1 9 4 3
July Contractors trials and commissioning.
13th Accepted into service on completion of Acceptance Trials in Clyde area.
Nominated for service with Eastern Fleet based in Ceylon.
August Passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with ships of Home Fleet on completion of trials and storing.
3rd Commenced work-up.
12th Present Scapa Flow during visit to Home Fleet by HM King George VI.
September On completion took passage to Devonport to prepare for foreign service.
(Note: Close Range AA defence armament supplemented by 20mm Oerlikon guns.)
October
30th Took passage for Ceylon.
(Note: Personal baggage of Supreme Commander SEAC embarked)
November Deployed for interception patrol in Bay of Biscay during passage to Gibraltar
27th Called at Bombay.
December Joined 4th Cruiser Squadron at Trincomalee.
Deployed for Fleet exercises with Squadron and Fleet units in Indian Ocean.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed with Eastern Fleet for patrol and convoy defence in Indian Ocean
to For details of Eastern Fleet activities In 1944-45 see OPERATION
February PACIFIC by E Grey and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO)
March
21st Deployed with HM Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN,
HM Cruisers LONDON, GAMBIA (RNZN) and CUMBERLAND as part of an Eastern Fleet Task
Force screened by HM Destroyers QUIBERON (RAN), QUILLIAM, QUALITY,
QUEENBOROUGH, PATHFINDER, Australian NAPIER, NORMAN, NEPAL and Dutch VAN
GALEN and TJERK HIDDES.
(Operation DIPLOMAT).
27th Met US Navy aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA, US destroyers
CUMMINGS, DUNLOP and FANNING SW of Cocos Islands
(Note: US Task Group 58 joining Eastern Fleet for a joint RN/USN air attack on Sumatra.
April
1st Returned to Trincomalee with RN Task Force and US Navy ships.
16th Joined HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, HMS VALIANT and French battleship RICHELIEU with
HM Cruisers NEWCASTLE, NIGERIA, GAMBIA and Dutch cruiser TROMP as Task Force
69. Destroyer screen comprised HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE, PENN,
PETARD, NAPIER, NEPAL, NIZAM, QUIBERON and Dutch VAN GALEN.
18th Transferred with HM Cruiser GAMBIA to Task Force 70 to reinforce escort for H M Aircraft
Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS and USS SARATOGA during joint RN/USN air operations against targets
at Sabang, Sumatra.
(Operation COCKPIT – see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C BARNETT and
above references.)
May
6th Joined HM Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, French battleship RICHELIEU
in Task Force 65 to escort HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and USS SARATOGA with HMS GAMBIA
for air attacks on targets at Soerabaya (Operation TRANSOM).
Destroyer screen comprised HM Destroyers ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE, PENN,
NAPIER, NEPAL, QUIBERON, QUICKMATCH and Dutch VAN GALEN.
15th Replenished at Exmouth Bay in Western Australia with Task Force snips from Task
Force 67.
17th Covered carrier operations off Soerabaya.
18th US Navy ships detached.
27th Arrived in Ceylon.
June Nominated for support of air operations by HMS ILLUSTRIOUS.
19th Deployed as Force 60 with HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Cruisers NIGERIA.
and KENYA screened by HM Destroyers QUILLIAM, QUALITY, QUICKMATCH,
ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE, RAIDER, RELENTLESS and ROEBUCK to provide
cover during air attacks on PORT Blair in the Andamans (Operation PEDAL)
(Note: HM Submarines TANTIVY and CLYDE were deployed for air sea rescue.)
21st Remained with HMS ILLUSTRIOUS during flying operations.
On completion of landing of aircraft left area at high speed to reduce
risk of a retaliatory attacks before nightfall.
24th Returned to Trincomalee with ships of Force 60.
July Convoy defence with Squadron in continuation.
22nd Deployed with HMS VALIANT, French RICHELIEU, HMS RENOWN, HM Cruisers
KENYA GAMBIA, NIGERIA, CUMBERLAND, PHOEBE and Dutch TROMP to cover
air attacks at Sabang by H M Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS and VICTORIOUS
(Operation CRIMSON).
25th Bombarded shore installations at Sabang with HM Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH
and VALIANT, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, French battleship RICHELIEU and ships of
Squadron
August
19th Deployed with Eastern Fleet ships to provide air sea rescue facilities during US air attacks
on NW Sumatra (Operation BOOMERANG).
24th Bombarded Sabang with HM Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, HM
Battlecruiser, RENOWN, French RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND, NIGERIA,
KENYA and GAMBIA. HM destroyers RELENTLESS, ROTHERHAM, RACEHORSE,
ROCKET and RAPID also took part and other destroyers entered the harbour and made
torpedo attacks on shipping (Operation BANQUET).
September Convoy defence duty in continuation.
October Passage to Durban for refit.
November Under refit.
27th Re-organisation of Eastern Fleet on formation of British Pacific Fleet
December On completion of post refit trials took passage to rejoin 4th Cruiser Squadron.
1 9 4 5
January Deployed as part of covering force for air attacks on oil refineries at Pangkalan
Brandan,
4th Sumatra by HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS and
INDEFATIGABLE with HM Cruisers SUFFOLK, ARGONAUT, BLACK PRINCE.
Fleet destroyer screen comprised HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT, WHELP,
WAGER, URANIA, UNDAUNTED, UNDINE and URSA (Operation LENTIL).
13th Joined exercises with Eastern Fleet for planned FAA operations on Sumatra.
17th Sailed with HM Destroyer WESSEX to join ships of British Pacific Fleet which had
taken passage on 16th for Australia to join 5th US Fleet for operations in the
Pacific.
Carried spares and mail for Task Force 63 ships.
20th Detached from Task Force 63 with
HM Destroyer URCHIN and HMS WESSEX for escort
of HM Fleet Auxiliary Tankers ECHODALE, WAVE KING and EMPIRE SALVAGE
as Task Force 69
(Note: This was a Replenishment Group) for support of Task Group 63 during air
operations against oil refineries at Palembang and Soengi-Gerong by aircraft
carriers. (Operations MERIDIAN I and II).
30th On completion of MERIDIAN operations resumed Eastern Fleet duties and took passage
to rejoin Squadron.
February Passage to Ceylon.
After arrival deployed with Squadron for convoy defence and support of military
operations.
March Squadron deployment in continuation.
April
29th Part of Task Force 63, Eastern Fleet covering Rangoon landings.
(Operation DRACULA - See Naval Staff History and above references)
30th Escorted HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, FS RICHELIEU, HM Escort Carriers SHAH and
EMPRESS with HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND, SUFFOLK and Dutch TROMP screened
by Fleet Destroyers during air attacks on Car Nicobar and Port Blair in Andaman
Islands.
On completion bombarded shore installations with ships of TF63 (Operation BISHOP)
May
1st Support bombardment duty in continuation.
3rd Joined Task Force 63 with FS RICHELIEU, HMS CUMBERLAND, HMS EMPRESS,
HMS SHAH. HMS ROTHERHAM, HMS ROEBUCK and HMS REDOUBT.
4th Deployed with Task Force 68 for interception of evacuation convoys between Mergui
and Victoria Point, Burma.
Refuelled from Fleet Auxiliary OLWEN escorted by HM Destroyer PALADIN.
6th Rejoined TF 63 and covered further air strikes in Andamans.
9th Resumed Squadron duties.
June
1st Deployed on offensive patrols off Burma with HM Cruiser PHOEBE and six Royal Indian
Navy frigates as Task Force 69.
16th Returned from patrol duty when cruiser support no longer needed.
July Preparation for Malayan coast landings (Operation ZIPPER) and covered passage of
military convoys between Ceylon and Rangoon.
August Passage to Rangoon with Eastern Fleet for execution of ZIPPER landings.
(Note: Planned assault postponed at US insistence and delayed until after VJ Day.
See above references and Final Report by SEAC (HMSO) )
28th Passage to Penang with HM Battleship NELSON, HM Escort Carrier HUNTER and HM
Escort Carrier ATTACKER.
September
2nd At Penang for formal surrender of Japanese forces by Vice Admiral Hirose.
9th Covered landings of allied troops on Malayan coast with HMS NELSON, FS RICHELIEU,
HMS NIGERIA, HMS GAMBIA and ROYALIST, HM Escort Carriers HUNTER,
STALKER, KHEDIVE, EMPEROR, PURSUER and TRUMPETER with 15 Fleet
destroyers. (See above references and Naval Staff History).