F-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered from Cammell Laird at
Birkenhead under 1932 Programme and laid down on 17th July 1933. The ship was launched on 12th May 1934 as the
7th RN warship to carry this name which was introduced in 1794 and previously used by a cruiser sold in
1921. Build was completed on 22nd December 1934.
B a t t l e
H o n o u r s
SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1900 - JUTLAND 1916
- NORWAY
1940 - ATLANTIC 1911 - MALTA CONVOYS 1941
-
MEDITERRANEAN
1941
H
e r a l d i c
D a t a
On a Field Blue.
a Lion's head Gold
M o t t o
Explicit nomen: The name explains itself
D e t a i l s o f 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)
1 9 3 9
August Took-up War Station as
Scapa Flow with 8th Destroyer Flotilla Home Fleet for
screening
and anti-submarine
patrol duties.
September Deployed with Flotilla for
anti-submarine operations
7th Embarked Polish Mission
at
Hagesund, Norway for passage to UK.
26th Participated in sinking
of U27 with HM Destroyers FORTUNE and FORESTER off the
Hebrides.
October Deployed as A/S screen for
Home Fleet units on patrol and interception duties.
to (For details of naval
activities in Home Waters in 1939 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
December CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett).
1 9 4 0
January Home Fleet screening, patrol duties and convoy defence
in continuation.
to
March
April
7th Escorted HM Battleship
VALIANT during Home Fleet search for German major units
reported to be
breaking out into
the
Atlantic.
8th After German invasion
of
Norway joined
military Convoy NP1 to reinforce
escort during passage to
Norway.
(Operation R4/RUPERT)
14th Sank U49 with HM
Destroyer BRAZEN after A/S search in Vaagsfjord.
23rd Escorted HM Aircraft Carriers ARK
ROYAL and GLORIOUS from Scapa Flow to provide air cover
for support operations off
Norwegian coast.
25th Escorted HMS GLORIOUS from Norway to
Scapa to refuel and replenish.
(For details of the
disastrous naval operations off
Norway see
NARVIK by Donald
MacIntyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by
J Winton, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by T Adams and Naval Staff
History (2001).).
May
15th Taken in hand for repair
at
Middlesbrough.
June Under repair
Transferred to Force H
at
Gibraltar with Flotilla.
Carried out post repair trials and took passage to join Flotilla for escort
duties.
17th
Joined H M Destroyers FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND and ESCAPADE for screening of HM
Battlecruiser
HOOD and HM Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL during passage to Gibraltar.
23rd Arrived at Gibraltar.
28th Joined Force H on formation with Flotilla
(Note: Other ships in Flotilla were H M
Destroyers FAULKNOR. FORESIGHT, FORESTER and
FOXHOUND - For details of naval operation in
Mediterranean see THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre and Naval Staff
History .)
July
3rd Took part in attacks on
French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir (Operation CATAPULT).
For details see
RELUCTANT ENEMIES and THE DEADLY STROKE by
W Tute,
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and The Naval
Staff History).
6th Part of -screen for HMS
HOOD, HMS VALIANT, HMS ARK ROYAL, HMS ARETHUSA
and HMS
ENTERPRISE during air attacks on
French battleship DUNKERQUE.
8th Deployed as destroyer
screen for HM Battlecruiser HOOD, HM Battleships VALIANT
and RESOLUTION, HM
Aircraft Carrier
ARK ROYAL, HM Cruisers ARETHUSA,
ENTERPRISE
and
DELHI with HM Destroyers
FOXHOUND, FAULKNOR and FORESTER of Flotilla and
destroyers of Local Flotilla (HMS ESCORT, HMS DOUGLAS, HMS ACTIVE, HMS WRESTLER
VELOX and VORTIGERN
) (Operation MA5).
Planned attack on
Cagliari abandoned after Italian
air attacks.
23rd Deployed with Force H
for attack on
Bay of Biscay shipping.
25th Operation cancelled and
returned to
Gibraltar.
August
2nd Escorted Force H for FAA
attack on
Cagliari (Operation CRUSH).
4th During passage to
UK in collision with trawler FLYING WING.
10th Taken in hand for repair
at Barclay Curie shipyard in
Clyde.
September Under repair.
October Under repair
11th On completion of post
repair trials prepared for operational duty with Flotilla.
30th In collision at
Greenock with ss LANARK and damaged stem.
November
10th Taken in hand for repair
at Troon Under repair.
December Under repair.
1 9 4 1
January
8th On completion worked-up
for service with Flotilla and took passage to
Gibraltar.
31st Joined HM Destroyers
FOXHOUND, FORESIGHT, FURY, FIREDRAKE
AND
JERSEY in Group
2 as screen for HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Battleship MALAYA, HM Aircraft Carrier ARK
ROYAL and HM Cruiser
SHEFFIELD (Group 1) for air attack on Tirso Dam on the
Island of
Sardinia (Operation PICKET).
(Note: Planned
bombardment of
Genoa
(Operation RESULT) was cancelled.)
February
6th Joined Group 2 with HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND, FORESIGHT. FURY, ENCOUNTER and
JERSEY
as screen for HMS RENOWN, HMS
MALAYA, HMS ARK ROYAL and HMS
SHEFFIELD for
the
re-scheduled bombardment of
Genoa
(Operation GROG).
March Deployed with Flotilla in
Force H.
30th Joined screen for HMS
SHEFFIELD with HM Destroyers FURY, FORTUNE and FORESTER
to intercept
Vichy convoy.
Later attempt to
capture French merchant ship
BANGKOK off
the
port
of Gazouet, Algeria foiled
by shore battery
fire (Operation RATION).
April
3rd Part of screen for HMS
ARK ROYAL, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN and HMS SHEFFIELD for
Malta aircraft delivery with HM Destroyers FAULKNOR, FORTUNE,
FURY and FORESIGHT
(Operation WINCH).
25th Part of screen for HMS
ARK ROYAL, HMS RENOWN and HMS SHEFFIELD with HMS
FURY,
HMS FAULKNOR, FORTUNE and
FORESIGHT for escort of reinforcement ships to the
Fleet in
Alexandria (Operation SALIENT).
(Note: HM Cruisers
DIDO and ABDIEL, HM Destroyers KELLY, KIPLING,
KASHMIR, KELVIN
JERSEY and JUPITER , deployed as Force S, were on passage to
Malta.
Operation DUNLOP for
a
Malta
aircraft delivery was concurrent with SALIENT).
May
6th Part of destroyer
screen for HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, HM Cruisers NAIAD, FIJI and
GLOUCESTER
during passage to join Fleet in Eastern Mediterranean deployed as Force F with
HM Destroyers
FAULKNOR, FORESTER, FURY, FORESIGHT and FORTUNE.
(Note This was part
of Operation TIGER which included passage of supply convoy taking tanks to
Middle East and transfer of warships)
12th After arrival of convoy
in
Malta carried out minesweeping operation to enable
ships of 5th
Destroyer Flotilla to safely leave harbour for offensive operation
against Italian
convoys.
19th Deployed with HM
Destroyers HARVESTER.
HAVELOCK and WRESTLER as
escort for HM
Cruiser
LONDON for cover of Malta aircraft delivery by HM
Aircraft carriers
ARK ROYAL and FURIOUS during initial passage.
21st Escort of HMS
LONDON during Atlantic search for blockade runner in continuation
June Deployed in
Atlantic on anti-submarine operations with Flotilla.
16th Shared credit for
sinking U138 in position 36.00N 7.29W off
Gibraltar with H M
Destroyers FAULKNOR,
FORESTER, FORESIGHT and FOXHOUND. 28 survivors
rescued.
22nd Deployed with HM
Destroyers FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, FORESTER and FURY
to intercept
German supply ships reported on
passage towards French coast by aircraft.
23rd Intercepted ss ALSTERTOR
which scuttled on approach in position 41.12N 13.10W.
Rescued 78 British
seamen held as PoW from ships sunk by German raiders and the
German crew.
July Resumed duty with Force
H in
Mediterranean.
20th Joined Force X as screen
for HM Cruisers EDINBURGH,
MANCHESTER,
ARETHUSA and
HM Minelaying Cruiser MANXMAN
with HM Destroyers COSSACK,
MAORI, SIKH, NESTOR
(RAN),
FOXHOUND and FIREDRAKE during
passage to
Sicilian
Narrows.
(Operation SUBSTANCE)
23rd Whilst deployed as
screen for HMS ARK ROYAL and under air attack, hit by torpedo
off Bone and set on
fire aft.
Sunk by torpedo from
HMS FORESTER after rescue of ships company.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
In December 1963 the eighth RN warship to carry the name was
launched at Belfast and completed as an Assault Ship in 1965. She is still in service but will be replaced
before 1998 by a new ship HMS OCEAN. This type of warship is designed for use in Amphibious operations.
Accommodation for Commando units is available and communications equipment for command and control.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS FEARLESS
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy sailed
|
Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
10/12/39
|
unknown
|
TC 001
|
17/12/39
|
17/12/39
|
22/12/39
|
28/12/39
|
TC 002
|
30/12/39
|
30/12/39
|
30/01/40
|
05/02/40
|
TC 003
|
07/02/40
|
07/02/40
|
11/04/40
|
13/04/40
|
NP 001
|
15/04/40
|
15/04/40
|
18/04/40
|
21/04/40
|
FP 002
|
22/04/40
|
22/04/40
|
20/02/41
|
25/02/41
|
HG 054
|
25/02/41
|
12/03/41
|
06/05/41
|
06/05/41
|
TIGER
|
12/05/41
|
12/05/41
|
24/06/41
|
03/07/41
|
OG 066
|
06/07/41
|
08/07/41
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)