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1 9 3 9
August
Commissioned for attendance at
Royal Review of Reserve Fleet at
Weymouth
Manned by
Reservists.
Attended Review in Weymouth Bay
Remained in commission and allocated
for service in 11th Destroyer Flotilla
based at
Plymouth
in Western Approaches Command.
(Note :
CinC
Western Approaches headquarters were
at Plymouth.)
September
Deployed for convoy escort and
anti-submarine patrol in Channel
October
English Channel and SW
Approaches deployment in
continuation.
to
(Note
: For details of naval activities in
1939-40 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
November
CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and the
Naval Staff History.
December
28th
Joined outward Convoy OG12 on
formation
in SW Approaches with HM Destroyers
WHIRLWIND,
WHITEHALL and WIVERN as escort for
initial stage of passage to Gibraltar
29th
Detached from OG12 with escort and
returned to Plymouth
1
9 4 0
January
Convoy defence and patrol in
SW Approaches in continuation.
Passage to join
inward Convoy HG13 on passage to Liverpool
from Gibraltar.
7th
Joined
HG13 with HM Destroyers VENETIA,
VISCOUNT and VOLUNTEER as
escort
during passage in SW Approaches.
10th
Detached
from HG13 and took passage to
Plymouth.
February
27th
Joined
outward Convoy OG20F with HM Sloops
SCARBOROUGH, WELLINGTON and
HM Destroyer WHIRLWIND on formation
in SW Approaches and deployed as
escort
during initial stage of passage to Gibraltar.
28th
Detached
from OG20F and took passage to join
inward Convoy HG20F from Gibraltar
as escort
during passage in SW Approaches to Liverpool.
March
Deployed as escort
for inward Convoy HG20F during
passage to Liverpool.
3rd
Detached
from HG20F on arrival and returned to
Plymouth.
15th
Deployed
with escort for inward Convoy HG22F
during passage to Liverpool in
SW Approaches
18th
Passage to Plymouth
after arrival of HG22F.
April
Transferred with Flotilla for service
with
Home Fleet in support of military
operations
in Norway
and took passage to Scapa Flow.
9th
Deployed
for escort of military convoys to
Narvik (Operation RUPERT/R4)
(Note : For
details of the disastrous operations
off Norway see above reference,
NARVIK by D Macintyre, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by J Adams and
Naval Staff
History.)
May
Norwegian coast support
and escort duties in continuation.
29th
Assisted
in evacuation from Bodo
with HM Destroyers HAVELOCK, ECHO,
ARROW and
FIREDRAKE.
June
On release from Norwegian evacuation
operations transferred to English
Channel.
Passage to Plymouth
for support of evacuation of troops
and civilians from St Nazaire.
Despatched to St
Nazaire.
16th
Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyer BERKELEY, HM
Destroyers BEAGLE and
HAVELOCK
at St Nazaire.
(Operation AERIAL – See Naval Staff
History and BEF SHIPS BEFORE AND AFTER
DUNKIRK
by deWinser.)
18th
Took
passage from St Nazaire as part of
escort for mercantiles
carrying 24,000 troop
evacuated
from St Nazaire.
(Note :
These ships included the liners
GEORGIC, DUCHESS OF YORK, Polish BATORY,
Polish SOBIESKI and six smaller
vessels, The
liner LANCASTRIA which
has also
been sent for the operation was sunk
with heavy loss of life in air attacks
whilst at
St
Nazaire.)
July
Transferred to Liverpool for Atlantic convoy escort duties
(Note :
CinC
Western Approaches was transferred to
Liverpool.)
August
Atlantic convoy escort and
patrol duties in continuation.
to
(For
details of Atlantic convoy defence and
U-Boat deployments see THE BATTLE
October
OF THE ATLANTIC by D Macintyre and
U-BOAT WAR IN
THE ATLANTIC (HMSO).
November
Detached for duty in English Channel.
29th
Escorted
HM Destroyer ICARUS with HM Destroyers
WITCH and VOLUNTEER
during
minelay off French coast (Operation JH
- See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
December
Resumed Atlantic convoy defence
duties in Western Approaches.
1
9 4 1
January
Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
to
Radar
Type 286M fitted.
February
(Note :
This was an RAF aircraft Air-Sea
detection equipment modified for naval
use
and had a
fixed aerial which necessitated ship
movement to determine the position
of any ship
or other object. For details of the
development and use of radar by RN
see RADAR
AT
SEA by D Howse.)
March
Deployed with 5th Escort Group in NW
Approaches
for the escort of Convoy HX112.
(Note :
Ships in this Group were HM Destroyers
WALKER, VANOC,
VOLUNTEER, SARDONYX and SCIMITAR, HM
Corvettes BLUEBELL and
HYDRANGEA.)
16th
Convoy under attack by U100 during
which
the tanker ERODANA was badly damaged
(Note : It
was initially feared the ship had been
sunk but she was later towed to
Iceland.)
Counter-attacks by HMS WALKER.
Following further unsuccessful
attacks by U100 other U-Boats were
ordered to join U100
Attacks made by U37, U99 and U100
were carried out after dark and five mercantiles
were sunk
and another badly damaged by fires
which were brought under control.
17th
Took
part in a series of depth charge
attacks on U100 with HMS WALKER which
ha had
made firm
contact with submarine using her ASDIC
equipment. These attacks caused major
damage and
forced U100 to surface. The submarine
was detected by HMS VANOC using
Type 286M Radar and then rammed and
sank it immediately in position 61.04N
11.30W.
Six of the 38 Survivors were rescued
by this ship.
(Note :
This
was the first U-Boat to be sunk after
radar detection.)
Despite the serious damage caused by
ramming at high speed took part in
attack on U99
which
surfaced after attempt to leave the
area submerged.
(For full details see HITLER'S U-BOAT
WAR Volume I by C Blair and U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P.Kemp.)
(Note :
Loss
of two successful submarine commanders
was heralded with acclaim by the
Prime Minister in the House of Common)
April
Under repair
May
On completion resumed Atlantic convoy
defence
with Group.
June
Atlantic convoy escort in
continuation.
(Note : For
details of weapons and tactic used see
SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann.)
July
12th
Deployed with HM Destroyer GURKHA and
Polish destroyer ORP
GARLAND to provide
anti-submarine
defence to military convoy WS9C during
passage in NW Approaches.
15th
Detached from WS9C and returned to
Clyde.
August
Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to
September
October
Part of escort for Convoy
HX155 with Group.
November
Part of escort for Convoy ONS34
with ships of Group
December
Atlantic convoy escort with Group
in continuation.
(Note : 5th
Escort Group disbanded.)
1
9 4 2
January
12th
Deployed
with HMS WALKER, HMS VOLUNTEER and HMS
WITHERINGTON as
Local Escort for
military convoy WS15 during passage
in NW Approaches.
15th
Detached
from WS15 and returned to Clyde.
February
Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
to
(Note
: See U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC for
details of changes in U-Boat
June
July
to
August
Deployed
for convoy escort off east coast of
Canada and USA.
September
Nominated for escort of special
convoy identified as RB1 during
passage to UK.
(Note :
This
identity as given in HITLER’S U-BOAT
WAR, Vol
2 by C
Blair is an acronym
for ‘Rivers
to Britain’ and was special convoy
comprising Great Lakes River Steamers
which had
been sold to Great
Britain.
They included ss
BOSTON, ss
NEW YORK, both of about 5.000grt
and ss
YORKTOWN of 1,547 grt
17th
Deployed
with HM Destroyer VETERAN as escort
for RB1 during
Atlantic passage
from the Gulf
of Sat Lawrence to Clyde.
20th
RB1
Sighted by U380 and reported to U-Boat
headquarters which ordered the
formation
of a new
U-Boat Group BLITZ specifically for
co-ordinated attacks on RB1.
(Note :
BLITZ Group included U380, U211, U607,
U216, U96, U618, U91, U410, U536 and
U404
23rd
U-Boat
attacks commenced.
25th
ss NEW YORK and ss
BOSTON sunk.
Carried out
anti-submarine operations against
BLITZ Group.
26th
ss
YORKTOWN sunk
HMS VETERAN which had been despatch
to search for survivors came under
attack by U404
and was hit
by two torpedoes. This destroyer sank
almost
immediately after an explosion and
all on
board
lost their lives including some
survivors.
(Note :
German sources record that these ships
were carrying troops but this is not
confirmed
in other
sources. The ships lost in RB1 are
recorded in BRITISH VESSELS LOST AT
SEA 1939-45 (HMSO)
27th
Three
US Navy destroyers joined as further
reinforcement of escort joined RB1
October
Nominated for escort of
military convoys to Gibraltar in
preparation for allied landing
in North
Africa (Operation TORCH).
November
4th
Sailed
from Gibraltar to supplement escort of
military convoy KMS1
during
passage to Algiers (Operation TORCH)
6th
Joined
convoy.
7th
Rescued
pilot from crashed SEAFIRE aircraft
belonging to HM
Aircraft Carrier ARGUS during passage
to Algiers.
8th
Deployed
in support of landings after arrival
of KMS1.
10th
On
release from support at Algiers
took passage to Bougie
for
support of
landings.
11th
Deployed
at Bougie
(Operation PERPETUAL)
December
Gibraltar deployment in continuation for convoy defence and patrol
1
9 4 3
January
Passage to UK to resumed Atlantic
convoy escort duties in Western
Approaches.
February
Deployed with HM Corvettes
COREOPSIS, COLUMBINE, ANCHUSA and
JONQUIL
as 38th
Escort Group for Atlantic convoy
escort.
March
Atlantic duties in continuation.
Nominated for
conversion to Long Range Escort.
See General
Information.)
April
Taken in hand for conversion and
refit. For
details see V& W DESTROYERS by A Preston..
May
Under refit.
to
October
November
Post Refit Trials and work-up for
operational service.
December
Deployed for escort of Atlantic and coastal convoys
1
9 4 4
January
Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation
to
February
March
Deployed for escort of military convoy
to Gibraltar.
16th
Took
part in sinking of U392 with HM
Frigate AFFLECK off Gibraltar in
position
35.54N 05.45W, There were no
survivors.
(Note :
Submarine had been attempting to pass
through the Straits of Gibraltar when
detected by
a US CATALINA aircraft using magnetic
anomaly equipment.
These two ships were asked to assist
and attacked with HEDGEHOG,
See U-BOATS DESTROYED and HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR.)
April
Atlantic and coastal
convoy escort in continuation.
to
(Note : Not deployed
for escort or support duties during
Normandy landings.
December
Operation NEPTUNE – See Naval Staff History)
1
9 4 5
January
Convoy defence duties in
continuation.
to
(Note : During this
period U-Boat attacks were being
concentrated on focal points
May
for
convoys some of which were using
English
Channel instead of the NW
Approaches.
Additional escorts were deployed to
counter this threat.
See above references.)
June
Nominated for withdrawal from service
after
convoy escort and support of
re-occupation
to
August
requirements had been met.