Type 1 HUNT Class Escort
Destroyer ordered from Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow as Job No 1836 under the
1939 Programme on 11th April 1939. She was laid down on 11th October 1939 and
launched on 18th July 1940 as the 2nd ship to carry
this name, introduced in 1917 for a minesweeper sold in 1922. Build was
completed on 16th November 1940. Later in March 1942 she was adopted by North
Cotswold Urban District of Gloucestershire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK campaign
for National Savings.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
NORTH SEA 1941-45 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1943
-
NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field per fess wavy Green and Red, in front of two hunting
horns in saltire Gold, a mitre White
embellished Red.
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 0
November Contractor's sea trials and
commissioned for service in 16th Destroyer Flotilla,
16th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to work-up for operational service.
December Passage to Harwich to join
Flotilla on completion of work-up
Deployed with
Flotilla for North Sea convoy escort and patrol duty.
1 9 4 1
January Convoy escort and patrol
duty in North Sea with Flotilla in continuation.
to
February
March
1st In collision off
the Humber with HM Trawler ST DONATS which sank.
2nd Taken in hand for
repair.
April On completion of
repair rejoined Flotilla in continuation of escort and patrol duty.
May
27th Escorted HM Auxiliary
Minelayer TEVIOT BANK with Minesweepers during lay of a
section of East
Coast Barrier (Operation BS62)
(For details of
all minelaying operations see Naval Staff History (Mining).)
June
19th Escorted HM Coastal
Minelayer PLOVER for lay of section of East Coast Barrier.
(Operation BS59).
July Deployed on convoy
escort and patrol duty in North Sea.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Convoy escort and patrol
duty in North Sea in continuation.
to
March
April
20th Mined off Orfordness
in position 42.06N, 01.51E. Detonation under the Stabiliser
Compartment
causing extensive flooding and loss of power.
Four of Ship's
Company were missing.
Coastal Forces
craft embarked casualties.
Initially towed
by HM Destroyer LEEDS and later assisted by tug KENYA and Salvage
Vessel DAPPER.
Tug SUPERMAN
replaced HMS LEEDS and ship then was towed to Shotley Spit.,
off Parkestone
where she was temporarily beached.
May
3rd Refloated and taken
to Parkeston Quay, Harwich
4th Under tow by tugs
DAPPER and KENYA to Chatham.
12th Taken in hand for
repair at m Dockyard Chatham.
June Under repair.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Under repair
to
April
May Carried out Post Refit
trials and prepared for operational service.
8th On completion of
repair rejoined Flotilla.
10th Resumed convoy escort
and patrol duties in North Sea and English Channel.
June Convoy escort and
patrol duty in continuation.
to
September
October
24th Sustained major
damaged in collision with HM Destroyer MONTROSE.
(Note: Boiler
Rooms, Engine Room and Gearing Compartment flooded with serious structural
damage aft.)
November Under repair.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Under repair
to
April
May Carried out Post Refit
trials.
9th On completion
rejoined Flotilla.
Nominated for
duty in Follow-up Force L for escort of convoys during planned allied
landings in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details of
naval activities before and during this Operation see LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June
1944 (HMSO), OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and D DAY
SHIPS by J de
Winser.
June Joined Force L in
More.
5th Deployed as escort
for Convoy L1 with HM Corvettes NARCISSUS and OXLIP from
Thames Estuary to
Solent.
Passage through
Swept Channel with L1
(Note: Convoy
comprised 18 Landings Ships (Tank)).
6th On arrival off beach
head detached and returned to Nore.
7th Joined 134th Escort
Group with HMS NARCISSUS and two Motor Launches to continue
cycle of planned
convoy escort to beach head.
27th After release from
NEPTUNE continued escort duties in North Sea with Flotilla at
Harwich.
July Deployed with
Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol in North Sea and
English Channel.
to
August
September
8th In collision with ss
CHIGNECTO PARK and withdrawn for operational service.
9th Passage to Humber
for repair for repair in commercial shipyard at Immingham.
10th Taken in hand for
repair.
October On completion of post
repair trials rejoined Flotilla
Deployed for
convoy escort and intercept enemy minelaying craft in North Sea.
(Note: This
period was marked by an increase in U-Boat activities by new types of German
SCHNORKEL fitted
submarines, submersibles and E-Boats).
(See E-BOAT ALERT
by Trent and SEEK AND STRIKE by J Terraine).
November North Sea Convoy defence
and patrol duty in continuation
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
15th In action with HM
Frigate CURZON against E-Boat attack on convoy off Dutch
coast.
February North Sea convoy defence and patrol In continuation.
to
April
May
6th After VE Day
deployed in support of re-occupation operations.
June Deployed in Home
Waters on patrol and support duty.
to
August
Post War Notes
HMS
COTSWOLD Paid-off after VJ Day and was refitted at Portsmouth before being
reduced to Reserve status. Laid-up at
Harwich on 29th June 1946 the ship remained there until transferred to
Barrow in 1953. Placed
on the Disposal List in January 1956 she was towed to Harwich and hulked there
prior to sale to BISCO in
August 1957 for demolition by T W Ward at Grays, Essex. The ship arrived in tow
at the breaker’s yard on 11th
September that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS COTSWOLD
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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24/12/40
|
24/12/40
|
FS 0369
|
26/12/40
|
26/12/40
|
23/01/41
|
23/01/41
|
FS 0394
|
25/01/41
|
25/01/41
|
26/01/41
|
26/01/41
|
FN 0392
|
28/01/41
|
28/01/41
|
17/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
CW 194
|
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
CE 192
|
19/07/43
|
19/07/43
|
29/07/43
|
29/07/43
|
CW 197
|
30/07/43
|
30/07/43
|
30/07/43
|
30/07/43
|
CE 195
|
31/07/43
|
31/07/43
|
01/10/43
|
01/10/43
|
CW 213
|
02/10/43
|
02/10/43
|
02/10/43
|
02/10/43
|
CE 211
|
03/10/43
|
03/10/43
|
10/06/44
|
10/06/44
|
ETM 005
|
11/06/44
|
11/06/44
|
16/06/44
|
16/06/44
|
FTC 009
|
17/06/44
|
17/06/44
|
20/06/44
|
20/06/44
|
ETC 015
|
22/06/44
|
22/06/44
|
23/06/44
|
23/06/44
|
FTM 016
|
24/06/44
|
24/06/44
|
27/06/44
|
27/06/44
|
ETC 020
|
28/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
29/06/44
|
29/06/44
|
FTC 021
|
30/06/44
|
30/06/44
|
06/07/44
|
06/07/44
|
ETM 028
|
07/07/44
|
07/07/44
|
13/07/44
|
13/07/44
|
FTC 035
|
14/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
17/07/44
|
17/07/44
|
ETM 039
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
19/07/44
|
19/07/44
|
FTM 042
|
20/07/44
|
20/07/44
|
22/07/44
|
22/07/44
|
ETC 045
|
23/07/44
|
23/07/44
|
24/07/44
|
24/07/44
|
FTC 046
|
25/07/44
|
25/07/44
|
27/07/44
|
27/07/44
|
ETC 050
|
28/07/44
|
28/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
FTC 051
|
30/07/44
|
30/07/44
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(Note on Convoys)
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