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1 9 4 2
September
29th Commissioned for service as HMS ACTIVITY
October Contractors
trials..
9th At Rosyth for
installation on Admiralty equipment not available in Dundee shipyard.
14th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
18th On completion took passage to Clyde
22nd Deployed in Clyde and prepared for work-up.
November
3rd Worked-up for service at Lamlash.
Embarked SWORDFISH aircraft and personnel of 835 Squadron.
December
20th Returned to Clyde for post work-up defect
repair in commercial shipyard.
1 9 4 3
January Deployed
in Clyde for Deck Landing training
to
July
August Deck
landing training in continuation
Nominated for deployment in Western Approaches for convoy defence.
October Taken
in hand at Liverpool commercial shipyard for refit prior to operational service
to
December
1 9 4 4
January
12th Embarked SWORDFISH
and WILDCAT aircraft and personnel of 819 Squadron.
Carried
out work-up for convoy defence in Clyde
Deployed
with HM Escort Carrier NAIRANA and 2nd British Escort Group.
29th Deployed for support and air cover to
ensure safe passage of convoy OS66/KMS40 with
HMS NAIRANA and ships of 2nd Escort Group west of Ireland.
31st Joined Convoy SL147/KMS38 during
passage from West Africa west of Cape Clear with
HMS NAIRANA to provide air cover against attacks by IGEL Group of
U-Boats.
(Note : Escort Group B2 which had sunk U592 then operated
independently.
See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
February Air cover of SL147/MKS38 in continuation.
3rd Transferred to
provide cover for Convoys ON222 and ONS28.
(Note : B2 Escort Group sank 3 U-Boats (U762, U238 and U734
during 8th - 9th when
operating independently. See above reference.)
26th Provided air cover for Convoy OS69/KMS43
during passage to Gibraltar with HMS
NAIRANA.
March Defence of OS69/KMS26
in continuation.
6th At Gibraltar.
(Note : One WILDCAT aircraft was lost during flying
operations in Bay of Biscay
during extreme weather conditions.)
9th Deployed for
defence of Convoy MKF29 during return passage to Greenock.
Nominated for detached service with Home Fleet for Russian convoy
defence.
Relieved HM Escort Carrier BITER at Scapa Flow.
29th Deployed with HM Escort Carrier TRACKER
and joined Russian Convoy JW58 with
Main
Escort to provide air cover during passage to Kola Inlet (Operation FY)
(Note : Main Escort comprised HM Cruiser DIADEM and Home
Fleet destroyers.
2nd
Escort Group of Sloops and four other destroyers provided additional
anti submarine defence. Ships of Home Fleet provided Distant
Cover.
For
full details of escort and ships in convoy which included US cruiser
MILWAUKEE being transferred to Soviet
Navy see ARCTIC CONVOYS
by R Woodman, CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by Ruegg,,
CONVOY ! by P Kemp
and THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B. Schoefield.)
April Air Cover for JW58 in continuation.
(Note : Six shadowing aircraft were shot down by aircraft
from Carriers.)
2nd Embarked aircraft carried out attacks
on submarine causing damage and shot down a
Ju88 aircraft.
3rd SWORDFISH Aircraft C of
819 Squadron embarked sighted U288 and came under fire
from submarine. After arrival of AVENGER aircraft from HMS
TRACKER submarine
was sunk in position 73.44N 13.04E (North of North Cape) by rocket attacks despite
intense AA fire and manoeuvres by submarine to present
smallest possible target.
(See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P. Kemp and above references.)
4th Detached from
JW58 on arrival at Kola Inlet.
7th Joined return Convoy RA58 with same
ships as escort for passage to Loch Ewe.
(Note : No Distant Cover was required as threat by TIRPITZ
had been eliminated.)
14th Detached from RA58
after uninterrupted passage.
19th Deployed with HMS DIADEM, HM Escort
Carrier FENCER, 14 Home Fleet destroyers
and four Canadian frigates attached to Home Fleet for
passage to Kola Inlet. Mercantile
NEA
HELLAS also took passage with these warships to bring Russian naval personnel
from Murmansk to man ships being
transferred to Russia. (Operation FZ)
(Note : NEA HELLAS had to return to UK after defects developed and
was thus not
available for this task. Soviet personnel together with US
Navy personnel
from USS MILWAUKEE had therefore to be embarked in warships
and
merchant ships for return passage. See above references.)
23rd Arrived at Kola
Inlet with Home Fleet ships.
28th Sailed with escort
for return Convoy RA59 to provide air cover during passage.
(Note : 19 US Navy personnel embarked for passage.)
May Provided
air cover during passage of RA59 in atrocious weather conditions.
2nd Shadowing aircraft
destroyed by embarked fighter.
(Note : Three submarines were destroyed by aircraft from HMS
FENCER, U277, U674
and U959. See U-BOATS DESTROYED. One source suggests that
newly
embarked aircrew in the ship lacked the experience in Arctic
conditions.)
4th Detached from RA59 with HM Destroyers MARNE, MATCHLESS, METEOR, MILNE
and MUSKETEER before arrival of convoy at Loch Ewe.
6th Under repair in Clyde commercial
shipyard.
10th Resumed Atlantic convoy defence duties.
Nominated
for service in SW Approaches with HM Escort Carriers TRACKER and
VINDEX
to carry out anti-submarine operations in conjunction with aircraft of 19 Group
RAF
Coastal Command to prevent any U-Boat interference during allied landings in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
22nd Provided cover for passage of outward
joint convoy OS78/KMS52 during Atlantic passage
to Gibraltar and West Africa.
28th Provided air cover for passage of joint
inward Convoy 158/MKS49 during Atlantic passage
to Liverpool from Gibraltar and West Africa.
June Deployed
in support of NEPTUNE in SW Approaches and Bay of Biscay with 1st, 3rd, 4th
6th
and 9th (Canadian) Support Groups.
2nd Provided further cover for passage of joint outward Convoy
OS78/KMS52.
3rd Provided cover for passage of joint
inward Convoy SL159/MKS50 during Atlantic passage
to Liverpool.
10th Arrived in Clyde with
convoy.
20th Provided cover for inward joint Convoy
SL162/MKS53 during Atlantic passage to
Liverpool..
July
11th Arrived in Clyde with convoy
19th Joined escort for outward military
Convoy KMF33 to provide air cover during passage to
Gibraltar
August
4th Joined escort for inward military
Convoy MKF33 to provide air cover during passage
from Gibraltar to Clyde.
11th Detached from MKF33 and joined outward
joint Convoy OS86/KMS60 during Atlantic
passage to Gibraltar
21st Joined escort for inward Convoy SL167
during passage in Atlantic from Freetown to
provide air cover
Nominated for
service as Ferry Carrier and detached from SL167 to return to Clyde.
September Deployed
in Clyde and embarked 12 BARRACUDA aircraft
destined for 854 Squadron
and stores for delivery to Trincomalee.
Took passage to Trincomalee.
October
23rd Arrived
at Trincomalee.
Unload aircraft and stores.
Took passage to return to UK
November Passage to Gibraltar
Joined escort for Convoy MKS36 for passage to UK
(Note : East
Indies Fleet formed from ships of Eastern Fleet retained when Eastern
Fleet ships required in Pacific were
transferred to new British
Pacific Fleet created.)
29th Detached
from MKS36 in NW Approaches and took passage to Greenock.
December
5th Under
repair in Clyde
Passage to Portsmouth for
routine docking.
21st Docked
at Portsmouth.
1 9
4 5
January
17th On completion of docking took passage to
Belfast.
21st At Belfast embarking aircraft for use
in East Indies Fleet
28th Joined outward Convoy KM39 for passage
to Gibraltar.
February
2nd Detached from KMF39 at Gibraltar ands took passage to Colombo.
20th Arrived at Colombo.
(Disembarkation of aircraft to be confirmed.)
21st Transferred on
loan to British Pacific Fleet.
Took passage to Sydney.
28th (Note : One
source records rescue of survivors from US mercantile off west coast
of Australia.
March Passage
in Indian
Ocean
Disembarked
aircraft of arrival at Sydney
24th Took passage from Sydney to return
to duty with East Indies Fleet.
April On
arrival In Ceylon deployed as Ferry Carrier
for transfer of aircraft between
to Cochin and Colombo..
July
August Took
passage to Singapore
(Note : It may be assumed that ship took aircraft for use as
spares after occupation o
Singapore. Ship not deployed for ZIPPER support
during landings in Malaya.)
September (Note :
Pennant Number R301 was allocated for visual signalling purposes to
conform with US Navy identity for warships of this type.)
12th Present at Singapore when Japanese forces
in SE
Asia
were formally surrendered.
15th Took passage from Singapore to resume duties with
East Indies Fleet.
Nominated for
return to UK to Pay-off
22nd Sailed from Trincomalee for UK
October Passage in Mediterranean
20th Arrived in Clyde.
November Paid-off and reduced to Reserve
status in Clyde.
On completion of
de-storing laid-up in Clyde.
