1 9 3 9
August Brought forward from Reserve and commissioned for
attendance at Royal Review of
Reserve Fleet in Weymouth Bay.
September Remained in commission and took up
war station at Plymouth for service in 17th Destroyer
Flotilla.
3rd Deployed
for convoy escort in SW Approaches and English Channel.
5th Escorted
coastal convoy during passage from Clyde with HM
Destroyers VIVACIOUS,
VANQUISHER and
VANESSA.
15th Escorted
coastal convoy in SW Approaches with HM Destroyer WOLVERINE.
October Western Approaches Command convoy defence
duties with Flotilla in continuation at
to December Plymouth.
1 9 4 0
January Deployment at Plymouth for convoy defence in continuation.
to February
March
23rd Joined
inward Convoy HG23F with HM Destroyers WHITEHALL and WINCHELSEA
to relieve
escort by two French warships.
26th Detached
with escort on arrival of HG23F at Liverpool..
April
3rd Joined
outward Convoy OG24 on formation in SE Approaches with HM Trawler LEEDS
UNITED, HM Destroyers MONTROSE and VERDUN as escort during initial stage of passage
to Gibraltar.
Detached from OG24 and took passage
to join inward Convoy HG24 as escort during passage
from Gibraltar to Liverpool.
4th Joined
HM Sloops ENCHANTRESS and SANDWICH in escort of Convoy HG24.
7th Detached
from HG24 on arrival at Liverpool.
10th Joined
outward Convoy OG25 with HM Destroyers BROKE and VERITY on formation in SW
Approaches as escort during initial
stage of passage to Gibraltar
Detached from OG25 escort and took passage
to resume service at Liverpool.
(Note: Destroyers based at Plymouth were transferred to Liverpool when the headquarters
of Western
Approaches Command were moved to Liverpool)
May Transferred to Dover Command for detached
service in support of military
operations
in Holland, Belgium and France.
Passage to Dover.
26th Nominated for support of evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
Deployed with HM Cruiser CALCUTTA, HM Destroyers GALLANT, GREYHOUND,
GRAFTON, IMPULSIVE, SABRE, VIMY and
VIVACIOUS at Dunkirk.
27th Embarked
631 troops for passage to Dover.
Under air attack and sustained some
damage above the waterline from near miss.
28th Returned to Dunkirk to continue embarkation of troops.
29th Under
attack by E-Boat S30 whilst off Dunkirk and hit in forward Boiler Room by one of
the two
torpedoes fired. Ship split in two with forward part sinking immediately.
Only one of the 640 soldiers embarked
survived with 25 of the ship’s company.
Rescue was carried out by HM
Minesweepers GOSSAMER, LYDD, HM Destroyer
GRAFTON and HM
Drifter COMFORT.
(Note: HMS GRAFTON was later sunk by
a torpedo from U32 and HMS COMFORT was
rammed by
HMS LYDD. See FRIEND OR FOE by P Kemp, BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser
and Naval Staff History for details of the tragic and heavy losses
of life
during rescue work.)