(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search
1
9 3 9
September
3rd
Worked-up
after embarking mines at
Portsmouth.
Laid Field GR in Straits of
Dover with the Auxiliary
Minelayers HMS HAMPTON and
SHEPPERTON.
(Note: U12 was sunk in this Field on
8th October 1939,
U400 on13th October 1939 and U16
on
24th October 1939).
16th
Withdrawn from this operation because
of manoeuvring problems
in
Dover
harbour.
October
4th
Embarked
mines at
Portsmouth
for laying Deep Field off Flamborough
Head to give
anti-submarine
protection of convoys (Operation AD).
25th
After
delay because of lack of escorts
completed first lay.
27th
Second
lay of Operation AD.
30th
Laid
Dummy mines off East coast when on
passage to Rosyth.
November
8th
Returned
to Humber for lay in
Tees
Bay but this was
cancelled because no escort ships
were
available.
11th
Transferred to Portsmouth
prior to minelaying operation off
Dutch coast.
Escorted on passage
by HM Destroyers BLANCHE and BASILISK.
13th
Detonated
magnetic mine near Tongue Light
Vessel.
Sustained extensive damage and
considerable
flooding
24
of ship's company killed or missing and
69 wounded.
HMS BASILISK took off survivors.
HMS BLANCHE was mined whilst standing
by and later sank in tow.
16th
Under temporary repair at Chatham.
December
19th
Took
passage to
Plymouth
for refit
20th
Paid
off and taken in hand for refit at
Plymouth
1
9 4 0
January
Under
refit.
to
August
September
18th
Carried
out post refit trials and prepared for
service.
October
Worked-up at
Scapa
Flow.
17th
Joined
1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalah
(Port ZA)
on completion.
November
8th
Laid
Deep Anti-Submarine minefield in NW
Approaches with BM Auxiliary Minelayers
SOUTHERN PRINCE,
PORT NAPIER,
PORT
QUEBEC and MENESTHEUS
(Operation SN44).
Detached on
completion
for duty at Milford Haven.
15th
Deployed in SW Approaches to reinforce
existing A/S minefield.
to
Laid Field ZME 1 - 3 in
St.
George's Channel, unescorted.
24th
25th
Nominated for special duty in Bay
of Biscay.
December
2nd
Laid
Anti-submarine Field GQ1 in undeclared
area on Little Sole Bank, West of Lorient.
Destroyer escort provided.
3rd
Returned
to Milford Haven and progressed ZME
Field pending suitable weather in
Bay
of Biscay
for continuation of Field GQ2.
5th
Laid
Fields ZMS 4 - 9 in
St George's Channel.
29th
Returned to complete work in Bay
of Biscay.
30th
Laid
Field GQ2 on Little Sole Bank with
destroyer escort.
Returned to Milford
Haven on completion to continue 2MS
work.
1
9 4 1
January
5th
Laid
Fields ZME 10 -14 in
St.
George's Channel.
14th
Diverted for duty as AA Guardship
at
Liverpool.
During passage activated Ground Mine
in
Liverpool
Bay
and extensively damaged.
Taken in hand for
examination
and repair at
Liverpool.
February
Under
repair.
to
April
May
Under
repair.
7th
Damaged
during air raid when ship alongside
(HMS MAPLIN) was hit.
June
Repair
work in continuation.
July
On completion detached from Squadron for
duty
with Home Fleet for Operation EF.
Embarked mines and other stores for
passage
to
Murmansk
Took passage with Home Fleet ships
providing
cover for air attacks on Tromso
and
Kirkenes.
30th
Detached to complete passage, escorted
by HM Destroyer ANTHONY.
August
1st
Arrived
Murmansk.
4th
Took
passage to Kyle of Lochalsh
without escort.
Speed limited by defects.
11th
Rejoined Squadron.
25th
Laid
Field SN70A in Northern Barrage, East of
Iceland
with HMS SOUTHERN PRINCE
and HMS
PORT
QUEBEC.
(Note: HMS SOUTHERN PRINCE was torpedoed
on return passage).
30th
Withdrawn for service for examination
of turbine machinery.
September
Distortion of turbines confirmed.
Taken in hand for repair in
Liverpool
October
Under repair
to
November
December
Carried out post refit trials and
prepared for service.
1
9 4 2
January
2nd
Rejoined
ML1 at Kyle of Lochalsh
for minelaying duty.
9th
Laid
Field SN15A in East Coast Mine Barrier
with Auxiliary Minelayers SOUTHERN
PRINCE, MENESTHEUS
and
AGAMEMNON.
16th
Lay of
Field SN15B in continuation with same
ships.
February
2nd
Laid
Field SN17 in East Coast Barrier with HM
Auxiliary Minelayers SOUTHERN
PRINCE, HMS PORT
QUEBEC,
MENESTHEUS and HMS AGAMEMNON.
3rd
Detached
to embark British Trade Mission for
passage to Murmansk.
On departure from Clyde
damaged in collision with HM Landing
Ship TASAJERA.
Sustained serious
structural damage and consequential
flooding.
Withdrawn from duty
for repair.
13th
Under emergency repair in Clyde
shipyard.
March
Passage to
Southampton for permanent repair
Under repair at Southampton.
(Note: ASDIC Type 128 for mine detection
fitted.)
April
Under repair
30th
Rejoined
Squadron on completion.
May
8th
Laid
Field SN3A in Northern Barrage off
Faeroes Bank with other ML1 ships.
(Note: US Navy officers embarked for
this
operation.)
15th
Laid Fields SN16D, E and F in East
Coast Barrier without escort.
June
1st
Laid
Field SN72 in
Denmark Strait
for Northern Barrage with HMS SOUTHERN
PRINCE, HMS
AGAMEMNON, HMS MENESTHEUS and
PORT QUEBEC escorted
by three
destroyers
from
1st Minelaying
Squadron.
Ocean escort was provided by HM Cruiser
MANCHESTER
and
an escort with
Distant
Cover by ships of Home Fleet off
Iceland.
11th
Laid
Field SN3B in Northern Barrage off
Faeroes Bank with other Squadron ships.
19th
Laid
Field SN16F in East Coast Barrier,
unescorted.
21st
Detached for duty with Home Fleet.
Formed part of Decoy convoy as a
diversion
to protect Russian convoy PQ17.
(Operation ES)
22nd
Deployed
for Operation ES.
July
2nd
Resumed
minelaying duties with Squadron.
11th
Laid
Field SN3C in Northern Barrage off
Faeroes Bank with other Squadron snips.
31st
Laid
Field SN82 in Northern Barrage with
other Squadron ships escorted by four
destroyers.
August
7th
Laid
Field SN16G in East Coast Mine Barrier,
unescorted.
21st
Laid
Field SN73 in
Denmark Strait
for Northern Barrage with other Squadron
ships
escorted by
HM
Destroyers CASTLETON,
BRIGHTON,
CHARLESTOWN
and
NEWARK.
Ocean Escort was provided by HM Cruiser
AURORA and three Home Fleet destroyers.
September
2nd
Laid
Field SN89 in Northern Barrage with
other Squadron ships.
15th
Laid
Field SN65A In
Northern Barrage, south of Faeroes with
other Squadron' ships,
18th
Laid
Field SN3E in Northern Barrage after
weather hold-up.
October Deployed with Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh.
November
1st
Laid
Field SN3F in Northern Barrage.
12th
Completed
East Coast Mine Barrier by lay of Field
SN17A.
Detached for duty in
support of Mediterranean operations.
15th
Embarked
2000 aircraft depth charges and mines at
Plymouth.
20th
Passage to
Gibraltar.
December
1st
Returned
to Milford Haven for minelay duties in
SW Approaches.
9th
Diverted
from minelaying duty for further
Mediterranean
support.
12th
Passage to
Gibraltar
with RAF personnel and stores.
27th
Taken
in hand for docking at
Plymouth
to repair weather damage..
1
9 4 3
January
5th
Passage
to rejoin Squadron.
6th
Redeployed
at Milford Haven for minelaying duty
in SW Approaches.
15th
Laid
Deep A/S Field HS1 at the western end of
existing minefield in
St.
George's
Channel.
On completion detached for further
support
of Mediterranean operations.
Embarked mines and
other
associated stores for minelaying use
in Mediterranean.
21st
Took passage with stores for Gibraltar
and Oran.
February
4th
Transferred
mines to HM Cruiser Minelayer ABDIEL at
Oran.
Returned to Milford
Haven.
19th
Sailed with cargo of mines in company
with HMS ABDIEL for Oran.
28th
Remained at Algiers
to re-stock ABDIEL after minelay.
March
14th
Passage to Milford Haven for further
mine delivery.
18th
Embarked
mines
.
23rd
Passage
to
Oran.
April
8th
At
Gibraltar
during return passage to UK.
10th
Diverted to intercepted German
Blockade Runner IRENE on passage
from
Japan.
Sighted enemy vessel and fired two
rounds.
Ship scuttled in position 375 miles
West of Vigo.
Rescued 157
survivors
including 101 naval personnel.
12th
Arrived at Milford Haven with
machinery defects.
15th
Under repair.
Diesel Engine removed.
May
Under
repair.
22nd
Further
deliver of mines for storage at Mers
el Kebir.
29th
Collected
Coastal Forces stores in
UK
for use in
Mediterranean.
June
Completed deliveries in
Mediterranean
Return passage to
UK
July
Nominated use as Depot and Repair Ship
during
future operations.
3rd
Taken
in hand for repair at Devonport.
26th
Passage to Milford Haven on
completion.
August
4th
Involved
in collision with HM Trawler LUNDY and
sustained structural damage.
8th
Under
temporary repair at Milford Haven.
18th
Further
machinery defects required dockyard
attention.
September
14th
Taken in hand for repair to machinery
at Devonport.
October
Under repair.
November
2nd
On
completion of trials resumed
operational duty.
11th
Future
conversion to suit future use arranged
in
Liverpool.
25th
Taken
in hand for conversion to Landing Ship
(Engineering),
December
Conversion
in hand.
(Note: AA armament to be increased.)
1
9 4 4
January
Shipyard work
in continuation.
to
Nominated for duty in support of
Normandy landings (Operation
NEPTUNE).
February
March
Carried out post refit trials.
31st On
completion
deployed at
Portland
as an Accommodation Ship.
April
Transferred to
Portsmouth
May
Deployed
for duty with Allied Naval Commander
Expeditionary Force.
(For details of naval activities before
and after the
Normandy
landings in LANDINGS
IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944 (HMSO)
and OPERATION
NEPTUNE
by Kenneth
Edwards).
Allocated to Force G
as for support of ships requiring
repair.
June
Deployed in
MULBERRY B off Arromanches
for support and repair duties.
19th
Repair
parties landed for extensive salvage
work on landing craft which had been
damaged
during
northerly gale.
July
NEPTUNE
duty in continuation
August
Deployed with Home Fleet on release from
NEPTUNE.
September
Home Fleet support in continuation
October
Passage to
Portsmouth and paid off
into Care and Maintenance.
November
In Reserve
under Care and Maintenance.
December
10th
Re-commissioned
with reduced complement.
1
9 4 5
January
Deployed for repair duties in Portsmouth
Command.
to
April
May
14th
Deployed with British naval units at Wilhelmshaven.
June Deployed
at
Portsmouth pending review
of future role.
July
25th
Paid off into Reserve and de-equipped
ready for laying-up.
August
Placed in Reserve at
Falmouth