V-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered from JS White,
Cowes IoW with the 8th Emergency Flotilla on 1st September 1941 and laid down
on 31st December 1942. The ship was launched on 15th December 1943 as the 5th
RN warship to carry this name, previously used for a corvette sold in 1904 and
introduced for a Prize captured in 1798. She had been adopted by to civil
community of Pocklington, then in the East Riding of
Yorkshire following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in March 1942. Build was completed on 26th May 1944 and the ship was
fitted for Arctic service.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
LISSA 1811 - ADEN 1839 - CHINA
1839-42 - BALTIC 1853 - ARCTIC 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field White, a Red
Admiral butterfly Proper.
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 4
May Contractor's sea trials and
commissioned. for service with 26th Destroyer Flotilla Home Fleet
26th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work
up with ships of Home
June
Worked up with Home Fleet
July
On completion joined Flotilla for Fleet duties with Flotilla.
August
8th Deployed with Flotilla on
preliminary exercise for planned operation off Norway
. 10th Escorted H M Aircraft Carriers
INDEFATIGABLE, TRUMPETER, NABOB, HM Cruisers
KENT and DEVONSHIRE with Flotilla for air attacks on shipping and shore
targets between
Lepsoy and Haramsa Is., Norway .
(Operation OFFSPRING - For details see Naval Staff History (MINING) and
CONVOY ! by P
Kemp).
September Deployed with Flotilla in NW Approaches.
17th Part of screen for HM Battleship RODNEY,
HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Aircraft Carriers
CAMPANIA and STRIKER with HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR, MUSKETEER,
SAUMAREZ, SCORPION, VENUS, VERULAM and VIRAGO as escort for passage of
Russian Convoy JW60 to Kola Inlet.
(Note: HMS RODNEY was included in case of any attack by the German
battleship TIRPITZ
but German
ship was disabled in an RAF raid on 15th Sept.)
23rd Detached on arrival of JW60 after
uneventful passage.
28th Sailed as escort for return convoy
RA60 with same ships.
29th Convoy attacked by U310 which sank
two mercantiles.
October
3rd Detached with HMS RODNEY and other
Home Fleet ships before arrival of convoy in Loch
Ewe.
(For full details of Russian Convoy operations see CONVOY! by P Kemp,
CONVOYS TO
RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield and ARCTIC CONVOYS
by R. Woodman.).
14th Joined Force 9 as escort for HM
Cruiser EURYALUS, HM Aircraft Carriers TRUMPETER and
FENCER with HM Destroyers MYNGS, SCORPION, SERAPIS, HM Canadian
Destroyers
ALGONQUIN and SIOUX for air minelay and attacks on shipping off
Norwegian coast.
(Operation LYCIDAS - For details see above references.)
. 17th Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier
IMPLACABLE and HM Cruiser BELLONA with Flotilla for
air attacks and photo-reconnaissance off
Norwegian Coast
26th Escorted HMS IMPLACABLE and HM
Cruiser MAURITIUS with Home Fleet destroyers for
air attacks on targets in Bodo/Sandnessjoen, Lodingen and Kristiansund North.
November
Nominated for service in Eastern Fleet_with
26th Destroyer Flotilla.
Refitted in Leith at a commercial shipyard prior to foreign service
December
Under refit.
1 9 4 5
January On completion of post refit trials
rejoined Flotilla.
Took passage to join
Eastern Fleet in Ceylon.
February Joined Eastern Fleet for screening
and patrol duties with Flotilla.
24th Part of escort for HM Aircraft
Carrier EMPRESS, HM Aircraft Carrier AMEER, and HM
Cruiser KENYA with HM Destroyer VIGILANT, HM Destroyer VIRAGO and
frigates of the
Eastern Fleet for air photo-reconnaissance of Malacca Straits areas.
During outward and return passages bombarded targets in Andamans
(Operation STAGEY).
March
14th Deployed with HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ
and RAPID as Force 70 for reconnaissance
of Langkawi
Sound and took passage to Malacca Straits.
(Operation TRANSPORT).
16th Reconnaissance abandoned and
deployed on shipping sweep.
17th Bombarded railway works at Sigli, Sumatra.
18th Unsuccessful search for shipping in
Nicobar islands.
19th After closing Port Blair harbour
found no shipping.
Arrived of Stewart Sound with Force 70.
Condenser defect prevented use
of one shaft and remained outside Sound.
Fired air bursts over shore batteries.
Under shore fire during which HMS RAPID was hit.
(Note: HMS RAPID was serious damaged with several casualties and loss
of steam.
Temporarily disabled by shore fire whilst HMS SAUMAREZ was towing HMS
RAPID out
of Stewart Sound but able to resume passage.
(Note: Three ratings killed
and eight wounded. For full details see THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET by
J Winton and WARE WITH JAPAN (HMSO)
All three ships of Force 70 returned to Akyab
under own power.
25th Sailed with HMS SAUMAREZ, HMS VIRAGO
and HMS VIGILANT as Force 70 to carry
out an anti-shipping sweep between Andamans and Malayan coast
(Operation ON BOARD).
26th Carried out an attack on enemy
convoy of four ships escorted by two Japanese Sub Chasers
on passage from Singapore to Port Blair.
After half an hour during which surface gunfire and torpedoes were used
without success
aircraft support was provided by Liberator aircraft.
Four mercantiles were then sunk in a series of air and surface attacks.
See above references.
28th Returned to Trincomalee with 52
Japanese survivors from convoy.
(Note: 18 torpedoes
and 3,160 rounds of 4.7in ammunition were expended by ships of Force
during the
attacks and the action was later described by the Senior Officer as
exasperatingly unsatisfactory.
Convoy was
taking stores to the Andaman garrison and the passengers included some
comfort
ladies for their entertainment !).
April Indian Ocean convoy defence
and interception of U-Boat supply ships.
Nominated for refit and
took passage to Durban.
May
Under refit.
to
(Note: During this refit an additional warning radar, Type 291 was
fitted. and an improved
June submarine
detection set (A/S Type 147B ), as well as a radio equipment for direction
finding of
wireless communication transmissions.
The Arctic
fittings were removed to reduce top-weight. For details of development
and use of
radio and ASDIC equipment during WW2 see RADAR AT SEA by D
Howse and SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann).
July On completion of post refit
trials took passage to rejoin Flotilla in East Indies Fleet.
August Deployed with Flotilla for
screening duties and prepared for support of planned landings in Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER)
(Note: For details of delay in the start
of this operation see above references, WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO) and
Final Report of the Supreme Commander SEAC.)
Passage to Penang as
part of screen for major units of East Indies Fleet
31st Sailed from Trincomalee to join ships
deployed for re-occupation of Penang.
September At
Penang for re-occupation.
Sailed for Port Dickson area for support of landings (Operation ZIPPER)
(Note: For details of ZIPPER and the earlier
delays until after VJ Day see THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET, WAR
WITH JAPAN and Final Report of Supreme Commander SEAC
(HMSO).
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS
VOLAGE returned to Trincomalee and deployed with Flotilla for local duties.
Later took passage to UK with Flotilla
and nominated for service in 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet in
Malta. Prepared for service at Portsmouth
before passage to Malta. On the 22nd October 1946 she sustained major damage
after striking a mine in the
Corfu Channel (below - Navy Photos/Peter Crocker). The ship was repaired in Malta but returned to UK in 1949 and
went into Reserve. After conversion
for use as an Anti-Submarine Frigate by her builders she rejoined the Fleet in
1954 and served in the Dartmouth
Training Squadron for two years. During 1956 she again went into Reserve and
was laid-up at Portsmouth.
The ship never re-commissioned. whilst at Portsmouth in 1964 ship was used for
harbour training of Royal
Marines. Placed on the Disposal List she was sold to BISCO in on 28th October 1972 and towed to
the breakers’
yard for breaking-up by Pounds at Portchester later
that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VOLAGE
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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15/09/44
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17/09/44
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JW 060
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23/09/44
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23/09/44
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28/09/44
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28/09/44
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RA 060
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04/10/44
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05/10/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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