SCOTT-Class
Destroyer Flotilla Leader ordered
from Cammell Laird of Birkenhead in April
1917. The ship was laid down as Yard No.
849 on I0th November 1917 and launched on
21st September 1918. She was the 2nd
RN ship to carry this
name, introduced in 1796. Build was
completed on 21st December 1918 and she
served in the Atlantic Fleet until
1925 when laid up in Reserve. She was
brought forward from Reserve when the
Reserve Fleet was mobilised in 1939
and in May 1942 was adopted by the civil
community of Caithness following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in May 1942.
1 9 3 9
September
Joined
19th Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich for
convoy escort in
North
Sea.
to
(For
details of naval activities in
North Sea in 1939 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
December
CLOSELY
by Corelli
Barnett,
BATTLE
FOR THE EAST COAST
by J Foynes
and
Naval Staff
History.)
1
9 4 0
January
East
Coast convoy escort in continuation.
to
Nominated
for service in Western Approaches.
February
March
Deployed
in SW Approaches
25th
Joined Convoy OG23 on assembly as escort
during initial stage of passage to
Gibraltar.
27th
Detached from OG23 and took passage to
join inward Convoy HG23 as escort during
passage to Liverpool from Gibraltar.
30th
Detached from HG23 and returned to
Plymouth
(For
details of OG and HG convoys see THE
ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM by A Hague.)
April
Detached
from escort of routine convoys as
required by CinC Home Fleet to support
operations off
Norway.
(Note: Not
recorded in Naval Staff History (HMSO -
2001) as
permanently deployed with
Home Fleet during
Norwegian campaign.)
22nd
Embarked 60 troops and stores for
planned
landings at Molde and Andalsnes and
sailed
from Rosyth
with HM Destroyers VANSITTART, IVANHOE,
ICARUS
and IMPULSIVE
as screen for
HM Cruisers GALATEA,
SHEFFIELD
and
GLASGOW
during passage to
Tromso area
(Operation SICKLE)
23rd
Landed troops and stores at Andalsnes.
24th
Returned to UK
on release
from SICKLE.
June
Part of escort for evacuation convoy
from
Harstad.
Resumed
North convoy defence duties
July
Convoy
defence duty and anti-invasion patrols
to
October
November
19th
In action with
E-Boats off Southwold,
Suffolk.
Rammed
and sank E-Boat S23. 19 of the crew were
rescued and became PoW.
(Note: This
was the first confirmed sinking of an
E-Boat in
the N. Sea.
See
THE BATTLE OF THE EAST
COAST
by JP Foynes)
December
North
Sea
deployment in
continuation.
1 9 4 1
January
Deployed
in North
Sea
for convoy defence and patrol.
to
(For
details of East Coast convoy activities
see THREE CORVETTES by
N
Montserrat
October
and THE BATTLE
OF THE NARROW
SEAS
by P Scott).
November
Escorted
Convoy FS50 with HM Destroyers
VERDUN,
VESPER, WOLSEY, GARTH,
HAMBLEDON, QUORN, HM
Corvettes KITTIWAKE and WIDGEON.
20th
During defence of
FS50 opened fire on HMS GARTH in error
causing serious damage.
See FRIEND OR
FOE
by P Kemp).
(Note:
During these attacks tanker WAR MEHTAR,
Colliers WALDINGE and ARUBA
were sunk
.Three E-Boats were also sunk, See
THE
BATTLE OF THE EAST
COAST.)
December
North
Sea
deployment in
continuation.
1 9 4 2
January
Flotilla
re-designated 21st Destroyer Flotilla.
Deployed
for North
Sea
convoy defence and patrol with HM
Destroyers VIVACIOUS and
WORCESTER.
February
North
Sea
convoy defence and patrol in
continuation.
12th
Took part in Flotilla exercises with HM
Destroyers VIVACIOUS and
WORCESTER
of 21st
Destroyer Flotilla
and HM Destroyers MACKAY, WHITSHED and
WALPOLE
of 16th
Flotilla.
Diverted
to intercept German warships
SCHARNHORST, GNEISENAU and PRINZ EUGEN
on passage
through
English Channel from
Brest
to
Wilhelmshaven.
Carried
out unsuccessful torpedo attacks and
under heavy fire from enemy ships and
from
aircraft.
(For
details see THE CHANNEL DASH by T
Robertson .ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY
and The
Naval Staff History).
Resumed East coast
duties after return to Harwich.
March
East
Coast convoy escort and patrol in
continuation.
to
Modified
RAF radar (Naval Type 286M fitted in
this period.
July
(For
details of development and use of radar
in RN see RADAR AT
SEA
by D Howse)
.
August
Detached
for duty in Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
2nd
Deployed as Local Escort from Loch Ewe
for Russian Convoy PQ18 during passage
to
Iceland with HM Destroyers ESKDALE, FARNDALE and MALCOLM.
7th
Detached from
PQ18 on arrival of Ocean Escort.
and returned
to Scapa
Flow.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations
see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A
Ruegg,
CONVOY!
by P Kemp and
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.
September
Resumed
duties at Harwich with 21st Flotilla.
to
October
November
29th
In action against
E-Boats in defence of
North
Sea
convoy with
HM Destroyer GARTH.
(Note:
German S38 sunk in this engagement.
December
East coast duties in continuation.
1 9 4 3
January
Convoy
defence and patrol In North Sea in
continuation.
to
(Radar
Type 271) fitted for detection of
submarines and E-Boats.
September
See above reference and SEEK
AND
STRIKE By
W Hackmam)
.
October
24th
During escort of Convoy FN1160 with H M
Destroyers PYTCHLEY, WORCESTER,
EGLINGTON
and MACKAY in action with E-Boats
attacking convoy.
(For
details see THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW
SEAS).
November
East
coast duties In
continuation.
to
(Note: By this date the ship had been
converted for use as a Short Range
Escort -
December
For
details see V4W DESTROYERS 1917-45 by A
Preston and BRITISH
DESTROYERS
by E. March which outline the extent of
the changes made) .
1 9 4 4
January
East coast duties in continuation.
to
Detection
equipment for intercepting enemy radio
traffic fitted
April.
May
Nominated for duty with Force S
during planned allied landings in Normandy.
Allocated
for convoy escort from Thames to beach head area as Escort Group 113 with
HM Destroyer
VIVACIOUS. for
continued
escort of military convoys during duty
Build-up
phase in a
pre-planned cycle of convoys (Operation
NEPTUNE)
(For
details of naval activities prior to and
during allied landings see OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K
Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY
JUNE 1944 (HMSO)
June
Passage to Sheerness to Join Group.
3rd
Joined escort for Convoy S13 with HMS
VIVACIOUS, HM Trawlers NORTHERN
GEM
and HUGH
WALPOLE.
(Note: Convoy
comprised 4 Landing Ships and 4 RHINO
craft.
4th
Passage to Spithead.
Operation
delayed 24 hours
5th
Escort Convoy S13 through swept
Channel.
6th
After arrival in SWORD area returned
to Sheerness
7th
Continued NEPTUNE
escort duties in pre-arranged cycle.
July
After
release from NEPTUNE
resumed convoy escort and patrol in
North
Sea.
August
East
coast convoy escort and patrol on
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
Convoy
defence requirement extended to include
English
Channel
traffic.
to
(Note: Atlantic convoys were re-routed
through Channel after threat of air
attack
April
had
been removed by allied advance into Low
countries. In this period there
was a
significant increase in enemy activity
by SCHNORKEL
fitted submarines
which were
concentrating attacks on convoy focal
points in
Channel and SW
Approaches.
Increased surface minelaying in Thames
Estuary
also demanded
Increased
patrol by destroyers and other escorts.
(See
HOLD THE NARROW
SEA
by P Smith ).
Deployed
in English
Channel
and North
Sea
for interception patrol and for convoy
escort
duties.
May
Patrol
and support of military re-occupation
operations.
to
August
by
his son Patrick Holland, Perth, WA.
I
have a web site of HMS CAMPBELL in memory of
my dad which has some material on it which
is not mentioned in the above service
history list - see
http://home.it.net.au/~lambeth/campbell.html. This includes a photo of the
ship's Crest (now added above, with
thanks to Patrick) as well as
details of her as one of the escort ships
which took Crown Prince Olaf back to
Norway in May 1945. I am in
touch with John Beeley who was a P.O.
Telegraphist on CAMPBELL during her
encounter with SCHARNHORST during the
Channel Dash in February 1942. John
was i/c the Radar on the bridge during the
battle and awarded the MID for his exemplary
services. He has recently received his
Arctic Emblem badge for the time CAMPBELL
was with the escort of Russian Convoy PQ 18.