1 9 4 3
March Contractors
Trials
Nominated for service in Mediterranean.
April Commissioned
for service.
22nd Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
May On
completion of trials and storing took passage to join Fleet in Mediterranean.
June Nominated
for service with US Task Force 85 to support US landings in Sicily.
(Operation
HUSKY - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by C.Barnett
Naval Staff History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.)
July Joined
assault convoy with US cruisers USS BROOKLYN, BIRMINGHAM, SAVANNAH, BOISE
and
PHILADELPHIA for passage to Beachhead.
8th Sailed from Tunis to CENT Beach Head
9th Covered
landings by 45th US Infantry Division at Scoglitti in
CENT Sector with USS
PHILADELPHIA and 15 US Navy destroyers.
16th Bombarded
Porto Espedocle with US warships in support of US 7th
Army with the
US cruisers USS
BIRMINGHAM and PHILADELPHIA.
August Returned to RN service and nominated for support of
British landings on Italian mainland.
(Operation
BAYTOWN - See above
references).
September
2nd
Bombarded coast between Reggio Calabria and Pessaro with
HM Monitors EREBUS, ROBERTS, HM
Battleships
VALIANT, WARSPITE, HM Cruisers ORION AND MAURITIUS.
3rd Provided
naval gunfire support during landings by British XIII corps near Reggio and Villa San
Giovanni.
On completion
of
BAYTOWN transferred to US Command.
Joined Southern Attack Force (TF81) for support during Salerno landings.
(Operation AVALANCHE - For details see
above references.)
7th Sailed
from Bizerta with Convoy
FSS2.
9th Covered
landings at
Paestum with USS PHILADELPHIA, USS SAVANNAH, USS BROOKLYN,
Dutch Gunboat FLORES and 17 US Navy destroyers.
Sustained serious damage by mine.
October Under
repair
to
December