1
9 3 9
August
Brought forward from Reserve
and commissioned for
attendance at Royal Review
of
Reserve Fleet in Weymouth
Bay.
September
Remained in commission and
took up
war station at Plymouth
for service in 17th
Destroyer
Flotilla.
3rd
Deployed
for convoy escort in SW
Approaches and English
Channel.
5th
Escorted
coastal convoy during
passage from Clyde with HM
Destroyers VIVACIOUS,
VANQUISHER
and
VANESSA.
15th
Escorted
coastal convoy in SW
Approaches with HM Destroyer
WOLVERINE.
October
Western Approaches Command
convoy defence
duties with Flotilla in
continuation at
to
December
Plymouth.
1
9 4 0
January
Deployment at Plymouth
for convoy defence in
continuation.
to
February
March
23rd
Joined
inward Convoy HG23F with HM
Destroyers WHITEHALL
and WINCHELSEA
to
relieve
escort by two French
warships.
26th
Detached
with escort on arrival of
HG23F at Liverpool..
April
3rd
Joined
outward Convoy OG24 on
formation in SE Approaches
with HM Trawler LEEDS
UNITED, HM Destroyers
MONTROSE and VERDUN
as escort during initial
stage of passage
to
Gibraltar.
Detached from OG24 and took
passage
to join inward Convoy HG24
as escort during passage
from
Gibraltar to Liverpool.
4th
Joined
HM Sloops ENCHANTRESS and SANDWICH
in escort of Convoy HG24.
7th
Detached
from HG24 on arrival at Liverpool.
10th
Joined
outward Convoy OG25 with HM
Destroyers BROKE and VERITY
on formation in SW
Approaches as escort during
initial
stage of passage to Gibraltar
Detached from OG25 escort
and took passage
to resume service at Liverpool.
(Note: Destroyers based at Plymouth
were transferred to Liverpool when the headquarters
of
Western
Approaches Command were
moved to Liverpool)
May
Transferred to Dover Command
for detached
service in support of
military
operations
in Holland,
Belgium
and France.
Passage
to Dover.
26th
Nominated for support of
evacuation of allied
troops from Dunkirk
(Operation DYNAMO).
Deployed with HM Cruiser CALCUTTA,
HM Destroyers GALLANT,
GREYHOUND,
GRAFTON, IMPULSIVE, SABRE,
VIMY and
VIVACIOUS at Dunkirk.
27th
Embarked
631 troops for passage to Dover.
Under air attack and
sustained some
damage above the waterline
from near miss.
28th
Returned to Dunkirk
to continue embarkation of
troops.
29th
Under
attack by E-Boat S30 whilst
off Dunkirk
and hit in forward Boiler
Room by one of
the
two
torpedoes fired. Ship split
in two with forward part
sinking immediately.
Only one of the 640 soldiers
embarked
survived with 25 of the
ship’s company.
Rescue was carried out by HM
Minesweepers GOSSAMER, LYDD,
HM
Destroyer
GRAFTON
and HM
Drifter COMFORT.
(Note: HMS GRAFTON was later
sunk by
a torpedo from U32 and HMS
COMFORT was
rammed
by
HMS LYDD. See FRIEND OR FOE
by P Kemp, BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser
and Naval Staff History for
details of the tragic and
heavy losses
of
life
during rescue work.)