TRIBAL-Class
Destroyer ordered on 10th March 1936 from
Vickers-Armstrong, Newcastle
under the 1935
Build Programme and laid down on 9th June that
year. The ship was launched on
8th June 1937 as the 2nd
RN ship to bear this name, introduced in 1907
for a destroyer which was sold in
1919. HMS COSSACK, a sister ship was also
launched at this shipyard on the same day. Build
was completed on 3rd May 1938 for a tender price
of £341,462 which excluded supply of weapons and
communications outfits by
the Admiralty.
B
a t t l e H
o n o u r s
DOVER PATROL
1914-18 - ZEEBRUGGE 1918 - NORWAY 1940
H
e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge:
On a Field barry wavy, Blue and White, issuing
from the base
an Afridi’s head
and shoulders affronte proper.
D
e t a i l s
o f P r e - W a r S e r
v i c e
1
9 3 8
April
29th
Commissioned for service in 1st TRIBAL Destroyer
Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet
May
3rd
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
On completion of trials and storing took passage
to Portland to work-up for service
with Flotilla as Senior Officer’s ship.
On completion of working-up took passage to join
Flotilla at Malta.
June
3rd
Arrived in Malta and joined Flotilla.
Deployed in Malta for exercises.
July
Nominated for Non-Intervention Patrol duty off
Spanish coast .
Deployed for patrol and visited Barcelona and
Marseilles before return to Malta
August
Took part in Mediterranean Fleet Exercise and
Visits programme.
Called at Greek ports.
September
On completion of exercises took passage to
Istanbul with HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE and HM Destroyer COSSACK of Flotilla,
Passage from Istanbul to Alexandria. to rejoin
Flotilla.
(Note: Planned visits to Black Sea ports cancelled in view of Munich
crisis
October
Deployed at Alexandria with Mediterranean Fleet.
24th
Sailed for Cyprus.
November
Passage to Malta.
9th
Arrived in Malta and taken in hand for routine
docking.
December
17th
Undocked and prepared to resume Flotilla duties.
(Note: Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to F07.
1 9 3 9
January
Deployed in Malta with Flotilla.
February
Passage to Gibraltar to take part in joint Exercises with ships of Home and
Mediterranean Fleets.
March
Deployed for joint Fleet exercises based at
Gibraltar
(Note: These were an annual event in peace-time
and reintroduced in 1946.)
18th
Sailed from Gibraltar with Mediterranean Fleet
ships for Spring Visits to ports
in South France.
Later withdrawn from programme after collision
with HM Cruiser PENELOPE
during transfer of mail.
Passage to Malta for repair by HM Dockyard
April
Transferred with ships of Flotilla to 4th
Destroyer Flotilla as new identity.
On completion of repair took passage to
Alexandria to rejoin Flotilla.
(Note: Mediterranean Fleet had been ordered to
assemble there after Italian
invasion of Albania on 7th.)
May
On release from Fleet assembly deployed with
Flotilla in Eastern Mediterranean
for Fleet and Flotilla exercises and visits
programme.
26th
Visited Mersa Matruh with HM Destroyer GURKHA
(i)
June
Exercise and visits programme in continuation
including visits to Greek ports.
to July
August
Deployed for Fleet exercises in Aegean with
ships of Flotilla
(Note: This series of exercises was carried out
in anticipation of outbreak of war
possibly involving Italy.)
Nominated for deployment in Red Sea as war station.)
18th
Returned to Alexandria.
D
e t a i l s
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)
September
2nd
Passage to Red Sea via Suez Canal for
surveillance duties with HM Destroyers
GURKHA (i), MOHAWK and SIKH of Flotilla.
(Note: Surveillance was required on movement of
Italian ships in Red Sea
ports.)
10th
On release from surveillance returned to
Alexandria.
October
Transferred with Flotilla from Mediterranean
Fleet for service in Home waters.
Passage from Alexandria to UK with calls at
Malta and Gibraltar
Nominated for service in North Sea with Humber Force based at Immingham.
November
Joined Humber Force.
(Note: Ships of 2nd Cruiser Squadron and 7th
Destroyer Flotilla were based
at Immingham for interception of German warships
taking passage to
Atlantic via NW Approaches.)
*Transferred to Rosyth (before 23rd) in
continuation of North Sea deployment including
escort between UK and Norway.
(Note: ON Series between Methil and Bergen.
HN Series between Bergen and Methil.)
*With units of Home Fleet searched for German
ship(s) that had sunk HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser RAWALPINDI on the 23rd.
Erroneously believed to be pocket
battleship DEUTSCHLAND, but actually
battlecruiser SCHARNHORST.
December
Rosyth-based duty in continuation
1 9 4 0
January
Owing to accumulation of defects including leaks
and problems with Turbine
blades, withdrawn from operational use for
repair.
(Note: Cracks in hull structure developed in
ships of this Class due to excess
of calculated stress factors when ship was
moving at high speed in
heavy weather conditions.
Similarly damage was caused to blades of steam
turbines in most of
the British built TRIBAL Class destroyers in the
first months of their
service. Blades were replaced at refits in 1939
and 1940)
16th
Passage to West Hartlepool.
17th
Taken in hand by commercial shipyard.
February
Under repair.
March
19th
Carried out post refit trials and on completion
took passage to resume
duties in Home Fleet.
April
Home Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
7th
Sailed from Forth as part of destroyer screen
for HM Cruisers GALATEA
and GALATEA with HM Destroyers GURKHA (i), SIKH,
MOHAWK, ZULU.
COSSACK, KASHMIR, KELVIN, Polish destroyers ORP GROM, ORP
BURZA and ORP BLYSKAWICA to carry out search for
German warships
reported on passage in North Sea.
8th
Deployed as screen for Striking Force with same
ships during sweep to the
northward in search for German warships.
Striking Force and screen ordered to join ships
of Home Fleet at sea off
Norwegian coast.
9th
Joined Home Fleet with Striking Force.
Detached with HM Destroyers GURKHA (i), SIKH,
MOHAWK, SOMALI,
MATABELE and MASHONA as screen for HM Cruisers
MANCHESTER,
GLASGOW, SHEFFIELD and SOUTHAMPTON to carry out
attacks on
warships and transports in Bergen
Operation cancelled and took passage with same
ships to rejoin Home Fleet.
(Note: Admiralty decided that attack at this
strength was unlikely to be
successful For details see NAVAL OPERATIONS IN
THE
CAMPAIGN OFF NORWAY, April – June 1940. ENGAGE
THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by J Adams and NORWAY 1940 by F
Kennedy.)
Under sustained and heavy air attacks during
which HMS GURKHA (i) was
sunk , HM Battleship RODNEY hit by falling
aircraft with HMS
SOUTHAMPTON and HMS GLASGOW slightly damaged by
near misses.
10th
Passage to Scapa Flow to refuel and
re-ammunition.
11th
Sailed from Scapa Flow with HM Destroyers
SOMALI, MASHONA, SIKH,
MATABELE and MOHAWK as screen for HMS GLASGOW
and HMS
SHEFFIELD during inshore interception on Norwegian coast northward from
Alesund
12th
Screen deployment during patrol.
13th
Deployed in search operation by same ships for
ships reported by aircraft.
Nominated for support of planned landings at
Namsos.
(Operation HENRY)
Deployed with the six destroyers of screen to
destroy enemy shipping
believed to be at Alesund.
(Note: On arrival the ships were found to be
Norwegian. See References)
Under air attacks at Alesund.
(Note: Landing Parties from the cruisers were
embarked in destroyers
14th
Rejoined Cruisers and refuelled.
15th
Deployed off Kya Light to await arrival of troop
convoy to carry out landings
at Namsos (Operation MAURICE.)
16th
Arrived at Lillesjona with troopships and
ferried troops ashore.
(Note: HM Destroyers NUBIAN, SIKH, MATABELE and
MASHONA
also carried troops from ships of MAURICE
convoy.)
Under sustained air attacks.
17th
Escorted mv CHOBRY to Namsos with HM Cruiser
CURLEW and same
five TRIBAL Class destroyers.
(Note: Army Headquarters staff controlled
landings from ship.
See above references for details.)
Heavy air attacks continued.
18th
Passage to UK with HMS NUBIAN
26th
Escorted supply convoy from UK to Andalsnes with
HM Destroyers
WITHERINGTON and AMAZON for support of military
forces landed
for Operation SICKLE on 18th.
27th
Under series of air attacks.
28th
Deployed off Namsos for support of military
operations.
May
Nominated for support of evacuation of troops
from Namsos.
1st
Deployed with Fleet units off Namsos pending
evacuation which was
delayed to allow military forces to disengage
from shore operations.
Under air attacks.
2nd
Embarked troops of Royal Lincolnshire Regiment
from shore and
transferred them to French Auxiliary Cruiser
KANTARA.
Remained at Namsos to evacuate rearguard.
3rd
Embarked troops of *Hallamshire (Sheffield)
Battalion, York and Lancaster Regt.
Shelled transport vehicles abandoned on quayside
before sailing.
Took passage as escort for returning troopships
and came under series of
air attacks. French destroyer BISON was hit and
badly damaged.
Rescued survivors from BISON with HM Destroyers
GRENADE and *IMPERIAL
when decision made to sink the French warship by
gunfire..
Subsequently hit by two bombs and capsized with
loss of 100 lives,
including some survivors from BISON and 13 army
personnel.
Survivors were rescued by HM Destroyers IMPERIAL
and *GRIFFIN.
Ship sank in position 66.14 N, 05.45E.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
AFRIDI
by
Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy
No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
16/12/39
|
16/12/39
|
ON
005/1
|
19/12/39
|
19/12/39
|
21/12/39
|
21/12/39
|
HN
005
|
24/12/39
|
24/12/39
|
29/12/39
|
29/12/39
|
ON
006/1
|
01/01/40
|
01/01/40
|
30/03/40
|
30/03/40
|
HN
023A
|
03/04/40
|
03/04/40
|
24/04/40
|
24/04/40
|
TM
001/1
|
27/04/40
|
27/04/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
* ADDITIONS
AND CORRECTIONS
With thanks to John Gritten who
served on her from 23 November 1939 until her
loss
|