1
9 4 0
February
Contractors
trials.
10th
Build
completion and commissioned for service
Commenced Acceptance Trials
15th
Worked-up
at
Portland
March
Deployed with HM Destroyers HESPERUS and
HIGHLANDER
as 9th Destroyer Flotilla in
Western Approaches Command for Atlantic
convoy defence
April
Transferred to Home Fleet with Flotilla
after German
landings in
Norway.
Escorted military convoys to
Norway
and deployed for support and defence against
air
attacks.
May
Norwegian
support in continuation.
13th
Provided
support during assault landings at Bjerkvik,
near Narvik
with HM Battleship
RESOLUTION, HM
Cruisers AURORA and EFFINGHAM,.
HM Destroyers SOMALI,
FAME,
WREN and BASILISK.
(Note: French
army mortar mounted forward was used.)
28th
Deployed
in Rombaksfjord
with HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
FAME and
WALKER to
cover
landing by French
Foreign Legion.
29th
Took
part in evacuation of allied troops from Bodo
with HM
Destroyers ARROW,
ECHO,
FIREDRAKE and VANOC.
June
Norwegian evacuation support in
continuation.
4th
Co-ordinated
evacuation arrangements at Harstad.
8th
Part
of escort for Group II Evacuation convoy
with HM Cruisers COVENTRY and
SOUTHAMPTON. HM Destroyers
FAME,
FIREDRAKE, BEAGLE and ECHO.
(For details of the disastrous naval
operations
off
Norway
see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett, .NARVIK
by D Macintyre, Naval Staff History
(HMSO-2001_
and THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by
Adams.)
.
10th
Arrived
at Scapa after completion of Norwegian
evacuation.
Resumed duty In Western
Approaches with 9th Destroyer Flotilla.
11th
Deployed for Atlantic convoy defence.
16th
Detached to cover evacuation of troops
from St. Nazaire.
(Operation AERIAL - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser.)
July
Returned to Atlantic convoy escort duty with
Flotilla
August
Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
September
Transferred to
Liverpool
(See THE
BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D Macintyre).
October
convoy
escort in continuation.
November
8th
Attacked
and sank Italian submarine COMANDANTE FAA DI
BRUNO during defence
of
Convoy HX84.
December
Atlantic
convoy escort with Group in continuation.
1
9 4 1
January
Atlantic
convoy defence
in continuation.
to
March
April
Part
of escort for military convoy WS8A.
Nominated for duty with Force H
with HM Destroyers HESPERUS and HARVESTER
in Force H
at Gibraltar.
May
Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS for
passage
from
6th
Deployed
as escort for HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM
Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL
and HM Cruiser
SHEFFIELD
with HM Destroyers HESPERUS, HARVESTER,
KASHMIR
and KIPLING
during cover of passage of military convoy
taking
tanks to the
Middle East.
(Operation TIGER
- This operation also included passage of HM Battleship QUEEN
ELIZABETH,
HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER, NAIAD and
FIJI
to reinforce the Fleet in the
Eastern
Mediterranean.
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY,
THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre and the Naval Staff
History (HMSO-2001)
10th
Returned to
Gibraltar
from position west of Malta.
12th
Retained at
Gibraltar
for service in Force H.
19th
Deployed
for initial escort of major ships covering
Malta
aircraft delivery by HM Aircraft
Carriers
ARK ROYAL and FURIOUS (Operation SPLICE)
Withdrawn from Force
H because of inadequate anti-aircraft
capability.
June
Returned to Atlantic convoy escort duty.
July
Atlantic
convoy escort in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 2
January
Atlantic convoy
escort in continuation.
to
For details of development of anti-submarine
weapons and tactics see SEEK
AND
STRIKE
February
by W
Hackmann,
U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC
(HMSO).
March
Transferred to 5th (British) Escort Group as
Senior
Officers’ Ship.
April
Deployed with Group for Atlantic convoy
escort.
to
July
August
Deployed with Group off Eastern American
coast for escort
of convoys from the
Caribbean
area to
Newfoundland
and
Gibraltar.
September
Joined escort of Convoy
WAT13
October
Deployment
in American coastal waters in
continuation.
to
(See above references)
December
1
9 4 3
January
12th
Escorted
Tanker Convoy TM1 with HM Corvettes
PIMPERNEL and GODETIA.
(Note: This
convoy suffered severe losses in U-Boat
attacks during passage to
Mediterranean
from the West
Indies.
Covered passage of
convoy
SC1 with 9th British Escort Group.
February
Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
March
16th
Participated
in defence of Convoy SC122 with H M
Corvettes GODETIA, PIMPERNEL,
BUTTERCUP, LAVENDER,
SAXIFRAGE, HM Frigate SWALE, HM Destroyer
LEAMINGTON of
Group against sustained U-Boat attacks from
STURMER Group.
(For details see
CONVOY by M Middlebrook
and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.).
April
Escorted
Convoy SC126 with ships of Group.
(See above references)
May
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
Deployed in Support
role.
June
Deployed with Group in Joint anti-submarine
operations
with RAF Coastal Command
to
to attack submarines in transit through
Bay
of Biscay. Cover was provided by HM
August
Cruisers
SCYLLA,
GLASGOW
and
BERMUDA
with HM Escort Carrier ARCHER.
(Operations MUSKETRY and SEASLUG - For
details see CONFLICT OVER THE BAY by N.
Franks, ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR.).
September
Resumed convoy defence with Group in
Support role.
30th
Escorted
military convoy to establish aircraft bases
in
Azores.
Deployed with
HM Destroyers WARWICK and VOLUNTEER, HM
Sloop
LOWESTOFT
and the Corvettes HMS BUTTERCUP,
FMS
LAVENDER and HMS GODETIA.
(Operation ALACRITY).
October
Atlantic
convoy support with Group in continuation.
to
(For details of development and use of radar
by RN see RADAR AT
SEA
by D Hawse)
December
1
9 4 4
January
Atlantic convoy support in continuation.
to
April
May
Nominated
for support of
Normandy
landings and joined 14th Escort Group with
HM
Destroyers
FAME,
HOTSPUR, ICARUS and INCONSTANT.
Transferred to Plymouth
Command.
June
5th
Deployed
with Group in SW Approaches to prevent entry
of U-Boats into English
Channel for attacks
on invasion convoys (Operation
NEPTUNE).
(For full details
of naval activities prior to and during
landings see LANDINGS
IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944 (HMSO),
OPERATION
NEPTUNE
by K Edwards
and D-DAY
SHIPS by J de Winser.)
12th
Deployed
in English
Channel
and under unsuccessful attack by torpedo
bombers south
of
Lyme
Bay
18th
Participated in
sinking of U767 with HMS
FAME
and HMS INCONSTANT in Channel in
position U9.03N
03-13W.
July
Under refit in Liverpool.
to
August
September
On completion of post refit trials rejoined
Group for convoy escort in SW Approaches
and
Irish Sea.
October
Deployed in SW
Approaches and Channel area for convoy
defence.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Irish
Sea and Channel coastal convoy defence
in continuation.
February
Under
repair at
Portsmouth.
to
March
April
Rejoined Group in
continuation of support and escort role in
Irish
Sea.
30th
Participated
in sinking of U242 by Hedgehog attack with
HM Destroyer HESPERUS and
RAF aircraft NW of
Anglesey.
(Note: The
credit for this sinking is in dispute
See U-BOATS DESTROYED by
P Kemp).
May
8th
On cessation of
hostilities against Germany
deployed with Home Fleet.
29th
Escorted
rms
ANDES
carrying Norwegian Government officials back
to
Oslo with HMS
HESPERUS.
June
Nominated for service
Air Target Ship duty.
Taken in hand for
conversion to suit new role.
July
Deployed as an Air
Target Ship for training of aircrew.
to
