(for more
ship information,
go
to Naval
History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
1
9 4 2
September
Contractor's
sea trials and commissioning.
October
1st
Accepted into
service.
Passage
to Scapa
Flow
to work-up with Home Fleet for
operational service
November
On
completion of work-up deployed for screening
of oajcr
ir its
and patrol in NW
Approaches with 11th
Destroyer Flotilla.
29th
Detached with HM Australian Destroyer
QUICKMATCH for escort of military
convoy KMF4
during passage to Gibraltar
for allied landings in North
Africa.
(Operation
TORCH - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
and Naval
Staff
History)
30th
During passage in Bay
of Biscay
with convoy H6 (??)
QUICKMATCH detached
to intercept a
blockade runner sighted by aircraft and
bound
from Bordeaux
to
Japan.
The
ship was identified as the Italian
CORTELLAZZO whose crew. including
some German
nationals abandoned her on approach.
Enemy
were taken prisoner and ship was sunk by a
torpedo from this ship.
.December
1st
Rejoined KMF4.
On
arrival at Gibraltar
took passage to Algiers.
Deployed
briefly in western Mediterranean
until ordered to return to UK
with
HM Destroyers QUICKMATCH
(RAN) and RACEHORSE.
20th
Joined HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS at
Greenock
with HM Destroyers
QUICKMATCH and RACEHORSE
as escort during Atlantic passage.
23rd
Experienced heavy
weather. See
BRITISH DESTROYERS by E March).
(Note: HMS
VICTORIOUS had been loaned to US Navy for
service
in the
Pacific).
26th
Sustained damage in main switchboard by
flooding.
27th
Attempt to take fuel from HMS VICTORIOUS
failed due to swell.
29th
Detached from HMS VICTORIOUS with HMS
RACEHORSE and HMAS
QUICKMATCH.
1
9 4 4
January
1st
Refuelled at Bermuda
and under temporary
repair by HM Dockyard.
4th
Took passage to Newport
News
for repair to weather
damage.
6th
Taken in hand by
US Navy Dockyard for docking and repair.
12th
Passage to Curacoa
with HMS RACEHORSE and HMAS QUICKMATCH
for escort of a
tanker convoy to Gibraltar.
18th
Passage to Mediterranean
with six tankers.
(Note:
Refuelled from tanker during passage).
26th
Passage to join
military convoy WS26 in Atlantic
during transit to Middle
East.
31st
Joined WS26 in Atlantic
with HM Destroyers QUALITY, QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH
and
RACEHORSE
February
1st
Sustained serious structural damage
below waterline by collision with a whale.
Dome
for submarine detection equipment and Pitometer
Log
damaged.
Detached
from WS26 and took passage to Casablanca
3rd
Under temporary
repair at Casablanca.
On
completion took passage to Gibraltar for permanent repair.
10th
Docked in Gibraltar
for installation of new
underwater fittings.
March
Under
repair.
Nominated
for service in Indian
Ocean
and took
passage to Freetown.
Retained
at Freetown
for Local Escort duties pending arrival
of military convoy
WS28 in transit to Middle
East.
Escorted
mercantiles to Bathurst
and Pointe Noire and returned to Freetown.
30th
Joined WS28 with HM Cruiser KENYA
and HM Destroyer QUADRANT on
departure from
Freetown
as Ocean Escort during passage to
Capetown.
April
11th
Detached from WS28
on arrival at Capetown.
15th
Rejoined WS28 with HMS QUADRANT and HMS
RELENTLESS on sailing from
Capetown.
20th
Detached from WS28
with HMS RELENTLESS after call at Durban.
Returned to Durban
for convoy defence in Indian
Ocean.
May
18th
Joined military convoy WS29 at Capetown
with HMS NORMAN as escort for
passage
to Durban.
20th
Detached from W529
on arrival at Durban.
25th
Rejoined WS29 with HMS QUADRANT on
sailing from Durban as the
escort for
part of passage
to Aden.
29th
Detached from WS29 with HMS QUADRANT and
took passage to South
Atlantic.
June
9th
Joined escort for Military convoy WS30
with HM Destroyers NORMAN and
QUADRANT
during passage in South
Atlantic.
19th
Detached from WB30 with HM Destroyers
NIZAM, NORMAN
and QUADRANT
on arrival at
Durban.
Took
passage to South
Atlantic
to join military
convoy WS31.
July
15th
Joined escort for WS31 with HMS QUADRANT
in South
Atlantic
21st
Detached from WS31 with HM Destroyers
RAPID and QUADRANT at Capetown.
26th
Rejoined WS31 with HMS QUADRANT as
escort for passage to Durban on sailing
from
Capetown for Bombay.
August
4th
Detached from WS31 with HMS QUADRANT
on relief by HM Cruiser FROBISHER
during passage to
Bombay.
Resumed
convoy defence in Indian
Ocean
based at Kilindini.
September
Convoy
defence in continuation.
to
Passage
to Simonstown.
October
November
Under
refit in HM Dockyard Simonstown.
December
Resumed
convoy defence duties in Indian Ocean and South
Atlantic.
1 9 4 4
January
Convoy
defence in Indian
Ocean
and Atlantic
in continuation.
to
Man
lost overboard.
March
Nominated
for service in Eastern Fleet with HM
Destroyers RACEHORSE,
ROTHERHAM,
RAPID, RELENTLESS, RAIDER, ROCKET and
ROEBUCK
as 11th Destroyer
Flotilla. Joined
Flotilla in Eastern Fleet.
April
Deployed
with Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol
in Indian
Ocean
14th
During boiler clean at Bombay
present when ammunition ship exploded
causing
much
devastation and
loss of life in subsequent fires.
(For
details of naval activities in Indian Ocean see OPERATION PACIFIC by
Edwyn Gray
, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett
and THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by John
Winton).
May
Flotilla
duties in continuation.
to
July
August
24th
Deployed with HM Destroyers, ROTHERHAM,
RAIDER, RAPID and ROCKET as screen
for
HM Battleship
HOWE, HMS VICTORIOUS, HMS INDOMITABLE, HMS
CEYLON
and HMS KENYA in
diversionary operation during US attacks on
Hollandia, New Guinea.
(Operation
BANQUET).
(Note: Air
attacks made by carriers on targets at Padang
airfield and ports in Sumatra
Photo-reconnaissance
flights were also carried out but little
attention was paid
to these attacks
by the Japanese.)
September
14th
Deployed with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM,
RAPID, ROCKET, RELENTLESS,
RACEHORSE
and
RA1DEB as
screen for HMS HOWE, HMS VICTORIOUS,
HMS
INDOMITABLE, HMS CUMBERLAND and HMS KENYA
during air strikes
and
photo-reconnaissance on targets in northern
Sumatra
(Operation LIGHT)
(Note:
Operation LIGHT was cancelled by bad
weather)
17th
Provided screen during air operations
{Operation LIGHT B)
(See
WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) for details of various
mistakes made.).
October
Fleet
duties with Flotilla in continuation.
to
(Note: Did not take part in Operation
MILLET, a diversion during US landings on
November
Leyte
Island
during October.)
December
Passage
to Simonstown
for refit and R&R.
1
9 4 5
January
On
completion of refit took passage to resume
Flotilla duties at Trincomalee.
February
Deployed
with Flotilla for patrol and screening
duties.
to
Based
at Akyab for
support of military operations.
March
April
1st
Deployed with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM,
RACEHORSE and ROCKET as
as Force 62 for
the support of inshore
operations and landings in Burma.
Several
small craft were sunk off Narcondam
Island
and bombardment carried
out at Grand
Coco.
(Operation
PENZANCE)
5th
Refuelled at Akyab.
7th
Deployed as Force
62 with same ships for offensive sweep off
coast of Burma.
Intercepted
and sank small craft. (Operation PASSBOOK).
27th
Part of screen for HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH,
French battleship RICHELIEU,
HM
Escort, Carriers SHAH and EMPRESS, HM
Cruiser CUMBERLAND,
SUFFOLK,
CEYLON
and Dutch cruiser TROMP with ships of
Flotilla in
Task Force 63 providing
cover for landings near Rangoon.
(Operation
BISHOP).
30th
Intercepted convoy of 11 ships with
single escort evacuating troops.
Destroyed all ships and
escort.
Bombarded Martaban
with HMS RACEHORSE and
HMS ROEBUCK.
May
1st
Bombarded Car Nicobar
with same ships.
Returned
to rescue survivors from ships sunk on 30th
April some of whom refused
assistance and
killed themselves
Returned to Trincomalee
with Flotilla on completion of BISHOP.
13th
Deployed
as screen for HM Cruiser NIGERIA
with HMS ROEBUCK and
RACEHORSE
as Force 62 to reinforce Eastern Fleet ships
(Task Force 61)
carrying cut a
search NW of Sumatra for Japanese warships
on
passage to
evacuate troops
from Nicobars
and Andamans
(Operation DUKEDOM).
14th
Remained with destroyer screen for Task
Force 61 when H M
Cruiser
CUMBERLAND,
ships of 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron
and 21st
Destroyer Flotilla detached to intercept
Japanese
cruiser
HAGURO and destroyer
KAMIKAZE.
(Note: Japanese
cruiser was sunk on 16th May by destroyers
of
26th
Flotilla.
.
For
full details of this brilliant night
engagement see SINK
THE
HAGURO by J Winton.,
OPERATION PACIFIC by E
Gray and the Naval Staff
History).
June
Eastern
Fleet duties with Flotilla In
continuation.
18th
Deployed with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM,
RELENTLESS, ROEBUCK
and RACEHORSE as
the screen for HM Escort Carriers STALKER,
KHEDIVE and AMEER, HM Cruisers
SUFFOLK and ROYALIST during air
operations in Malaya and North
Sumatra.
(Operation BALSAM).
July
Eastern
Fleet screening duties with Flotilla in
continuation..
Preparation
for assault landings in Malaya (Operation ZIPPER) ' .
(Note: This
Operation was delayed at US Insistence and
did
not
take place till
after VJ Day - See above references).
30th
Took passage from
Trincomalee to support landings in Malaya.
August
Diverted on passage to Penang
for support of re-occupation.
On
release took passage to Singapore
and deployed with Flotilla after
support of
landings.
Present
at Singapore
during formal Japanese surrender of
forces in Malaya
Assisted in restoration
of facilities at Singapore.
On
release took passage to Trincomalee.
