1
9 4 3
September
Contractor's trials.
30th
Commissioned for service in Home Fleet..
October
29th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
November
Acceptance delayed by defects
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa
Flow
to work-up with ships
of the Home
Fleet
December
Work-up delayed due to further repair of
defects and incomplete electrical
wiring as
well as foul
weather.)
1
9 4 4
January
On completion of work-up joined 10th
Cruiser Squadron.
Transferred to English
Channel for offensive patrols to
intercept
coastal shipping in Bay
of Biscay and
English Channel.
Deployed as Senior Officer's
ship in Force 26 comprising HM
Destroyers TARTAR,
ASHANTI.
HAIDA
(RCN),
IROQUOIS (RCN),
HURON (RCN)
and ATHABASKAN (RCN).
(Note: TUNNEL Operations - See HOLD THE
NARROW
SEA
by Peter C Smith).
Had relieved HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS which
had been sunk in October 1943 in
a
most ill-fated TUNNEL operation.)
February
Channel deployment in continuation.
March
Channel deployment including convoy
defence against German destroyer and
E-Boat attacks.
15th
In action against E-Boats of 9th and 5th
German Flotillas with HMS TARTAR and HMS
ASHANTI
during cover of passage of coastal
convoy WP492 in SW Approaches.
April
24th
Routine
docking at Plymouth
after relief by HM Cruiser BLACK
PRINCE in Force 26.
May
Nominated for duty in support of Normandy
landings (Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K
Edwards and NORMANDY LANDINGS,
June 1944 (HMSO).).
16th
During operation with HMS TARTAR, HMCS
HAIDA and HMCS HURON opened fire
on HM Cruiser
APOLLO covering minelay west of Ushant
(Operation HOSTILE 32).
(Note: One source says Force 26 ships
were not aware of minelaying operation.)
The minelaying operation was then
abandoned.
For details of minelaying
see Naval
Staff History (Mining). ).
26th
Withdrawn from cover during planned
minelay because of threat of submarine
attack.
30th
Passage to Belfast
to join Bombardment Force ships of Western
Task Force.
June
3rd
Passage to Solent
with US
battleships USS NEVADA, ARKANSAS
and TEXAS.
4th
Held in SW Approaches because of 24
hour postponement of landings.
5th
Detached to Join US
cruiser USS AUGUSTA at Plymouth
and sailed to Solent
for
passage to
Western Task Force area.
6th
Deployed off
OMAHA beach head for gunfire support
and AA Guardship
duties.
8th
Provided gunfire support to military
operations in OMAHA
area.
to
Under night air attack and destroyed one
aircraft by 20mm Oerlikon fire.
15th
16th
Withdrawn from NEPTUNE
and remained in Reserve at Plymouth.
July
Rejoined Han
Fleet for operations off Norway.
17th
Joined screen for HM Battleship DUKE OF
YORK
with HM Cruisers Kent
DEVONSHIRE
and
JAMAICA
to cover air attacks by HM Aircraft
Carriers
FORMIDABLE.
INDEFATIGABLE and FURIOUS on the German
battleship
TIRPITZ in Kaafjord
(Operation MASCOT)
(Note: These attacks were unsuccessful.
See CONVOY !
by Peter
Kemp).
19th
Returned to Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet ships.
31st
Resumed Channel duties with ships of
10th Cruiser Squadron based at Plymouth.
Deployed with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM
Escort Carrier STRIKER, destroyers of
10th
Flotilla and Frigates of 11th
Support Group as Force 26.
Carried out patrol between Brest and La
Rochelle
to intercept U-Boats being used
to evacuate
Biscay ports (Operation KINETIC)
August
5th
Deployed with
HM Destroyers TARTAR,
ASHANTI,
HAIDA (RCN)
and
IROQUOIS (RCN)
as Force
26 for attacks
on convoys between Belle Isle and
La
Rochelle.
6th
In action against two convoys off St.
Nazaire, sinking minesweepers H263, MW6
and
patrol boat
V414.
One merchant ship set on fire and
JUPITER disabled.
(Note: A Post War Assessment of this
operation included an Aircraft Repair
Ship
RICHTOFEN as being
sunk.
During this period ship also deployed to
provide Air-Sea Rescue cover for
Royal Flight between
Gibraltar
and UK.)
September
On release from Force 26 took passage to
Clyde for refit.
Taken in hand for
refit in Clyde
commercial shipyard.
October
20th
On completion of post refit trials
rejoined Squadron at Scapa Flow
23rd
Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE
with HM Destroyers VENUS, SCOURGE,
SAVAGE, VERULAM, CAPRICE, ZAMBESI,
CASSANDRA and CAMBRIAN for
air strikes
on targets at Sorreisa
and Bardufoss,
Norway
(Operation ATHLETIC).
November
Deployed at Scapa
Flow.
12th
Carried out attack on German convoy KS357
off Listerfjord
with HM Cruiser KENT,
HM Destroyers MYNGS, VERULAM, ZAMBESI and
ALGONQUIN (RCN) as Force 2.
(Operation COUNTERBLAST).
Bombarded shore battery.
(Note: Post war assessment of losses
included two mercantiles,
CORNOSAILLES and
GRIEF, Minesweepers
M416 and M427.)
December
1st
Escorted
Russian Convoy JW62 with HM Escort
Carriers CAMPANIA,
NAIRANA
HM
Cruiser BELLONA, HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
BULLDOG, CAESAR, CAMBRIAN,
CASSANDRA, CAPRICE, KEPPEL. OBEDIENT,
OFFA, ONSLAUGHT, ORIBI,
ORWELL and WESTCOTT.
(Note: In addition frigates and sloops
from Western Approaches were deployed
for
anti-submarine
defence.)
7th
Detached from JW62 on arrival at Kola
Inlet.
10th
Joined escort for returning Convoy RA62
with same ships.
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp and RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield).
14th
Detached from RA62 for shipping strike
off Norway
with Horne Fleet ships.
(Operation COUNTERBLAST).
Passage to Rosyth
for repair.
1
9 4 5
January
Rejoined Home Fleet on completion of
repair.
11th
Joined Force 1 with HM Cruiser NORFOLK
and Fleet destroyers to cover minelay
off
Utsira
Island
(Operation GRATIS) and shipping strike
off Egersund
(Operation
SPELLBINDER - For details see Naval
Staff History (MINING).
Strikes by HM Cruiser DIDO and aircraft
from HM Escort Carriers TRUMPETER and
PREMIER were
very successful with several ships and
escorts sunk or damaged.
(Note: An attack by U427 was
unsuccessful.)
February
6th
Joined escort for Russian Convoy JW64
with HM Escort Carriers CAMPANIA and
NAIRANA
screened by
frigates and destroyer screen.
(Note: HM Destroyers ONSLAUGHT,
OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SERAPIS,
ZAMBESI, ZEST, ZEALOUS and SIOUX (RCN)
were deployed as Fighting
Destroyer Escort with Sloops and
Frigates from Western Approaches also
providing
additional ant-submarine defence.)
15th
Detached from JW64 on arrival at Kola
Inlet.
(Note: During period at Kola Inlet a
Diving Party detonated charges on the
hulk of
HM Frigate DENBIGH CASTLE which had been beached after being
badly
damaged by
torpedo attack during defence of JW64
See above references.)
17th
Joined escort for returning Convoy RA64.
(Note: HM Sloop LARK and HM Corvette BLUEBELL were lost during defence of
RA64. This convoy encountered very
severe weather conditions.)
See above references.)
27th
Detached and resumed Home Fleet duties
at Scapa
Flow.
March
20th
Joined 'Force 1' with HM Escort Carriers
PREMIER, SEARCHER and QUEEN escorted
by HM
Destroyers ONSLOW, ZEST, SERAPIS, HAIDA
(RCN)
and IROQUOIS (RCN)
for minelay
off Askevold
and shipping strike on shore targets
(Operation CUPOLA).
(See Naval Staff History (MINING) for
details).
22nd
Covered air strikes on shipping off Norway
by HM Escort Carriers NAIRANA,
PUNCHER,
QUEEN and
SEARCHER with HM Cruiser DIDO and
screen of six
Fleet destroyers.
April
Deployed with Home Fleet during
anti-shipping operations off Norway
by aircraft
from escort carriers.
18th
Joined escort for Russian Convoy JU66
with HM Escort Carriers PREMIER. VINDEX,
HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HM Destroyers OFFA, ZEPHYR,
ZEST, ZODIAC, HAIDA (RCN),
HURON (RCN),
IROQUOIS (RCN)
and
Norwegian STORD.
25th
Detached on arrival at Kola Inlet.
29th
Joined escort for return Convoy RA66.
May
4th
Detached from RA66 and took passage to
Rosyth.
June
Deployed with Home Fleet.
Visited Oslo
to take part in Victory Parade.
July
Home Fleet duty with Squadron in
continuation.
to
August.
