RIVER-class
Frigate
ordered in the 1940 War Programme on 11th
February 1941 from
Fairfield SB off
Govan.
The ship was laid down on 10th September 1941
and was
launched on 18th March 1942 as the 3rd RN
ship to carry the name, introduced in 1813 far a
Sloop built at Butlers Hard and
last used in 1876 for
for
a Gunboat sold in 1920. The ship was completed
on 5th August 1942 and was fitted
with reciprocating
propulsion
machinery. She had been
adopted
by the civil community of Bridge of Allan,
Stirlingshire following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in May 1942.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1942-43
H e
r a l d i
c D
a t a
No details
are given in
the official Record of Heraldic Crests,
but as this name
had been used previously this may have been
an
oversight.
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
July
Contractors trials.
August
Commissioned for service in Western Approaches
Command.
5th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
On completion of trials and storing took passage
to Tobermory.
September
Joined 7th Group on completion of work-up for
operational service.
(Note: Group comprised M Destroyers
CHESTERFIELD, RIPLEY, HM Frigate SWALE
and five FLOWER Class Corvettes.
October
Deployed with Group in NW Approaches for convoy
defence.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
SC103 with no loss of any ship.)
November
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
HX216 with no lose of any ship.)
December
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
ON153 with loss of four ships.)
1 9 4 3
January
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
SC117 with no lose of any ship.)
For details of Atlantic convoy defence and
U-Boat deployments see U-BOAT IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO), THE BATTLE GP THE ATLANTIC by D McIntyre , SEEK
AND STRIKE by W Hackmann and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR
by C Blair.)
February
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
SC120 and Convoy ON164 both of
which arrived without loss of any mercantile.)
March
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
(Note: During this period Group escorted Convoy
ON173 with no loss of any ship.)
April
Deployed with HM Destroyer VIDETTE, HM Corvettes
SUNFLOWER, SNOWFLAKE,
LOOSESTRIFE and PINK as
escort for Convoy HX231 of sixty one ships.
4th
Convoy sighted by U530 which reported details of
number of ships end course.
5th
Under attacks by reinforced LOHENHERTZ Group of
U-Boats.
6th
Carried out depth charges attack on U306 which
was unsuccessful.
(Note: Ship was wrongly credited with sinking of
U635 actually destroyed by an RAF
LIBERATOR aircraft on 5th.
Aircraft also sank U632
See U-B0ATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
7th
Escort supplemented by ships of 4th Support
Group and U-Boats withdrew.
(Note: Support Group comprising HM Destroyers
ICARUS, INGLEFIELD, ECLIPSE,
and FURY had sailed from Iceland. See HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair)
Joined Convoy ONS5 with HM Destroyers DUNCAN,
VIDETTE and Corvettes,.
28th
Convoy comprising 43 ships ain and reported by
U630 of
STAR U-Boat Group.
29th
Under attacks by STAR Group.
Carried out anti-submarine operations on
U532 in defence of convoy.
30th
Escort reinforced by HM Destroyers ORIBI, OFFA,
IMPULSIVE,
PENN and PANTHER
of
3rd Support Group.
HMS ORIBI joined escort..
(Note: Air cover also provided.)
U-Boat operations and convoy dispersed due to
appalling weather conditions.
May
1st
After refuelling from tanker BRITISH LAW took
part in reforming ships of convoy.
Additional four destroyers of 3rd Support Group
joined escort.
(Note: For details of departure of escorts to
refuel see HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR.
Weather conditions had previously precluded any
attempt to refuel.).
4th
Under attack by U-Boats of FINK and AMSEL
Groups.
to
Remained with convoy.
5th
(Note: Five U-Boats were sunk during defence of
ONS5 by other escorts but 13 mercantiles
were sunk.
This operation was one of the most prolonged of
the period.
See above references.)
16th
Part of escort for Convoy SC130 with HMS DUNCAN,
HMS VIDETTE, HM Canadian
Corvette KITCHENER and four corvettes of 7th
Escort Group.
(Note: Convoy comprised thirty nine
mercantiles.)
17th
HM Frigates JED, WEAR, SPEY and HM Cutter SENNEN
of 1st Support Group joined SC130
to reinforce escort.
18th
Attacks by DONAU and ODER U-Boat Groups driven
off by escort and LIBERATOR aircraft
from Iceland. See above references.
19lh
Carried out attack on U952 which was badly
damaged and had to return to France.
20th
U-Boat operations ceased.
(Note: Post war assessments record four U-Boats
were sunk with no survivors including Peter
Donitz, son of the German Admiral.).
June
Nominated for service
in Eastern Fleet.
Prepared for foreign service..
July
20th
Joined joint military convoy WS32/KMF20 in Clyde
with HM Destroyer BEAGLE, HM
Frigates DERG and KALE as part of Ocean Escort
during passage to Freetown.
25th
Ships of Convoy KMF20 detached with HM Sloops
EGRET, PELICAN, HM Frigates JED and
ROTHER as escort during passage to
Gibraltar with HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS
(Note: HMS CHARYBDIS had joined on 20th July.)
HM Destroyer DOUGLAS and HM Frigate
NESS joined W32
for Local Escort into Freetown.
28th
Detached on arrival at Freetown.
August
5th
Joined WS32 with HMS DERG and HMS KALE as escort
during passage to
Cape Town..
17th
Detached from WS32 on arrival at Cape Town..
Made independent passage to Kilindini for Indian
Ocean convoy defence.
September
Deployed in Indian Ocean for convoy defence
1 9 4 4
January
Indian Ocean deployment in continuation.
to
July
August
Deployed with HM Cutter BANFF for anti submarine operation to find U859 known to be
carrying out attack in Indian Ocean.
(Note: U859 was later sunk by HM Submarine
TRENCHANT. See U-BOATS
DESTROYED.)
September
Convoy defence in Indian Ocean in continuation.
to
Eastern Fleet ships moved to Trincomalee in this
period but Escorts were based in
December
Kilindini for coastal convoys to Aden and South Africa.
1 9 4 5
January
Deployed for convoy defence in Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal.
to
(Note: Eastern Fleet re-designated East Indies
Fleet.
July
Escorts were also deployed in support of
military operations off coast of
Burma,
the
occupation of Ramree Island and the
re-occupation of Rangoon.
This ship is not listed in records of Burma
coast operations and was not
awarded a Battle Honour BURMA
1944-45.
It is therefore assumed that her deployment as
escort for Indian Ocean mercantile
convoys continued.)
August
Prepared for escort of military convoys to
Malaya (Operation ZIPPER)
(Note: This was delayed until September by US
insistence and problems s relating to the
release of long serving SEAC personnel under the PYTHON Scheme)
Ship was part of the East Indies Fleet on VJ
Day.
Po
a t W a r N o t e s
HMS
TAY was retained at Singapore after
re-occupation and
deployed to support the repatriation of
prisoners of war
and allied nationals captured by the Japanese in
Java
and Sumatra. Ships of the Escort Force also
supported military operations in the Ditch East
Indies. After release
from these duties she returned to UK and was
Paid-off at Harwich where she reduced to Reserve
status in 1947.
After being refitted at Chatham in 1950 she
returned to Reserve end later was laid-up at
West Hartlepool. Placed en
the Disposal List in 1956 as part of the
reduction of the Reserve Fleet the ship was sold
to BISCO for
demolition by Shipbreaking
Industries Ltd. and arrived at the breakers yard
near Rosyth
under tow on 26th September 1956.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
TAY
by
Don Kindell
This
convoy list has not been cross-checked with the
text above
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy
No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
19/09/42
|
01/10/42
|
SC
102
|
03/10/42
|
06/10/42
|
26/10/42
|
26/10/42
|
KMF
001
|
08/11/42
|
08/11/42
|
26/11/42
|
26/11/42
|
KMS
004G
|
07/12/42
|
12/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
08/12/42
|
MKS
003X
|
19/12/42
|
19/12/42
|
04/01/43
|
05/01/43
|
ON
159
|
08/01/43
|
20/01/43
|
27/12/42
|
09/01/43
|
SC
115
|
15/01/43
|
15/01/43
|
01/02/43
|
02/02/43
|
ON
164
|
13/02/43
|
19/02/43
|
13/02/43
|
20/02/43
|
SC
120
|
05/03/43
|
05/03/43
|
13/03/43
|
14/03/43
|
ON
173
|
24/03/43
|
29/03/43
|
25/03/43
|
31/03/43
|
HX
231
|
09/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
21/04/43
|
22/04/43
|
ONS
005
|
07/05/43
|
12/05/43
|
11/05/43
|
15/05/43
|
SC
130
|
25/05/43
|
26/05/43
|
08/06/43
|
09/06/43
|
ONS
010
|
23/06/43
|
27/06/43
|
27/06/43
|
01/07/43
|
SC
135
|
10/07/43
|
11/07/43
|
19/07/43
|
19/07/43
|
KMF
020
|
25/07/43
|
28/07/43
|
17/09/43
|
18/09/43
|
DK
001
|
28/09/43
|
28/09/43
|
30/09/43
|
30/09/43
|
DKA
001
|
09/10/43
|
09/10/43
|
18/10/43
|
18/10/43
|
AB
017
|
27/10/43
|
27/10/43
|
28/10/43
|
28/10/43
|
BA
052
|
05/11/43
|
05/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
AKD
006
|
29/11/43
|
29/11/43
|
01/03/44
|
01/03/44
|
CM
049B
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
27/03/44
|
AB
035A
|
01/04/44
|
01/04/44
|
10/04/44
|
10/04/44
|
PA
075
|
17/04/44
|
17/04/44
|
19/04/44
|
19/04/44
|
AB
038A
|
25/04/44
|
25/04/44
|
03/05/44
|
03/05/44
|
BA
069A
|
09/05/44
|
09/05/44
|
27/05/44
|
27/05/44
|
AB
040A
|
31/05/44
|
01/06/44
|
05/06/44
|
05/06/44
|
PB
080
|
07/06/44
|
07/06/44
|
07/06/44
|
07/06/44
|
BA
071
|
13/06/44
|
13/06/44
|
23/06/44
|
27/06/44
|
PA
080
|
30/06/44
|
01/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
AB
042A
|
10/07/44
|
10/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
29/07/44
|
BA
076
|
06/08/44
|
06/08/44
|
09/08/44
|
09/08/44
|
AB
043
|
14/08/44
|
14/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
BA
077
|
26/08/44
|
26/08/44
|
29/08/44
|
29/08/44
|
AB
044
|
04/09/44
|
04/09/44
|
06/09/44
|
06/09/44
|
BA
078
|
16/09/44
|
16/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
ABF
004
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
BAF
005
|
02/10/44
|
02/10/44
|
09/11/44
|
09/11/44
|
ABF
005A
|
14/11/44
|
14/11/44
|
01/12/44
|
01/12/44
|
AJ
006/2
|
05/12/44
|
05/12/44
|
11/12/44
|
11/12/44
|
JA
001/2
|
17/12/44
|
17/12/44
|
31/01/45
|
31/01/45
|
MKS
080G
|
31/01/45
|
07/02/45
|
24/02/45
|
01/03/45
|
MKS
085G
|
03/03/45
|
03/03/45
|
(Note
on Convoys)