Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from
Vickers Armstrong at Barrow
under the 1940 War Emergency Programme on
4th July 1940. She was laid down as
Yard No 794, Admiralty Job No J3886 on 1st
March 1941 and was launched on 22nd
November 1941 as the 1st RN ship to carry
the name of this Yorkshire fox-hunt.
Her build completion
date was 12th June 1942. After a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in February 1942 she was adopted by
Border Urban District.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
SALERNO 1943
- SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a Field
White, in
front of a
roundel paly
wavy Blue
and
White, a beagle courant Gold.
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
June
Contractor's trials and commissioned for
service.
12th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow.
Worked-up for operational service with ships
of Home Fleet
During work-up took part in Diversionary
Convoy operation covering passage of the ill
fated
Russian
Convoy PQ 17.
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A
Ruegg.
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R. Woodman, CONVOY ! by P.
Kemp and THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS
by B.
Schoefield.)
July
On completion of work-up
nominated
for foreign service with 2nd Destroyer
Flotilla, Eastern Fleet.
29th
Joined military convoy WS21 in Clyde with HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser RANPURA, HM
Destroyers LEDBURY
and PETARD as Ocean Escort during passage
in
Atlantic.
August
10th
Detached with escort on arrival of WS21 at
Freetown.
(Note: HMS LEDBURY left WS21 to join
PEDESTAL convoy for Malta relief during the
Atlantic passage.)
15th
Rejoined WS21 as Ocean Escort during
[passage to Capetown with HM Cruiser HAWKINS
and
HM Destroyer PETARD on
27th
Detached from WS21 with Ocean Escort on
arrival at Capetown.
September
19th
Arrived at Kilindini and deployed for convoy
defence in Indian Ocean.
October
Indian Ocean convoy defence duty in
continuation.
November
30th
Rescued 157 survivors from ss LLANDAFF
CASTLE.
(Note: This ship was torpedoed by U177 NE of
Durban.)
December
Indian Ocean deployment in continuation.
1
9 4 3
January
Deployed in Indian Ocean for convoy defence.
to
February
March
1st
Joined military convoy WS26 with HM
Destroyers BLACKMORE and RELENTLESS as Local
Escort from Durban during passage in Indian
Ocean.
4th
Detached from WS26 and returned to Durban
with Local Escort.
29th
Joined military convoy WS27 with HM
Destroyers FOXHOUND, NAPIER and
ROTHERHAM
as
Local Escort from
Durban
during passage in Indian Ocean.
April
1st
Detached from WS27 with Local Escort and
took passage to
Durban.
7th
Under routine docking and refit at Durban.
15th
Post refit trials.
Nominated for service in South Atlantic.
16th
On completion of trials escorted HM
Battleship WARSPITE for part of return
passage to UK
(Note: HMS WARSPITE had been deployed for
escort of PAMPHLET convoy taking ANZAC
troops back to Australia from
Middle
East.
On arrival at Freetown detached for escort of Atlantic convoys.
May
Deployed at Freetown.
22nd
Passage to Gibraltar with HM Destroyers
ANTELOPE and FOXHOUND
25th
Joined HM Armed Merchant Cruiser CORFU, HM
Cruiser SUFFOLK with HM Destroyers
ANTELOPE and FOXHOUND as Ocean Escort for
military convoy WS30 during passage to
Freetown.
29th
Detached from WS30 with Ocean Escort on
arrival at Freetown.
June
3rd
Joined WS30 with HM Cruiser SUFFOLK, HM
Armed Merchant Cruisers CARNARVON
CASTLE and CORFU as Ocean Escort during
passage to Capetown.
16th
Detached from WS30 with Ocean Escort on
arrival at Capetown.
July
Convoy defence in South Atlantic and Indian
Ocean in continuation.
August
Transferred to Mediterranean.
24th
Part of escort for Convoy CF13 to Gibraltar.
September
Joined 50th Escort Division at Algiers
and prepared for Salerno landings.
Deployed as part of Force V and screened
aircraft carriers during passage to take
part in planned
allied landing operation at
Salerno. (Operation AVALANCHE)
For details of AVALANCHE see Naval Staff
History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by
J de Winser.
Deployed for convoy escort and patrol off
beach head.
October
Escort of military convoys in continuation.
November
Transferred to Mediterranean HUNT Flotilla
in Malta.
December
Joined 18th Destroyer Flotilla based in
Malta.
1
9 4 4
January
Deployed for convoy escort and patrol duties
in Central Mediterranean.
to
June
July
Took part in preparatory exercises for
support and convoy escort of panned landings
in South
France landings under US Navy overall
command (Operation DRAGOON).
August
Passage to Oran.
10th
Deployed at Oran
11th
Part of escort of AM1 military convoy from
Oran with H M Destroyers CLEVELAND and
CALPE.
13th
Detached to refuel.
14th
Rejoined AM1
15th
Arrived at beach head.
(For details of DRAGOON see above
references.)
On release from DRAGOON returned to CinC
Mediterranean command.
September
Deployed for patrol and escort in Mediterranean,
Joined British Aegean Force based at
Alexandria
24th
Deployed in support of operations to
reoccupy Aegean Islands with HM Escort
Aircraft
Carriers
ATTACKER, EMPEROR, HUNTER, KHEDIVE, PURSUER
and SEARCHER, HM Cruisers
ORION, AJAX, ROYALIST, BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT, AURORA, COLOMBO,
Destroyers
of
24th Flotilla and nine other HUNT Class
including five manned by Greek Navy.
October
Deployed for interception of craft
evacuating German troops.
5th
Bombarded Levitha with HM Cruiser AURORA
On termination of Aegean islands defence
operations resumed convoy defence in
eastern Mediterranean,
November
Deployed for Convoy escort and patrol in
Eastern Mediterranean
(Note: Operation MANNA to support
re-occupation of Greece was in progress.)
For details see Naval and Military Staff
Histories (HMSO).
December
Joined 22nd Destroyer Flotilla based in
Malta for escort and patrol in the central
Mediterranean
and Adriatic.
1
9 4 5
January
Deployment for escort duty and support of
military operations in Adriatic Sea and in
Aegean Sea
to
in continuation.
April
For details of work of HUNT Class destroyers
in Adriatic see THE LAST DESTROYER by
FA Mason.
May
1st
Took part in landing on the Island of Rhodes
with HM Destroyer KIMBERLEY and
Greek
HUNT Class Destroyer KRITI.
On release took passage to UK to prepare for
foreign service and give leave.
Nominated for service in Eastern Fleet.
June
Preparation for foreign service and refit
July
Passage to Durban for refit.
August
Under refit
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS CATTERICK was deployed in the Mediterranean on
completion of
refit in January 1946. This ship was
transferred on loan to the Royal Hellenic
Navy in the following May and renamed HHMS
HASTINGS. Later the ship was
reclassified as a Frigate and served in the
Greek Navy until 1963 when she sold
for breaking up at Piraeus.
She arrived there for demolition in June
that year.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS CATTERICK
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/02/43
|
01/02/43
|
CM
038
|
05/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
|
14/02/43
|
16/02/43
|
CM
039
|
17/02/43
|
03/03/43
|
|
22/03/43
|
22/03/43
|
CM
040
|
23/03/43
|
01/04/43
|
|
30/03/43
|
11/04/43
|
MC
006
|
13/04/43
|
13/04/43
|
|
10/05/43
|
10/05/43
|
TS
039
|
15/05/43
|
15/05/43
|
|
16/05/43
|
18/05/43
|
SR
004F
|
23/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
|
13/08/43
|
15/08/43
|
CF
013A
|
22/08/43
|
24/08/43
|
|
25/08/43
|
25/08/43
|
CF
013B
|
31/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
|
30/09/43
|
30/09/43
|
NSF
004
|
06/10/43
|
06/10/43
|
|
07/10/43
|
07/10/43
|
SNF
004
|
10/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
|
16/10/43
|
25/10/43
|
KMF
025
|
29/10/43
|
30/10/43
|
|
02/11/43
|
03/11/43
|
XIF
003
|
06/11/43
|
06/11/43
|
|
31/10/43
|
12/11/43
|
MKF
025A
|
14/11/43
|
24/11/43
|
|
15/11/43
|
25/11/43
|
KMF
026
|
30/11/43
|
30/11/43
|
|
15/01/44
|
25/01/44
|
KMF
028
|
29/01/44
|
29/01/44
|
|
03/02/44
|
04/02/44
|
XIF
009
|
07/02/44
|
08/02/44
|
|
09/02/44
|
09/02/44
|
IXF
009
|
13/02/44
|
13/02/44
|
|
02/03/44
|
02/03/44
|
MKF
029
|
09/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
|
11/03/44
|
13/03/44
|
NSF
017
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
|
15/03/44
|
15/03/44
|
SNF
017
|
18/03/44
|
18/03/44
|
|
29/03/44
|
05/04/44
|
KMF
030
|
12/04/44
|
12/04/44
|
|
15/04/44
|
15/04/44
|
XIF
013
|
unknown
|
20/04/44
|
|
21/04/44
|
unknown
|
IXF
013
|
unknown
|
25/04/44
|
|
29/04/44
|
29/04/44
|
XIF
014
|
04/05/44
|
04/05/44
|
|
05/05/44
|
unknown
|
IXF
014
|
unknown
|
09/05/44
|
|
15/05/44
|
15/05/44
|
MKF
031
|
22/05/44
|
29/05/44
|
|
24/05/44
|
24/05/44
|
NSF
023
|
27/05/44
|
27/05/44
|
|
11/06/44
|
19/06/44
|
KMF
032
|
24/06/44
|
24/06/44
|
|
28/06/44
|
unknown
|
XIF
017
|
unknown
|
02/07/44
|
|
04/07/44
|
unknown
|
IXF
017
|
unknown
|
08/07/44
|
|
12/07/44
|
13/07/44
|
XIF
018
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
|
18/07/44
|
18/07/44
|
IXF
018
|
22/07/44
|
22/07/44
|
|
28/07/44
|
28/07/44
|
MKF
033
|
04/08/44
|
11/08/44
|
|
18/07/44
|
30/07/44
|
KMF
033
|
31/07/44
|
31/07/44
|
|
10/08/44
|
10/08/44
|
AM
001
|
15/08/44
|
15/08/44
|
|
24/08/44
|
01/09/44
|
KMF
034
|
07/09/44
|
07/09/44
|
|
10/09/44
|
11/09/44
|
XIF
021
|
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
|
16/09/44
|
16/09/44
|
IXF
021
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44
|
|
10/10/44
|
10/10/44
|
MKF
035
|
15/10/44
|
21/10/44
|
|
20/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
MKF
035A
|
22/10/44
|
02/11/44
|
|
06/11/44
|
16/11/44
|
KMF
036
|
19/11/44
|
19/11/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
