December
10th
Damaged on slip during air raid at Greenock and launched prematurely.
1
9 4 3
January
Salvage
and completion in hand.
to
April
May
Commissioned
for trials.
June
Contractors
sea trials.
10th
Accepted into
service with 11th Destroyer Flotilla in
Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Scapa
Flow
to work-up with Home
Fleet.
July
On
completion of work-up deployed with Home
Fleet at Scapa
Flow.
August
Prepared
for foreign service
and took passage to Freetown.
25th
Sailed from Freetown
to join Flotilla in Indian
Ocean.
September
Joined
Flotilla.
Deployed for convoy
defence in South
Atlantic
and Indian
Ocean.
October
Indian
Ocean
deployment in
continuation.
to
Based
at Kilindini.
November
December
Transferred
with Flotilla for Fleet duties based in Ceylon.
Deployed
for convoy defence and patrol off west coast
of India
1
9 4 4
January
Convoy
defence and patrol in continuation.
to
February
Deployed
for defend of convoys between Men and Durban.
March
Deployed
with Flotilla in Indian
Ocean
for Fleet
escort, patrol and
convoy defence in
Indian Ocean.
12th
Part of escort for HM Aircraft Carrier
BATTLER, HM Cruisers SUFFOLK
and NEWCASTLE with HM Destroyer QUADRANT during search in Indian
Ocean
for German U-Boat supply BRAKE. On
interception by aircraft BRAKE
scuttled.
April
Eastern
Fleet deployment in continuation.
to
For
details of operations in Indian Ocean see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray,
May
and
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett and
WAR
WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
June
Deployed
with Fleet units off Burma
and bombarded Martaban.
19th
Part of destroyers screen for Force 60
with HM Destroyers QUALITY,
QUICKMATCH, ROTHERHAM,
RACEHORSE, RELENTLESS
and RAIDER.
(Note: Major
warships in Force 60 were HM Aircraft
Carrier
ILLUSTRIOUS,
HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN, French battleship RICHELIEU,
HM Cruisers
NIGERIA,
KENYA
and CEYLON.)
July
25th
Deployed with Flotilla as screen for
Eastern Fleet major units covering carrier
operations by HM
Aircraft Carriers VICTORIOUS and
INDOMITABLE against
targets at Sabang,
Sumatra.
On
completion bombarded shore targets
(Operation CRIMSON).
August
Passage
to Simonstown.
Taken in hand for refit
by HM Dockyard Simonstown.
September
Under
refit.
to
October
November
Passage
to rejoin Flotilla at Trincomalee on
completion of post refit
trials.
Resumed Flotilla
duties with East Indies Fleet
.
December
Flotilla
deployment in continuation.
1
9 4 5
January
Fleet
duties with Flotilla in continuation.
February
Joined
Force 68 for offensive patrols and bombarded
Cocos
with HM
Destroyers
ROCKET, RAPID and ROTHERHAM
(Operations OFFICE and
training.)
See
above references for details
March
Eastern
Fleet duties in continuation.
13th
Bombarded Letapan,
Burma
April
27th
Deployed in Force 63 as screen for major
Fleet units providing cover for
landings at Rangoon
(Operation DRACULA).
30th
Deployed in Force 62 and bombarded
Matapan with HM Destroyers
RACEHORSE and REDOUBT
(Operation GABLE.)
.
(Note:
Operation also included interception of
enemy
evacuation craft.)
May
1st
Took part in
bombardments at Car Nicobar
with Flotilla.
(Operations BISHOP and
GABLE).
Escorted
HMS NIGERIA with HMS REDOUBT and HMS
RACEHORSE as
Force
63 during search for Japanese warships
evacuating
personnel from
Nicobars
and Andamans.
13th
Despatched
from Trincomalee with HMS NIGERIA, HM
Destroyers
RACEHORSE
and REDOUBT as Force 63 to reinforce Eastern
Fleet ships
during
interception of Japanese warships on passage
to Indian
Ocean
for
support of
evacuation from Nicobars.
(Operation DUKEDOM)
Remained with
Fleet screen during attacks on Japanese
ships
.
(See above
references.).
June
18th
Deployed with HM Destroyers RACEHORSE, ROTHERHAM, REDOUBT
and RELENTLESS as
screen for ships of 21st Aircraft Carrier
Squadron as
part of Force 63.
(Note: Squadron
comprised HM Escort Carriers STALKER,
KHEDIVE
and AMEER, HM
Cruisers ROYALIST and SUFFOLK
and was
carrying out
photo-reconnaissance flights over southern Malaya
(Operation
BALSAM).
July
5th
Deployed with HMS NIGERIA, HM Destroyers
ESKIMO and
VIGILANT
to cover
minesweeping operations off Malaya
and Nicobar
Islands.
(Operation
COLLIE).
Took part in
bombardment of Nacowry
(Note: Planned
landings in Malay (Operation ZIPPER) was
postponed due
to American
insistence and problems relating to return
of
personnel
from SEAC
in the PYTHON scheme. See above references,
THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET
by J Winton and Final Report from the
to
Supreme
Commander SEAC
(HMSO).
August
Passage with Eastern
Fleet to await approval for landings.
September
Remained in Eastern Fleet for
support duties during ZIPPER landings.
(See INVASION
FLEETS by J De Winser)
On release from
ZIPPER joined Flotilla at Singapore
for support of the
re-occupation
October
Passage to Simonstown
for refit.
