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Type
II HUNT Class
Escort Destroyer ordered from Alex. Stephens
of Govan, Glasgow on 20th Dec.
1939 with 15 others of this Type under the
1939 War Emergency Programme. The
snip was laid down as Jon No J1479 on 10th
February 1942. The ship was launched
on 2nd December 1941 as the first RN warship
to carry the name, although a WW1
minesweeper had been named BLACKMOREVALE after
the Somerset Hunt. Build was
completed on 14th April 1942 and following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in March 1942 she had been
adopted by the civil community of
Langport,
Somerset.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1943 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944 -
SALERNO 1943 - ADRIATIC 1944
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field per fess wavy Red and Blue.
a five bar gate white.
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
2
April
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for
service with 2nd Destroyer Flotilla.
14th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
On completion of trials and storing worked-up
for operational service.
On completion prepared for work-up
May
Worked-up for operational service.
Prepared for foreign
service and nominated for escort of military
convoy during passage
to
Freetown.
June
1st
Joined Convoy WS19P with HM Battleship NELSON
and HM Destroyer DERWENT as Ocean
Escort during Atlantic passage.
15th
Detached from W519P on arrival at Freetown.
Retained at
Freetown
for Local Escort duties.
24th
Passage from Freetown with HM Destroyer
BRILLIANT to meet military convoy WS20
during Atlantic passage from
Clyde.
26th
Joined WS20 with HMS BRILLIANT as escort for
passage to
Freetown.
July
Transferred to Indian Ocean for convoy
defence.
2nd
Detached from WS20 with other ships of Local
Escort on arrival.
6th
Joined WS20 with HM Battleship MALAYA, HM
Destroyers BRILLIANT and WIVERN as
Ocean Escort during passage to Cape of Good Hope.
17th
Detached from WS20 with HMS MALAYA and
escorted ships from convoy into Capetown.
19th
Deployed at Simonstown for convoy defence in
South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
August
Convoy defence based at Simonstown in
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4
3
January
Convoy defence in continuation based at
Simonstown.
February
Passage to join military convoy WS26 during
passage from Freetown to Cape.
20th
Joined escort for W526 as relief for HM
Destroyer QUALITY
23rd
Detached from W326 in Indian Ocean after ships
for Capetown had left convoy.
Passage to Durban for Indian Ocean convoy
defence duties
March
1st
Rejoined WS26 of Durban with as escort for
part of passage with HM Minesweeper
CARNATIC (RIN), HM Destroyers CATTERICK and
RELENTLESS.
3rd
Detached from WS26 and took passage to join
Convoy DN21 as escort.
After arrival of DN21 at Durban took passage to Simonstown for refit.
Taken in hand for refit on arrival.
April
Under refit
May
On completion of post refit trials took
passage to Freetown to resume Atlantic convoy
defence.
June
Deployed for Local Escort duties at
Freetown.
20th
Passage to Gibraltar
26th
Joined military convoy WS31 off Gibraltar with
HM Destroyers AMAZON, BULLDOG and
FOXHOUND for Ocean Escort to Freetown.
July
Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean
4th
Arrived at Freetown with WS31.
6th
Rejoined military convoy WS31 with HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser CORFU and the French QUERCY,
HM Destroyers FOXHOUND, BULLDOG and WOLVERINE
as escort during passage to
Cape.
15th
Detached from WS31 with same destroyers on
relief by HM Destroyers QUADRANT and
REDOUBT
Returned to Freetown.
Took passage to MEDITERRANEAN
August
Passage to
Malta to join
Division.
Joined 57th Division and deployed for convoy
defence in central Mediterranean.
September
Joined Northern Attack Force for escort and
support duties in Task Force 85.
(Note: Other ships deployed were HM Destroyers
LAFOREY, LOOKOUT, LOYAL,
NUBIAN and TARTAR, HM Escort
Destroyers MENDIP,
DULVERTON,
TETCOTT, BELVOIR, BROCKLESBY, QUANTOCK,
BEAUFORT,
BRECON, EXMOOR, LEDBURY and Greek PINDOS.)
8th
Deployed as escort for military convoy TSF1X
during passage from
Palermo
to
Salerno beach head.
(Operation AVALANCHE - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett
and Naval Staff History).
October
On release from AVALANCHE resumed envoy
defence duties with Division.
November
Joined 60th Destroyer Division based in Malta.
to
Deployed for convoy defence and support of
military operation in Adriatic.
December
1 9 4
4
January
Convoy escort and support in continuation.
16th
Carried out bombardment of Durazzo, Albania
with HM Escort Destroyer LEDBURY.
February
Central Mediterranean and Adriatic convoy
defence and support in continuation.
to
May
June
Transferred to 5th Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet in continuation.
11th
Took part in engagement against four German
E-Boats in Adriatic with HM Escort
Destroyer
EGGESFORD. One enemy vessel was sunk and 10
survivors rescued.
July
Flotilla deployment in continuation.
Nominated for escort of military convoys
during allied landings in the South of
France under
US Navy command.
Took passage to Naples.
(Operation DRAGOON - See above references for
details).
August
Joined escort for Stores Convoy SM2 at Naples
with HM Escort Destroyers ALDENHAM
BEAUFORT, BELVOIR,
EGGESFORD, LAUDERDALE, WHADDON and Greek
PINDOS.
(Note: Commanding Officer was Lieut, J S
Kerans, RN who later achieved national
fame when
in command of HM frigate AMETHYST, she escaped
down the
Yangtse
River from
Chinese detention in 1950).
13th
Sailed from Naples with Convoy SM2. Arrived in
Assault area.
On release from DRAGOON resumed Flotilla
duties.
September
Recalled to
UK for refit at
Sheerness prior to service with Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Sheerness.
October
Taken in hand for refit Under refit.
to
December
1 9 4
5
January
Under refit
February
Post refit trials in Nore Command.
March
Deployed briefly for convoy defence.
(Note: Additional escorts were required to
counter extensive E-Boat and midget
submarine
activities in Thames Estuary area - See HOLD
THE NARROW SEA by P Smith).
April
Prepared for foreign service with 18th
Destroyer Flotilla in Eastern Fleet.
Passage to Trincomalee.
Commanding Officer: Lt. Cdr. J S Kerans, RN.
28th
Joined Flotilla at Bombay.
May
Deployed as Weather Ship in Andamans during
landings at Rangoon.
(Operation DRACULA - See OPERATION PACIFIC by
E Grey and Naval Staff History).
On release from DRACULA deployed with Eastern
Fleet for convoy defence, support of
military operations and patrol in
Indian Ocean.
June
Eastern Fleet deployment in continuation.
to
Took part in preparatory exercises prior to
planned landings in Malaya.
July
(Operation ZIPPER).
August
Eastern Fleet deployment on continuation,
(Note: ZIPPER landings were delayed by US
insistence and problems relating to early
return
of long serving personnel on Far East Station.
September
4th
Sailed from Trincomalee as part of escort for
aircraft carriers during passage to Malacca
Straits
(Note: For details of ZIPPER landings see
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)
6th
Joined military convoy JE1F in Malacca Strait
and part of ESCORT to ZIPPER beachhead.
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
BLACKMORE was deployed at
Singapore after release from ZIPPER and
nominated for return to UK to pay off
into Reserve. The ship sailed from Trincomalee
8th October 1945. and on arrival
at Plymouth he paid off Devonport on arrival
and was laid up there in Reserve
Fleet until 1952. After
being placed on the Sales
List she was transferred on loan to
Denmark on 18th July 1952. After refitting she
joined the Danish Navy as a
Frigate and was renamed ESBERN SNARE.
This ship was in Danish naval service until
1966 when stricken from the Active
List.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS BLACKMORE
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked with
the text above
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Date convoy
sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy
No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy
arrived
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10/01/43
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20/01/43
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MC 003
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23/01/43
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23/01/43
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11/06/43
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11/06/43
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ST 069
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17/06/43
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17/06/43
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28/07/43
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28/07/43
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SL 134
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09/08/43
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19/08/43
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08/09/43
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08/09/43
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TSF 001X
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09/09/43
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09/09/43
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unknown
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01/09/44
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SM 006
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01/09/44
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unknown
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(Note
on Convoys)
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