BANGOR-Class Minesweeper fitted with Diesel propulsion machinery ordered on 6th July
1939 from Harland and Wolff and laid down at Govan. Glasgow as Job Number 1020 (Yard No. 1039) on 19th
September 1939 with sister ship to be named BLACKPOOL. She was launched 23rd
May 1940 and build was completed on 3rd February 1941. She was the 1st RN ship
to carry this name, which like others of the Class built in UK was that of a
coastal town, making her a most appropriate adoption by the civil
community of Bangor, North Wales after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o
u r s
DIEPPE 1942 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1941-43 - NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field barry wavy of
4 white and Blue, a griffin sejant Red,
holding in the paws a mace 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 Nominated as First of Class
4th Commissioned for service in 9th
Minesweeping Flotilla.
7th Build completion and
commenced First of Class Acceptance Trials.
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow.
December
Deployed as Senior Officer 13th Flotilla with HM Minesweepers BRIDLINGTON, BRIDPORT,
RHYL and ROMNEY for
Flotilla work-up and minesweeping trials at Scapa Flow.
On completion
deployed for minesweeping to ensure clear passage of Fleet units in and out of
Scapa Flow and also
for clearance of East Coast convoy routes between Aberdeen and NW of
Scottish coast.
1 9 4 1
January Flotilla
minesweeping duties in continuation based at Scapa Flow.
to
(Note: Relieved as Senior Officer's ship by HM Minesweeper CROMER.
April HMS BUDE joined Flotilla.
Duties
also included clearance of gunnery firing ranges off Cape Wrath.)
May Transferred
to English Channel for minesweeping duties with Flotilla.
June
Channel deployment with Flotilla including convoy escort as well as
routine clearance
to of convoy routes between Dover
and Plymouth.
November Based at Poole and Portland as
required by commitments.
RAF air cover was
provided subject to UK air defence requirements and ship came under air
attacks.
(Note: Ships were
provided with small balloons using specially fitted hand winches, for
protection
against bombing attacks, but their value
was indeterminate.
HMS
SIDMOUTH and HMS TENBY joined Flotilla.)
December Transferred to Harwich with Flotilla
for special mine clearance off East Coast with ships of
13th Minesweeping
Flotilla (Operation QO).
On arrival carried
out joint minesweeping operations to provide two gaps through British East Coast
Mine Barrier and a
known German minefield for use by allied destroyers requiring speedy access to
North Sea from
Harwich.
Poor visibility often
proved of great value since work was completed without enemy air attacks.
(Note: This was required In view of
any attempt by the German battleships SCHARNHORST
and
GNEISENAU to return to Germany from Brest through the English Channel instead
of
via NW Passage. It was indeed justified
within two months.)
9th
Minesweeping Flotilla were also deployed in Channel.)
Resumed Channel
duties at Poole on completion of QO.
1 9 4 2
January
Channel deployment based at Poole with Flotilla in continuation.
to
(Note: HMS SIDMOUTH had replaced HMS CROMER as Senior Officer.)
June Nominated for support of
planned assault landings at Dieppe (Operation JUBILEE)
July
Deployed with Flotilla for joint minesweeping operations with 13th
Flotilla in preparation
for
JUBILEE.
(Note: This operation had been subject to
many delays after its initial conception in and
was
cancelled when air attacks on assembled ships off Yarmouth,
IoW were attacked by
aircraft and later operation further
delayed by weather. See THE WATERY MAZE
by B
Fergusson and Naval Staff History.
It is
assumed that the minesweepers resumed their Channel duties after the
cancellation.
August
Channel deployment in continuation pending execution of JUBILEE.
18th Joined invasion ships in Channel and took
passage to assembly area north of Dieppe.
(Note: Other ships of
Flotilla taking part were HM Minesweepers SIDMOUTH (SO),
BLACKPOOL, BRIDLINGTON, BRIDPORT, RHYL and TENBY).
19th Commenced night minesweeping
operations in advance of assault craft and control ships.
(Note: Two channels
were swept in advance of invasion force and an unexpected encounter with a
German
coastal convoy was a prelude to what proved to be a disastrous attempt to make
an
effective landing.
20th Resumed Channel minesweeping and
convoy defence duties.
(Note: See above
references for details of return of invasion force.
No
record of minesweeping support during return passage was traced.)
September Channel minesweeping and convoy
escort duties in continuation.
to (Note: In addition to
routine clearance of convoy routes the Flotilla carried out mine sweeping to
December ensure
clear passage of destroyers to carry out attacks on enemy coastal ships
(TUNNEL Series of operations.)
1 9 4 3
Deployed in English
Channel with Flotilla for minesweeping and convoy defence.
(Note: Other ships
in Flotilla during this period were HM Minesweepers SIDMOUTH (SO),
TENBY, BRIDPORT, BRIDLINGTON, BLACKPOOL,
EASTBOURNE, BLYTH and
ILFRACOMBE.)
1 9 4 4
January Channel deployment in continuation.
to
Nominated for minesweeping support with Flotilla for planned allied
landings in
April
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE)
May Deployed as part of Force J
for service in Eastern Task Force and nominated for clearance of
Approach Channel No.7
to JUNO Beach with ships of 9th Minesweeping Flotilla.
Took part in
preparatory exercises with Ships of Force J based at Cowes,
IoW.
(Note: Ships of
Forces O, S and J carried out Final
Rehearsal for NEPTUNE with Force J
deployed off Hayling Island . These were
primarily for berthing, loading and sailing prior
to
departure and minesweepers may not have been required. (Exercise FABIUS)
between
2nd and 4th May. Similarly a Defence exercise was also carried out off Brighton
which
may not have included minesweepers.
The Flotilla may therefore have
resumed normal duties in Channel for part of this month.)
Passage to Solent
to join Force J for NEPTUNE briefing.
For details of
naval activities before and during operation see LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June 1944 (HMSO),
OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and D DAY SHIPS by J de Winser.
June Deployed in Solent with HM
Minesweepers SIDMOUTH, BLACKPOOL. BOSTON,
BRIDLINGTON, BRIDPORT, EASTBOURNE, and TENBY
HM Trawlers BRYHER,
DALMATIA,
IJUIN and SIGMA.
(Note: The Trawlers were to be deployed as Danlayers to identify boundaries of
Channel
No 7. Three of these were all ships requisitioned for minesweeping early in WW2
but BRYHER
built in 1943 was an Admiralty ISLES Class Danlayer.)
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Sailed from Solent with ships of
Flotilla to carry out mine clearance of Channel No 7.
6th Mine entangled in sweep gear and had
to be cut when reaching clear water..
(Note HMS TENBY sweep was also
involved)
On completion of clearance of Channel 7 deployed off
beachhead for minesweeping in anchorage
area for Force J ships.
7th Deployed off landing beaches in
Eastern Task Force area.
25th Deployed off Cherbourg with ships of
Flotilla to clear approach channel to the selected
bombardment area for
US battleships USS TEXAS and ARKANSAS.
On completion carried out further minesweeping off
Cherbourg.
29th Retained
for minesweeping duties off Normandy on completion of NEPTUNE.
For further details of minesweeping operations off Normandy
see THEY LED THE WAY by
J Williams.
July Minesweeping support off
French coast in continuation.
Deployed off Brest after
occupation by allied forces.
August Released from support of
landings in France and taken in hand for repair and maintenance.
September Resumed Flotilla duties and carried
out mine clearance in Channel and Nore Command areas.
1 9 4 5
January Minesweeping and convoy defence
in continuation.
to
April
May
Deployed
with HM Minesweepers SIDMOUTH, TENBY,
BLACKPOOL,
ROMNEY and RYE off southern
Norway after VE Day for mine clearance.
Based at Stavanger.
Took
part in longest continual sweep during WW2 which lasted nearly 79 hours
and ensured
safe
passage for
shipping.
During final recovery of sweeps on
completion involved in another entanglement
with sweep gear of
HMS TENBY in which a
mine was trapped. After cutting sweep
gear she returned to Stavanger with
Flotilla.
June On return
from Norwegian deployment taken in hand for repair and maintenance.
July Deployed
with Flotilla in SW Approaches for mine clearance duties based at
to
Plymouth
August
Post War Notes
HMS BANGOR
remained in commission after VJ Day and continued
mine clearance duties in Bristol
Channel area until
July 1946
when she was Paid off and reduced to Reserve status. This minesweeper was sold
to Norway later in 1946 and was renamed HM Nor. S. GLOMMA. She remained on the Active List of
the Royal
Norwegian Navy until 1st January 1961 when
stricken and later sold for demolition.