1 9 3 9
August Under refit at Southampton.
Refit
work cancelled and commissioned for service.
September Passage
to join Home Fleet.
Prepared for war service.
October Deployed
in Home waters.
to
December
1 9 4 0
January Deployment
in Home waters in continuation.
to
August
September Transferred
to Nore Command in support of anti-invasion dispositions.
October Carried
out bombardment of Dunkirk area.
November Nominated
for refit.
December Under refit.
1 9 4 1
January Under refit.
to Three 3in HA guns fitted on port and
starboard sides with radar control by two Type 285
June Fire-control outfits.
Three
3in HA guns fitted on either beam for AA defence with fire control Radar.
July Post
refit trials and prepared for service.
August Joined Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
September Home Fleet duties in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Nominated
for foreign service in East Indies for AA defence at
Trincomalee.
February On
completion of preparation for foreign service took
passage to join East Indies Station.
March Arrived
at Trincomalee.
April Deployed
at Trincomalee.
9th Under Japanese air attack whilst in
harbour and sustained casualties and damage.
(See WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) for details.)
(Note: Several aircraft were destroyed by defences to
which this ship contributed.)
May Under
repair
to (Note: In view of the lack of repair
facilities it is assumed the work was done at Bombay.)
July
August Resumed
Fleet service and took passage to Kilindini.
Nominated for support of planned landings at Majunga, Madagascar to complete occupation
of the island (Operation
JANE).
(Note: Operation IRONCLAD carried out in May 1942 had
occupied the French naval base
at Diego Suarez but the
strategic value of Madagascar was essential to prevent any
any invasion by Japanese
forces).
September Joined
HM Battleship WARSPITE, HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM, GAMBIA, MANXMAN,
DAUNTLESS and CARADOC, HM Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Seaplane Carrier
ALBATROSS
(Deployed as HQ Ship) screened by 12 destroyers with additional minesweeping
support to prepare for landings,
(Note:
Exercise TOUCHSTONE was carried out to prepare for the landings.
10th Present at first assault landings but naval gunfire support
was not required..
Returned to Kilindini on release from JANE.
October Nominated for return to UK and took passage via Cape of Good Hope
November Rejoined Home Fleet.
to Deployed
in Home waters.
December
1 9 4 3
January Home waters deployment in
continuation
to Nominated for service in Mediterranean.
April (Note:
Award of Battle Honour ATLANTIC 1943 to be investigated.
Unless
ship was involved in an attack on a convoy this seems extraordinary
and no supporting record has been traced.)
May Passage
to Mediterranean
June Nominated
for service with US Task Force 85 to support US landings in Sicily.
(Operation
HUSKY: For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.Barnett
and Naval Staff History).
July Joined Support Force East for gunfire support during landings of XXX
Corps
7th Sailed from Sfax in Convoy MWS36 for passage to ACID Beach.
(Note:
Intended passage with Fast Convoy MWF36 impractical because of speed in
transit.
See
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)
10th Provided gunfire support at ACID with HM
Monitor ROBERTS during landings SW of
Syracuse.
11th Provided Fire support for shore
operations with HM Monitors ABERCROMBIE and
ROBERTS.
12th Bombarded airfield at Catania, Sicily with ships of Force A.
August Naval gunfire support off Sicily.
Nominated for support of British landings on Italian mainland.
(Operation
BAYTOWN - See above references).
31st Deployed in
Straits of Messina to provide gunfire support.
September
2nd Bombarded coast between Reggio Calabria and Pessaro with
HM Monitors ROBERTS and
ABERCROMBIE,
HM Battleships VALIANT and WARSPITE, HM Cruisers ORION and
MAURITIUS, HM River
Gunboats APHIS and SCARAB.
3rd Provided naval gunfire support during
landings by British XIII corps near Reggio and Villa
San
Giovanni
with HMS ABERCROMBIE, HMS ROBERTS, HMS ORION, HMS MAURITIUS,
HM River Gunboats APHIS and SCARAB.
7th Sailed from Bizerta
with Convoy FSS2 for passage to Salerno to provide naval gunfire
support
during landings (Operation AVALANCHE)
9th Present at landings
(Note:
As no Battle Honour SALERNO 1943 was awarded it is assumed ship had to leave
the area, possibly due to defect - see below)
October Withdrawn
from Mediterranean service and took passage to Plymouth
(Note:
This may support reason for withdrawal from an operation which needed
significant
naval gunfire support against opposition from German forces)
November Taken
in hand for repair and refit by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
December Under
refit
1 9 4 4
January Under
refit
Nominated for support of planned
allied landings in Normandy (Operation
NEPTUNE).
(Note: Extensive changes were made including fit of
aircraft warning radar Type 279B
at foremasthead
and surface warning radar Type 276 on new lattice type
mainmast. Multiple Pom-pom
weapons with radar control and 20mm Oerlikon
guns were also installed.
February Post refit trials.
to Resumed operational service
March
April Prepared
at Plymouth for naval gunfire support of allied landings in
Normandy.
to Allocated for duty in Western Task Force
under US Command.
May (For
details of activities prior to and during landings see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June 1944 (HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards).
June Deployed
at Weymouth prior to Joining Bombardment Force A for
support of the US
landings on UTAH Beach.
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Joined US battleship USS NEVADA, US cruisers USS TUSCALOOSA and
USS
QUINCY, HM Cruisers HAWKINS, ENTERPRISE and BLACK PRINCE during
their passage from Belfast to Solent.
Dutch Gunboat HM Neth. Ship
SOEMBA joined Force A
Passage through swept channel with
Force A.
6th On arrival off UTAH Beach took up bombarding position.
Provided gunfire support in accordance with fire-plan.
7th On completion of Assault Phase
transferred to Eastern Task Force and came under RN
Command.
Deployed for naval gunfire support in Eastern Task Force Area with
Support Squadron.
July Deployed
with four Landing Craft, Gun (Large) in Seine Bay but unable to provide any
support as the positions of the opposing armies was not
clearly defined.
19th Bombarded targets in Houlgate
area.
20th Houlgate bombardment in continuation.
26th Bombarded targets at Caen in support of British Army
operations.
29th Continued gunfire
support on same areas.
August Remained
in Channel area for support of shore operations.
September
10th Under fire from shore with HM
Battleship WARSPITE during bombardment of Le Havre
area during military operations.
Credited
with 30 direct hits cut of 130 rounds fired.
19th Deployed in Seine Bay and bombarded batteries in Houlgate area that were delaying
advance of British troops.
20th Returned to Portsmouth to
replenish ammunition.
October Nominated
for support of British landings at Walcheren with Support Squadron.
(Operation
INFATUATE - For details see and THE CAMPAIGN NORTH WEST EUROPE,
June 1944 – May 1945 (HMSO) and ENCAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett)
Deployed with HMS WARSPITE and HMS
ROBERTS for support of landings.
28th Assembled with Squadron at Ostend.
November
1st Carried out
bombardment of shore batteries at Westkappelle with
HMS WARSPITE.
2nd Bombardment in
continuation.
On
release from INFATUATE returned to Plymouth.
December Deployed
in Home waters.
1 9 4 5
January Home
waters deployment in continuation.
to (Note:
This ship was not nominated for service In Pacific).
August