Later
HUNT-Class coal burning minesweeper
ordered
from Murdoch and Murray in 1916 and
laid down on 5th March 1918. Machinery
was supplied by Rowan at Glasgow. The
ship was launched on 2nd December 1918
as
the first RN ship to carry this name.
Her build was
completed on 17th March 1919.and then
deployed for mine
clearance
work. Unlike her sister ships, on
release from this
work she was laid-up in UK when placed
in Reserve. Following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign
March 1942 this ship was adopted by
the
civil community of Thorne, near
Doncaster in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
NORTH
SEA 1939-45 - ATLANTIC 1939-45 - NORMANDY
1944
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
On a field per fess black
and white a Buckle, Silver
piercing
a scallop shell Gold.
M o t t o
Hold fast
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 3 9
September
Brought forward from Reserve at
Chatham and commissioned for service
in
to
October 4th
Minesweeping Flotilla.
Carried out
minesweeping trials and shakedown
for operational use.
Passage
to Yarmouth to join Flotilla.
November
Deployed with Flotilla for
minesweeping off East Coast.
(Note:
Flotilla also included HM Minesweepers
KELLETT,
FITZROY,
DUNDALK*,
ELGIN*, DUNOON* and SUTTON*.
Ships
marked * had been held in Reserve in
Malta and Alexandria and
were to
take passage to UK for service in
North Sea. due to increase
in
minelaying with magnetic mines which
had had made
necessary
their
redeployment in this vulnerable area.)
December
East Coast
deployment to ensure clear
passage of shipping in continuation.
1
9 4 0
January
Transferred
to Harwich in continuation of
requirement.
to
(Note: Sister HUNT Class
from Alexandria
arrived in UK to complete the
February
formation
of
4th Minesweeping Flotillas.)
March
East
Coast deployment in continuation
including special clearance of
passages
for use by
RN minelayers during the lay of the
East Coast
Mine Barrier for the
protection
of convoy routes against attacks by
enemy craft.)
See
THE BATTLE
OF THE EAST COAST by JP Foynes and Naval
Staff
History
(Mining).
April
East Coast deployment in
continuation based at Harwich.
(Note:
Sister ship HMS DUNOON was sunk after
detonating a
mine off Great
Yarmouth on 30th
and was replaced by HMS
SALTASH of
this Class.)
May
East coast duties
in continuation with Flotilla.
28th
Joined HM Minesweepers GOSSAMER,
LEDA, PANGBOURNE, ROSS, LYDD,
KELLETT
and ALBURY of 5th
Minesweeping Flotilla with HMS
FITZROY, HMS
SUTTON
and HMS DUNDALK of 4th Flotilla and
took passage to assist in the
evacuation
of allied troops from Dunkirk
(Operation DYNAMO).
29th
Deployed off beaches to ferry
troops to ships unable to go into
shallow water.
Ships
boats used to carry troops from
beaches to HM Cruiser CALCUTTA.
Under
air attacks and continued
rescue operations.
(Note:
Unlike the other ships of the
Flotilla, this ship
was not awarded the Battle
Honour
DUNKIRK
that suggests she may have been
withdrawn from
DYNAMO due to
damage. To be further
investigated.)
June
Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to J18.
Resumed
deployment at Harwich with HM
Minesweepers ALBURY, FITZROY,
ELGIN,
SUTTON and DUNDALK as 4th
Minesweeping Flotilla for
minesweeping.
July
Flotilla deployment in
continuation.
to
(Note: Extensive
anti-invasion measures were introduced
during this period including
August
patrols
off East Coast ports to intercept
invasion craft.)
September Detached
for
special duty.
Took
passage to Sheerness with HMS SUTTON
to join HM Minesweeper
SALAMANDER for
Escort of RFA WAR NIZAM during
passage to Calais.
(Operation LUCID –
Later LUCIFER. The RFA was to
be used as
Fireship and
placed
inside the harbour. RFA WAR NABOB was
similarly
deployed and escorted
to Boulogne
by HMS ELGIN.)
25th
Passage to Calais
with additional escort of
Light Coastal Forces craft.
26th
Operation cancelled due to
adverse weather conditions and
returned to Sheerness.
October
4th
Took passage to Calais
with RFA WAR NIZAM and additional
mercantile
MYTILUS
also
to be used as a Fireship.
(Operation
LUCIFER)
5th
Operation again cancelled due to
weather and returned to Sheerness.
(Note: Plan
to repeat this operation during
November was
never implemented.)
10th
Resumed Flotilla duties at
Harwich.
16th
During Flotilla operation off
Bawdsey, HMS DUNDALK was damaged by a
mine off
and taken
in tow by HMS SUTTON but sank later on
passage.
November
East coast
minesweeping duties based at Harwich
with Flotilla in continuation..
to
HMS PANGBOURNE and HMS LYDD
transferred from 5th Flotilla to 4th
Flotilla.
December
(Note:
These ships replaced HMS DUNDALK and
HMS ELGIN which
was
seriously
damaged on 8th November and withdrawn
for repair.)
1
9 4 1
January
East
coast minesweeping with Flotilla based
at Harwich in continuation.
to
March
April
Transferred
to Granton, near Edinburgh
for minesweeping off Scottish East
Coast.
to
(Note: 5th Flotilla which
had been deployed for this duty had
been disbanded.
June
The 4th
Flotilla was the only one of this
Class deployed in Home waters.)
July
Transferred
with Flotilla to Aberdeen
and continued duties off Scottish
coast.
to
October Flotilla
nominated
for clearance of British mines in
Northern Barrage between
Faroes and Iceland.
(Note: This
was to create a Gap for passage of
allied ships.. See above
reference.)
November
Deployed
in NW Approaches.
to
Under air attacks during
passages to and from operational area.
December
1
9 4 2
January On
completion
of clearance in Atlantic
resumed duties in southern North Sea.
Took passage to Yarmouth.
Deployed
with HM Coastal Minelayer PLOVER off
the Dutch coast as escort
during
minelay (Operation HS – See Naval
Staff
History (Mining).)
February East
coast deployment with
Flotilla at Yarmouth in
continuation.
to
April
May
27th
During minesweeping operation
by Flotilla off coast of Norfolk,
ENE of Great
Yarmouth,
sister ship HMS FITZROY was sunk after
detonating a
mine.
(Note:
Flotilla was using experimental
explosive cutters.)
June
Transferred
with Flotilla to Dartmouth
for minesweeping in SW Approaches to
to
August ensure
clear
passage for coastal convoys and to
provide gaps in existing minefields
to allow
transit of allied warships during
interception on
enemy traffic off French coast.
September
18th
Sustained serious damage during
air raid at Dartmouth
when a collier ss
FARNWOOD was hit by a bomb
October
On
completion of repair resumed
minesweeping duties in SW Approaches
with
to
December
Flotilla,.
1
9 4 3
January
Channel
deployment in continuation.
to
May
June
Transferred
with Flotilla to Milford Haven for
clearance of existing
minefield off Irish
to
December coast.
This proved a long task due to weather
conditions in the area which
restricted
sweeping.
Carried out final check of area prior
to new minelay by HM Cruiser
ADVENTURE.
1
9 4 4
January
SW
Approaches minesweeping duties with
Flotilla based at Milford Haven in
to
February
continuation
March
Transferred
to Portsmouth Command and took passage
to Portsmouth.
Deployed
with Flotilla for minesweeping
operations prior to allied
landings in
Normandy (Operation
NEPTUNE)
(Note:
Ships transferred in Flotilla were
ALBURY, ELGIN,
KELLETT, LYDD,
PANGBOURNE,
ROSS, SALTASH and SUTTON.)
April
Deployed
with Flotilla for mine clearance in
area to be used by
cross-channel
invasion
convoys.
Detached
to take part in preparatory exercises
with Assault Forces.
(Note:
These included minesweeping during
darkness.)
May
Mine
clearance in Channel and exercises
deployment in continuation.
4th
HMS ELGIN seriously damaged by
acoustic mine off Portland and later
declared
beyond
economic repair after survey at
Chatham.
8th
Detached from Exercise FABIUS
to recover bodies of personnel drowned
after
sinking
of US Landing Ships during Exercise
TIGER IN Lyme Bay.
(See
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY (HMSO).)
On
release resumed minesweeping duties in
English Channel
(Note:
Allocated for mine sweep in Channel 4
ahead of ships of Assault
Force O to
beachhead.
June
Deployed
for support of Operation NEPTUNE.
5th
Carried out sweep in Channel 4
ahead of invasion craft.
6th
Completed sweep of Channel 4
without any incident.
Commenced sweep of area between
Channels 4 and 5 to create new Channel
34.
(Note: Canadian 31st Minesweeping
Flotilla, Danlayers and Motor
Launches were
also
deployed.
For details see above Reference.)
7th
Returned to Portsmouth with
Flotilla when Channel 34 work
completed
8th
Deployed for minesweeping away from
beachhead.
(Note:
Ships of this Class were not suitable
for patrol deployment off
the beachhead.)
30th
After completion of NEPTUNE
support Flotilla and resumed
minesweeping in SW
Approaches
with Flotilla.
July
5th
Deployed in Lands End area after
report of mine explosion by
convoy
escort.
(Note: U-Boats concentrating attacks
in coastal areas frequently laid
mines.
See
HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
August
Transferred
with Flotilla to Swansea for
minesweeping operations in
Bristol Channel
and St Georges Channel.
(Note: Atlantic traffic was still
being routed through Irish Sea as
mercantiles using
English
Channel were still vulnerable to air
attacks.)
HMS
LYDD
and HMS ALBURY were under repair at
Devonport.)
September
SW
Approaches deployment based at Swansea
in continuation.
to
December
Nominated
for withdrawal from operational use
with other ships of 4th
Minesweeping
Flotilla.
1
9 4 5
January
Passage
to Milford Haven to Pay-off.
to
Reduced to Reserve status at
Milford Haven. Paid-off and destored.
February
Laid-up
at Milford Haven.
F i n a l P h a s e
HMS SELKIRK remained in Reserve until 1946 when she was placed on the
Disposal List. The ship was sold to
DOHMEN and HABETS of Ghent on 17th May
1947
and towed to Belgium for Demolition.