1 9 4
0
April
10th
During air raid,
sustained
damage to turbine mountings due to
near
miss.
May
22nd
Further damage by splinters whilst
docking resulted in flooding of
compartments.
Completion
delayed by requirement for repair.
June
Commenced
Contractors trials on completion of
repair
July
Contractors trials in continuation.
24th
Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned
for service
26th
Joined Home Fleet at
Scapa
Flow
for work-up
August
Work-up at Scapa
Flow
with ships of
15th Cruiser Squadron.
September
Deployed
with Home Fleet on convoy defence and
patrol in
North
Sea
and NW Approaches
October
Intercepted
German trawler taking meteorological
party to
Greenland.
16th
Escorted HM Battleship KING GEORGE V
from
Tyne
estuary to Rosyth with HM
Cruiser
BONAVENTURE and
Home Fleet destroyers including HMS
ASHANTI and HMS
FAME.
(Note:
During a series of high speed
operations off the mouth of the River
Tyne these
two
destroyers
collided and both sustained major
damage. Some
sources suggest that these
manoeuvres
were intended to detonate any German
magnetic
mines which may have
been laid
in the area.)
November
Detached
for patrol in Bay
of Biscay with HM Battlecruisers HOOD, RENOWN and
REPULSE, HM
Cruiser DIDO and HM Cruiser PHOEBE
after German
battleship SCHEER
had
attacked an Atlantic convoy and sunk
HM Armed Merchant
Cruiser JERVIS BAY.
(Note:
One source reports that the German
Meteorological trawler was captured
and
its crew
taken prisoner during this period).
Sustained slight
structural weather damage.
December
Redeployed
at Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet for convoy defence and
interception
Nominated for
Ocean Escort of military convoy
during passage in NW
Approaches.
19th
Joined Convoy WS5A on departure from
Clyde
as Ocean Escort with HM Cruiser
BONAVENTURE
24th
Relieved by HM Cruisers BERWICK and
DUNEDIN
and detached from WS5A
(Note:
One source records ship detached after
the attack on convoy by German cruiser
HIPPER when convoy
dispersed on 25th. This is to
be
confirmed.
See
HMS SHEFFIELD by R. Barrett).
1 9 4
1
January
Nominated
for duty as Ocean Escort for military
convoy WS5B during Atlantic passage
8th
Deployed in Moelfre
Bay
with
Bristol
and Liverpool Sections to
provide AA protection
with HM
Australian Cruiser AUSTRALIA until
arrival of
Glasgow Section of WS5B
12th
Escorted military convoy WS5B with HM
Battleship RAMILLIES, HM Cruisers
AUSTRALIA
(RAN), PHOEBE and EMERALD for initial
stage of passage in western
approaches.
(Note:
Anti-submarine protection was provided
by HM Destroyers HARVESTER,
HIGHLANDER,
BEAGLE, FEARLESS, JACKAL,
LEAMINGTON, LINCOLN,
VANSITTART,
WATCHMAN, WITHERINGTON and FS
LEOPARD.
15th
Detached from WS5B and returned to
Scapa
Flow
with HMS PHOEBE.
23rd
Deployed with HM Cruiser AURORA to
provide cover for passage of British
merchant ships
escaping
from
Sweden
(Operation RUBBLE).
24th
Carried out unsuccessful search for
three RUBBLE ships with HM Cruisers
EDINBURGH
and
BIRMINGHAM
screened by 3 destroyers.
25th
Arrived at Rosyth with all 5 ships and
sailed for Northern Patrol.
28th
Sighted German battleships GNEISENAU
and
SCHARNHORST south of
Iceland
but lost
contact in
bad weather.
February
Under repair to weather damage at Tyne
shipyard.
to
March
April
Nominated
for transfer with Squadron to
reinforce Mediterranean Fleet at
Alexandria
and to
join escort
for military convoy from
Clyde
during passage to
Gibraltar
(Operation TIGER)
26th
Joined Convoy WS8A as Ocean Escort
with
HM Battlecruiser REPULSE
(Note:
WS8B comprised 14 mercantiles,
five of which were
destined for
Malta
with military
supplied
for eighth Army (Operation TIGER)
Remaining
mercantiles
were taking troops to
Suez
via
Cape
of Good Hope.
Anti-submarine
escort included HM Destroyers
HARVESTER,
HAVELOCK,
and
HESPERUS which were also to join Force
H)
May
2nd
Detached from WS8A with TIGER mercantiles
and the three Fleet destroyers to take
passage
to Gibraltar.
6th
Joined Force F with HM
Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, HM Cruiser
FIJI
and HM
Cruiser
GLOUCESTER screened by eight Fleet destroyers for escort of
convoy taking
tanks to
Alexandria
for
Middle
East
army and stores to Piraeus
(Note:
Covered was provided by HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM
Aircraft
Carrier
ARK
ROYAL and HM
Cruiser
SHEFFIELD.
TIGER
convoy operation included transfer of
re-inforcement
warships and some of
escort had
been detached from
Alexandria
to support passage.
(For
details of Mediterranean operations see THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN
by D MacIntyre,
MALTA
CONVOYS by R Woodman,
and Naval
Staff History (HMSO- 2002).
9th
Joined HMS ORION, HMS AJAX, HMS PERTH
(RAN), HMS DIDO and HMS PHOEBE
on arrival
of TIGER Convoy in
Malta.
10th
Air attacks repelled by aircraft from
HM
Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE and ships
AA
defences.
14th
Joined Force D with HMAS
PERTH and HMS PHOEBE screened by H M
Destroyers
HASTY and
GREYHOUND to cover convoys taking
reinforcements to Crete.
18th
Returned to
Alexandria.
20th
Deployed with HMAS PERTH and 4
destroyers (Force B) off
Crete for interception
of invasion
craft.
21st
Italian E-Boat attacks failed. Joined
by HM Cruisers
CALCUTTA, CARLISLE
,
HM
HM
Destroyers KANDAHAR,
KINGSTON
and NUBIAN to continue
interception
north of
Crete. Under air attacks and received some splinter damage and
flooding forward.
22nd
In action against
enemy convoy south of Milos
sinking two ships.
Under
heavy air attacks and retired to west
because of proximity of enemy
airfields.
Further
air attacks during which 181 bombs
were aimed at ship sustained serious
damage,
(Note
Two turrets were disabled and out of
action, speed reduced to 16 knots with
further
flooding.).
See
Battle Summary No 4 in Naval Staff
Histories for details.)
25th
Under repair at Alexandria.
June
On
completion deployed in support of
military operations in
Syria
(Operation EXPORTER)
16th
Deployed with HM Destroyers KINGSTON
and
NIZAM to relieve HM Cruiser PHOEBE,
HM destroyers
GRIFFIN
and DEFENDER.
for
support duties.
22nd
Carried out
offensive sweep north of Beirut.
Engaged
Vichy destroyers GUEPARD and VALMY during search inshore with
HM Cruiser
LEANDER.
Withdrew after
coming under fire from shore
batteries.
July
2nd
Bombarded Vichy
positions at Abey
and Damour
with
PERTH
and 4
destroyers.
Came under attack
by RAF aircraft on return passage.
4th
Bombarded shore positions and carried
out patrol to intercept
Vichy
ships.
14th
On release FROM EXPORTER returned to
Alexandria.
August
Deployed
in defence of convoys taking supplied
to Tobruk (Operation TREACLE)
27th
With HM Cruiser GALATEA, Stood by HM
Cruiser PHOEBE after damage in air
attacks
September
25th
Carried out diversionary sweep with HM
Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH, BARHAM
and
VALIANT. Mediterranean Fleet cruisers
and destroyer
screen during passage of relief
convoy from
Gibraltar to
Malta
(Operation
HALBERD/MD6 – See MALTA
CONVOYS by R
Woodman.).
27th
Returned to
Alexandria
with ships of
Mediterranean Fleet.
October.
Eastern
Mediterranean Squadron duties in
continuation.
November
Nominated
for support of military operations in
Western
Desert.
19th
Bombarded Halfaya
with HM Cruisers EURYALUS in support
of Eighth Army
(Operation
CRUSADER – See Naval Staff History).
27th
Deployed with HM Cruiser EURYALUS. HM
Destroyers GRIFFIN and
HOTSPUR as
Force
C to carry out offensive sweep along
coast of Cyrenaica.
Under
air attacks without damage,
28th
Returned to
Alexandria.
December
Deployed
in support of military operations and
carried out patrols to intercept enemy
supply
ships on passage to Derna.
8th
Covered shipping attacks by destroyers
of 14th Flotilla with HMS EURYALUS,
HMS
GALATEA and HM
Destroyers GRIFFIN
and HOTSPUR.
10th
Carried out daylight bombardment of Derna
with HM Destroyers GRIFFIN and
HOTSPUR.
13th
Deployed with HMS AJAX, HMS NEPTUNE,
HMS
GALATEA and HMS EURYALUS
screened by
nine destroyers as Force B to
intercept enemy convoys to
Benghazi
covered
by ships of
Mediterranean Fleet.
Deployed
with HMS GALATEA and HMS EURYALUS to
intercept convoys from
Taranto.
HM Minelaying Cruiser ABDIEL
provided radio transmissions
simulating
movements
by battleships of Mediterranean Fleet.
Enemy
convoys were recalled and
operation
was abandoned
.
(Note:
In addition to collision damage some
enemy ships were sunk in attacks by
submarines.
Italian battleship VITTORIO
VENETO,
one of the Italian convoy
escorts was
torpedoed and seriously damaged by HM
Submarine
URGE.
(For
details of this operation and others
in eastern Mediterranean see ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and Naval
Staff History.
15th
Joined HM Cruisers
CARLISLE
and EURYALUS with HM Destroyers
DECOY, HASTY,
HAVOCK, JERVIS, KIMBERLEY,
KIPLING and
NIZAM to form Force C.
Escorted HM Supply
Ship BRECONSHIRE to Malta
with oil
supplies.
17th
Force C combined with Force K ships,
HM
Cruisers AURORA AND PENELOPE,
screened by
HM Destroyers LANCE, LIVELY, LEGION,
MAORI,
SIKH, ZULU and
Dutch ISAAC SWEERS
from Malta.
Took
part in brief action against Italian
group consisting of DUILO, ATTENDOLO,
D'AOSTA,
MONTECUCCOLI and destroyer screen
which withdrew when threat of attack
by
destroyers equipped with radar through
smoke screen was
considered likely.
(1st
Battle of Sirte
- For details see Naval Staff History
and BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN
BY D. MacIntyre).
HMS
BRECONSHIRE arrived safely in
Malta
escorted by ships of Force K.
19th
Returned to
Alexandria
after
unsuccessful search for Italian
convoy M42.
(Note:
Italian submersibles entered
Alexandria
harbour to carry out attacks on
HMS
QUEEN
ELIZABETH, HMS VALIANT and tanker
SAVONA
when defensive
boom at
Alexandria
was raised for returning Force
C ships See references).
1 9 4
2
January
3rd
Escorted HMS GLENGYLE to
Malta
and HMS BRECONSHIRE for return
passage with
HMS
DIDO and HMS EURYALUS screened by HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND, GURKHA,
KINGSTON,
SIKH and
KIPLING as Force B (Operation MF2).
9th
Returned to Alexandria
with Force
B escorting HMS BRECONSHIRE.
16th
Deployed with HM Cruisers DIDO and
EURYALUS, screened by HM Destroyers
HAVOCK,
HOTSPUR, FOXHOUND, KELVIN and KIPLING
as Force B to cover
passage of
Convoys to
Malta
(MW8A and MH8B - Operation
MF3).
18th
Convoys MH8A and MW8B combined.
19th
Near missed during air attacks.
20th
Returned to
Alexandria
with Force B
ships.
February
12th
Deployed with HM Cruisers DIDO and
EURYALUS screened by H M Destroyers
HAVOCK,
ARROW, GRIFFIN, HASTY, JAGUAR, JERVIS, KELVIN and KIPLING
as Force B.
13th
Covered passage of Convoys MM9A and
MM9B
to Malta
and ME10 from
Malta.
(Operation
MF5).
Close
escort was provided by IMS CARLISLE,
HM Destroyers LANCE, AVONVALE,
ERIDGE
and HEYTHROP (MW9A) and HM Destroyers
BEAUFORT, DULVERTON,
HURWORTH and
SOUTHWOLD (MWB).
Two
ships were lost and one diverted to
Tobruk because of damage in heavy and
sustained
air attacks
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
above
references).
14th
Returned to
Alexandria
as escort for
Convoy ME10 with Force B ships.
March
10th
Deployed with HMS DIDO and HMS
EURYALUS
as Force B to intercept an enemy
supply
convoy off
Tripoli
without success.
Searched
later for damaged Italian cruiser but
no contact made.
See
above references.
11th
During return to
Alexandria
torpedoed on starboard side
amidships by U565 off Sollum
Ship
capsized and sank in 35 minutes.
582
of ships company survived with 86
lost.
Flag
of 15th Cruiser Squadron was
transferred to HMS DIDO.
Casualty
List was published on
4th
May 1942.
(Casualty
List
- note
on
casualties)
