November
Contractor's
sea trials and commissioned for service in
11th Destroyer Flotilla.
30th
Accepted into service.
December
Worked up
at Scapa
Flow
with
Home Fleet.
Deployed
with HM
Destroyers RAIDER, MUSKETEER, QUEENBOROUGH,
MONTROSE
and Polish
ORP PIORUN as screen for HM Battleships KING
GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Cruisers KENT,
BERWICK and BERMUDA during
provision of cover
for passage of Convoy RA51 from Kola Inlet to
UK.
1
9 4 3
January
Deployed
with Home Fleet and prepared for foreign
service.
Nominated
for escort of military convoy WS26 and took
passage to Greenock.
23rd
Joined WS26 in Clyde
with HM Armed Merchant Cruiser
CANTON and CICILIA
and HM Destroyer
QUADRANT as Ocean Escort during passage to Freetown..
(Note:
There had
been an increased sinking by submarine attacks
in this area).
February
6th
Detached from WS26
on arrival at Freetown.
14th
Rejoined WS26 during passage to South
Africa from Freetown as Escort to Durban.
25th
Detached from W326
on arrival at Durban.
March
Passage
to join military convoy.
1st
Rejoined WS26 as escort with HM Destroyers
BLACKMORE and CATTERICK,
.
HM
Indian
Minesweeper CARNATIC
and Local Escort for passage in Indian
Ocean
from Durban
covered by HM Cruisers CERES
and BIRMINGHAM.
4th
Detached from WS26 and took passage to
reinforce escort of Convoy DN21 with
HM
Destroyer QUIBERON.
Under
attack by U160.
See
WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) and HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR
by C Blair
April
Deployed
for convoy defence In South Atlantic and Indian
Ocean.
(Note:
Destroyers of
Eastern Fleet were detached for service In
South Atlantic
Command
because of the Increase
in U-Boat activity. See above
references.)
5th
Joined HM Cruiser KENYA,
HM Destroyers QUADRANT and REDOUBT
with
HM
Destroyer RACEHORSE to reinforce Ocean Escort
of military convoy WS28
during passage from
Freetown
to Cape of Good Hope.
15th
Rejoined WS28 on sailing from Capetown with
HM Destroyers REDOUBT and
QUADRANT
as escort during passage
to Durban.
.20th
Detached from WS28 with HMS REDOUBT covered
by HM Cruiser KENYA.
(Note:
Safe passage of military convoys to support
operations in Egypt
and Burma
were accorded
priority for deployment of naval resources).
May
Passage to South
Atlantic for escort of military convoy
US29 during
passage from Freetown
to Cape of Good Hope.
11th
Joined HM Cruiser NEWCASTLE
and HM Destroyer LEWES with
HM
Destroyer RACEHORSE
in escort of WS29. during
passage to
Durban.
18th
Detached from WS29
with HMS RACEHORSE on arrival at Capetown.
22nd
Joined part of WS26 on sailing from Capetown
with HM Destroyers
RACEHORSE and
ROTHERHAM
as escort for
passage to Durban.
26th
Detached from WS29 with HMS RACEHORSE and HMS
ROTHERHAM.
June
Deployed with ships of Flotilla
for convoy defence and interception patrols in
Indian
Ocean.
24th
Joined HM Cruisers SUFFOLK
and NEWCASTLE with HM Destroyers
NIZAM
and RACEHORSE in search for German U-Boat
supply tanker
CHARLOTTE
SCHLIEMANN reported to be on passage in Indian
Ocean for replenishment of
submarines.
(Operation FLAYER. See WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).)
30th
Search abandoned after no sighting was made
of German ship.
July
Indian Ocean deployment
in continuation.
August
Passage
to Join military
convoy WS32 in South
Atlantic during passage
to Cape of
Good Hope from Freetown.
12th
Joined HM Frigates DERG, KALE and TAY
with HM Destroyers
NORMAN,
QUIBERON and
RAPID as escort
for WS32 to Capetown.
18th
Detached from WS32 on arrival at Capetown
and resumed Flotilla duties
September
Convoy defence
in South
Atlantic and Indian Ocean in continuation.
to
Transferred to Ceylon for service with Eastern
Fleet.
December
Passage
to Colombo for Fleet duties.
Convoy defence deployment
in continuation.
1
9 4 4
January
Deployed
in Indian
Ocean
for
patrol and convoy defence duties.
February
Joined
HM Cruiser NEWCASTLE in search for U-Boat
supply ship in
conjunction with
Catalina aircraft
based in Mauritius.
12th
Intercepted German supply ship CHARLOTTE
SCHLIEMANN after
aircraft sighting.
German
ship engaged with main armament and scuttled
on approach
(Note: This
tanker had been supporting U-Boats of the
MONSUN
Group which were
based at Penang.
HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR records rescue of survivors.).
March
11th
Destroyer Flotilla comprising HM Destroyers
ROTHERHAM,
to
RACEHORSE, RELENTLESS,
RAIDER, RAPID,
REDOUBT,
May
ROCKET
and ROEBUCK deployed in Indian Ocean.
Fleet
duties with Convoy defence and interception
patrol in continuation.
June
10th
Deployed with HM Destroyers QUILLIAM, QUALITY,
RACEHORSE,
REDOUBT and RAPID
for screening of HM Aircraft Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Escort
Aircraft Carrier ATHELING, HM Cruisers
GAMBIA (RNZN),
CEYLON and PHOEBE as Force 68.
(Operation COUNCILLOR).
(Note: This was a deception operation intended
to threaten attacks
on Sabang, Sumatra
by carrier aircraft.).
June
11th
Operation cancelled except for deployment of
HM Submarine SURF
to
transmit wireless signals from flying off
position to simulate
continuation
of operation.
12th
Return passage to Ceylon with Force 68.
19th
Deployed with HM Destroyers QUALITY, QUILLIAM,
QUICKMATCH,
ROTHERHAM, RAIDER, RACEHORSE and ROEBUCK
as screen for
HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, French
battleship
RICHELIEU,
HM Cruisers NIGERIA, KENYA and CEYLON as Force
60
during air attacks on Port Blair, Andamans.
(Operation
PEDAL).
21st
On completion returned to Ceylon with Force
60.
See
following references.
July
Deployed
with Flotilla for Fleet screening and patrol
duties in Indian
Ocean
22nd
Joined HM Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH and
VALIANT, HM
Battlecruiser
RENOWN, French battleship RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers
CUMBERLAND,
NIGERIA, KENYA, CEYLON, PHOEBE, GAMBIA
and Dutch cruiser
TROMP as screen with HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM,
RACEHORSE, ROCKET and
RAPID.
(Operation
CRIMSON - For details see
OPERATION PACIFIC by Edwyn
Gray and WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
(Note: This
Eastern Fleet operation included air
operations by
carriers and a
bombardment of
targets at Sabang,
Sumatra
25th
Part of screen for
Eastern Fleet units during carrier
operations.
Took part in bombardment
with Eastern Fleet ships on completion of
air attacks.
August
Deployed
with Flotilla for screening duties and convoy
defence in Indian
Ocean.
(Note: Did not
take part in screening of major ships during
Operation
BANQUET.)
14th
Deployed with
HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM, RAPID, REDOUBT, ROCKET,
RACEHORSE
and RAIDER
as screen for HM
Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE
and VICTORIOUS, HM
Battleship HOWE, HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND
and KENYA
during planned photo-reconnaissance
flights
and air strikes.
(Operation
LIGHT)
17th
Photo-reconnaissance flights over Pangkalan
and air strikes on airfields cancelled
due to adverse
weather conditions.
(Operation
LIGHT A)
18th
Deployed as screen
during flights over northern Sumatra
and strikes
at Sigli.
(Operation LIGHT B.
See WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO.)
19th
Returned to Ceylon
with Eastern
Fleet major ships.
October
15th
Deployed with HM Destroyers RAIDER, NORMAN
(RAN) and Dutch destroyer
VAN
GALEN
as screen for HM
Cruisers LONDON,
CUMBERLAND and
SUFFOLK
in Group 2
of Force 63.
(Operation
MILLET - Eastern Fleet diversion during US
landings on Leyte).
(Note: Force 63
included HMS RENOWN to provide cover during
air
operations
by HMS
INDOMITABLE and HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS in the Nicobar
Islands.
For details see above
references).
17th
Carried out bombardment of shore targets
In the Nicobar
Islands with other ships
of Group 2.
19th
Retaliatory attacks by Japanese aircraft
repelled by the carrier aircraft.
November
Flotilla deployment with Eastern Fleet
In continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Eastern Fleet deployment in continuation.
to
(Note: As no Battle Honour BURMA was awarded
it my be presumed
that she
May
played
no significant part in support of XIV Army
operations in Arakan.
She
may have continued convoy defence duties in
this period.
June
Nominated
for duty In Force 63 for screening duties with
Flotilla.
18th
Deployed with HM Destroyers REDOUBT, ROEBUCK
and RACEHORSE as
to
destroyer
screen for 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron
during photo-reconnaissance
20th
flights over south Malaya
and air attacks on airfields
and railway targets in
Sumatra
(Operation BALSAM)
(Note:
Squadron comprised HM Cruisers ROYALIST and SUFFOLK,
HM
Escort Carriers
AMEER, KHEDIVE and STALKER).
July
Eastern
Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
August
Deployed with Eastern Fleet In support
of planned landings at Port Swettenham.
(Operation ZIPPER).
(Note:
This operation was delayed for various reasons
including pressure from
the USA
and the Implementation of the
release programme for
servicemen
in the Far
East.
See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET BY J Winton,
OPERATION PACIFIC,
The Naval Staff History and Final
Report of Supreme Commander SEAC
(HMSO)
September
Deployed
in support of landings In Malaya with ships of
Flotilla.
8th
Sailed from Penang
for Singapore with HMS NELSON.
At Singapore
during formal
surrender.
On release from ZIPPER returned to
Trincomalee with ships of Flotilla
HMS
RELENTLESS took
passage to return to UK in October 1945. She paid
off into Reserve at Chatham
on arrival in November. The
ship was laid up in the Chatham Reserve Fleet
until 1947 when she was
transferred to Harwich. This
destroyer and sister ship HMS ROCKET were selected
to be prototypes for
conversion to an Anti-submarine
Frigates by Royal dockyards in 1949. The ship was
towed to HM Dockyard
Portsmouth for conversion to a
Type 15 Frigate as part of a modernisation
programme. The upper deck structure
was completely redesigned and
two anti-submarine mortars with new design ASDIC
(Sonar) outfit ware fitted.
After the ship re-commissioning
in July 1951 she served in the 3rd Training
Flotilla and attended the
Coronation Review in June 1953. She was
involved in collision with m Frigate VIGILANT off
the west coast of Scotland in
October 1954. When repaired by
Scotts at Greenock she was placed in Reserve at
Chatham. The ship remained in
Reserve although refitted
to maintain her availability. She re-commissioned
on 27th June 1964 for service
in the 29th Escort Squadron and
later transferred to the 26th Escort Squadron.
Paid off in 1968 she was laid up
at Portsmouth. In 1970 after
being placed on the Disposal List this warship was
sold to J W Ward on 29th
April 1971 and towed to
Inverkeithing in June that year for demolition.
