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
|
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left convoy
|
Date convoy arrived
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12/06/42
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12/06/42
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HARPOON
|
16/06/42
|
16/06/42
|
30/06/42
|
04/07/42
|
HG 085
|
07/07/42
|
12/07/42
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|
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(Note
on Convoys)