1 9 3 9
September
Deployed in Western Approaches with
HM Destroyers MACKAY, VERSATILE, VIMY,
WALKER,
WARWICK,
WHIRLWIND and WINCHELSEA as 11th
Destroyer Flotilla
October
Under
repair, by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
to
December
1
9 4 0
January
On completion of repair and
trials resumed convoy defence with
Flotilla.
to
(For details of
naval activities in Home waters in 1940
before German attacks on Norway
April
See Naval Staff History
and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C
Barnett).
Deployed in
Channel and SW Approaches..
May
Transferred to Dover
Command to assist with evacuation of
allied troops from French and
Belgian coasts.
28th
Deployed in evacuation from Dunkirk
(Operation DYNAMO)
29th
Embarked 241 troops and returned to Dover.
30th
Embarked 582 troops and returned to Dover.
Returned for 3rd
trip and embarked 622 troops
Disembarked
troops at Dover
June
1st
Embarked 640 troops and returned to Dover
Returned to Dunkirk
and returned with 168 troops
3rd
Embarked 37 troops and returned to Dover.
Returned for 7th
trip and embarked to 414 troops
Disembarked
troops at Dover,
(For details of
DYNAMO operation see THE NINE DAYS OF
DUNKIRK by A D Divine
Naval Staff History
and BEF SHIPS by J de Winser.)
12th
Escorted French battleship JEAN BART
during passage to Casablanca
19th
Re-deployed for evacuation work from Bay
of Biscay
ports (Operation AERIAL).
(See BEF ships)
Passage to St
Nazaire to assist in evacuation
.
20th
Passage to La Pallice
with demolition party but did not land.
22nd
Returned to Plymouth.
See BEF SHIPS.
July
Resumed convoy
defence duties. Convoy
defence end
patrol in continuation.
to
(Note : Destroyers
also carried out anti-invasion
interception patrols.)
August
September
Joined 8th Escort Group based in Liverpool
for
escort of Atlantic convoys.
Escorted Convoy
OB216 Atlantic convoy escort duty in
continuation.
October
Atlantic
convoy deployment with Group in
continuation.
November
Atlantic
convoy defence and support duties with
Group on UK
- Gibraltar
route.
to
Deployed in Gibraltar
area as Anti-submarine
Hunting Group.
December
1
9 4 1
January
Atlantic
convoy escort duty in continuation with
Group.
to
Transferred to Freetown
for Local Escort duties.
May
Passage
to Freetown.
Deployed at Freetown
for Atlantic convoy
June
13th
Joined military convoy WS9A during
Atlantic passage to Middle
East
off coast of
West
Africa
with HM Destroyers VELOX and WILD
SWAN.
as Local Escort
for
final stage of
passage into Freetown.
(Note : HM
Cruiser BIRMINGHAM
was providing Ocean Escort.)
18th
Detached from WS9A on arrival at Freetown.
20th
Deployed with HM Destroyers BOREAS,
VELOX and WILD SWAN for
Local
Escort of WS9A
during initial
part of passage to Cape
of Good Hope.
22nd
Detached from WS9A and returned to Freetown
with Local Escort.
(Note : HMS
BIRMINGHAM provided Ocean Escort).
July
16th
Joined military convoy WS9B on departure
from Freetown
as Local Escort during initial
part of
passage to Cape of Good Hope with HM
Destroyers BOREAS, BRILLIANT and
VELOX.
18th
Detached from WS9B with Local Escort and
returned to Freetown.
(Note: HM
Cruiser GALATEA provided Ocean Escort.)
August
Local
Escort duties at Freetown
in continuation.
to
Transferred to 10th
Escort Group.
October
Nominated for return to Home
waters and took passage.
November
Deployed in NW Approaches for
convoy defence.
13th
Joined military convoy WS12Z in Clyde
with HM
Destroyers BADSWORTH, EXMOOR,
WITCH
and WHITEHALL
as Local Escort during passage in NW
Approaches.
16th
Detached from WS12Z with Local Escort
and returned to Clyde.
December
13th
Joined military convoy WS14 during
passage to Freetown
in NW Approaches as Local
Escort with HM
Destroyers WITCH and VOLUNTEER.
14th
Detached from Local Escort and returned
to Clyde.
(Note : HM
Battleship RAMILLIES and HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser
CILICIA
provided
the Ocean
Escort.)
1
9 4 2
January
12th
Joined
military convoy WS15 in Clyde
with HM Destroyers VANOC, VOLUNTEER,
WALKER and
WITHERINGTON as Local Escort during
passage in NW Approaches
17th
Detached from WS15 with HMS VOLUNTEER
and HMS WITHERINGTON on
relief by
Polish destroyer ORP
GARLAND and HM Destroyer NORMAN.
Returned to Clyde.
(Note :
Details of escorts for WS convoys were
provided by D Kindell,
Ohio USA and is
gratefully
acknowledged.)
February
Detached for duty with 1st
Minelaying Squadron.
18th
Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron for minelay in
Northern Barrage
(Operation SN84
- For details of all minelaying
operations see
Naval
Staff History
(MINING) (HMSO).).
March
Resumed
convoy escort duties.
to
Nominated for
conversion to Long Range Escort.
August
(For details of Atlantic
convoy defence tactics see BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D
Maclntyre
and
CONVOY ESCORT COMMANDER by P Gretton).
September
Taken in hand fbr
conversion at HM Dockyard Portsmouth.
November
Under
conversion.
to
(See BRITISH
DESTROYERS by E. March and V AND
W DESTROYERS by A Preston.)
December
1
9 4 3
January
Under conversion
to
March
April
Carried out post refit
Harbour and sea Trials
Worked-up for
operational service.
May
On
completion of work-up resumed escort
duty in Western
Approaches with 6th Escort Group.
.
Joined HM
Destroyer FAME,
m Frigate DEVERON, HM Corvettes KINGCUP,
Norwegian
Corvettes
VERVAIN, ROSE, EGLANTINE, ACANTHUS and
POTENTILLA for defence
of Atlantic
convoys.
June
Deployed with Group for Atlantic convoy
defence.
to
(For
details of changes in convoy defence
tactics and weapons see U-BOAT WAR IN
September
THE ATLANTIC
(HMSO) and SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann)
October
Deployed with ships of 6th and
7th Escort Groups for escort of Convoy
ON206.
(See HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair Volume 2. for
details.)0
(Note : Ships
of 7th Escort Group included HM
Destroyers
DUNCAN, VIDETTE, HM
Corvettes
PINK and SUNFLOWER.
15th
Under sustained U-Boat attacks with
ships of escort.
16th
Drove off determined attempts by U844
with HMS DUNCAN and HMS
VIDETTE
(Note : This
submarine was later sunk by an RAF
aircraft
which was itself shot down by
from U844.
See U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp and above reference)
November
Group deployment for Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Western Approaches convoy
escort in continuation with Group.
February
Escorted
ONS29 with Group.
March
Deployed
for Atlantic convoy defence.
to
April
May
Nominated for duty in
Escort Group 106 with HM Frigate STRULE,
HM Corvettes
ABELIA, BALSAM
and Motor Launches from Light Coastal
Forces.
(Operation NEPTUNE
- See
OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K Edwards and NORMANDY
LANDINGS, June 1944
(HMSO)
for details of naval activities before
and during landings).
June
Commenced duty in Escort
Group 106 at Milford Haven.
4th
Joined Convoy EBM3 apprising 11 empty
Motor Transport ships
In Irish Sea with
Group supplemented by two additional
Corvettes and HM Trawlers CALDY and
GWEAL
5th
Passage to
Start Point
delayed when D Day postponed for 24
hours.
6th
Transports loaded at south coast ports.
7th
Passage through swept channel to
beachhead.
8th
Convoy arrived in Western Task Force
(US) area for
discharge.
10th
Escorted build-up convoys from Falmouth.
July
After release from NEPTUNE
resumed
escort duty with 6th Escort Group for
mercantile
convoys
August
Atlantic convoy defence
deployment with Group in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Atlantic
and coastal convoy defence in
continuation.
to
(Note : During this period German Schnorkel-fitted
submarines were
concentrating
March
their attacks in convoy
focal points In SW Approaches. See
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett and SEEK AND
STRIKE by W
Hackmann).
April
Part of
escort for Convoy ONA265.
10th
Participated in sinking of U878 with HM
Corvettes
TINTAGEL
CASTLE
west of St
Nazaire in position
47.35N
10.33W.
There were no
survivors from the submarine.
May
Withdrawn from
operational service after VE Day.
June
Paid-off and reduced to
Reserve status.