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Ex
USS BAILEY (Type A
- BURNHAM-Class) built by Bethlehem Steel at
Squantum and
launched on 5th
February 1919. Build was completed on27th August 1919 and the
ship was held in Reserve in 1939..
Transferred under the Lease/Lend Agreement
in 1940 she was commissioned at Halifax into
the RN on 26th November 1940. This ship was
the 1st RN warship to carry the name. In
common with other ships in transferred in
1940, the name chosen was shared by the
Berkshire town and one in Philadelphia, USA.
After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in March 1942 she was
adopted by the civil community of Chingford,
Essex.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r
ATLANTIC
1941 -42
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue, a female head affronte,
couped proper
in front
of two swords in saltire,
also proper pommels and hilts 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 0
November
Prepared for transfer
26th
Commissioned into RN service as HMS READING
and prepared for passage.
December
Took passage to Plymouth.
17th
On arrival taken in hand for refit and
modification for RN service by HM Dockyard
at Devonport.
1
9 4 1
January
Under refit
to
Nominated for convoy defence in Western
Approaches Command
February
March
17th
On completion of post refit trials took
passage to Liverpool.
Deployed for North Atlantic convoy escort
duty.
April
3rd
Returned to Liverpool and taken in hand for
repair of defects.
May
11th
On completion joined 8th Escort Group for
Atlantic convoy escort duty.
June
Deployed with Group for defence of Atlantic
convoys.
(Note: Part of escort for four convoys.)
Nominated for transfer to Newfoundland
Escort Force with 23rd Escort Group based
at St
Johns.
29th
Joined military convoy WS9B in Clyde with m
Cruiser CAIRO, HM Destroyers MAORI,
CASTLETON, ST
FRANCIS, VANQUISHER, WINCHELSEA,
WOLVERINE, Polish destroyers
ORP PIORUN
and ORP GARLAND as Local Escort for
passage in NW Approaches.
July
2nd
Detached with Local Escort and returned to
Clyde.
Took passage to Newfoundland
for escort of Atlantic convoys to and from
Mid-Ocean
Meeting Point
with new Group.
Took passage to St. Johns, Newfoundland.
7th
Joined 23rd Escort Group on arrival.
Deployed for escort of convoys to Western
Meeting Point for transfer to. or collection
from,
ships of Western Approaches Command.
August
Nominated for duty at Placentia Bay during
Atlantic Charter meeting.
5th
Passage with HM Destroyer RIPLEY to join
escort of HM Battleship PRINCE OF WALES
during their passage with Prime Minister
Winston Churchill for meeting with US
President
Franklin D Roosevelt.
9th
Deployed at Placentia Bay with RN and US
Navy warships for guardship duties during
meetings.
13th
On release from guardship duties resumed
convoy defence with Group.
September
Newfoundland convoy defence with Groups in
western Atlantic.
to
December
1
9 4 2
January
Western Atlantic Convoy defence with Group
in continuation.
to
March
April
Withdrawn from escort duty in Newfoundland
because of recurrent defects.
Took passage to Londonderry
May
2nd
Arrived at Londonderry and
On survey refit arranged in London.
Passage to London for refit in commercial
shipyard,
June
Under refit in London shipyard.
to
September
October
On completion of post refit trials took
passage to work-up with ships of Home Fleet.
Worked-up for service.
Nominated for service as an Air Target Ship
(Note: This suggest performance during
work-up was not satisfactory.)
Converted for use as Air Target Ship.
(Note: Main armament removed and other
equipment not essential for new role.
See Note below for date confirmation.)
November
On completion of conversion took up station
in Moray Firth as Air Target Ship for
training of
aircrew in torpedo attacks on shipping.
December
Deployment in Moray Firth in continuation.
1
9 4 3
January
Air Target Ship in Moray Firth service in
continuation and in Western Approaches
Command area.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Air Target Ship duty in continuation
February
Transferred to Rosyth Command from Western
Approaches
(Note: This date is subject to confirmation
and if correct the ship may have been
converted
at a later date than that shown above..)
March
Air Target Ship duty in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Air Target Ship duty in continuation
to
June
July
11th
Paid off and placed on Disposal List at
Grangemouth.
24th
Sold for breaking up at Inverkeithing by T W
Ward Ltd.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS READING
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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24/03/41
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24/03/41
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OB
302
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29/03/41
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30/03/41
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17/03/41
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29/03/41
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HX
115
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03/04/41
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03/04/41
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11/05/41
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11/05/41
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OB
321
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16/05/41
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17/05/41
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06/05/41
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16/05/41
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HG
061
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20/05/41
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20/05/41
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25/05/41
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25/05/41
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OG
063
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30/05/41
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07/06/41
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10/05/41
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30/05/41
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SL
074
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04/06/41
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04/06/41
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06/07/41
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09/07/41
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HX
137
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17/07/41
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22/07/41
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17/07/41
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22/07/41
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OB
348
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30/07/41
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31/07/41
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05/09/41
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08/09/41
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SC
043
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16/09/41
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20/09/41
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20/02/42
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21/02/42
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ON
069
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03/03/42
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06/03/42
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06/03/42
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10/03/42
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SC
073
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23/03/42
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24/03/42
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27/03/42
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28/03/42
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ON
080
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10/04/42
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15/04/42
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17/04/42
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22/04/42
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SC
080
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02/05/42
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03/05/42
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(Note
on Convoys)
COMMENTS
ON HER WITHDRAWAL FROM SERVICE
with
thank to Graeme J W Smith (8/8/2013)
You suggest her withdrawal
from seagoing service was due to "recurring
defects". As she was one of the 50 lend
lease – I’m quite sure there is an element
to that. But I’ve just finished
reading "Yankee RN" by Commander Cherry
about his time in the RN as a US citizen
during WWII. He devotes a long chapter
to his time on READING. While I’m sure
– as an American – he didn’t want to
highlight any defects in a ship produced by
his mother country – it is pretty clear that
she was withdrawn from service after her
last west bound convoy – during which she
rode out a full blown hurricane for a number
of days. The bridge was smashed and
half carried away by a particularly large
sea and the whole hull was strained.
She was patched up in St John’s to get her
back to the UK where it seems her fate had
already been decided. He also has some
interesting things to say about the strength
of the foredeck as it relates to their early
"Hedgehog" installation. It was barely
strong enough to take the shock of a full
complement of projectiles being fired.
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