RIVER-class
Frigate ordered in the 1940 War Programme on 11th February 1941 from
Fairfield SB off
Govan. The ship was laid down on
10th September 1941 and was
launched on 18th March 1942 as the 3rd RN ship to carry the name, introduced in 1813 far a Sloop built at Butlers Hard and
last used in 1876 for
for
a Gunboat sold in 1920. The ship was completed
on 5th August 1942 and was fitted
with reciprocating
propulsion machinery. She had been adopted
by the civil community of Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in May 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1942-43
H e
r a l d i c D
a t a
No details are given in
the official Record of Heraldic Crests,
but as this name
had been used previously this may have been
an oversight.
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
July
Contractors trials.
August Commissioned
for service in Western Approaches Command.
5th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Tobermory.
September Joined 7th
Group on completion of work-up for operational service.
(Note: Group comprised M Destroyers CHESTERFIELD, RIPLEY, HM Frigate SWALE
and
five FLOWER Class Corvettes.
October Deployed
with Group in NW Approaches for convoy defence.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy SC103 with no loss of any ship.)
November Atlantic convoy
defence with Group in continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy HX216 with no lose of any ship.)
December Atlantic convoy
defence with Group in continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy ON153 with loss of four ships.)
1 9 4 3
January Atlantic
convoy defence with Group in continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy SC117 with no lose of any ship.)
For
details of Atlantic convoy defence and U-Boat deployments see U-BOAT IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO), THE BATTLE GP THE ATLANTIC by D McIntyre , SEEK
AND
STRIKE by W Hackmann and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
February Atlantic
convoy defence with Group in continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy SC120 and Convoy ON164 both of
which
arrived without loss of any mercantile.)
March Atlantic
convoy defence with Group in continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy ON173 with no loss of any ship.)
April Deployed
with HM Destroyer VIDETTE, HM Corvettes SUNFLOWER, SNOWFLAKE,
LOOSESTRIFE and PINK as
escort for Convoy HX231 of sixty one ships.
4th Convoy
sighted by U530 which reported details of number of ships end course.
5th Under
attacks by reinforced LOHENHERTZ Group of U-Boats.
6th Carried
out depth charges attack on U306 which was unsuccessful.
(Note: Ship was wrongly credited with sinking of U635 actually destroyed by an RAF
LIBERATOR aircraft on 5th.
Aircraft also sank U632
See
U-B0ATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
7th Escort
supplemented by ships of 4th Support Group and U-Boats withdrew.
(Note: Support Group comprising HM Destroyers ICARUS, INGLEFIELD, ECLIPSE,
and
FURY had sailed from Iceland. See HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair)
Joined Convoy ONS5 with HM Destroyers DUNCAN, VIDETTE and Corvettes,.
28th Convoy
comprising 43 ships ain and reported by U630 of
STAR U-Boat Group.
29th Under
attacks by STAR Group.
Carried out anti-submarine operations on U532 in defence of convoy.
30th Escort
reinforced by HM Destroyers ORIBI, OFFA, IMPULSIVE,
PENN and PANTHER
of
3rd Support Group.
HMS
ORIBI joined escort..
(Note: Air cover also provided.)
U-Boat operations and convoy dispersed due to appalling weather conditions.
May
1st After
refuelling from tanker BRITISH LAW took part in reforming ships of convoy.
Additional four destroyers of 3rd Support Group joined escort.
(Note: For details of departure of escorts to refuel see HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR.
Weather conditions had previously precluded any attempt to refuel.).
4th Under
attack by U-Boats of FINK and AMSEL Groups.
to
Remained with convoy.
5th (Note:
Five U-Boats were sunk during defence of ONS5 by other escorts but 13
mercantiles
were
sunk.
This
operation was one of the most prolonged of the period.
See
above references.)
16th Part of
escort for Convoy SC130 with HMS DUNCAN, HMS VIDETTE, HM Canadian
Corvette KITCHENER and four corvettes of 7th Escort Group.
(Note: Convoy comprised thirty nine mercantiles.)
17th HM
Frigates JED, WEAR, SPEY and HM Cutter SENNEN of 1st Support Group joined SC130
to
reinforce escort.
18th Attacks
by DONAU and ODER U-Boat Groups driven off by escort and LIBERATOR aircraft
from
Iceland. See above references.
19lh Carried
out attack on U952 which was badly damaged and had to return to France.
20th U-Boat
operations ceased.
(Note: Post war assessments record four U-Boats were sunk with no survivors including
Peter
Donitz, son of the German Admiral.).
June
Nominated for service in
Eastern Fleet.
Prepared for foreign service..
July
20th Joined
joint military convoy WS32/KMF20 in Clyde with HM Destroyer BEAGLE, HM
Frigates DERG and KALE as part of Ocean Escort during passage to Freetown.
25th Ships of
Convoy KMF20 detached with HM Sloops EGRET, PELICAN, HM Frigates JED and
ROTHER as escort during passage to
Gibraltar with HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS
(Note: HMS CHARYBDIS had joined on 20th July.)
HM
Destroyer DOUGLAS and HM Frigate
NESS joined W32
for Local Escort into Freetown.
28th Detached
on arrival at Freetown.
August
5th Joined
WS32 with HMS DERG and HMS KALE as escort during passage to
Cape Town..
17th Detached
from WS32 on arrival at Cape Town..
Made independent passage to Kilindini for Indian Ocean convoy defence.
September Deployed in
Indian Ocean for convoy defence
1 9 4 4
January Indian Ocean
deployment in continuation.
to
July
August Deployed with
HM Cutter BANFF for anti submarine operation to find U859 known to be
carrying out attack in Indian Ocean.
(Note: U859 was later sunk by HM Submarine TRENCHANT. See U-BOATS
DESTROYED.)
September Convoy defence
in Indian Ocean in continuation.
to Eastern
Fleet ships moved to Trincomalee in this period but Escorts were based in
December Kilindini for
coastal convoys to Aden and South Africa.
1 9 4 5
January Deployed for
convoy defence in Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal.
to (Note:
Eastern Fleet re-designated East Indies Fleet.
July Escorts
were also deployed in support of military operations off coast of
Burma,
the
occupation of Ramree Island and the re-occupation of Rangoon.
This
ship is not listed in records of Burma coast operations and was not
awarded a Battle Honour BURMA
1944-45.
It is
therefore assumed that her deployment as escort for Indian Ocean mercantile
convoys continued.)
August Prepared for
escort of military convoys to
Malaya (Operation ZIPPER)
(Note: This was delayed until September by US insistence and problems s relating
to the
release of long serving SEAC personnel under the PYTHON Scheme)
Ship
was part of the East Indies Fleet on VJ Day.
Po a t W a r N o t e s
HMS TAY was retained at Singapore after re-occupation and
deployed to support the repatriation of prisoners of war and allied nationals captured by the Japanese in Java
and Sumatra. Ships of the Escort Force also supported military operations in the Ditch East Indies. After release
from these duties she returned to UK and was Paid-off at Harwich where she reduced to Reserve status in 1947.
After being refitted at Chatham in 1950 she returned to Reserve end later was laid-up at West Hartlepool. Placed en
the Disposal List in 1956 as part of the reduction of the Reserve Fleet the ship was sold to BISCO for demolition by Shipbreaking
Industries Ltd. and arrived at the breakers yard near Rosyth
under tow on 26th September 1956.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
TAY
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
19/09/42
|
01/10/42
|
SC 102
|
03/10/42
|
06/10/42 |
26/10/42
|
26/10/42
|
KMF 001
|
08/11/42
|
08/11/42 |
26/11/42
|
26/11/42
|
KMS 004G
|
07/12/42
|
12/12/42 |
03/12/42
|
08/12/42
|
MKS 003X
|
19/12/42
|
19/12/42 |
04/01/43
|
05/01/43
|
ON 159
|
08/01/43
|
20/01/43 |
27/12/42
|
09/01/43
|
SC 115
|
15/01/43
|
15/01/43 |
01/02/43
|
02/02/43
|
ON 164
|
13/02/43
|
19/02/43 |
13/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
SC 120
|
05/03/43
|
05/03/43 |
13/03/43
|
14/03/43
|
ON 173
|
24/03/43
|
29/03/43 |
25/03/43
|
31/03/43
|
HX 231
|
09/04/43
|
10/04/43 |
21/04/43
|
22/04/43
|
ONS 005
|
07/05/43
|
12/05/43 |
11/05/43
|
15/05/43
|
SC 130
|
25/05/43
|
26/05/43 |
08/06/43
|
09/06/43
|
ONS 010
|
23/06/43
|
27/06/43 |
27/06/43
|
01/07/43
|
SC 135
|
10/07/43
|
11/07/43 |
19/07/43
|
19/07/43
|
KMF 020
|
25/07/43
|
28/07/43 |
17/09/43
|
18/09/43
|
DK 001
|
28/09/43
|
28/09/43 |
30/09/43
|
30/09/43
|
DKA 001
|
09/10/43
|
09/10/43 |
18/10/43
|
18/10/43
|
AB 017
|
27/10/43
|
27/10/43 |
28/10/43
|
28/10/43
|
BA 052
|
05/11/43
|
05/11/43 |
11/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
AKD 006
|
29/11/43
|
29/11/43 |
01/03/44
|
01/03/44
|
CM 049B
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44 |
27/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
AB 035A
|
01/04/44
|
01/04/44 |
10/04/44
|
10/04/44
|
PA 075
|
17/04/44
|
17/04/44 |
19/04/44
|
19/04/44
|
AB 038A
|
25/04/44
|
25/04/44 |
03/05/44
|
03/05/44
|
BA 069A
|
09/05/44
|
09/05/44 |
27/05/44
|
27/05/44
|
AB 040A
|
31/05/44
|
01/06/44 |
05/06/44
|
05/06/44
|
PB 080
|
07/06/44
|
07/06/44 |
07/06/44
|
07/06/44
|
BA 071
|
13/06/44
|
13/06/44 |
23/06/44
|
27/06/44
|
PA 080
|
30/06/44
|
01/07/44 |
04/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
AB 042A
|
10/07/44
|
10/07/44 |
29/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
BA 076
|
06/08/44
|
06/08/44 |
09/08/44
|
09/08/44
|
AB 043
|
14/08/44
|
14/08/44 |
21/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
BA 077
|
26/08/44
|
26/08/44 |
29/08/44
|
29/08/44
|
AB 044
|
04/09/44
|
04/09/44 |
06/09/44
|
06/09/44
|
BA 078
|
16/09/44
|
16/09/44 |
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
ABF 004
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44 |
27/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
BAF 005
|
02/10/44
|
02/10/44 |
09/11/44
|
09/11/44
|
ABF 005A
|
14/11/44
|
14/11/44 |
01/12/44
|
01/12/44
|
AJ 006/2
|
05/12/44
|
05/12/44 |
11/12/44
|
11/12/44
|
JA 001/2
|
17/12/44
|
17/12/44 |
31/01/45
|
31/01/45
|
MKS 080G
|
31/01/45
|
07/02/45 |
24/02/45
|
01/03/45
|
MKS 085G
|
03/03/45
|
03/03/45 |
(Note on Convoys)