1 9 4 4
January Contractor's trials
20th Build completion and formally transferred to Royal Navy
Commissioned as HMS SMITER at Tacoma.
Carried out sea trials
February
15th Passage to Esquimalt to carry out modification work to suit RN service.
March Under modifications by HM Canadian Dockyard Esquimalt.
31st Took passage to San Francisco
April Deployed at San Francisco
May
8th Sailed from San Francisco for Panama
Transit of Panama Canal
Passage to Norfolk Va.
23rd Arrived at Norfolk
June
1st Embarked AVENGER aircraft for transport to UK
5th Sailed from Norfolk to New York.
Embarked CORSAIR aircraft at New York for transport to UK
(Note: Passage with routine convoy to be confirmed.).
On arrival in Clyde disembarked aircraft.
20th Arrived at Liverpool
Nominated for service as a Ferry Carrier
25th Sailed for New York to embark aircraft
July Embarked aircraft in New York for delivery to UK
7th Took passage to Clyde from New York.
(Note Passage details to be confirmed.)
21st Disembarked aircraft on arrival.
Taken in hand for defect repair in Clyde shipyard.
August Under repair
September Further repair arranged in commercial shipyard at Newport, Glam.
14th Took passage to Newport.
October Under repair to electrical system at Newport in commercial shipyard
to Nominated for service as a Deck Landing Training Carrier on completion.
November
December
2nd Sailed from Newport for Clyde on completion of post repair trials.
Deployed for training in Clyde area.
1 9 4 5
January Refit arranged at Rosyth
Passage to Forth
15th Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard, Rosyth.
(Note: Modification of petrol distribution to be confirmed)
February Under refit
to Nominated for conversion to suit deployment in support of convoy defence..
April Conversion arranged in Clyde shipyard.
Allocated for service in East Indies Fleet.
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes was changed to R321 to conform
with US Navy identity for this type of warship.)
May Passage to Clyde on completion of trials
26th Taken in hand for conversion
June Under conversion
July On completion of trials prepared for foreign service
7th Sailed from Clyde for Colombo.
(Note: No Squadron personnel were embarked)
August On passage to Colombo
(Note: Work-up for Fleet service in Mediterranean to be confirmed.)
Passage from Colombo to join Fleet in Trincomalee.
September
1st Deployed at Trincomalee.