U-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under the War Emergency Programme in on 12th June 1941 for build by J. I Thornycroft at Woolston. The ship was laid down on 2nd May 1942 and launched on 22nd July 1943 as the 2nd RN ship to carry the name previously used for a WW1 destroyer sold in 1926. Build was completed on 1st March 1944. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK in March 1942 she was adopted by the Hendon, then part of Middlesex but now in the London Borough of Barnet. B a t t l e H o n o u r s BISCAY 1944 - NORMANDY 1944 - OKINAWA 1945 H e r a l d i c D a t a Badge: On a Field Blue., a brown bear passant Proper.
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1 9 4 4 February Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for service with 25th Destroyer Flotilla.. March 1st Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with ships of Home Fleet. April On completion of work-up deployed in NW Approaches with H M Destroyers GRENVILLE, ULSTER, ULYSSES, URCHIN, UNDINE, UNDAUNTED and URANIA for screening and interception patrol duties. May Home Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation. 14th Part of screen for HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR and STRIKER, HM Cruisers SHEFFIELD and ROYALIST with HM Destroyers ONSLOW, OBEDIENT, WAKEFUL, Polish ORP PIORUN and ORP BLYSKAWICA during series of air attacks in Rorvik and Stadlandet areas off Norway Transferred to English Channel for duty with Force G in support of planned landings in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE). For details of activities prior to and during landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K. Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO)). Joined HM Destroyers JERVIS, CATTISTOCK, PYTCHLEY, COTTESMORE and Polish ORP KRAKOWIAK with other ships of Flotilla in Force G. Took part in preparatory exercises for GOLD Beach assault. June Passage to Assembly area for escort of Convoy G10 with HMS UNDAUNTED. 3rd Deployed in West Solent with Convoy G10. (Note: Convoy comprised HM Frigate
KINGSMILL (HQ Ship Force G2), four Landing Ships (Infantry), two Motor Launches and four rescue craft). 4th Operation delayed 24 hours. 5th Passage through swept channel as escort for Convoy G10. 6th After arrival joined ships of Force G and bombarded beach defences on GOLD Beach in accordance pre-arranged Fire Plan. 9th Deployed on interception patrol duties off beachheads. In action with E-Boats with HM Norwegian Destroyer GLAISDALE and ORP KRAKOWIAK off Le Havre. Patrol and support duties in continuation till released from NEPTUNE. 25th Retained in Channel area. July Deployed for attacks on enemy coastal traffic i Bay of Biscay. See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith.. August Channel deployment in continuation. 14th Part of screen for HM Cruiser MAURITIUS with HM Destroyer IROQUOIS (RCN) for an offensive operation off French coast. 15th Carried out attack on German Aircraft Repair Ship RICHTOFEN and Minesweeper M385 off Sables d'Olonne, NW of La Pallice. Minesweeper was damaged and beached. Later became a total loss. 22nd Deployed with HM Cruiser MAURITIUS and HM Canadian Destroyer IROQUOIS for offensive patrol off Audierne 23rd Carried out attack on coastal convoy sinking patrol boats V702, V717, V720, V729 and V730. September Nominated for service with Flotilla in British Pacific Fleet after refit.. October Under Refit and preparation for foreign service. November Passage to Trincomalee to join Eastern Fleet prior to BPF service. 22nd Transferred to British Pacific Fleet on formation, during passage. For details of BPF operations see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,. THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) and Naval Staff History). December Joined Fleet at Trincomalee. Deployed for Fleet screening and patrol duties in Indian Ocean. 1 9 4 5 January Nominated for screening duty for HM aircraft Carriers IMPLACABLE, VICTORIOUS, INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers SUFFOLK, ARGONAUT and BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT, WHELP, WAGER, GRENVILLE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED and UNDINE during planned air attacks on oil refineries at Pangkalan Brandan, Sumatra as Force 65 (Operation LENTIL). 1st Sailed from Trincomalee with Force 65 for LENTIL. 4th Deployed with screen during air operations. 7th Returned to Trincomalee with ships of Force 65. 13th Took part in Full Dress Rehearsal off Ceylon for planned air attacks on oil refineries at Pladjoe and Soeengei, Palembang, Sumatra (Operation MERIDIAN) (Note: Force 63 comprised HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS. INDOMITABLE, .INDEFATIGABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT and EURYALUS screened by HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, UNDINE, UNDAUNTED, KEMPENFELT, URSA, WAGER, WAKEFUL, WHIRLWIND and WHELP. 16th Joined Force 63 on departure from Trincomalee. 20th Replenished from Force 69. (Note: HM Cruiser CEYLON and HM Destroyer WESSEX joined with Force 69.) 24th Deployed as part of destroyer screen during air operations for MERIDIAN I (Note: Operation was delayed 24 hours by adverse weather.) 26th Replenished from Force 69. 29th Deployed with screen during air operations for MERIDIAN II. (See WAR WITH JAPAN Vol VI (KM30) and THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton. for details) 30th Replenished and took passage to Sydney for service as British Pacific Fleet. February 4th Arrived at Fremantle. On arrival at Sydney worked up for Pacific operations with US Navy in SW Pacific. Designated Task Force 113 pending transfer to US Navy overall command.. (Note: Exercises included US Navy communications methods and procedures. Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changes to D29 to suit US Navy
identity for destroyers.) 28th Took passage to Forward British base at Manus, Admiralty Islands with ships of BPF as Task Force 113.to take part in joint RN/USN operations. (Note: Deployment of RN ships had not been sanctioned by US Joint Chiefs of Staff and approval was awaited.) March During passage using US Navy procedures for manoeuvring and communications. 7th Arrived at Manus. Docked at Manus. (Note: Other ships of BPF Took passage as Task Force 113 to US Forward Base at Ulithi and replenished. Deployment with US Navy had been subject to delay in receiving approval and eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet as Task Force 57. BPF sailed from Ulithi as Task Force 57 to operational area Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.) March 7th Arrived at Manus. 10th Docked at Manus. (Note: Other ships of BPF Took passage as Task Force 113 to US Forward Base at Ulithi and replenished. Deployment with US Navy had been subject to delay in receiving approval and eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet as Task Force 57. BPF sailed from Ulithi as Task Force 57 to operational area Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.) On completion of docking escorted HM Cruisers UGANDA with HM Destroyer URCHIN to reinforce British TF57 during air attacks on Formosa to support U S invasion of Okinawa (Operation ICEBERG). April 8th Joined Task Force 57 with HMS URCHIN during replenishment in Area COOTIE. 9th Deployed with screen for ships of BPF and sailed from COOTIE Area to carry out air operations on airfields in Formosa (Operation ICEBERG OOLONG). 11th Part of screen during attacks on airfields at Schinchiku and Matsuyama. to On completion returned with Task Force 57 to rejoin operations with US Navy 13th Task Force 58 on Sakishima Gunto airfields (Operation ICEBERG ONE). 14th Replenished in Area COOTIE. 16th Deployed with screen for Task Force 57 during air operations. 19th Replenished in Area MOSQUITO ONE 20th Fleet screening in continuation during final air attacks on Sakishima Gunto by Task Force 57- On completion took passage to the US Navy Base at Leyte with Task Force 57 ships (Note: For details of operations in Formosa and Sakishima Gunto see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray, TASK FORCE 57 by P smith and above references.) 23rd Arrived at Leyte. (Note: HM Depot Ship TYNE, HM Repair Ships
RESOURCE and ARTIFEX were at Leyte.) May 1st Sailed from Leyte as part of screen for HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS and INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers GAMBIA, BLACK PRINCE and EURYALUS with HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN, UNDINE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED, QUILLIAM, QUEENBOROUGH, QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH, QUALITY, KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND and WESSEX to join ships of US Task Force 58 for joint air attacks on Sakishima Gunto group (Operation ICEBERG TWO). 3rd Replenished in MOSQUITO Area. 4th Detached with H M Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN, UNDINE, URANIA and UNDAUNTED as screen for HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS HOWE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, UGANDA (RCN) and GAMBIA (RNZN) during bombardment of airfields at Miyako Shima. During the bombardment the aircraft carriers of Task Force 57 were carrying out flying operations some 30 miles away and came under heavy and sustained attacks including KAMIKAZE suicide bombers. (Note: HMS FORMIDABLE and HMS INDOMITABLE damaged in these attacks). Rejoined aircraft carriers on completion of bombardments. (See above references.) 5th Part of screen during air attacks by TF57 carriers deployed in rotation with US to TF59 carriers 24th KAMIKAZE attacks continued. HMS VICTORIOUS and HMS FORMIDABLE were damaged. 25th On release from operations returned to Manus with TF57 screen. 27th Ships of US 5th Fleet re-designated 5th US Fleet. (Note: ships of BPF were accordingly redesigned Task Force 37). June Passage to Sydney for R&R. (Note: 25th Destroyer Flotilla -
HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, URANIA, ULYSSES, URCHIN and UNDINE transferred to 4th Destroyer Flotilla. These ships took passage to join joint USN/RN operations off Japan. July Deployed in Australian waters and SW Pacific. Not included in any references giving details of operations off Japan.) August Pacific area deployment in continuation. 17th Ships of BPF reverted to RN control. Joined Task Unit 111.2 and took passage to Subic Bay. 27th Sailed from Subic Bay as part of screen for HM Aircraft carrier INDOMITABLE, HM Light Fleet Carrier VENERABLE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, EURYALUS and BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT, QUADRANT, WHIRLWIND and HM Auxiliary PRINCE ROBERT (RCN) for passage to support reoccupation of Hong Kong. 29th Met HM Battleship ANSON AND HM Light Fleet Carrier VENGEANCE. 30th Entered Hong Kong with ships of Task Unit 111.2. P o s t W a r N o t e s HMS URSA returned to UK after re-occupation of Hong Kong and paid off into Reserve at Portsmouth during 1946. She remained there until 1952 when transferred to Chatham. The ship was selected for conversion to a Type 15 Anti-submarine Frigate and converted by Palmer shipyard at Newcastle in 1953-54. She re-commissioned as a Frigate in 1955 and joined the 6th Frigate Flotilla for service with the Fleet in the Mediterranean until 1959. Although intended to re-commission after a refit this ship was reduced to Reserve in Malta. In 1961 she joined the 5th Frigate Flotilla and was damaged in a collision with HM Destroyer BATTLEAXE on 1st August 1962 during exercises in the Clyde. After she had been repaired she was deployed with the 8th Frigate Flotilla until paid off on 28th November 1966 and reduced again to Reserve status. HMS URSA was placed on the Disposal List and sold for breaking up in 1967 at Newport, Glamorgan where she arrived on 23 September 1967.
No Convoy Escort Movements Reported
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