1
9 4 2
May
Contractors
trials
June
Commissioned
for service.
12th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On
completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa
Flow
with ships of Home Fleet.
July
Deployed
with 10th Cruiser Squadron for convoy
defence and interception on completion
of work-up.
August
Squadron
duties in continuation based at Scapa Flow.
September
Nominated
for duty as Flagship for Fighting Escort
of Russian Convoy PQ 18 during passage
to Kola Inlet.
(Operation EV)
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations
see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R. Woodman, CONVOY
! by
Paul Kemp and THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS
by
B
Schoefield
8th
Joined convoy with Fighting Destroyer
Escort of 14 Fleet Destroyers and H M
Escort Carrier
AVENGER
screened by HM Escort Destroyers WHEATLAND
and WILTON.
(Note:
Cover
for the passage
of this convoy was provided by HM
Cruisers
NORFOLK,
LONDON
and
SUFFOLK.
11th
Detached with HM Destroyers MARNE,
MARTIN, METEOR and MILNE to refuel at Lowe
Sound,
Spitzbergen and on completion rejoined
PQ18.
14th
Embarked 209 survivors including wounded
men rescued by HM Minesweepers HARRIER
and
SHARPSHOOTER from mercantiles
after their ships had been lost in the air
attacks
since the
convoy left Iceland.
16th
Detached to join escort for returning
Convoy QP14 with HMS AVENGER and ships of
Fighting
Escort.
(Note:
QP14 included ships with survivors from
previous Convoy PQ17 - See above
references).
17th
Joined returning convoy QP14..
20th
Detached from convoy with HM Cruiser
SCYLLA because of increasing threat of
submarine
attack and Flag
transferred to HM Destroyer MILNE.
Took
passage to land survivors at Akureri
,
Iceland
escorted by HM Escort
Destroyers
WHEATLAND, HMS WILTON
and HM Destroyer FURY.
(Note:
HM Destroyer SOMALI was torpedoed Just
before
departure and sank in tow
three days
later).
Given
resounding welcome by ships of Home Fleet
on arrival at Scapa
Flow
October
Resumed
duties in NW Approaches with Squadron.
Visited by Prime
Minister and Stafford
Cripps at Scapa
Flow.
28th
Transferred to 12th Cruiser Squadron
, Mediterranean.
Embarked
Admiral A B Cunningham at Plymouth
for passage to Gibraltar
to take
up appointment
as Naval Commander for planned allied
landings in North Africa.
Took
passage escorted by HM Destroyer
OPPORTUNE.
November
2nd
Joined escort for Convoy KMF1 with HM
Aircraft Carrier ARGUS, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carrier AVENGER and HM
Cruiser SHEFFIELD
for passage to Gibraltar,
(Operation
TORCH).
(See ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and Naval
Staff
History).
6th
HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS joined escort for
KMF1.
8th
Joined Eastern
Task Force at Gibraltar
with HMS
ARGUS.
HMS AVENGER, HM
Monitor ROBERTS
and HM Cruisers
CHARYBDIS and SHEFFIELD.
Deployed
with Eastern Task Force to provided cover
for landings in British Assault
area.
10th
Rescued survivors from
HM Sloop IBIS.
13th
Embarked stores and bullion at Gibraltar
for passage to Algiers.
14th
Arrived at Algiers
15th
Supplemented AA defence at Algiers
and later assisted in tow of
transport which
had grounded
outside port.
December
1st
Joined H M Cruisers AURORA, ARGONAUT,
CHARYBDIS and SIRIUS in Force Q
at Bone
for defence of
coastal military convoys and attacks on
enemy supply convoys.
See
above references.
25th
At Algiers.
28th
Passage to UK
with
escort of Convoy MKS4.
31st
Detached from convoy to search for
German blockade runner located by aircraft
of 10
Squadron RAF off
Finisterre.
1
9 4 3
January
1st
Intercepted and
sank with
torpedoes ss
RHAKOTIS on passage from Japan
to French
port. Rescued
of survivors prevented by
threat of attacks by U-Boats.
Taken in hand for
refit in Tyne
shipyard.
February
Under refit in Tyne
shipyard.
This included modifications
for Arctic service.
15th
Passage to Iceland
with HM
Escort Carrier DASHER.
21st
Reinforced escort for Russian Convoy
JW53 with HM Destroyers ECLIPSE,
IMPULSIVE, FURY,
INTREPID and Polish destroyer ORP ORKAN.
27th
Detached from JW53.
March
1st
Joined escort for returning convoy
RA53 at Kola Inlet.
10th
Detached from RA53
and resumed Squadron duties in Home
Fleet.
Present
at Scapa
Flow
during visit to Home Fleet by HM King
George VI.
Embarked His Majesty
for return to Scrabster
on the mainland.
April
Squadron duties in NW Approaches in
continuation.
Rescued
crews from 3 SWORDFISH aircraft from HM
Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS
which had
crashed during exercise in foggy weather.
May
11th
Escorted rms
QUEEN MARY taking Prime Minister to TRIDENT conference in Quebec.
13th
Relieved by HM Cruiser BERMUDA
31st
Covered HM Cruisers BERMUDA and CUMBERLAND
during operation to relieve
allied
garrison on Spitsbergen
( Operation GEARBOX I).
June
Nominated
for duty in English Channel based at Plymouth
for convoy defence and
support
of operations
against enemy coastal convoys.
14th
Returned to Scapa
Flow
after GEARBOX I and took
passage to Plymouth.
20th
Covered anti-submarine operations by
ships of 2nd Escort Group in Bay of Biscay
with HM
Cruisers CHARYBDIS and ROYALIST.
(Operations
SEASLUG and MUSKETRY - See CONFLICT OVER
THE BAY by
A Franks).
July
During
cover of UK-Freetown convoys and cover for
Interception of enemy coastal
convoys under
attack by Glider Bombs.
Sighted
NARVIK Class German destroyers but abandoned
chase after order from the
Admiralty
because of threat of further Glider Bomb
attacks.
August
Transferred
to Mediterranean
with H M Cruiser CHARYBDIS
to replace H M Cruisers
CLEOPATRA and NEWFOUNDLAND
which had
been damaged.
On arrival, deployed
on convoy defence based at Gibraltar.
Nominated
for support of planned allied landings at
Salerno
(Operation AVALANCHE)
September
Took
passage to Malta
to join Support Carrier
Force (TF88)
(Note:
Other ships in TF88 were:
HM
Cruisers EURYALUS and
CHARYBDIS for
defence of HM Light Fleet
Carrier
UNICORN, HM Escort Carriers
BATTLER, HUNTER,
ATTACKER
STALKER,
HM Escort Destroyers
CLEVELAND,
HAYDON, HOLCOMBE,
ATHERSTONE,
LIDDESDALE, FARNDALE, CALPE and Polish
destroyers ORP
SLAZAK and ORP
KRAKOWIAK.)
Took part in
preparatory exercises with Force V in
TF88.
8th
Sailed from Malta
for Salerno
with ships of Force V
13th
Detached to embark
troops at Tripoli
for
passage to Salerno
as
reinforcements.
14th
Joined HM Cruisers CHARYBDIS and
EURYALUS in Tripoli.
During
return speed had to be reduced due to
machinery vibration caused by the
air
attack by
Glider Bomb in Bay
of Biscay
(See above).
(Note:
During passage with HMS CHARYBDIS through
Straits of Messina -
with the
mythological association of their
birthplace !)
16th
Disembarked
troops.
Joined
HM Cruisers EURYALUS and DELHI
in escort for the damaged
battleship
HMS
WARSPITE to supplement AA
defence during passage under tow to Malta.
(See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Naval
Staff History).
21st
Turbines inspected in Malta
October
Withdrawn
from operational service and took passage
to UK
for repair of turbine beds.
Called at Devonport
prior to being taken in hand at HM
Dockyard
Chatham.
November
Under repair and conversion for
use as Escort Carrier Squadron Flagship.
to
Paid-off.
December
1
9 4 4
January
Repair
and conversion
to
Carried out Post refit trials
March.
April
1st
Re-commissioned for service with 10th
Cruiser Squadron in Home Fleet.
6th
Worked-up for operational service in
NW Approaches based at Scapa Flow.
On completion Joined
10th Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet at Scapa
Flow.
Nominated
for duty as Flagship of Eastern Naval Task
Force during allied landings
in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(Note:
Rear Admiral Sir Philip Vian,
KCB, DSO, RN who had
been in command
of HM Destroyer
COSSACK in 1940 during
the rescue
British seamen held
in the tanker
ALTMARK).
Allocated
target in Bombardment Plan - Ouistreham.
(For
details of naval activities before and
during the Normandy
invasion see
OPERATION
NEPTUNE
by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY June 1944
(HMSO).)
May
Took
part in preparatory exercises with Home
Fleet ships.
Passage to Solent
to join
assembly of invasion fleet.
June
5th
Sailed from Solent
to Beach
Head area.
6th
Bombarded Ouistreham
area and on completion closed SWORD
beachhead and provided
gunfire support prior to touch down.
Controlled
night defence measures against surface
attack from SWORD area.
7th
Deployed in
co-ordinating and night defence control
role off SWORD
Beach.
8th
Escorted Motor Torpedo Boats of 14th
Flotilla for minelay in Bay de la Seine as
part of
Operation MAPLE (Operation KN26).
11th
Repositioned MTB's
scattered by enemy surface
force during minelay off Cap d' Antifer
to allow
another minelaying operation to proceed
(Operation
KN28).
23rd
Detonated mine in six fathoms of water
off beachhead.
Sustained major damage
to starboard keel structure adjacent to
machinery compartments.
Turbine
casings cracked.
Ship
disabled without electric power.
24th
Flag transferred to HM Landing Ship (HQ)
HILARY.
25th
Control of night defences transferred to
HM Frigate RETALICK.
Took passage to Spithead
under tow.
July
Passage
to Chatham under tow.
On
survey damage found to be uneconomic for
total repair and given no priority.
Completion of
conversion for use as Escort Carrier
Flagship
in British Pacific Fleet
not
then
implemented.
August
Paid
off into Dockyard Control at Chatham
September
Non operational.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Remained
at Chatham under Dockyard Control.
to
August