1
9 4 1
October
Contractors
Setting to Work and harbour trials.
Commissioned
for service.
14th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
25th
Passage to Clyde
for trials escorted by
Polish destroyer ORP KUJAWIAK.
November
Carried
out further trials in NW Approaches based
in Clyde.
6th
Work-up for service with ships of 10th
Cruiser Squadron.
December
On
completion took passage to Scapa Flow to join Home Fleet.
1
9 4 2
January
Nominated
for duty with escort of convoy to Murmansk.
(For
details of all Russian convoy operations
see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg,
CONVOY
! by P Kemp, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B
Schoefield and ARCTIC
CONVOYS
by R. Woodman.)
Took
passage to Iceland
to join mercantiles.
10th
Joined escort for Russian Convoy PQ8 at
Hvalfjord with HM Destroyers MATABELE and
SOMALI.
17th
During passage in Barents
Sea
convoy under attack by U454
which sank HM Destroyer
MATABELE
with heavy loss of life. Only two of
ship's company survived.
Detached
from PQ8 on arrival at Murmansk.
24th
Embarked 250 Polish nationals for
passage to UK.
25th
Joined returning convoy QP6 with HMS
SOMALI, HM Minesweepers BRAMBLE and HEBE
for
escort
during passage to Loch Ewe.
28th
Detached when mercantiles of QP6
dispersed in NW Approaches and took
passage to Clyde
February
1st
Landed passengers at Greenock.
10th
Deployed at Scapa
Flow
and nominated for BLACK
patrol to relieve HM Cruiser KENYA.
11th
Passage to Faeroes-Iceland Gap for
interception of commerce raiders.
21st
At Hvalfjord for maintenance.
25th
Relieved HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD
for interception duties.
28th
Deployed as Ocean escort for minelay by
ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron in the
Northern
Barrage
(Operation SN85 - See Naval Staff History
(MINING).
March
Home
Fleet deployment in continuation.
7th
Carried out patrol with HM Cruiser LIVERPOOL
south east of Jan Mayen
during sortie by
German
battleship
TIRPITZ.
(Note:
After refuelling in Iceland
deployed with HM Cruisers
LONDON and KENT and these
four
ships were also made available for
refuelling destroyers carrying out
interception
patrols.
See ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
9th
Covered rear of returning Russian
Convoy QP8 with HM Destroyers PUNJABI, ECHO
and FURY.
11th
Deployed with destroyer screen to
intercept TIRPITZ north of Trondheim
screened by Home
Fleet
destroyers.
13th
Search abandoned.
(Note:
TIRPITZ did not enter area until after
withdrawal.)
23rd
Deployed with HM Destroyers ECLIPSE and
FURY to provide Close Cover for Russian
Convoy PQ13
(Note:
HM Escort Destroyer LAMERTON was also
deployed with HM Fleet Auxiliary
OLIGARCH
AS Force Q to provide fuel during
passage.)
24th
Convoy scattered by gale and remained to
cover destroyers during re-assembly.
Warned
that attack by German destroyers was
likely.
29th
In action against German destroyers Z24,
Z25 and Z26 with HM Destroyer ECLIPSE.
(Note:
Enemy ships were searching for PQ13-)
Damaged
Z26 at close range but hit on port side
aft by return fire causing damage
by
outbreak of fire.
After
further damage to Z26 by HMS ECLIPSE,
fired torpedo at
enemy ship to
complete
its
destruction.
Owing to
malfunction this torpedo circled and hit
the ship
on port side forward
of
Bridge structure.
Forward
Boiler Room flooded with oil fuel which
ignited causing further major damage.
Joined
by HM Minesweeper HARRIER, HM Destroyers
ORIBI and FURY.
Taken
in tow until own propulsion available.
(Note:
Z26 was sunk in this engagement.
For
full details of passage of PQ13 see ARCTIC
DESTROYERS and Naval Staff
History.).
30th
Arrived at Murmansk
screened b y HMS FURY and
HMS ORIBI,
April
Taken in hand for
temporary repair at Murmansk to allow passage to UK.
(Note:
Steel plating for repair was brought to Murmansk
by HM Cruiser EDINBURGH.)
7th
Docked for repair during which 32
bodies were recovered.
(Note:
Burial at sea later carried out from HM
Minesweeper NIGER.)
May
2nd
Temporary repair completed.
13th
Sailed for UK
escorted by HM Destroyers
FORESIGHT, FORESTER, MATCHLESS and
SOMALI.
Cover provided
by HM Cruisers NIGERIA,
KENT,
NORFOLK
and LIVERPOOL
with
destroyer screen stationed west of Bear
Island
and ships of Home Fleet
including ships
of Home
Fleet farther to the south west. See
references for details.
Speed
was restricted to 20 knots as only after
boiler room was in use.
14th
Under heavy dive bombing and torpedo
attacks.
Hit
by several bombs in forward structure
which wrecked repair work and caused an
outbreak
of several fires.
15th
Ship abandoned when fires could not be
controlled and threat of further attacks
by
aircraft during daylight period.
63
of ship's company were killed.
(Casualty
List - note
on
casualties)
Survivors
rescued by H M Destroyers MATCHLESS,
FORESIGHT and
FORESTER.
Hulk
sunk by three torpedoes from HMS
MATCHLESS.
(Further
details are in THE SHIP THAT TORPEDOED
HERSELF by F Pearce and the Naval
Staff
History).
(Note:
Casualty List for action on 29th March was
published on 18th April 1942.)