1
9 4 0
December
Contractors trials and commissioning 9th Minesweeping Flotilla.
12th - Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion of trials and storing
took passage to
Scapa Flow.
1
9 4 1
January
Deployed
with
HM Minesweepers BANGOR (SO),
BRIDLINGTON. BRIDPORT and RHYL 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 of
East Coast convoy routes between
Aberdeen
and NW of Scottish coast.
February
to April
Flotilla
minesweeping
duties in continuation based at Scapa
Flow. (Note: HM Minesweeper CROMER and
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
to November
Channel
deployment
with Flotilla including convoy escort
as well as routine mine clearance on
convoy routes of convoy routes
between Dover and Plymouth. Based at
Poole and Portland as required by commitments.
RAF air cover was provided subject to
UK air defence
requirements and came under air
attacks. (Note:
Ships of the Flotilla were provided
with 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
14th Minesweeping Flotilla and joined
HM Minesweepers CROMER, CROMARTY,
POOLE, BEAUMARIS, RYE, TENBY and
FRASERBURGH for North Sea minesweeping
based at Rosyth.
(Note:
This work was vital and ensured safe
passage of convoys between Thames
Estuary as far north as Aberdeen
1
9 4 2
January
to February
Rosyth
deployment in continuation Nominated
with Flotilla for transfer to
Mediterranean
for convoy defence.
(Note: This move was needed in view of
the shortage of warships for
anti- submarine work due to losses in
defence of
Crete and Greece as well as support of
the Malta and the Tobruk
garrison.).
March
Prepared
for
foreign service
after release from North Sea
duties. Passage to Gibraltar (Note: HM
Minesweepers SEAHAM and WHITEHAVEN
joined
the Flotilla before departure.)
Re-routed for passage via Cape of Good
Hope and Red
Sea.
April
On
arrival
at Durban detached from Flotilla with
HMS CROMARTY, HMS CROMER and HMS POOLE
for service in Indian Ocean
with Eastern Fleet. Nominated for
minesweeping support during planned
landings in Madagascar (Operation
IRONCLAD).
May
3rd
- Passage
to Diego Suarez
5th
- Deployed
with detached minesweepers and two
FLOWER Class corvettes in advance of
assault ships to clear mines laid in Amararata
Bay. (For
details see Naval Staff History and
WAR WITH JAPAN )
(Note: HM Corvette AURICULA struck a
mine became a
total loss having broken her back.)
6th - Carried out minesweeping in Courier Bay to ensure safe
anchorage for disembarkation of
troops from Landing Ships.
On release from IRONCLAD took return
passage to Kilindini
to join Escort Force for defence
of convoys in Indian
Ocean.
June
to August
Deployed
for
convoy escort in Indian Ocean based at
Kilindini
September
Nominated
for
transfer to Mediterranean with same
detached ships and to rejoin Flotilla
at Alexandria.
22nd
- Took
passage to Egypt from Kilindini
October
Joined
HMS
BOSTON, HMS SEAHAM and HMS WHITEHAVEN
at Alexandria for Flotilla
minesweeping duties.
November
to December
Deployed
with
Flotilla for minesweeping off Egyptian
and Libyan coast to ensure safe
passage of supply convoys under air
attacks. (Note: HMS CROMER was lost
after hitting a floating mine
. The ship
sank quickly and survivors
were rescued by ships of Flotilla.)
1
9 4 3
January
to May
Eastern Mediterranean minesweeping in continuation to ensure safe
passage for supply convoys
supporting advance of
Eighth Army.
June
On
completion
of minesweeping to clear entrances to
Libyan ports transferred with ships of
Flotilla for minesweeping
support of the planned allied landings
in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY)
July
Deployed
with
Flotilla and ships of 13th
Minesweeping Flotilla in preparation
for HUSKY. See Naval Staff History and
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C
Barnett
for details)
9th
- Carried
out minesweeping in advance of British
Support Force East and assault ships
on passage to landing areas.
10th - Deployed for minesweeping in anchorage and bombardment
areas.
11th - Deployed off Syracuse and under air attacks.
12th
- During
minesweeping off Augusta forced to
withdraw because of shore batteries
fire.
August
8th
- Joined
HM Minesweepers HYTHE, RYE,
WHITEHAVEN, HM Sloop SHOREHAM, HM
Australian Minesweepers GAWLER IPSWICH
and MARYBOROUGH for escort of military
convoy MKS21 during passage from Malta
to Gibraltar. (Operation COCKATOO)
13th
- Under
air attack by He111 torpedo bombers
which damaged two
mercantiles
in convoy which were taken in tow.
Later a second air attack was driven
off with one
He111 shot down by of the escorts.
A submarine attack later failed.
20th - Passage to Malta to resume minesweeping duties with
Flotilla.
September
Deployment
based
in Malta in continuation. To be
confirmed. Nominated for minesweeping
operations to open up the Strait of Bonifacio
between Sardinia and Corsica. (Note:
This area was known to have been
heavily mined with no known channels.
*October
to November
Deployed
with
Flotilla for mine clearance in Strait
of
Bonifacio
based at Maddalena.
To be
confirmed. (Note: A requirement for
shallow
draft minesweepers had been recognised
before the start of this work, but
only one Ex Italian Navy craft was
available to deal with mines laid in
shallow water. The loss of HMS
CROMARTY on 23 October may have been
due to failure to use a suitable
vessel.
47 mines were swept by the Flotilla
during these operations.
December
On
relief
by 13th Minesweeping Flotilla took
passage with 14th Flotilla to Malta
prior to leaving Mediterranean.
Passage
in Mediterranean and Bay of
Biscay from Malta to UK.
To be confirmed.
1
9 4 4
January
On
arrival
in Home ports ships of Flotilla under
routine maintenance and essential
repairs. To be confirmed. Resumed
operational deployment based at
Plymouth for minesweeping in SW
Approaches coastal convoy routes.
Joined 14th Minesweeping Flotilla
ships at Plymouth as Senior Officer's
ship.
February
to March
Plymouth
deployment
in continuation,
Other
ships
in Flotilla were HM Minesweepers
SEAHAM POOLE, RYE, WHITEHAVEN,
GUYSBOROUGH, KENORA and VEGREVILLE.
(Note:
The last three were sister ships built
in Canadian shipyards. Nominated for
minesweeping support during the
planned allied landings in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE)
April
Allocated
to
Force U of Western Task Force and
nominated for clearance of Swept
Channel No 2 from south of the Isle of
Wight to UTAH Beach landing area.
(Note: HMS GEORGIAN, HMS PETERHEAD,
HMS SIR GALAHAD and HMS SIR LANCELOT
were attached to Flotilla for use as Danlayers
to lay
marker buoys marking extremities of
swept area.) Took part in preparatory
exercises with ships of Force U (Note:
Exercise TIGER, a landing exercise in
Lyme Bay came under E-Boat attacks and
was a total disaster with many
casualties. See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
June 1944 and OPERATION NEPTUNE by K
Edwards for details of naval
activities prior to and during
NEPTUNE.
May
Deployed
as
part of Force U for service in Western
Task Force when not deployed for
minesweeping. and
took part in preparatory exercises
with Ships
of Force U. Passage to Portland to
join Force U
for NEPTUNE briefing.
June
Passage
from
Portland with Flotilla and Danlayers
for designated Channel 2 mine
clearance.
4th
- Operation
was delayed by 24 hours. See
references.) After discovery of
minefield 15 miles south of St
Catherine Point, IoW deployed with
Flotilla for a
minesweep
during which five mines were cut
and two exploded in sweeps of
Flotilla.
5th
- Commenced
sweep of Channel 2 with Flotilla and
the attached Danlayers
6th
- After
undetected arrival off UTAH beach with
ships of Flotilla commenced further
clearance operations in area between
Channels 3 and 4.
7th - Deployed for minesweeping off assault area.
8th
- Carried
out minesweeping operation off Brest
with Flotilla (Note: During this
operation HMS PETERHEAD, a sister ship
converted for use as a Danlayer,
was lost after hitting a mine.) Eleven
mines were swept and 25
anti-minesweeping devices caused loss
of sweeps and delayed work.)
25th
- Deployed
off Cherbourg with ships of Flotilla
to clear approach channel to the
selected bombardment area for US
battleships USS TEXAS and USS
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
to December
Resumed
Flotilla
duties and carried out mine clearance
in Channel and Nore
Command areas.
1
9 4 5
January
to April
Minesweeping
and
convoy defence
in continuation.
May
Deployed
with
HM Minesweepers SIDMOUTH, TENBY
BLACKPOOL, BANGOR 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.
June
On return from Norwegian deployment taken in hand for repair and
maintenance.
July
to August
Deployed
with
Flotilla in SW Approaches for mine
clearance duties based at Plymouth
