditions.)
June
Deployed
in SW
Approaches for convoy defence
and interception.
Transferred
to Mediterranean for
service with 15th Cruiser Squadron.
Passage
to Clyde to join joint
military convoy WS31/KMF17 as Ocean
Escort during passage
in
the Atlantic for defence
against surface attack by German
warships.
21st
- Joined
convoy in Clyde. (Note:
HM
Destroyers ARROW, BLANKNEY, BLENCATHRA,
BRECON, BRISSENDEN,
HAMBLEDON
LEDBURY, MENDIP, VICEROY,
WALLACE, WITHERINGTON and WOOLSTON
were also deployed for escort of KMF17
to
Gibraltar.)
26th
-
Detached with KMF17 ships and
escorting destroyers.
when
convoys divided. Sailed
for
Algiers.
July
Deployed
in
western Mediterranean.
3rd
-
Embarked CinC
(Admiral Cunningham) in Algiers for
passage to Malta.
4th
- Arrived
in Malta to join Support Force East. Other
ships in Force included HM Cruisers
CARLISLE,
COLOMBO and DELHI, HM
Monitors
EREBUS and ROBERTS.
9th
- Sailed
from Malta and covered passage of
invasion convoy during passage to Sicily
with
HM
Cruisers ORION, MAURITIUS and
NEWFOUNDLAND, in eastern Mediterranean (Operation
HUSKY).
(For
details of HUSKY landings and
support see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY
by
Corelli Barnett
, BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J
de Winser
and
Naval Staff History).
10th
- Arrived
at ACID Beach Head. Covered
landings of 1st Airborne Division SW
of
Syracuse. Rescued
36
survivors from Hospital Ship TALAMBA
after air attack.
11th
- Bombarded
Augusta screened by HM Destroyers ESKIMO
and NUBIAN.
12th
-
Deployed in central Mediterranean for
shipping sweep with HMS MAURITIUS, HM
Destroyers
NUBIAN and TARTAR for
shipping sweep.
August
Deployed
in
support of military operations in
Sicily.
September
9th
-
Covered landings by British X Corps at
Salerno (Operation AVALANCHE).
Slightly
damaged by collision with
HMS DELHI during air attacks on
anchorage.
11th
- Provided
naval gunfire support with HMS ROBERTS,
HM Cruisers MAURITIUS,
ORION,
AURORA, US Cruisers PHILADELPHIA
and USS BOISE during German counter-attack.
Under
sustained
air attacks.
(For details
see same references as for HUSKY).
13th
- Hit by
FX1400 Glider Bomb when providing naval
gunfire support and sustained major
damage
with serious flooding.
Towed
to Malta by US Tug
NARRAGANSETT.
October
Under
temporary
repair for passage.
November
Passage
to
USA.
December
3rd
- Began
repair at US Navy Yard, Charleston.
1
9 4 4
January to September
Under
repair
and refit. Transfer
to
Royal Canadian Navy agreed.
S
e r v i c
e a s H M C
S U
G A N D A
October
21st
-
On completion re-commissioned and
manned by RCN.
(Note:
Name retained because of
colonial connections.)
30th
-
Passage to UK for completion of work
not possible in US Navy Yard.
Nominated
for service in British
Pacific Fleet.
November
After
arrival
took passage to Tyne shipyard.
December
Refit
work in
hand including fit of modem radars. (Note:
Work done included:
Type
274 to replace Type 284 for
fire control of forward 6in turrets, Types
277 and 293 instead of Type 272 for
surface
warning and height finding with
associated identification outfits (IFF).
For
details of development and use
of radar see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse)
30th
- On
completion took passage to Mediterranean
for work-up.
1
9 4 5
January
Commenced
working
up with Fleet in eastern
Mediterranean.
Under
repair at
Alexandria after explosion of torpedo
during maintenance.
February
14th
-
Passage to Australia to join British
Pacific Fleet.
March
2nd
- Diverted
to join HM Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE,
HM Destroyer NAPIER (RAN) and
HM
Destroyer URCHIN in search for
survivors from merchant ship torpedoed
800 miles
west
of Fremantle.
9th
-
Joined BPF at Sydney.
Carried
out Exercises with HMS FORMIDABLE prior
to
service with 5th US Fleet in SW Pacific.
24th
-
Passage to Manus with HMS FORMIDABLE,
HM Destroyer URSA and HMS URCHIN.
For
details of Operations by BPF see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, OPERATION
PACIFIC
by E. Gray and WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO).
April
8th
- Joined
British Task Force 57 of US 5th Fleet in
Area COOTIE to cover attacks by RN and
USN
aircraft
carriers on Sakishima-Gunto
islands. (Operation
ICEBERG I ).
11th
- Covered
attacks by HM Aircraft Carrier
INDEFATIGABLE on North Formosa with HM
Cruiser
GAMBIA,
HM Destroyers URSA, URCHIN
and WHIRLWIND. Air
attacks
broken up by air cover and ship AA defences.
(Operation
ICEBERG
OOLONG).
23rd
-
Rest and Recuperation period at US
Navy Forward Base, Leyte.
May
2nd
- Deployed with HMS GAMBIA, HM Cruiser
EURYALUS and HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE to
cover
air attacks by HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS,
FORMIDABLE
and
INDEFATIGABLE on Sakishima-Gunto
(Operation ICEBERG II).
Bombarded
shore targets at Nobara
and Suknama
in conjunction
with ships of US Task Group 58. Under
KAMIKAZE attacks.
3rd
- Fouled
oiling hose whilst refuelling.
Divers used to clear
obstruction.
4th
- Bombarded
airfields on Miyako
with TF 57 ships and detached to
shell an air strip
at Sukhamo.
5th
-
Deployed away from operating area as a
radar picket to give early warning of
approach of KAMIKAZE
aircraft.
9th
-
Under KAMIKAZE attacks on BPF ships.
(Note:
HMS FORMIDABLE and VICTORIOUS
were damaged
in these attacks.).
12th
- Further
deployment as radar picket with HM
Destroyer WESSEX.
13th
-
Rejoined TF 57 for continuation of
cover duty.
(For
full details see above
references and TASK FORCE 57 by P
Smith.)
25th
- Released
from operation and took passage to
Sydney for Rest and Recuperation Period.
June
12th
- Transferred
to British Task Group 111.2 with HM
Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE,
HM
Escort Carrier RULER, HM Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, NEWFOUNDLAND and ACHILLES
(RNZN).
13th
-
Covered HMS IMPLACABLE during air
attacks on Truk
Archipelago.
14th
-
Bombarded Dublon
seaplane base with HM CRUISERS
NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES (RNZN)
and SWIFTSURE (Operation INMATE).
(Note:
This were
not very successful due to inexperience
of crew and also technical problems.)
17th
-
Returned to British Forward Base at
Manus with ships of TG111.2.
July
6th
- Transferred
to US 3rd Fleet as part of re-designated
British element Task Force 37 after US
Navy
command structure alterations.
16th
- Covered
HMS FORMIDABLE, HMS VICTORIOUS and HMS
IMPLACABLE with HM
Battleship
KING GEORGE V, HM
Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES (RNZN) EURYALUS,
HMS GAMBIA and BLACK PRINCE during joint
RN/USN operations and bombardments
of targets in Japan as preparation for
Operation OLYMPIC (Planned
final assault on main islands of Japan.)
20th
-
Refuelled
from USN tankers to reduce delay in
replenishment.
27th
-
Relieved in Task Force 37 by HM
Cruiser ARGONAUT.
(Note:
This was because of Canadian
legislation preventing service in
Pacific by any
personnel
who had not volunteered
for this duty).
August
4th - Passage
to Esquimalt from Pearl Harbour
and returned to RCN
control.