1
9 4 1
August
Contractors
trials.
25th
Build completion date and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned
for service.
(Note: Radar
Type 285 was fitted during build to
provide fire control for forward main
armament and an
RAF Air Surface detection equipment
modified for shipboard
use was also
installed. This equipment was not very
suitable for RN use,
For details of the development and use
of radar for RN use see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.)
September
On
completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa
Flow
to work-up with ships of
Home
Fleet.
Joined
1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of
Lochalsh (Port ZA).
23rd
Carried out first operational minelay
(Operation SN23C in Butt of Lewis part
of Northern
Barrage).
October
Deployment
at Kyle of Lochalsh in continuation.
31st
Deployed with Auxiliary Minelayers HMS
MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT QUEBEC to
carry
out minelay in
Northern Barrage (Operation SN83A)
(Note:
Escorted by HM Destroyers BRIGHTON,
OFFA, ORIBI and ONSLOW with cover
by
HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD).
November
Deployment with 1st Minelaying
Squadron on continuation.
Planned
Northern Barrage minelaying operation
(SN7O cancelled.
Transferred
with HMS MANXMAN to Hone Fleet for
minelay off Norway.
(Note:
This operation was later cancelled.)
December
Detached
for deployment in English Channel for series of minelaying Operations.
(Operation
HJ Series).
15th
Embarked mines for minelay
Passage
to Bay
of
Biscay for operational lays:
16th
Laid Field HJ1.
20th
Laid Field HJ2.
Came
under air attack during transit.
23rd
Laid Field HJ3 with HM Minelaying
Cruiser MANXMAN.
1
9 4 2
January
6th
Took passage to Gibraltar,
Freetown
and Takoradi with stores and
personnel.
February
1st
Returned to Plymouth
on completion of service.
2nd
Resumption of minelaying operation
delayed by boiler repair work.
3rd
Deployed at Dover
for minelaying operations.
4th
Carried out minelay across Channel
route likely to be used in event of
breakout by German
battleships
GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST (Operation NS
Series).
Laid
Field NS(A) - off Cap d'Antifer.
5th
Laid
Field
NS(B)
- off Dieppe.
7th
Laid Field NS(C) - off Etaples.
9th
Laid
Field
NS(E)
- off Pointe de Barfleur.
12th
Resumed laying of A/S minefields in Bay
of Biscay
(Operation HJ Series).
13th
Laid Field HJ6.
15th
Laid Field HJ7 with HMS MANXMAN.
18th
Laid Field HJ8.
March
Under
refit in Tyneside shipyard.
April
On
completion resumed minelaying operations
in Bay
of Biscay.
11th
Embarked mines for HM series Minelaying
operations.
14th
Laid Field HM1.
17th
Laid Field HM2.
20th
Laid Field HM3
21st
Transferred to Port ZA for duty with
1st Minelaying Squadron.
Arrived
at Port ZA.
22nd
Diverted from operation and returned to
Plymouth
for conversion to carry
petrol
and
other stores.
May
On
completion took passage to join Force H
at Gibraltar
for Malta
support.
8th
Sailed from Gibraltar
to Malta
with 240 tons of stores and
RAF personnel.
(Note:
Part of Operation BOWERY by Force H.)
Rigged disguise as French destroyer.)
9th
Sighted by aircraft during passage but
the disguise was accepted and no further
action
ensued.
10th
Detonated two mines with paravanes on
entering Grand Harbour.
Sustained
damage.
Discharged
cargo and took return passage to Gibraltar.
12th
Arrived at Gibraltar.
16th
Passage to UK
for repair.
20th
Docked at Yarrow's Scotstoun.
29th
Passage to Gibraltar
to resume duties with Force
H. June
June
1st
Sustained damage to bow structure and
propeller shaft in collision with tug on
entry
to harbour.
2nd
Taken in hand for repair by HM
Dockyard, Gibraltar.
10th
On completion embarked stores, mail and
personnel for Malta.
11th
Sailed for Malta
as part of relief convoy
(Operation HARPOON).
(Note:
For details of Operation HARPOON see THE
BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
by
D MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Bamett
, MALTA
CONVOYS
by R Woodman and Naval Staff History.)
12th
Detached from HARPOON convoy and took
independent passage to Malta.
15th
Disembarked stores on arrival in Malta
and sailed on completion to
reinforce
escort
of HARPOON convoy which was under heavy
air attacks.
16th
Returned to Malta
with the two surviving
mercantiles and escort.
Took
passage to Gibraltar with returning HARPOON escorts.
19th
Arrived at Gibraltar.
20th
Took passage to Clyde
for repair and boiler clean.
24th
Taken in hand for docking and repair at
Scotstoun.
July
9th
On completion took passage to rejoin
Force H at Gibraltar.
13th
Arrived at Gibraltar
and embarked stores and
passengers for passage to Malta.
14th
Took passage to Malta
with ships of Force H
covering aircraft delivery.
(Operation
PINPOINT).
15th
Detached from Force H ships and took
independent passage to Malta.
Under
air, surface and submarine attacks
during passage, none were successful.
16th
Discharged stores and passengers on
arrival in Malta.
17th
Sailed for Gibraltar.
(Note:
Although attempts were made by Italian
ships and aircraft to intercept
this transit
but
failed to locate ship.)
21st
Arrived at Gibraltar.
August
Embarked
stores for delivery to Malta
Passage
to Malta
co-incident with transit of Malta
relief convoy.
(Operation
PEDESTAL - See above references and
PEDESTAL by Peter C Smith).
16th
Arrived in Malta
and disembarked stores.
September
Transferred
to Eastern
Mediterranean for carriage of stores.
October
Deployed
in eastern Mediterranean.
Nominated for
independent return passage to Gibraltar.
Embarked
stores for Malta.
28th
Sailed for Malta
with ships of Force H
covering aircraft delivery
(Operation
TRAIN).
29th
Detached from Force H ships and made
independent passage to Malta.
30th
Disembarked stores and took return
passage to Gibraltar.
November
2nd
Arrived at Gibraltar.
Nominated
for support of allied landings in North Africa
(Operation TORCH).
11th
Passage to Algiers
with stores for support of
TORCH.
17th
Took passage to Malta
with stores.
18th
Sailed for Gibraltar.
22nd
At Gibraltar
27th
Took passage to Haifa
from Gibraltar
to collect torpedoes for use
in Malta.
30th
Return passage from Haifa
to Malta.
December
1st
Disembarked torpedoes and took
passage to Gibraltar.
Nominated
for minelaying operations in central Mediterranean.
4th
At Gibraltar.
Passage
to Haifa to prepare for minelaying duties.
Carried
out practice minelay off Haifa.
Passage
to Algiers with call at Bone with MTB
and submarine spares.
(For
details of operations in Eastern Mediterranean see OFFICIAL HISTORY OF WW2
MEDITERRANEAN
AND
MIDDLE EAST (HMSO) and Naval
Staff Histories.)
1
9 4 3
January
Embarked
mines for Mediterranean operations.
(Note:
One source records that that ship
embarked 150 tons of seed potatoes for
delivery
to
Malta.
4th
Arrived at Malta
and disembarked seed
potatoes.
(Note:
Deployed with HM Fast Minelayer ABDIEL
for minelaying operations.)
7th
Carried out minelay in Skerki
Channel..
8th
Passage to Malta
on completion.
9th
Returned to Alexandria
for troop transfer duties.
12th
Deployed for transfer of troops from Beirut
to Famagusta,
Cyprus.
(Note:
4,000 troops were taken to Cyprus
by ships of Mediterranean
Fleet.)
Took
passage from Cyprus
to resume minelaying duties.
28th
Arrived in Malta
with mines embarked.
30th
Carried out minelay in Skerki Channel.
31st
Took passage from Malta
to Alexandria
to embark mines.
February
Nominated
for transport of stores and personnel to
Tobruk.
1st
Hit aft by torpedo fired from U617 in
position 32.12N 24.52E East of Tobruk.
Serious
flooding of mine deck caused instability
and could not be corrected.
Sank
quickly after 2 hours.
155
killed included 2 civilians.
Some
casualties were caused by explosion of
depth charges.
Survivors
rescued by HM Escort Destroyers TETCOTT
and BELVOIR were taken
to
Alexandria. (Casualty
List - note
on
casualties)
(Note:
Full details of all RN minelaying
operations are available in The Naval
Staff
History
on Mining and include information about
the ABDIEL Class.
