S or SAVAGE-Class Destroyer ordered
from Scotts of Greenock with 5th Emergency
Flotilla on 9th January 1941. The
ship was laid down on l4th August 1941 but not
launched until 25th March 1943
due to serious design problems and the late
delivery of armament and
fire-control equipment. She was the fifth RN
ship to carry this name,
introduced in 1779 and last used by a WW1
destroyer, sold in 1934. Following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in March 1942 she was adopted
by the civil community of Prescot, Lancashire.
Build was completed on 23rd
December 1943.
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORMANDY
1944 - ARCTIC 1944-45
He
r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Black,
the head of Serapis
Gold with
Blue coif and
silver disc
M o t to
Cornua cave: 'Beware my horns'
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)
1
9 4 3
December
Commissioned for trials
23rd
Accepted into service with 23rd
Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
1
9 4 4
January
Worked up at Scapa Flow with Hone
Fleet.
February
Deployed
with Flotilla for Fleet
screening duties in NW Approaches.
22nd
Joined Russian Convoy JW57 for
escort duties with HM Cruiser BLACK PRINCE
and HM Destroyers MAHRATTA, OFFA, MATCHLESS,
METEOR, MILNE, OBEDIENT,
ONSLAUGHT, ORIBI,
SAVAGE, SWIFT, VIGILANT and VERULAM.
(For
details of this and all other Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOY! by P. Kemp,
CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman
and THE
RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B Schoefield)
28th
Detached from JW57on arrival at
Kola Inlet.
March
1st
Joined escort for return Convoy
RA57 with HM Destroyer IMPULSIVE and Home
Fleet
warships which
escorted JW57.
8th
Detached from RA57 after arrival
of Local Escort
9th
Resumed Home Fleet duties in NW
Approaches with Flotilla.
29th
Joined
escort for Russian Convoy JW58
with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers ACTIVITY
and TRACKER and Home Fleet destroyers OBEDIENT,
OFFA,
ONSLOW, OPPORTUNE,
ORIBI, ORWELL, SAUMAREZ, SCORPION, VENUS and
Norwegian destroyer
STORD.
April
4th
Detached from JW58 on arrival at
Kola Inlet.
7th
Joined escort for return Convoy
RA58 with same ships as used for JW58.
13th
Detached from RA58 with HIS
DIADEM, HM Destroyers OFFA, ONSLOW
OPPORTUNE, ORWELL,
SAUMAREZ and
Norwegian STORD before arrival at Loch
Ewe.
May
Transferred with ships of
23rd Destroyer Flotilla for support of the
landings in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details of all
NEPTUNE see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
June 1944 (HMSO).
To be deployed in
Force S. Allocated target in Pre-Arranged Plan,
Lion-sur-Mer
Took part in
preliminary exercises with Force S ships.
June
3rd
Deployed in Solent with Force S.
4th
Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th
Sailed as escort for Convey S2
comprising 15th Minesweeper Flotilla, four
Danlayers, two
Minesweeping Motor
Launches and a Harbour Defence Motor Launch.
Escorted with HMS
SCOURGE and five Motor Torpedo Boats.
6th
After arrival took up bombardment
position and provided support.
7th
Remained in Eastern Task Force
area for gunfire support, patrol and defence of
the Assault
area until released
from NEPTUNE.
July
Resumed Home Fleet duties
with Flotilla at Scapa Flow.
to
Deployed for escort
of major units
August
September
29th
Nominated for escort of
minelayers during minelay off Norway.
(Operation TENABLE
- Operation cancelled).
(For details of
all minelaying operations see Naval Staff
History (Mining))
October
14th
Escorted HM Cruiser EURYALUS, HM
Escort Aircraft Carriers TRUMPETER and
FENCER with HM Destroyers
MYNGS, VOLAGE, SCORPION, ALGONQUIN (RCN),
and SIOUX (RCN) as
Force 9 for aircraft minelay and shipping
strikes off Norway.
(Operation LYCIDAS)
24th
Deployed as escort for HM Cruiser
DEVONSHIRE, HM Aircraft Carriers CAMPANIA
and TRUMPETER with
HM Destroyer SAUMAREZ as Force 2 for aircraft
minelay off
Norway (Operation
HARDY).
November
2nd
Deployed as screen for HM Cruiser
BERWICK and HMS CAMPANIA with H M Destroyers
CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE,
CASSANDRA, SAUMAREZ and SCOURGE as Ocean Escort
of
Convoy JW61A
comprising ss EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA and ss
SCYTHIA during passage
to Murmansk.
(Note: These ships
were carrying Russian nationals who had been
captured in' Normandy)
17th
Detached from ss EMPRESS OF
AUSTRALIA and ss SCYTHIA after return passage
and
resumed duties in
Flotilla.
December
7th
Escorted HM Aircraft Carriers
IMPLACABLE, PREMIER and TRUMPETER, HM Cruiser
DIADEM with HM
Destroyers ZEALOUS, ZAMBESI, VIGILANT, SAVAGE,
ALGONQUIN
(RCN), SIOUX (RCN)
and Norwegian STORD as Force 1 for shipping
strike and aircraft
minelay off the
Norwegian coast (Operation URBANE).
14th
Escorted HMS DEVONSHIRE and HMS
TRUMPETER with HM Destroyers ZEALOUS,
ZEPHYR, SIOUX
(RCN), ALGONQUIN and SAVAGE as Force 2 for
aircraft minelay off
Norway. (Operation
LACERATE).
1
9 4 5
January
1st
Joined DIADEM and VINDEX with HM
Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE, SCOURGE,
ZAMBESI, ZEBRA,
ALGONQUIN, SIOUX and Norwegian STORD as Escort for
Russian
Convoy JW63.
8th Detached from JW63 on
arrival at
Kola Inlet after undetected passage.
11th
Joined escort for return Convoy
RA63 with same ships as JW63.
21st
Detached from RA63 after stormy
passage
February
6th
Joined Russian Convoy JW64 with HM
Cruiser BELLONA, HM Aircraft Escort Aircraft
Carriers NAIRANA
and CAMPANIA, 20th Escort Group and H M
Destroyers ONSLAUGHT,
ONSLOW, OPPORTUNE,
ORWELL, ZAMBESI, ZEALOUS, ZEST and SIOUX (RCN)
as
Escort.
15th
Detached on arrival at Kola Inlet.
17th
Joined return Convoy RA64 as escort
with same ships as JW64.
27th
Detached from RA64 after
exceptionally stormy passage during which convoy
had to be
re-assembled.
March
Home
Fleet duties in continuation.
19th
Escorted H M Aircraft Carriers
SEARCHER and QUEEN, HM Cruiser BELLONA with
HM Destroyers
ONSLOW, ZEST, HAIDA (RAN) and IROQUOIS (RCN) as
Force 1 for
an aircraft minelay
and shipping strike off Norway (Operation
CUPOLA).
April
Home
Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
:May
Nominated
for refit and took passage to Humber.
Taken
in hand for refit in
commercial shipyard.
June
On
completion carried out post refit trials and
resumed Home Fleet duties with
Flotilla
at Scapa Flow
July
Flotilla
duties in continuation
to
August
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS SERAPIS was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy at HM
Dockyard, Chatham on 2nd October 1945 and
renamed PIET HEIN. She was converted for use as
an Antisubmarine
Frigate in 1957-58 and remained in service until
16th October 1961. The ship
was placed on
me Disposal List and scrapped during 1962.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS SERAPIS
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
20/02/44
|
22/02/44
|
JW
057
|
28/02/44
|
28/02/44
|
02/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
RA
057
|
08/03/44
|
10/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
JW
058
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
RA
058
|
13/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
31/10/44
|
02/11/44
|
JW
061A
|
06/11/44
|
06/11/44
|
11/11/44
|
11/11/44
|
RA
061A
|
17/11/44
|
17/11/44
|
30/12/44
|
01/01/45
|
JW
063
|
08/01/45
|
08/01/45
|
11/01/45
|
11/01/45
|
RA
063
|
18/01/45
|
21/01/45
|
03/02/45
|
06/02/45
|
JW
064
|
15/02/45
|
15/02/45
|
17/02/45
|
17/02/45
|
RA
064
|
27/02/45
|
28/02/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|