ALGERINE-Class
Fleet Minesweeper fitted with
Turbine
propulsion machinery ordered on 15th
November 1940 from Harland and
Wolff, Belfast. Laid down on 14th
April 1942 at the same time as
sister ship RATTLER (Later LOYALTY)
this ship was launched on 11th
January 1943. She was the
fifth RN ship to carry this
name, introduced in 1797 for a 12
gun vessel purchased at Leith and
last borne by a destroyer built in
1916 and sold in 1926. Build of this
ship was completed on 21st May and
she
was adopted by the civil community
of Ilminster, Somerset after a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings
campaign held in February 1942.
B
a t t l e H
o n o u r s
ARCTIC
1943 - NORMANDY 1944
H
e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge:
On a field Blue, two flintlock
pistols in saltire proper, cocked.
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 3
May Contractors
trials and
commissioned for service in 18th
Minesweeping Flotilla.
(Note: This was the
second Minesweeping Flotilla
comprised of ALGERINE
Class
ships to be formed.)
21st
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
On completion took
passage to Tobermory for work-up and
preparation for
operational
minesweeping duties.
June After
Work-up took passage
to Port Edgar to carry out
minesweeping training.
Commenced
minesweeping training in Forth area.
July
Deployed with HM
Minesweepers HOUND, HYDRA and
LOYALTY in Lyme Bay.
(Note: These ships
were part of the 18th Flotilla and
detached for this duty in English
Channel.)
August Deployed
with HM Minesweepers
ONYX, HOUND, HYDRA, LOYALTY,
COCKATRICE and newly
joined HMS RATTLESNAKE for special
minesweeping
operation in English Channel
(Operation STARKEY)
(Note: This
operation also included 9th
Minesweeping Flotilla and was
intended to
draw
attention of enemy
aircraft which would then be
vulnerable to attacks
by RAF
aircraft who were providing air
cover.)
September
On release from STARKEY which proved
unsuccessful returned to Harwich to
resume
mine clearance in
North Sea with Flotilla to ensure
clear passage for East Coast
convoys.
(Note: During
Channel deployment the Flotilla came
under shore fire from coastal
batteries
at
Cape Gris Nez which damaged HMS
HYDRA causing casualties and
damage
necessitating dockyard repair.)
October
North Sea deployment with
Flotilla in continuation.
Nominated for duty
in Home Fleet with Flotilla.
November
Passage from Harwich to Scapa Flow.
12th
Sailed from Scapa Flow for
detached service in Iceland with HM
Minesweepers
HYDRA, HOUND and COCKATRICE.
15th
Carried out patrol to intercept
U-Boats on passage to and from
Atlantic.
December Transferred
from Home Fleet to
Orkney and Shetland Command for
Local Escort
of
convoys in NW
Approaches and anti-submarine patrol
duties.
Took
part in
anti-submarine search operations and
carried out patrol between Faeroes
and
Iceland
(Operation SF)
1
9 4 4
January NW
Approaches deployment in
continuation.
7th
Deployed for Local Escort of
Russian Convoy RA55B with HM
Minesweeper
ORESTES
of Flotilla,
during final stage of passage from
North Russia. HMS HYDRA
of Flotilla.
(Note: HM
Destroyers WHITEHALL, WESTCOTT, HM
Sloop CYGNET, HM
Corvette
OXLIP and HM
Minesweeper SEAGULL were also part
of Local
Escort
in NW Approaches.)
8th
Detached from RA55B with
Local Escort on arrival at Loch Ewe.
Joined
Russian Convoy
JW56A with HMS ORESTES, HM Corvettes
BORAGE,
WALLFLOWER,
POPPY, DIANELLA and HM Destroyer
INCONSTANT as escort
for initial stage
of passage from Loch Ewe to North
Russia.
18th
Arrived in Akureri, Iceland
for shelter with JW56Aafter delay on
passage due to
extreme weather
conditions on 15th.
21st
Took passage from Akureri with
escort for JW56A
22nd
Detached from JW56A escort with
HMS ORESTES and returned to Iceland.
For details of
all Russian Convoy operations with
names of merchant ships and
escorts, see
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, THE
RUSSIAN CONVOYS by
B Schoefield,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman, CONVOY
! by P Kemp
and the Naval
Staff History.)
Passage to Loch Ewe.
February
Deployed in NW Approaches.
9th
Deployed with HM Destroyer
WRESTLER, HM Corvettes BORAGE,
HONEYSUCKLE,
WALLFLOWER ,HM Minesweepers
COCKATRICE, LOYALTY
and
RATTLESNAKE as Western Local Escort
for return Convoy RA56 for final
part of
passage into Loch Ewe from
North Russia.
11th
Detached from RA56 with escort on
arrival at Loch Ewe.
March
8th
Joined return Convoy RA57 with
HM Minesweepers HYDRA, LOYALTY, ONYX
and
ORESTES as Local
Escort for final part of passage
into Loch Ewe from North Russia.
10th
Detached from RA57 with Local
Escort on arrival at Loch Ewe.
On release from
duties in NW Approaches returned to
rejoin ships of Flotilla at
Portsmouth
April
Carried out essential
repairs and routine maintenance
following deployment away
from base, Leave
granted to personnel.
Nominated for
minesweeping support of planned
allied landings in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE)
May
On resuming Flotilla
duties joined Force G of Eastern
Task Force.
Participation in
preparatory exercises with Flotilla
and ships of Force G prior to
Operation to be
confirmed.
(Note: These included Exercise
FABIUS II and a Defence exercise
including all
Forces
C, G and J which were to be deployed
for NEPTUNE
Deployed in
Solent with Flotilla to prepare for
assault phase minesweeping.
Allocated for
clearance of Channel No 6 with HM
Minesweepers READY (SO),
COCKATRICE,
HOUND, HYDRA, LOYALTY, RATTLESNAKE
and ORESTES of
Flotilla.
June
Deployed in Solent.
4th
Operation delayed by 24
hours.
5th
Took
passage for
clearance of Channel 6.
(Note: Four
Danlayers and two Motor Launches
were also attached to the Flotilla
to
assist in marking of the swept
Channel.
6th
On completion of the sweep
of Channel 6 deployed off beachhead
for minesweeping to
ensure safety of
anchorage for unloading.
7th
Remained in Assault area for
minesweeping.
(For
details of
naval activities before and during
Operation NEPTUNE see
OPERATION
NEPTUNE by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY June
1944 (HMSO).
In
addition the Flotilla was
deployed to provide a protective
ring around the assault
area which
included night patrols to intercept
enemy interference.
20th
Under defect repair.
On
completion of NEPTUNE
rejoined Flotilla for Channel
minesweeping in
Normandy area
following completion of NEPTUNE.
(Note: Extensive
minelaying was being carried out by
midget submarine as well by
other
surface ships and aircraft. Mines
laid included magnetic and
acoustic.
July
Flotilla Channel
minesweeping and interception patrol
duties in continuation.
(Note:
During this
period HM Minesweeper PYLADES on
loan to Flotilla was
sunk
by torpedo from a midget submarine.)
August
Channel deployment in
continuation.
22nd
During passage in Channel
carrying out minesweep continued
operation with HM
Minesweepers
HOUND, HYDRA and RATTLESNAKE when
HMS LOYALTY
detached after
sweep gear parted.
(Note:
After
recovering sweep gear HMS LOYALTY
was torpedoed by U480 and
sank
with the loss of 19 of her ship’s
company including her captain.)
September
Deployed with Flotilla for
minesweeping operations of Le Havre.
October
On release from Channel
duties took passage to Harwich where
ships of Flotilla
detached for
various duties in Channel area were
to re-assemble.
Prepared
for minesweeping
support of planned attack at
Walcheren. Holland.
(Operation
CINDERELLA)
(Note: HM
Minesweeper TANGANYIKA had joined
Flotilla after completion
of
minesweeping
trials and replaced HMS LOYALTY.
November
1st
Deployed with Flotilla to
provide clear area required for
bombarding ships to
naval gunfire
support during landings at Walcheren
for CINDERELLA.
(Note:
Bombarding ships were HM Battleship
WARSPITE, HM Monitors
EREBUS
and ROBERTS.
10th
Deployed off Ostend
with HM Minesweepers ONYX, ORESTES,
HYDRA,
TANGANYIKA,
HYDRA and COCKATRICE of Flotilla.
(Note:
HMS HYDRA
detonated a mine during this
operation and sustained
major
damage. Although towed back to
Sheerness the ship was
declared
a Total Constructive Loss and never
repaired.)
December
Deployed with Flotilla for
minesweeping of coast of Belgium and
Holland.
(Note:
Military convoys and other shipping
were carrying out support of
the
allied forces in Europe, using ports
which were available..
Extensive
minelaying was being carried out by
submarines and surface
craft
to interfere with this
traffic. See Naval Staff History and
HOLD THE
NARROW SEA by P Smith.)
1
9 4 5
January
Minesweeping duties
with Flotilla to ensure clear
passage for convoys to
to
May.
European ports in
continuation. During this period
operations were frequently
affected
by adverse weather including fog.
(Note:
Particular attention was paid to
clearance of mines to ensure safe
entry into
Hamburg
and Cuxhaven.)
June
Remained in
Channel and southern North Sea for
mine clearance.
to
August
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
READY remained with the
Flotilla after the end of
hostilities and deployed for mine
clearance off the East Coast of UK
before being
sent to join Plymouth Command for
similar duties in SW Approaches and
the Bristol Channel. In March
1947 she was transferred to the 3rd
Minesweeping Flotilla based at Port
Edgar
on the Forth and deployed for
equipment trials until being
Paid-off and reduced
to Reserve status at Chatham in
1948. Whilst in
Reserve she was placed on the Sales
List and sold in 1951 for service in
the Belgian Navy. Refitted by JS
White at Cowes she was renamed JAN
VAN HAVERBEKE and served with
remained on the Active List
for 10 years and on 7th March that
1961 sold for breaking-up at Bruges
and arrived at the breaker’s yard
during August that year.
For more about Algerine-class
Minesweepers, see
http://www.minesweepers.org.uk/index.htm
