A-Class
Fleet
destroyer ordered on 6th March
1928 from Scotts
at
Greenock and laid down on 30th
July that year.
She was launched on 26th June 1929
as the 7th RN ship to carry
the name, introduced in
1764 and last borne by a destroyer
sunk at the Battle of Jutland in
May 1916. Build was
completed on 14th March 1930.
B a t t l
e
H o n o u r s
TOULON
1793
- CAMPERDOWN
1797 - COPENHAGEN 1801 - BUENOS
AIRES 1807 - BLACK SEA
1854-55 - JUTLAND
1916 - ATLANTIC 1940 - NORWAY 1940
- SCHARNHORST
action 1940
- FALKLAND ISLANDS 1982*
(* Awarded to 8th Ship.)
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On
a Field Black, a Cresset, Silver
with flames proper.
M o t t o
'Through Fire and Water'
D e t a i
l s of S e
r v i
c e
1 9 3 0
March
Contractors Trials
14th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
On completion took passage to
Chatham to complete storing and
for commissioning.
23rd
Commissioned for service with 3rd
Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean
Fleet.
April
Deployed for work-up in Home
waters.
No 4 gun mounting found defective
and returned to Chatham fir it to
be replaced.
May
Under repair.
19th
Took passage to join Flotilla in
Malta.
June
Deployed with Flotilla for
exercises and took part in Fleet
visits programme.
to
September
October
Flotilla deployment in question
due to recurrence of defects.
31st
Returned to Malta for repair by HM
Dockyard.
November
Awaiting repair and survey at
Malta.
December
1st
Taken in hand for survey and
investigation.
1 9 3
1
January
Complement reduced and under
repair.
to
Paid-off and reduced to Reserve
status.
September
October
Nominated for recommissioning for
service in 3rd Flotilla.
November
4th
Re-commissioned and commenced
work-up.
December
On completion resumed Flotilla
duties.
1 9 3
2 t
o 1 9 3 3
Deployed with Flotilla in
Mediterranean and took part in
Fleet
Exercise and Visits Programmes as
well as Flotilla exercises
and independent visits. Joined in
combined exercises with
Home Fleet in Gibraltar area
during Spring of each year.
1 9 3
4
January
Passage to UK to Pay-off and
refit.
February
Paid-off and recommissioned for
service in 3rd Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet.
March
On completion of refit worked-up
in Home waters before taking
passage
to
to rejoin Flotilla in Malta.
July
August
Deployed with Flotilla and took
part in Fleet Exercises.
to
December
1 9 3
5
Mediterranean deployment with
Flotilla in continuation.
(Note: Ships of Mediterranean
Fleet attended Coronation Review
in Spithead during June 1935.)
1 9 3
6
January
Flotilla duties in continuation
including Fleet and Flotilla
exercises
to
and visits.
August
(Note: Italian military operations
in Abyssinia and the outbreak of
the Spanish civil war increased RN
activities and ships of the
Mediterranean Fleet were kept at
an increased state of readiness.)
September
8th
Deployed for Non-Intervention
patrols off Spanish coast and
provided
assistance to British citizens
with other ships of the Flotilla..
October
Western Mediterranean patrol and
assistance in continuation
17th
Returned to Malta.
November
Flotilla exercises based in Malta
29th
Resumed Spanish coast patrol
including humanitarian aid to
refugees.
December
Western Mediterranean patrol and
assistance duties in continuation.
1 9 3
7
January
Patrol duties and Flotilla
exercises in continuation
to
(Note: During this period was
deployed as Senior Naval Officer’s
ship
February
at Barcelona.)
March
Passage to UK to Pay-off and for
Long Refit.
14th
Paid-off and taken in hand by HM
Dockyard, Sheerness.
April
Under refit.
to
(Note: Work undertaken included
installation of anti-submarine
detection
December
equipment (ASDIC/(Sonar).)
1 9 3
8
January
Under refit at Sheerness.
to
Nominated for service with
Devonport Local Flotilla.
March
(Note: HM Destroyers CODRINGTON,
ACHATES and ARDENT of
this Class and the older destroyer
HMS BROKE were also part
of this Flotilla. The A-Class
destroyers had been part of the
3rd Destroyer Flotilla in Malta
with this ship.)
April
Post refit harbour trials.
Recommissioned with reduced
complement for service in Plymouth
Command.
20th
Refit completion and commenced sea
trials
May
On completion of trials worked-up
for operational duties and joined
Local
Flotilla at Plymouth.
June
Plymouth Command duties for
Training and as Emergency
Destroyer.
to
August
September
24th
Complement increased to War
standard because of Munich crisis.
Prepared for war service.
October
11th
Complement reduced and resume
Local Flotilla duties.
17th
Taken in hand for docking and
essential repairs by HM Dockyard,
Devonport.
November
15th
Resumed duties in Local Flotilla
on completion of dockyard work.
December
Deployed for Boys Training at
Devonport and Emergency duty with
Flotilla.
1 9 3
9
January
Training duties in continuation
including visits to coastal ports
in SW England
to
to Torquay and Dartmouth.).
June
July
At Devonport under dockyard
repair.
August
War Station with 18th Destroyer
Flotilla for convoy defence and
anti-submarine
patrol in Channel allocated.
23rd
Full complement joined and
prepared for war service.
D e t a i
l s of W a
r S e r v i
c e
(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
September
Joined Flotilla at Portland for
convoy defence.
(Note: Escorts were provided for
first troop convoys to France)
Deployed in SW Approaches and
Channel.
October
Transferred to Western Approaches
Command.
to
(Note: CinC Western Approaches was
based at Plymouth in 1939
December
but later transferred to
Liverpool.
For details of naval activities in
Home waters during 1939 see ENGAGE
THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and
Naval Staff History.)
1 9 4
0
January
Passage to Liverpool for convoy
duties in Western Approaches.
Deployed in Irish Sea and SW
Approaches.
30th
During patrol west of Ushant
responded to urgent call from HM
Sloop
FOWEY escorting convoy in which
tanker ss VACLITE had been sunk
by U-Boat attack. Carried out hunt
with HM Destroyer WHITSHED,
French destroyer VALMY, HM Sloop
FOWEY and
SUNDERLAND
aircraft of 228 Squadron, RAF
Coastal Command.
30th
U55 forced to surface and briefly
engaged aircraft which attacked
the
the submarine which then scuttled.
41 of submarine crew were rescued
by HMS FOWEY and HMS WHITSHED.
(For details see U-BOATS DESTROYED
by P Kemp and HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
31st
Joined escort for HM Cruiser AJAX
with HMS WHITSHED for passage
into Plymouth on return from
action again German battleship
GRAF
SPEE in December 1939.
February
Western Approaches deployment in
continuation.
March
Deployed for escort of convoys
between Clyde and Norway
April
Transferred to Home Fleet after
German invasion of Norway for
convoy escort.
14th
Deployed with HMS CODRINGTON and
HMS ACHATES as part of escort
for military convoy NP1 during
passage to Norway with troops for
planned
landings at Narvik (Operation
RUPERT/R4)
(For details see Naval Staff
History NAVAL OPERATIONS OF THE
CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY (HMSO), CARRIER
GLORIOUS by John
Winton, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by J
Adams and NARVIK by
D Macintyre.)
18th
On release from NP1 deployed for
convoy defence and Norway
operations.
May
4th
Damaged underwater Dome for Sonar
Outfit and returned to UK
6th
Taken in hand for replacement of
Dome.
18th
On completion resumed operational
duties.
22nd
Escorted troopship ULSTER PRINCE
taking military units to Faeroes
to
replace Royal Marines landed in
April (Operation VALENTINE)
29th
Redeployed for support of
Norwegian operations.
31st
Deployed with HM Destroyers
ACASTA, ACHERON, HIGHLANDER
and DIANA as escort for HM
Aircraft Carriers ARK ROYAL and
GLORIOUS during passage from Clyde
to Norwegian coast for air
operations in support of
evacuation of allied forces from
Norway
Operation ALPHABET).
June
Deployed as escort for HMS ARK
ROYAL and HMS GLORIOUS
during air operations with return
to Harstad for refuelling.
8th
Detached from HMS ARK ROYAL and
joined HM Destroyer ACASTA
for escort of HMS GLORIOUS during
return passage to Scapa Flow.
Under fire from German battleships
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU.
Laid protective smoke screen to
hide British units and engaged
enemy ships
with main armament of 4.7in guns
which was ineffective at range of
targets
Carried out torpedo attack
concurrently despite return fire
from battleship’s
secondary 5.9in armament. One hit
was later made by 4.7in fire and
second
torpedo attack was made without
success. Ship hit repeatedly by
enemy fire
and capsized with the loss of ten
officers and 142 ratings. Sank in
position
68.45N 4.30E. The only two
survivors were rescued by a German
seaplane
and made Prisoners of War.
(For details see above
references.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
ARDENT
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been
cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy
sailed
|
Joined
convoy
as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy
arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
19/09/39
|
20/09/39
|
OA
007
|
22/09/39
|
22/09/39
|
25/09/39
|
25/09/39
|
OA
010
|
28/09/39
|
28/09/39
|
07/10/39
|
09/10/39
|
OA
017
|
11/10/39
|
11/10/39
|
21/10/39
|
21/10/39
|
OA
023
|
23/10/39
|
26/10/39
|
31/10/39
|
01/11/39
|
OA
028G
|
02/11/39
|
03/11/39
|
02/11/39
|
02/11/39
|
OA
029
|
07/11/39
|
07/11/39
|
03/11/39
|
03/11/39
|
OG
005
|
07/11/39
|
09/11/39
|
14/11/39
|
15/11/39
|
OA
035
|
19/11/39
|
19/11/39
|
08/11/39
|
19/11/39
|
HXF
008
|
21/11/39
|
21/11/39
|
22/11/39
|
22/11/39
|
OA
039
|
24/11/39
|
unknown
|
16/11/39
|
02/12/39
|
SL
009
|
02/12/39
|
02/12/39
|
06/12/39
|
06/12/39
|
OA
048
|
08/12/39
|
09/12/39
|
04/12/39
|
16/12/39
|
HX
011
|
18/12/39
|
18/12/39
|
20/12/39
|
20/12/39
|
OA
057
|
21/12/39
|
23/12/39
|
27/12/39
|
29/12/39
|
OA
061
|
30/12/39
|
30/12/39
|
19/12/39
|
02/01/40
|
SL
013F
|
03/01/40
|
03/01/40
|
11/01/40
|
13/01/40
|
OA
070G
|
14/01/40
|
14/01/40
|
01/04/40
|
01/04/40
|
OA
121
|
04/04/40
|
04/04/40
|
11/04/40
|
13/04/40
|
NP
001
|
15/04/40
|
15/04/40
|
12/05/40
|
20/05/40
|
TC
004
|
21/05/40
|
21/05/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)