1
9 4 3
February
Contractors trials.
20th
Build completion
Passage to San
Francisco.
March
1st
Commissioned as HMS FENCER.
April
Passage to east coast of USA via
Panama
Canal.
May
2nd
Arrived at New
York.
7th
Joined inward Convoy HX238 for passage
to Liverpool.
22nd
Detached from HX238 on arrival and taken
in hand for conversion to suit RN
requirements
for convoy
defence deployment in Liverpool
commercial shipyard.
(Note:
Fit of Radar Type 79B for aircraft
warning and control and Type 272 for
surface
warning is
recorded as March 1943. This is to be
confirmed,)
June
Under conversion.
July
Carried
out trials on completion of shipyard
work.
31st
Passage to Clyde
to
commenced work-up for operational
service.
August
Work-up
in Clyde
area with nine SWORDFISH,
six SEAFIRE aircraft and personnel of
842
Squadron
embarked.
September
Nominated for service with 8th
Escort Group for Atlantic convoy
defence.
30th
Deployed with HM Destroyers INCONSTANT,
VISCOUNT, WRESTLER, Polish ORP
BURZA and ORP
GARLAND of Group in support of passage
of convoy from
UK
to Azores.
(Operation
ALACRITY).
(Note:
Allied occupation of the Azores
had been agreed in a treaty
with Portugal
signed on
18th August.)
October
Deployed
in Atlantic
for support of ALACRITY
convoy and passage of SC145.
8th
Arrived in Azores
and landed
aircraft for anti-submarine patrols.
Deployed in Azores
area for
patrol and escort of ALACRITY convoy.
23rd
Returned to Azores
to recover aircraft and took
passage to UK.
24th
Took passage to
resume air support of Gibraltar
route
convoys.
November
Deployed
for Atlantic convoy support with Group
Passage
to Clyde
5th
On arrival deployed for Atlantic
convoy defence
Embarked HELLCAT
aircraft and additional personnel for
842
Squadron.
19th
Provided anti-submarine air cover for
inward joint convoy SL139/MKS30
during
passage from Gibraltar
to Liverpool
26th
Provided anti-submarine air cover for
outward joint Convoy OS60/KMS34
during
Atlantic passage from Liverpool
to Gibraltar.
December
Deployment
with OS60/KMS34 in continuation
(Note:
During this support embarked SEAFIRE
aircraft
destroyed an FW200 aircraft and
launched
continuous SWORDFISH patrols.
Detached from
OS34/KMS34.
6th
Provided support
for inward joint Convoy SL141/MKS32.
12th
Supported passage of joint outward
Convoy OS61/KMS35.through Bay of Biscay
area to
Gibraltar
with ships
of Support Group.
17th
Supported passage of joint inward Convoy
SL142/MKS33.
24th
Under repair in Clyde
shipyard.
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9 4 4
January
Under repair.
February
Resumed
Atlantic convoy defence duties on
completion of post refit trials.
Deployed
with 16th Escort Group,
Supported
passage of joint outward Convoys ON223
and HX278 with ships of Support
Group.
10th
SWORDFISH aircraft A, 842
Squadron sank U666 in position 60.43N
12.50W,
SW of Faeroes.
There were no survivors from the
submarine.
For
details see U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
26th
Support passage of joint inward Convoy
SL149/MKS40
March
Joined
Home Fleet ships to provide Distant
Cover for passage of Convoy JW58 to
Kola
Inlet and for attacks on German
battleship TIRPITZ (Operation
TUNGSTEN).
30th
Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HM Battleships ANSON
and DUKE OF YORK, HM Aircraft
Carrier
VICTORIOUS, HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR,
SEARCHER and PURSUER, HM
Cruisers
BELFAST, SHEFFIELD
and JAMAICA screened by 14 Home Fleet
destroyers to
cover JW58
and execute
Operation TUNGSTEN.
April
Embarked
22 WILDCAT aircraft with personnel of
882 Squadron
2nd
Deployed with the
Escort Carriers as Force 8 to provide
anti-submarine patrols.
3rd
Joined HMS FURIOUS to provide
additional fighter cover during strike
operations.
(For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett and
Naval Staff
History.)
5th
Return passage to Scapa
Flow with TUNGSTEN ships.
19th
Deployed with HM Escort Aircraft Carrier
ACTIVITY to provide air cover during the
passage
of HM Cruiser
DIADEM, 16 Home Fleet destroyers, 4
Canadian
frigates and a mercantile NEA
HELLAS
during
passage from Scapa Flow
to Kola
Inlet.
(Note:
These ships were required to embark US
Navy personnel
from USS MILWAUKEE
transferred
to Soviet Navy and Russian naval
personnel to
man ships in UK
being
loaned to
Soviet Navy, for passage to UK.
In addition the RN ships
were to escort
empty mercantiles
lying in Russian
ports.
As
NEA HELLAS, was intended to embark
Soviet Navy personnel, had to return to
UK
because of defects during
passage, the Russians had to be
transported in the
British warships and
the returning mercantiles.
24th
Planned repeat of
TUNGSTEN by same carriers delayed by
weather conditions.
(Operation
PLANET)
25th
Further delay due to weather made
cancellation necessary.
23rd
Arrived in Kola
Inlet.
28th
Sailed from Kola Inlet with Russian
Admiral and Staff.
Provided
air cover during passage of mercantiles
to UK
(Convoy RA59)
(Note:
Details of distribution of personnel in
escorting
ships and mercantiles
are given in
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg.)
May
1st
SWORDFISH aircraft C of
842 Squadron sank U277 in position
73.24N 15.42E, SW of
Bear
Island in defence
of RA59.
There were no survivors from the
submarine.
2nd
SWORDFISH aircraft B of 842
Squadron sank U674 in position 70.32N
04.37E, NE of
Jan
Mayen
Island in defence of RA59.
There were no survivors from
the submarine.
SWORDFISH
aircraft K of 842 Squadron sank U959 in
position 69.20N 00.20W, NE
of
Iceland
in defence
of RA59.
There were no survivors from the
submarine.
Bv138C
Shadowing aircraft shot down by WILDCAT
fighters
4th
Detached from RA59 with HMS DIADEM, HM
Destroyers BOADICEA, ULYSSES,
VERULAM,
VIRAGO, before arrival of convoy at Loch
Ewe and took passage to Scapa
Flow.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations
see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA, CONVOY
! by P.
Kemp, THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B Schoefield
and ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
(Note:
Weather conditions during passage were
extreme with
rough seas and icing.
Launches
were all maintained with some delay
5th
Passage to Clyde
for repair
of storm damage.
June
On
completion of repair deployed with HM
Escort Aircraft Carrier STRIKER, HM
Cruiser
SHEFFIELD
and screen of six Home Fleet
destroyers in area north of North
Norwegian
coast
(Operation
WANDERERS – Diversionary operation
during Allied landings in Normandy
to simulate
possible landings in Norway
and enforce retention of
U-Boats in Arctic
for attacks
on approaching convoy).
Embarked ten
additional WILDCAT aircraft and
personnel for 881
Squadron.
(Note: Not
deployed in direct support of allied
landings in Normandy.
(Operation
NEPTUNE)
20th
Anti-submarine operations carried out
and aircraft launched for strikes on
shore targets
On
release landed WILDCAT aircraft and
personnel of 881 Squadron.
July
Resumed
Atlantic convoy defence duties.
13th
Provided anti-submarine cover for
defence of outward joint Convoy
OS83/KMS57
22nd
Provided support for inward joint Convoy
SL164/MKS55
August
Deployed
for anti-submarine operations in NW
Approaches.
8th
Carried out anti-submarine sweep with
Force 32 ships in NW Approaches
(Operation
CX)
(Note:
U-Boats were known to be regularly using
Faeroes/Iceland passage on passage
to and from
Atlantic deployments.)
September
Deployed
with Home Fleet
Embarked four
WILDCAT aircraft and additional
personnel for 842
Squadron.
(Note:
Transfer of four more WILDCAT from HMS
NABOB to be
confirmed
HMS
NABOB was seriously damaged on 22nd
September.)
28th
Carried out anti-submarine patrols in
support of Home Fleet strikes in
Norwegian
waters,
October
Deployment
with Home Fleet for cover
of anti-shipping strikes and
air minelays
off Norway
in continuation..
14th
Sailed from Scapa
Flow with HM Cruiser EURYALUS and
HM Escort Aircraft Carrier
HMS
TRUMPETER screened by HM Destroyers
MYNGS, VOLAGE, SERAPIS,
ALGONQUIN (RCN)
and SIOUX
(RCN)
for air
minelay (Operation LYCIDAS).
15th
Embarked aircraft carried out minelay
off Sado
and Aaramsund
in
error
(Note: This
was due to poor identification on
land.).
16th
Minelay carried out successfully. and
took return passage to Scapa
Flow with ships
of Force 9.
31st
Nominated for aircraft transport duties
ii SW Pacific.
November
Took
passage to Trincomalee
11th
Arrived at Trincomalee
Embarked aircraft
for transport to BPF.
December
Passage to Australia.
23rd
Arrived at Sydney
and
disembarked aircraft.
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January
Deployed
for aircraft transport between Ceylon
and Australia in continuation
to
Allocated for service with British Fleet
Train –Task Force 112.
February
March
Passage
to Sydney from Ceylon
with aircraft
31st
Sailed from Sydney
with
aircraft to BPF Forward Base at Manus,
Admiralty Is.
April
TF112 service in continuation for
transport of
aircraft to and from Manus.
to
May
June
Nominated
for repair in South Africa
before transfer to 39th
Aircraft Carrier
Squadron
in East Indies Fleet based in Ceylon.
13th
Took passage to Simons Town,
Taken in hand by HM
Dockyard, Simons Town.
July
Under
repair
August
On
completion of post repair trials took
passage to join Squadron at Colombo.
September
Nominated
for return to UK
for conversion to suit use
as a troop transport.
4th
Sailed for UK
25th
Arrived in Clyde.
Conversion
arranged in London commercial shipyard
Passage
to Thames
30th
Taken in hand for
conversion.
Paid-off from
operational service.