Modified I-Class Fleet
Destroyer ordered from
Victors Armstrong., Barrow in 1939 by the
Turkish Government
and
laid down as Yard No 748 on with a sister ship
on 24th May 1939 and to be named GAYRET. These
two
ships
ware requisitioned by the Admiralty during
build and
formally acquired on on 14th Nov. 1941. When launched
on 24th February 1941 this ship was renamed
ITHURIEL. She
was the 2nd RN ship to carry this name, previously
used for a Flotilla Leader built in 1916 and
sold in 1921.
Build was completed on 3rd March 1942.
There is no record of an adoption by a UK
civil community following a WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in 1941 and 1942.
B
a t t l e H o n o
u r s
ATLANTIC 1942 - MALTA
CONVOYS 1942 - NORTH AFRICA
1942
H
e
r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On
a Field Blue,. a
winged spear, Gold.
M
o t t o
Hasta sequenta:
‘With foiling spear'
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 4 2
February
Contractors trials March
March
3rd
Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned for service
for service in Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Clyde
on completion of trials and storing.
14th
Carried out brief work-up at Greenock
.
(Note: This was
because ships was urgently required for
service.)
Took passage to join 13th
Destroyer Flotilla
based
at Gibraltar.
(Note: Planned
service with Eastern Fleet was changed.)
April
Deployed
at Gibraltar with Flotilla for convey defence
and patrol.
19th
Joined HM Destroyers INGLEFIELD,
ECHO and PARTRIDGE as destroyer screen for
Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Cruisers CAIRO and CHARYBDIS to
provide cover for
US
aircraft carrier
USS WASP during delivery of SPITFIRE
aircraft to Malta
.
(Operation
CALENDAR - Force W).
(Note: HM
Destroyers WESTCOTT, W1SHART', WRESTLER,
VIDETTE
and ANTELOPE
of 13th Destroyer
Flotilla ware also deployed as part of
screen with the US destroyers
USS LANG and USS MADISON
which escorted USS WASP from UK.
The US Navy
ships were serving
on loan to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
21st
Resumed
Flotilla duties on return to Gibraltar
with Force W.
For details of
naval activities in tne Mediterranean in 1942
see Naval Staff
History (HMSO)
and THE BATTLE FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre.)
May
8th
Deployed with HM Destroyers
VIDETTE, PARTRIDGE, WESTCOTT, WISHART,
WRESTLER and
ANTELOPE .
Joined HM
Destroyers ECHO,
INTREPID, GEORGETOWN,
SALISBURY, US Navy
destroyers USS LANG
and USS STERETT as screen for HM Aircraft
Carrier EAGLE,
Cruiser
CHARYBDIS and US Aircraft Carrier WASP during
delivery of
SPITFIRE aircraft
to Malta as Force W
(Operation BOWERY).
10th
Resumed
Flotilla convoy defence and patrol duties on
return to Gibraltar
with Force W.
17th
Deployed with HM Destroyers
PARTRIDGE, ANTELOPE, WISHART, WESTCOTT,
WRESTLER and
VIDETTE as screen for
HMS CHARYBDIS. HM Aircraft
Carriers
EAGLE and ARGUS
during delivery of SPITFIRE aircraft to Malta.
(Operation LB).
20th
Resumed Flotilla duties on return
to Gibraltar.
June
2nd
Deployed with HM Destroyers
WESTCOTT, WISHART, ANTELOPE and PARTRIDGE
as screen
for HMS EAGLE and HMS
CHARYBDIS during delivery of
SPITFIRE aircraft
to Malta.
(Operation STYLE).
4tti
Resumed Flotilla
duties on return to Gibraltar.
8th
Deployed with HM Destroyers
PARTRIDGE, ANTELOPE, WISHART, WRESTLER and
WESTCOTT as
screen for HMS EAGLE, HMS CHARYBDIS and HM
Cruiser CAIRO
during delivery
of SPITFIRE
aircraft to Malta (Operation
SALIENT).
10th
Returned to Gibraltar on
completion of delivery operation.
11th
Joined Force X for escort of
military convoy WS19S for passage to Malta
through Sicilian
Narrows.
Deployed with HM
Cruiser CAIRO, HM Destroyers BEDOUIN, MARNE,
MATCHLESS,
PARTRIDGE,
BLANKNEY, MIDDLETON, BADSWORTH. Polish
KUJAWIAK, HM Fleet
Minesweepers
HEBE, SPEEDY, HYTHE and RYE (Operation
HARPOON).
14th
Under heavy and sustained air
attacks.
15th
Detached from convoy with HMS CAIRO
and destroyers of Force X to carry out a
torpedo
attack on
Italian cruisers MONTECUCCOL1 and DI SAVOIA
threatening WS19S.
{Note: HMS
BEDOUIN and HMS PARTRIDGE were disabled in
this action.
HUNT
Class Escort Destroyers had no torpedo
armament.)
HMS
BEDOUIN was later torpedoed and sunk by
Italian torpedo aircraft.
18th
Returned to Gibraltar after arrival
of two ships of WS19S in Malta.
Resumed convoy
defence duties with Flotilla at Gibraltar.
(For details of
HARPOON convoy se e ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE.
CLOSELY, MALTA
CONVOYS by R
Woodman and above references.)
July
15th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers WESTCOTT, WRESTLER,
ANTELOPE and VANSITTART
as screen for
HMS EAGLE, HMS CHARYBDIS and HMS CAIRO
providing cover for
delivery of SPITFIRE aircraft to Malta
(Operation
PINPOINT).
16th
Returned to Gibraltar with same
ships after launch of aircraft.
20th
Deployed with same destroyers as
PINPOINT for screening of same major warships
during
further delivery
of aircraft to Malta (Operation INSECT).
22nd
Returned to Gibraltar with above
snips after aircraft launched.
August
11th
Joined Malta relief convoy WS21S
with HM Aircraft Carriers EAGLE, INDOMITABLE,
VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers CAIRO, CHARYBDIS. PHOEBE and SIRIUS.
(Operation
PEDESTAL - For full details of destroyer
escort for this convoy see PEDESTAL
by Peter C Smith and above references.)
Convoy
under attacks by
Italian and German submarines.
(Note: HMS
EAGLE was sunk NE of Algiers by U23.)
12th
Submarine attacks in continuation
together with sustained air attacks.
Rammed and sank
Italian submarine COBALTO with HM Destroyer
PATHFINDER.
Rescued 41
survivors from submarine.
Sustained major
damage to bow structure as a result of the
ramming attack.
Took passage to
Gibraltar.
14th
Taken in hand for temporary repair
on arrival at Gibraltar.
24th
Took passage to UK for permanent
repair.
30th
Under repair in commercial
shipyard at Liverpool.
September
Transferred to Portsmouth for
refit by HM Dockyard after completion of
repairs to bow
structure.
October
Under refit by HM Dockyard,
Portsmouth.
24th
On completion of post refit trials
took passage to resume duties with Flotilla at
Gibraltar.
Escorted Military
convoy for North African landings.
November
Joined Force H for support of
allied landings in North Africa (Operation
TORCH).
8th
Deployed for escort of assault
convoy and support during Initial landings.
12th
After completion of Assault Phase
resumed convoy escort deployment.
20th
Escorted military convoys along
North African coast.
27th
Under air attack whilst in harbour
at Bone and sustained two near misses.
Both bombs
exploded under the ship causing major
structural damage aft.
Assistance
provided by HM Destroyer QUENTIN to remove
flood water and later to tow ship
from harbour
berth.
Back of ship
found to be broken after ship lightened by
removal of X and
Y mountings.
29th
Ship Beached and temporary repair
started.
December
Repair work at Bone subject to
delays due to lack of materials.
(Note: One
source records removed 4.7in mountings were
used for coastal defence at
Cap de
la
Garde.)
1
9 4 3
January
Bone repair in continuation
to allow tow.
February Prepared
for tow
27th
Towed to Algiers for survey.
March
Declared beyond local
repair and laid up at Algiers.
April
Laid-up at Algiers
pending decision about future use.
to
(Note: One source
records that ship was taken to Malta for
repair prior to tow to Haifa.)
July
August
Prepared for tow to
Gibraltar.
18th
Passage under tow from Algiers to
Gibraltar.
(Note: See
above Note for April to December.)
September
Placed in Care and maintenance
for use at Gibraltar.
October
Deployed at Gibraltar for
accommodation and training duties.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Gibraltar deployment in
continuation.
to
June
July
Prepared for tow to UK
August
1st
Passage to Plymouth under tow by
tug PROSPEROUS.
8th
Paid off on arrival at Plymouth.
Placed on
Disposal List. and sold to BISCO for
demolition by P & W McLellan
11th
Passage under to Bo'ness, near
Edinburgh.
13th
Arrived at breaker's yard.
(Note: HM
Destroyer OB1BI was transferred to the Turkish
Navy as replacement for
this
ship in 1946 and was renamed GAYRET)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS ITHURIEL
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
12/06/42
|
12/06/42
|
HARPOON
|
16/06/42
|
16/06/42
|
30/06/42
|
04/07/42
|
HG
085
|
07/07/42
|
12/07/42
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)