1
9 3 9
September
In
reserve at Portsmouth.
Selected
for re-arming and refit.
October
Taken
in hand for refit at Portsmouth.
November
Under Refit
to
December
1
9 4 0
January
Under
refit
February
Transferred
to Devonport
for
re-arming.
March
Under
refit at Devonport.
to
(Note:
Two 7.5in
mountings removed and replaced by four
single 4in with
December
2pdr
Pom-Pom
for Close Range AA defence against air
attack.
1
9 4 1
January
Under
refit.
to
(Note:
New centimetric
surface warning Radar Type 271
installed abaft compass platform
November
and
fire control Radar Type 285 for main
armament.
An
aircraft warning Radar Type 281 using
two aerials units fitted at each
masthead
was also
installed,
For
details of the development and use of
radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA
by
D Howse.)
December
Carried out Post
Refit trials.
1
9 4 2
January
Commissioned
at Devonport manned by Portsmouth
Division ship’s company
Post refit
trials in continuation.
February
Nominated
for service in Eastern Fleet with 4th
Cruiser Squadron
Completed Sea Trials
and calibrations.
March
Passage
to Scapa
Flow
to work-up
with Hone Fleet.
4th
Arrived at Scapa
Flow and commenced work-up with ships of
Home
Fleet..
Deployed
to meet US Battleship USS WASHINGTON and
US Aircraft Carrier USS WASP
in NW
Approaches During passage to Scapa
Flow to reinforce Hone Fleet during
allied
landings in Madagascar
(Operation IRONCLAD}.
April
Completed
work-up and prepared for foreign
service.
19th
Joined Ocean Escort for military convoy
WS18 to Durban
with HM Cruiser GAMBIA, HM
Escort Destroyer
TETCOTT and Dutch Destroyer VAN
GALEN.)
(Note: HM Depot
Ship HECLA was one of the ships in the
convoy.
Local
Escort was provided by destroyers of
Western Approaches Command.
This
convoy was part of build up for landings
in Madagascar.
29th
Called at Freetown.
May
3rd
Sailed for Capetown with WS18
(Note: HM
Seaplane Carrier ALBATROSS joined WS18
at Freetown.
6th
Detached during
passage to escort merchant ship to Halvia
Bay for defect repair.
15th
Sailed from Walvis
Bay due to boiler room
steam leak.
18th
Took passage with
HM Seaplane Carrier ALBATROSS as
escort for convoy.
Mat
HM Battleship RESOLUTION and four ship
convoy off Durban.
27th
Detached from WS18
as escort for rms
LLANDAFF
CASTLE to Kilindini.
(Note:
One source records ship went to Diego
Suarez but this is to be confirmed)
June
1st
Under repair at Durban.
2nd
Escorted convoy to Kilindini.
When
released from IRONCLAD deployed with HM
Aircraft Carrier INDOMITABLE
Interception of
blockade runners and supply ships and
convoy
defence.
25th
Passage to Durban
for convoy escort.
July
2nd
Escorted convoy for passage from Durban
to Indian ports.
7th
Detached on relief by HM Battleship
ROYAL SOVEREIGN off Diego Suarez and
took
passage to
Kilindini with screen of 3 destroyers.
14th
Escorted convoy from Kilindini to Durban.
30th
Joined Ocean Escort for military convoy
WS20 as relief for HM Cruiser GAMBIA.
August
1st
Detached from WS20 when convoy split
and deployed as Ocean Escort for WS20A
during
passage to Aden,
6th
Detached from
WS20A on arrival at Aden.
20th
Escorted convoy from Aden
to Persian Gulf.
24th
Detached for
repair at Colombo.
27th
Taken in hand for
repair.
September
Under
repair
22nd
Carried out trials off Colombo
after completion of work
October
Resumed
convoy defence duty and patrol in Indian Ocean.
Withdrawn for repair
of machinery defect.
13th
Arrived at
Kilindini using only one shaft.
15th
Under repair.
23rd
Carried out Trials
on completion.
November
Convoy
defence duty in continuation.
December
6th
Joined Ocean Escort for rms
ATHLONE
CASTLE and rms
STIRLING CASTLE taking
troops to
Bombay.
(Note:
These ships were part of WS24 which had
been subject to unusual routing in Atlantic
with an
escort by US Navy ships.)
12th
Relieved by HM
Cruiser MAURITIUS
off Seychelles.
17th
Joined escort in Indian
Ocean for rms
HIGHLAND MONARCH and ss
EMPIRE TROOPER
taking 1st
South African Division to Durban
from Suez.
24th
Detached to refuel at Diego Suarez and
rejoined on 25th.
31st
Arrived at Durban
with convoy.
1
9 4 3
January
Convoy
defence in Indian
Ocean
in
continuation.
to
February
March
Passage
to join military convoy WS26 during
transit from Capetown.
10th
Joined escort, for WS26 during passage
from Durban.
11th
Detached from WS26 as escort, for ships
destined for Aden and designated WS26A.
(Note:
Ships destined for Bombay were re-designated WS26B)
15th
Detached from W526A on arrival off Aden
and took passage to join WS27.
29th
Joined military convoy WS27 during
passage from Durban to Aden.
April
9th
Detached from
WS27 on relief by HM Cruiser DURBAN
during passage.
Resumed Indian
Ocean interception and trade
defence duties.
Passage to Simonstown.
Taken
in hand for refit by HM Dockyard Simonstown
May
Under
refit in Simonstown.
(Note:
Radar Type 282 for AA fire control may
have been fitted by this time).
June
5th
On completion carried out post refit
trials and took passage to Kilindini
with HM Battleship
RESOLUTION
27th
Arrived at Kilindini
July
Took
part in Eastern Fleet exercises with H M
Cruisers NEWCASTLE, SUSSEX and
SUFFOLK.
28th
Resumed convoy defence duties in Indian
Ocean.
August
4th
Joined military convoy WS31 during
passage from Capetown to Bombay.
(Note:
Relieved m Cruiser DESPATCH, HM
Destroyers QUADRANT and REDOUBT as
the
Ocean Escort.)
13th
Detached from WS31
on arrival at Bombay.
Resumed interception
and trade defence duties in Indian
Ocean.
Indian Ocean duties based
at Kilindini.
September
Indian
Ocean trade defence in continuation
to
November
December
3rd
Passage to
Kilindini from Seychelles.
5th
Passage from Kilindini to Ceylon
5th
Diverted to Addu
Atoll.
8th
Despatched from Addu
Atoll to assist Free French destroyer
TRIOMPHANT which was
disabled 1000
miles to the south.
10th
Took TRIOMPHANT in tow until relieved by
tug PRUDENT..
16th
Arrived at Diego Suarez.
24th
Taken in hand for
refit at Durban.
1
9 4 4
January
Under
refit
February
4th
Carried out Post refit trials.
On
completion took passage to Kilindini to
resume convoy defence duty.
20th
Escorted convoy from Kilindini to Ceylon
with HM Destroyers PATHFINDER, NORMAN,
RELENTLESS, ROTHERHAM
and three corvettes.
March
Withdrawn
from Eastern Fleet to return to UK
for duty with 1st Cruiser Squadron
Home
Fleet in support of
Normandy
landings (Operation
NEPTUNE).
5th
Arrived at Colombo.
9th
Took passage to UK
with calls at Aden and Alexandria.
24th
Diverted at Alexandria
for escort of convoy to Salerno with HM
Cruiser CALEDON
and
four HUNT
Class Escort Destroyers.
26th
Detached from
convoy to resume passage to UK.
Called at Algiers
and Gibraltar.
April
Allocated for duty with
Bombardment Force D of Eastern Task
Force for support
of assault on
SWORD
Beach (Force S).
2nd
Arrived at Greenock
and taken in hand for
repair.
24th
On completion sailed to join Squadron at
Scapa
Flow.
30th
Joined HM Battleships DUKE OF YORK
and ANSON, HM Aircraft Carriers
VICTORIOUS,
FURIOUS and
ARGUS with HM
Cruisers BERWICK, KENT, JAMAICA
and ARETHUSA
for Home
Fleet training
exercises prior to support of Normandy
landings.
May
Detached
for duty with Bombardment Force D.
Allocated
to Convoy S6 with 40th Minesweeping
Flotilla and ships of Force D
during
passage from
Solent to SWORD Area Bombardment positions.
10th
Carried out
bombardment training with HM
Battleship WARSPITE.
26th
Took part in joint exercises with ships
of Force D
(Note:
Other ships in Force were HM Battleships
WARSPITE and RAMILLIES, HM
Cruisers
MAURITIUS,
ARETHUSA, ORP DANAE (Polish) and ORP DRAGON
(Polish).
Allocated
initial target was battery of six 155mm
guns at Ouistreham.
To
be re-deployed as a Depot Ship on
completion of Assault Phase.
June
2nd
Sailed with Bombardment Force D ships
to Assembly area off Isle of Wight.
(For
details of the naval support of allied
larding operations in Normandy
see
LANDINGS
IN NORMANDY,
June 1944 (HMSO) and
OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K. Edwards).
5th
HM Monitor ROBERTS joined Bombardment
Force D in Assembly Area.
Took
passage to SWORD Area in Convoy S6
escorted by HM Destroyers SAUMAREZ and
SWIFT,
HM Frigates ROWLEY, HOLMES, Norwegian
destroyers SVENNER and STORD
6th
Under attack by E-Boats when
assembling in bombardment position
during which HM
Norwegian
Destroyer SVENNER was sunk.
Bombarded Ouistreham
1 Battery as part of
Fire Plan.
Provided
naval gunfire support during assault and
embarked wounded.
7th
Gunfire support role of SWORD
BEACH assault in continuation and
slightly
damaged
by splinters
from return shore fire.
8th
Returned to Portsmouth
to replenish ammunition
after continuing gunfire support.
9th
Prepared for
deployment as depot ship at Mulberry
B.
(Note:
100 of ships company replaced by landing
craft crews.
11th
Took up depot ship
duty off Arromanches
in Mulberry B with ss
THYSVILLE.
July
Depot
ship duty in continuation.
18th
Hit by bomb on blast shield of B Turret
from single aircraft with six killed and
and 12
wounded.
23rd
Transferred to new
position off Courseulles
in JUNO
area.
August
3rd
Embarked survivors from HM Escort
Destroyer QUORN which had been attacked
by an
Explosive
Motor Boat (LINSEN) off Le Havre
and sunk.
8th
Hit forward by long range circling
torpedo (T3D DACKEL) fired by an E-Boat.
Damage
caused anchors to be released which
damaged cradle of B Gun mounting.
9th
Took passage to Chatham
for temporary repair.
10th
Arrived at Chatham
September
Transferred
to Rosyth for permanent repair.
Selected to be
converted for use as Cadet training
ship.
October
Under
repair and conversion at Rosyth.
to December
1
9 4 5
January
Under
repair and conversion.
to March
April
Carried
out post refit trials.
7th
On completion of
dockyard work prepared for training
duties.
May
Deployed
in Home waters.