HMS Skate, destroyer

SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2

HMS SKATE (H 39) - Old R-class Destroyer
including Convoy Escort Movements

HMS Skate (NavyPhotos/Mark Teadham, click to enlarge)

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Admiralty R-Class destroyer ordered from John Brown, Clydebank with the 7th Order. Emergency War Programme on 5th December 1915. She was launched on 11th January 1917 as the 2nd RN ship to bear this name, previously used by a destroyer built in 1895 and sold in 1907. In 1938 she was attached to the Torpedo School at Portsmouth for training. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Redcar, then in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

B a t t l e H o n o u r s

ATLANTIC 1940-44 - ARCTIC 1943 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944

H e r a l d i c D a t a

Badge: On a Field Blue a Skate Gold.

Motto

Per sequara labor: “I glide (skate) over the surface'.

D e t a i 1s o f W a r S e r v i c e

(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search)

1 9 3 9

September Deployed for training duties at Portsmouth

to Modified for minesweeping trials

December On completion deployed for convoy defence duties.

1 9 4 0

January Modified for convoy defence

February Deployed at Scapa Flow on completion.

28th Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron during minelay in

Northern Barrage (Operation SN85)

Experienced heavy weather conditions and returned to base.

March Deployed in NW Approaches for convoy escort.

to July Transferred to 2nd Escort Group

(Note: Other ships in Group were HM Destroyers DOUGLAS, VETERAN

and SALADIN.)

August Escort Group deployment in continuation.

September Transferred with Group for escort of mid Atlantic convoys

based in Iceland

11th Deployed with Group from Iceland in support of Convoy SC42 defence.

October Atlantic convoy defence in continuation with Group.

to December

1 9 4 1

January Atlantic convoy defence with Group in continuation.

February Nominated for escort during minelay.

28th Detached for escort of HM Auxiliary Minelayers MENESTHEUS, PORT QUEBEC,

SOUTHERN PRINCE and AGAMEMNON during minelay in Northern Barrage.

(Operation SN85.)

Forced to leave due to extreme weather conditions and returned to base.

March. Resumed Atlantic convoy defence with Group

April Atlantic convoy escort with Group

to August

September Part of escort for Convoys HX147, SC45 and ON18.

October Deployed with Group for escort of convoys ON25, HX154 in NW Approaches

24th Sustained structural damage including loss of after funnel in heavy

weather.

Taken in hand for repair.

November On completion of repair resumed Atlantic convoy defence with Group

to December

1 9 4 2

January Transferred for deployment as Local Escort in Home waters

to September

October Deployed with HM Cruiser CURACOA, HM Destroyers BRAMHAM

and COWDRAY for convoy defence in NW Approaches

2nd Assisted in rescue of survivors from HMS CURACOA after that ship

had sunk in collision with rms QUEEN MARY

Part of escort with Group for convoys ONS25 and HX 154.

30th Deployed with HM Destroyer SARDONYX as escort for

mercantiles on passage from Liverpool to join military convoy

WS24 in Clyde

November Local Escort deployment in continuation.

to December

1 9 4 3

January Deployed for Local Escort of convoys in coastal waters.

to February

March

16th Deployed as part of Local Escort for joint military convoy

WS28/KMF11 for first part of passage in coastal waters and

returned to Clyde

April Coastal convoy defence in continuation,

to October

November

22nd Deployed with HM Destroyers MIDDLETON and SALADIN as Local Escort

for Russian Convoy JW54B during passage from Loch Ewe.

25th Detached from JW54B on arrival of Ocean Escort and returned to Loch Ewe.

December

5th Joined inward Convoy RA54B in NW Approaches for Local Escort with HM

Destroyers BRISSENDEN, MIDDLETON and SALADIN.

9th Detached from RA54B on arrival at Loch Ewe.

1 9 4 4

Local Escort deployment in Home waters

(Note: This ship was not deployed for escort of military convoys during

allied landings in Normandy

(Operation NEPTUNE see Naval Staff History.)

1 9 4 5

January Home waters deployment for coastal convoy defence in continuation.

to April (Note: Increase in attacks on coastal convoys by SCHNORKEL fitted

U-Boats had resulted in an increase in modern escorts more

suited to anti-submarine operations and fitted with improved

weapons.)

May Withdrawn from service and placed in Reserve

to August (Note: Serious manning problems required transfer of personnel to

new construction warships to be used in Pacific or Indian

Oceans.

P o s t W a r N o t e s

HMS SKATE was Paid Off after the end of the war in Europe. The ship was laid-up in Reserve and later placed on the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO on 4th March 1947 and arrived in tow at the Breakers yard in Newport, Wales on 20th July that year.

Addendum

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS SKATE

by Don Kindell

These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above


Date convoy sailed	Joined convoy as escort	Convoy No.	Left convoy	Date convoy arrived

13/11/39	13/11/39	SA 017	14/11/39	14/11/39
30/08/40	02/09/40	OB 206	02/09/40	05/09/40
18/08/40	04/09/40	SL 044	07/09/40	07/09/40
07/09/40	08/09/40	OB 210	10/09/40	10/09/40
19/09/40	19/09/40	OL 003	21/09/40	22/09/40
09/09/40	21/09/40	HX 072	21/09/40	21/09/40
27/09/40	27/09/40	OB 220	30/09/40	01/10/40
19/09/40	01/10/40	HG 044	04/10/40	04/10/40
05/10/40	05/10/40	OB 224	08/10/40	12/10/40
27/09/40	09/10/40	SC 006	12/10/40	12/10/40
21/10/40	21/10/40	OB 232	25/10/40	26/10/40
14/12/40	15/12/40	OB 259	17/12/40	17/12/40
28/12/40	28/12/40	OB 266	31/12/40	01/01/41
15/12/40	01/01/41	SL 059	05/01/41	05/01/41
02/01/41	13/01/41	HX 098/1	15/01/41	17/01/42
19/01/41	19/01/41	OG 050	20/01/41	31/01/41
08/01/41	21/01/41	HG 050	24/01/41	26/01/41
24/01/41	24/01/41	OB 278	27/01/41	27/01/41
10/01/41	30/01/41	SL 062	03/02/41	03/02/41
03/02/41	08/02/41	OB 282	12/02/41	08/02/41
30/01/41	12/02/41	HX 106	18/02/41	18/02/41
27/04/41	30/04/41	OB 316	04/05/41	05/05/41
19/04/41	04/05/41	SC 029	08/05/41	08/05/41
22/05/41	22/05/41	OB 326	26/05/41	29/05/41
16/05/41	29/05/41	HX 127	01/06/41	02/06/41
04/06/41	05/06/41	OG 064	08/06/41	18/06/41
17/05/41	09/06/41	SL 075	12/06/41	13/06/41
04/06/41	15/06/41	HG 064	18/06/41	19/06/41
26/06/41	07/07/41	HX 135	10/07/41	12/07/41
17/07/41	17/07/41	OB 348	22/07/41	31/07/41
12/07/41	24/07/41	SC 037	27/07/41	28/07/41
31/07/41	01/08/41	ON 003	05/08/41	14/08/41
27/07/41	06/08/41	HX 141	09/08/41	11/08/41
01/08/41	12/08/41	HX 142	unknown	18/08/41
10/08/41	22/08/41	HX 144	unknown	30/08/41
16/08/41	29/08/41	HX 145	unknown	31/08/41
05/09/41	06/09/41	ON 013	09/09/41	11/09/41
30/08/41	12/09/41	SC 042	18/09/41	20/09/41
19/09/41	21/09/41	ON 018	24/09/41	02/10/41
18/09/41	30/09/41	SC 045	03/10/41	04/10/41
10/10/41	11/10/41	ON 025	16/10/41	24/10/41
10/10/41	19/10/41	HX 154	22/10/41	23/10/41
01/11/41	02/11/41	ON 032	06/11/41	16/11/41
21/11/41	22/11/44	ON 039	27/11/44	04/12/41
01/12/41	02/12/41	ON 042	06/12/41	14/12/41
28/11/41	10/12/41	SC 057	13/12/41	15/12/41
21/12/41	05/01/42	HX 166	05/01/42	05/01/42
28/01/42	28/01/42	DS 021	01/02/42	01/02/42
02/02/42	02/02/42	SD 021	04/02/42	04/02/42
11/02/42	11/02/42	DS 022	15/02/42	15/02/42
16/02/42	16/02/42	SD 022	19/02/42	19/02/42
27/07/42	27/07/42	UR 034	01/08/42	01/08/42
03/08/42	03/08/42	RU 034	07/08/42	07/08/42
04/08/42	22/08/42	SL 118	23/08/42	26/08/42
14/09/42	14/09/42	TA 022	15/09/42	19/09/42
06/09/42	14/09/42	HX 206	16/09/42	18/09/42
27/09/42	01/10/42	AT 024	02/10/42	02/10/42
22/11/43	22/11/43	JW 054B	25/11/43	03/12/43
26/11/43	05/12/43	RA 054B	09/12/43	09/12/43
16/12/43	16/12/43	DS 047A	18/12/43	18/12/43
19/12/43	19/12/43	SD 047A	21/12/43	21/12/43
31/12/43	31/12/43	DS 048	03/01/44	03/01/44
04/01/44	04/01/44	SD 048	07/01/44	07/01/44
06/01/44	18/01/44	HX 274	20/01/44	21/01/44
24/01/44	25/01/44	ON 221	25/01/44	11/02/44
05/02/44	05/02/44	WP 472	07/02/44	07/02/44
08/02/44	09/02/44	WP 474	10/02/44	10/02/44
12/02/44	12/02/44	WP 476	13/02/44	14/02/44
14/02/44	14/02/44	WP 477	15/02/44	16/02/44
11/03/44	11/03/44	WP 490	12/03/44	13/03/44
13/03/44	13/03/44	WP 491	15/03/44	15/03/44
25/03/44	26/03/44	WP 497	27/03/44	27/03/44
08/04/44	08/04/44	WP 504	09/04/44	10/04/44
12/04/44	12/04/44	WP 506	13/04/44	14/04/44
04/05/44	04/05/44	WP 517	05/05/44	06/05/44
06/05/44	06/05/44	WP 518	07/05/44	08/05/44

(Note on Convoys)

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