1 9 3 9
February
Completion delayed by late delivery
of gunnery equipment
March
Contractors trials and commissioning.
30th
Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
April
On completion of Acceptance Trials took
passage
for work-up at Portland.
Work-up exercises and
shakedown in Channel area.
May
Joined Flotilla to take part in Home Fleet
exercise
and visits programme.
(Note: Work-up
may not have allowed ship to visit Cherbourg
with Flotilla in early May
Other ships in Flotilla were:
HM Destroyers SOMALI (Leader),
ASHANTI,
MATABELE, BEDOUIN,
PUNJABI, ESKIMO and
TARTAR.
12th
Escorted
rms EMPRESS OF
AUSTRALIA during passage in English
Channel
with HM King George VI
and Queen Elizabeth
embarked for Royal visit to Canada.)
June
Diverted from programme to assist in rescue
operations
for HM Submarine THETIS which had sunk
during builder's
trials in Liverpool
Bay.
On release from THETIS diversion
resumed Home Fleet programme with Flotilla.
July
Deployed with Flotilla in Home waters.
August
Took up Home Fleet war station and deployed
for interception
and anti-submarine patrol in Home waters.
September
Deployed for Home Fleet screening and
patrol duties.
Part of screen for Anglo
French warships in NW Approaches.
(Note: Later
duties included interception of German
shipping
attempting to return to German ports and
commerce
raiders on passage to attack British shipping
in Atlantic as well as U- Boats operating in
Home waters.)
25th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers SOMALI and MATABELE in Home
Fleet search for HM Submarine SPEARFISH
which had been
badly damaged during patrol in Heligoland
Bight,.
26th
Escorted
submarine back to UK with covered by Home Fleet major warships.
October
Flotilla deployment with Home Fleet
in continuation.
25th
Taken in hand for repair by Middle Dock
Engineering, South
Shields.
(Note: This
may have been for investigation into
propulsion machinery problems due to excess
stress during
during high speed
steaming in inclement weather. This defect was
common to this
Class of Fleet destroyer.
To be confirmed.)
November
10th
Resumed Flotilla duties in Home Fleet.
24th
Deployed
with ships of Flotilla for screening of Home
Fleet major warships during search
for German battleships
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU after the sinking
of HM Armed Merchant Cruiser RAWALPINDI in
defence
of an Atlantic
convoy.
December
Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
1
9 4 0
January
Home Fleet screening and patrol
duties in continuation
to
February
March
Withdrawn from Home Fleet duties and took
passage
to Chatham
for refit by HM Dockyard,
Taken in hand for refit
(Note: This
may have included replacement of turbine
blades and hull repair to leaks.
See above Note.)
April
On completion of refit joined Home Fleet.
6th
Deployed
with HM destroyers SOMALI, MATABELE and TARTAR
of Flotilla during
escort of inbound
convoy to Forth
from Norway.
(Note: One record
states the ship also included the Norwegian
torpedo boat DRAUG but
this is not
included
in Naval Staff History.).
7th
Passage
to join HM Destroyers AFRIDI, GURKHA, SIKH,
MOHAWK, ZULU, COSSACK,
KASHMIR and KELLY in screen for HM Cruisers GALATEA and ARETHUSA deployed
in search for
German warships on passage in North
Sea.
(MASHONA, with MATABELE,
SOMALI,
TARTAR
may instead of have joined Adm Forbe's main
force on this date)
For details see NAVAL OPERATIONS OF THE
CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY ,
April –June
1940 (HMSO).
9th
Joined
Home Fleet ships with HMS GALATEA and HMS
ARETHUSA and destroyer screen.
Detached with HM Destroyers AFRIDI, GURKHA,
SIKH, MOHAWK, SOMALI and
MATABELE as screen for HM Cruisers MANCHESTER,
SOUTHAMPTON, and GLASGOW
and SHEFFIELD to carry out an attack on German warships reported at Bergen.
When operation cancelled by Admiralty
took passage to rejoin Home Fleet ships.
After rejoining Fleet came under heavy
and sustained air attacks during which sister
destroyer
HMS GURKHA was sunk.
11th
Sailed
from Scapa
Flow
with HM Destroyers SOMALI, AFRIDI, SIKH,
MATABELE and
MOHAWK to carry out sweep inshore northward
of Alesund to
intercept enemy warship
movements prior
to planned allied landings in Norway.
12th
Carried out search with same destroyers.
13th
Under air attacks at Alesund
without
damage.
14th
Deployed
in support of landings by RM from cruisers at
Namsos (Operation
HENRY)
On completion took passage to meet troopship
convoy
16th
Under
heavy air attacks at Lillesjona
17th
Deployed
with AFRIDI, NUBIAN, SIKH and MATABELE to
ferry troops ashore
from transports
after refuelling. Under
air attacks.
Passage to Namsos
with mv CHOBRY
as screen with
same sister ships.
18th
After
taking part in landings at Namsos
fuelled with NUBIAN
from GLASGOW
and SHEFFIELD before taking passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note: See
references
for details of Operation MAURICE).
19th
Arrived at Scapa
Flow
to refuel and replenish ammunition.
29th
Passage
to Andalsnes with HM Destroyers SOMALI, SIKH,
WANDERER, WALKER
and WESTCOTT
as screen for HM Cruisers GALATEA, ARETHUSA, SHEFFIELD
and SOUTHAMPTON to carry out evacuation of troops
30th
Embarked
troops at Veblungsnes
and supported evacuation.
May
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes
changed to G59.
1st
Under
air attacks,
Returned to take part in further evacuation
operation at Andalsnes with
HM Destroyers INGLEFIELD, DELIGHT, DIANA
and SOMALI, HM Cruisers
BIRMINGHAM,
MANCHESTER
and CALCUTTA.
2nd
Return
passage to Scapa
Flow
with evacuated troops without air attacks.
(Note: HMS
CALCUTTA
remained to evacuate rearguard.)
Resumed Flotilla duties with Home Fleet
June
7th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers TARTAR, BEDOUIN and ASHANTI
as screen
for HM Battleship
VALIANT to provide cover for final. evacuation
Group I
during passage
from Norway.
8th
After
meeting Group I ships off Faeroes, detached
with HMS VALIANT and screen
when relieved
by additional escorts.
(Note: For full
details of the disastrous operations off Norway
see above reference,
NARVIK by D Macintyre, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION
by J Adams
and
CARRIER GLORIOUS by
J Winton.)
9th
Home
Fleet screening and patrol duties in
continuation with Flotilla.
20th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers MAORI and TARTAR to impound
Swedish warships
in Faeroes.
(Note: Two
destroyers
and two torpedo boats purchased from Italy
for service in the
Swedish Navy had arrived there during
passage. After protests from this
neutral state
these ships were handed back to Sweden
at Scapa
Flow.)
27th
During
deployment as screen for Home Fleet major
warships during search for German
ships reported
on passage in NW Approaches, sustained
structural damage in heavy weather.
30th
At Rosyth
for inspection of defects and extensive
replacement of riveting discovered.
July
On completion of repair resumed Home Fleet
duties
with Flotilla.
July
Home Fleet deployment at
Scapa
Flow
in continuation.
to
September
October
Under refit and repair in Liverpool commercial shipyard
(Note: During
this refit the twin 4.7in mounting in X
position was replaced by a
Twin 4in HA Mounting to improve AA defence.
Repair to propulsion
machinery and
structure to be confirmed )
November
On completion resumed Fleet duties
with Flotilla.
December
Deployed for patrol and convoy defence
in NW Approaches.
12th
Rescued survivors from ss
ROTORUA torpedoed
on 11th by U96 west of St Kilda.
1
9 4 1
January
3rd
Deployed
with HM Destroyers TARTAR and BEDOUIN as
screen for
HM Destroyers INTREPID and ICARUS during
minelay in Norwegian
coastal waters
(Operation DZ – See Naval Staff History
(Mining) for details.)
(Note: Despite
a series of unfortunate incidents lay was
successful.)
5th
Resumed
Flotilla duties on return to Scapa
Flow.
6th
Sustained
damage in collision with HM Destroyer SIKH at
Scapa
Flow.
(Note: This
was during departure for Fleet screening
duties.)
7th
Extent
of damage determined and repair arrange at West
Hartlepool.
13th
Taken in hand by Gray’s
shipyard.
February
Under repair
March
3rd
Resumed
Flotilla duties at Scapa
Flow.
24th
Joined
military convoy WS7 in Clyde
with HM Destroyers BEDOUIN, MATABELE
and SOMALI as
Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: HM
Destroyers
LEGION, BROADWATER and Polish Destroyer
ORP PIORUN were also deployed as part
of Local Escort and HM Cruiser
CAIRO
joined on 25th to provide additional AA
defence. HM Cruiser
EDINBURGH , HM
Battleships REVENGE and NELSON provided cover
against surface
attack.)
28th
Detached
from WS7 with BEDOUIN, MATABELE and SOMALI for
return
passage to Clyde.
April
Western Approaches deployment
in continuation.
May
22nd
Deployed
with HM Destroyers ESKIMO, TARTAR and SOMALI
as screen for
HM Battleship RODNEY to provide cover
for passage of mv
BRITANNIC during
Atlantic passage to
Boston.
24th
Detached
from mv BRITANNIC
with HMS RODNEY and destroyer screen
to join
Home Fleet ships in search for German
battleship BISMARCK
and German cruiser
PRINZ EUGEN after sinking
of HM Battlecruiser HOOD.
25th
Deployed
with HMS RODNEY and screen to carry out search
between French coast
and the last
known position of BISMARCK.
27th
Detached
from operations due to low fuel state and took
passage with HMS TARTAR
at economical
speed to refuel.
(Note: For
details
of the search and sinking of BISMARCK
see THE BISMARCK
EPISODE by G. Russell, LOSS OF BISMARCK
by B Schoefield
and
BATTLESHIP BISMARCK
by Mullenheim
Rechberg.)
28th
Under sustained and heavy air attacks and
hit on port side in
Boiler Room.
Damage control to reduce ingress of water
failed and ship had to be abandoned.
Scuttled and sunk in position west of
Irish coast (52.58N 11.3W).
36 of ship’s company lost their lives.
184 survivors rescued by HM Destroyers TARTAR
and SHERWOOD, and Canadian
destroyer
HMS ST CLAIR.
Casualty List TIMES 30
July 1941.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
MASHONA
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10/12/39
|
unknown
|
TC
001
|
17/12/39
|
17/12/39
|
|
31/03/40
|
02/04/40
|
ON
024/1
|
04/04/40
|
04/04/40
|
|
04/04/40
|
04/04/40
|
HN
024
|
07/04/40
|
07/04/40
|
|
11/05/41
|
16/05/41
|
OB
321
|
16/05/41
|
17/05/41
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
