ALGERINE-Class
Fleet Minesweeper fitted with Turbine
propulsion machinery ordered on 30th
April 1942 from Harland and Wolff,
Belfast. Laid down on 11th January
1943 at the same time as sister ship
PINCHER this ship was launched on 3rd
August 1943. The ninth RN ship to
carry this name, introduced in 1800 for
a Cutter which was later renamed HMS
STING in 1802 which was wrecked
off Cadiz in 1808. The name was last
used in 1914 for the German whaler
STURMVOGEL. seized after war was
declared and sold in 1920. The build of
this minesweeper was completed on 15th
October 1943. She
was adopted by the civil community of
Lunesdale Lancashire following the loss
of HM Fleet Minsweeper
GOSSAMER which had been originally
selected in March 1942 after a
successful WARSHIP WEEK campaign
for National Savings
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
NORMANDY 1944 - BURMA 1945
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
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by
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fleur-de-lys, Blue.
D
e t a i l s
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1
9 4 3
October
Contractors trials and commissioned
for service with 7th Minesweeping
Flotilla on
formation.
15th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance
Trials.
On completion of
Acceptance Trials and took passage to
commence work-up for
operational service at
Tobermory
November
Deployed at Tobermory.
December
Deployed at Tobermory
26th
Despatched with HM Minesweeper
PELORUS to take part in operation to
intercept the
German battleship
SCHARNHORST believed to be on passage to
attack Atlantic shipping.
(Note: This was probably
a precautionary move in case the enemy
ship was able to
escape
action with Home Fleet ships which later
engaged and sank her on this day.
Battle of
North Cape.)
30th
Returned
to Tobermory
on release from this operation.
1
9 4 4
January
Passage to Granton
for minesweeping training.
Carried out
minesweeping training in Firth of Forth
area with HMS PELORUS
On completion took passage
to Harwich with
sister Minesweepers PELORUS and
PLUCKY to join HM
Minesweepers FANCY and PINCHER
(Note: All these
ships were allocated to the 7th
Flotilla.)
February
Deployed at Harwich for North Sea
minesweeping
duties to ensure clear passage for East
Coast convoys.
HM Minesweepers LARNE,
LENNOX, RECRUIT and RIFLEMAN joined to
complete
Flotilla. Senior
Officer’s Ship was HMS PELORUS.
March
Deployed with Flotilla in
continuation of North Sea duties.
Nominated for service
in Force J for minesweeping support
during planned
allied landings in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
April
8th
Passage to Portsmouth with ships of
Flotilla to join Force J in Solent.
12th
Deployed for minesweeping
off Portsmouth.
20th
Deployed in Thames Estuary with
Flotilla.
29th
Returned to resume service with
Force J at Portsmouth for exercises
prior to
landings.
May
Nominated with
Flotilla for clearance of
Channel 8 to beach head areas.
(Note: An Isles Class
Danlayer, A Motor Minesweeper and three
Motor
Launches
were allocated for duty with the
Flotilla for laying of
markers
and to provide assistance during
NEPTUNE.)
Deployed with Flotilla
for exercises including night sweeping
and major
exercise FABIUS III in
Bracklesham Bay.
(Note: During FABIUS
III Flotilla came under E-Boat attack.)
Returned to Solent ion
completion to prepare for NEPTUNE.
For details of naval
activities prior to and during NEPTUNE
see LANDINGS
IN NORMANDY, June 1944
(HMSO) and OPERATION NEPTUNE
by K Edwards.
June
4th
Operation delayed for 24 hours.
5th
Sailed from Portsmouth with Flotilla
for clearance of Channel 8 ahead of
first
Assault convoys.
6th
After arrival off JUNO Beach
deployed for local minesweeping and for
widening approach
Channels.
(Note: During Assault
Phase continued
minesweeping off Normandy and
later
during Build-up Phase was part of TROUT
Defence Line for
anti
submarine patrol. Deployed for convoy
escort and returned to
Portsmouth
for refuelling and replenishment.)
July
Retained in Forward Area for
minesweeping after termination of
NEPTUNE.
(Note: During this
period enemy minelaying and torpedo
attacks were carried
in French coastal
waters. See references and HOLD THE
NARROW SEA by P Smith.)
Nominated for refit
and withdrawn from operational use.
August
2nd
Taken in hand
for refit.
September
Under refit
(Note: Did not take
part in North Sea Air Sea duties in
support of air landings at
Arnhem
(Operation MARKET GARDEN)
October
16th
On
completion of refit carried out post
refit trials and prepared to
rejoin Flotilla. which
had been redeployed in
Nore Command
Passage to Harwich
Deployed for mine
clearance duties in Scheldt estuary and
for escort of military convoy
to Antwerp.
November
Transferred to Plymouth Command with
Flotilla and took passage to
Falmouth for
anti-submarine patrol duties.
(Note: SCHNORKEL
fitted U-Boats were being deployed in SW
Approaches at convoy
focal
areas and level of escort
and patrol was increased to meet this
threat.)
December
Nominated for foreign service with
and taken in hand for refit
(Note: HMS PELORUS
and HMS LENNOX were replaced by HMS
SQUIRREL and
HMS
VESTAL in order to have all ships in
Flotilla with Turbine propulsion
machinery.
This would ensure compatibility of
maintenance requirements.
Ships
were
withdrawn for refit in rotation to
ensure some of Flotilla were
available
for Channel minesweeping and escort or
patrol duties.)
1
9 4 5
January Under
refit and on completion
prepared for passage to Colombo to join
the
East Indies Fleet
for minesweeping duties during planned
landings.
February
Passage to rejoin ships of
Flotilla in Channel.
Channel minesweeping
and escort duties in continuation
March
Took passage to join ships of
Flotilla as Senior Officer’s ship during
for service with the
Eastern Fleet based
at Colombo.
(Note: Ship may
have joined escort for Atlantic convoy
during passage to Gibraltar.
April
Passage in Indian Ocean.
14th
At Colombo with HM Minesweepers
PINCHER, RECRUIT, CHAMELEON,
VESTAL, PLUCKY and
RIFLEMAN. Senior Officer’s Ship.
Took passage with
Flotilla to Trincomalee to commence
Fleet duties.
24th
Nominated minesweeping support of
planned landings at Rangoon with
Flotilla and Indian
37th
Minesweeping Flotilla
as Force 65 (Operation DRACULA.)
Took passage to
Akyab with Flotilla.
29th
Sailed with ships of Force 65 as
part of escort for Convoy ABLE for
minesweeping
operations
in support of
assault.
(Note: For details
off other naval activities associated
with DRACULA see WAR
WITH
JAPAN (HMSO) and THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by
J Winton.)
May
1st
Commenced minesweeping to clear
approach passage for assault ships.
3rd
Deployed with Force 65 to ensure
clear passage to enable ships to berth
at Rangoon.
On release from DRACULA
returned with Flotilla to Colombo.
Nominated for refit
in South Africa and took passage to
Durban.
(Note: Ships of
Flotilla were successively withdrawn
from service for refit and
maintenance
pending
support of planned British
landings in
the Andamans
and
Malaya. HMS CHAMELEON also went to
Durban or Port Elizabeth in
South
Africa.)
June
Taken in hand for refit.
July
Under refit
August
Took passage to UK to Pay-off at
Plymouth.
(Note:
The fact that this ship
did not rejoin the Flotilla in the East
Indies Fleet for
further
service suggest that there were defects
preventing her operational use.)
September
On arrival at Plymouth reduced to
Reserve status after Paying-off
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
PICKLE was initially laid-up at Plymouth
but
transferred to Harwich in April 1951.
When the Harwich Division of the Reserve
Fleet was closed the ship was towed to
Portsmouth and remained in
Reserve. As part of the
reduction in the Reserve Fleet following
the Defence Review in 1957 she was
placed on the Disposal List
and sold to the Singalese Navy in July
1958. After tow to Devonport for
docking and essential
repair the ship was handed over on 18th
August that year and renamed PARAKRAMA.
On completion she was sailed to Ceylon
with a Singalese crew and remained in
service until 1964 when sold for
demolition in Hong Kong.
For more about Algerine-class
Minesweepers, see
http://www.minesweepers.org.uk/index.htm