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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.