1 9 3 8
July Contractors
Trials
August Commissioned
for trials.
4th Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On
completion of trials took passage took passage to
Portsmouth
September Commissioned
for service in 4th Cruise Squadron on East Indies Station
Worked-up
for service in Home waters
October Passage
to join Squadron.
November Deployed
with Squadron in Indian Ocean and took part in exercises and visits Programme.
to December
1 9 3 9
January Squadron
deployment with 4th on East Indies Station in continuation
to August
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search
September Took
up War Station and deployed in
Indian Ocean for interception of blockade
runners and
commerce
raiders.
Carried
out Patrol and Trade Protection duty in
Indian Ocean between
Colombo,
Bombay and
Aden.
October Nominated
for return to Home waters for service in 18th Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet.
14th Took passage to
UK via
Mediterranean.
November
25th Arrived at
Portsmouth.
Taken
in hand for repair.
December
21st On completion of repair work carried
out sea trials.
Took
passage to Scapa Flow
24th Joined 18th Cruiser Squadron.
1 9 4 0
January Deployed
for interception of mercantiles to enforce Blockade and commerce raiders on
passage
to
Atlantic in NW Approaches and
North Sea for attacks on shipping.
February Deployed
on Northern Patrol.
21st During search for blockade runners in
Atlantic intercepted GERMAN freighter WAHEHE with
HM
Destroyer KIMBERLEY (Operation WR).
Enemy
ship boarded and taken as Prize
(For
details of this type of operation see ARMED MERCHANT CRUISERS by K. Poolman)
March Deployment
n North
Atlantic and
North Sea for trade defence and interception in continuation
(Note:
Flagship of Squadron.)
April Deployed
as escort for Convoy ON25 on passage to
Norway
8th Detached from escort of Convoy ON25 to
Norway after German troops landed in
Norway.
Joined
Home Fleet ships on passage to cover landings of allied troops in
Norway with HM
Cruiser
SOUTHAMPTON, HM Destroyers JANUS, JAVELIN, GRENADE and ECLIPSE.
9th Under air attack on Home Fleet in
North Sea.
(Note:
This the first encounter by the Home Fleet at sea by enemy aircraft and
revealed many
inadequacies.
HM Destroyer GURKHA (i) was lost. For details see Naval Staff History
(HMSO
2001)
Detached
with HM Cruisers GLASGOW,
SHEFFIELD and SOUTHAMPTON screened by
seven
destroyers for an attack German warships reported at
Bergen.
Recalled
on passage to rejoin Fleet.
Carried
out search for German transports in Inner Leads without success and returned to
Scapa
Flow
to refuel and re-ammunition.
12th Escorted military convoy NP1 taking
troops for landings at Narvik with HM Cruisers
BIRMINGHAM and
CAIRO screened by destroyers
(Operation RUPERT/R4).
14th Escorted troopships EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA
and CHOBRY on passage to Namsos with
HMS
BIRMINGHAM and HMS CAIRO screened by HM Destroyers VANOC, WHIRLWIND
and
HIGHLANDER.
Destination
changed to Lillesjona because of air threat and poor harbour facilities at
Namsos
(Operation
MAURICE).
(Note:
See above reference.)
15th Troops disembarked into destroyers for
larding ashore.
19th Return passage too Rosyth.
21st Embarked troops of 15 Infantry Brigade
at Rosyth.
22nd Took passage to
Andalsnes,
Norway with HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM and
YORK escorted
by
HM Destroyers ACHERON, ARROW and
GRIFFIN.
25th Landed troops at Andalsnes to reinforce
SICKLE FORCE.
26th Deployed for patrol to cover destroyer
operation off Trondheim.
28th Passage to
Scapa Flow to replenish prior to further
support duties off
Norway.
May
1st Assisted in Andalsnes evacuation with
HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM and
CALCUTTA.
(Note:
Troops ferried from shore by HM Destroyers DIANA, DELIGHT, INGLEFIELD,
SOMALI
and MASHONA.
10th Diverted during passage to
Scapa Flow with HM Cruiser
SHEFFIELD to provide cover for
tow
of HM Destroyer KELLY to Tyne estuary after being disabled in an engagement with E
Boats
in North
Sea.
26th Transferred to Nore Command at Hunter
with HMS SHEFFIELD and HMS BIRMINGHAM
for
support of evacuation operations and anti-invasion operations.
(Note:
Details of the disastrous
Norwegian sea operations are available in above reference.
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C. Barnett, NARVIK by D. MacIntyre
and
THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by Jack Adams).
June Redeployed
at Rosyth for anti-invasion duty.
July Under
refit at Portsmouth Dockyard
August On
completion based at Rosyth in continuation.
31st Transferred to
Humber for anti-invasion duties with
18th Cruiser Squadron.
September Deployed
for anti-invasion patrol duty and convoy escort in
North Sea.
October
4th Returned to
Scapa Flow with ships of 18th Cruiser
Squadron.
9th Bombarded Cherbourg with HM Battleship
REVENGE and destroyers of 5th Destroyer Flotilla.
November Nominated
for service in Mediterranean to reinforce the Fleet at
Alexandria after
Italy entered
war
15th Took passage to join Mediterranean Fleet
and carried troops to
Malta.
HM
Destroyers JAGUAR and KELVIN provided escort for passage to
Gibraltar
23rd Escorted Malta convoy of three merchant
ships to Gibraltar with HMS SOUTHAMPTON
as
Force F (Operation COLLAR).
25th Met HMS RENOWN, HMS ARK ROYAL, HMS
SHEFFIELD and destroyers of Force H
off
Gibraltar to cover passage to
Malta and for the return of HMS
RAMILLIES and HM
Cruiser
BERWICK from Alexandria to
Gibraltar.
27th Took part in engagement at long range
with two Italian battleships and six cruisers with escorts,
which
all withdrew (Battle of Spartivento).
(Note:
Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville's decision not to pursue the enemy ships but
to
safeguard
the convoy was the subject of a Board of Enquiry which found in his favour.
For
details see Naval Staff History HMSO – 2002).
28th Disembarked troops in
Malta and went to
Alexandria with Mediterranean Fleet.
December
2nd Passage to
Gibraltar
8th Passage from
Gibraltar escorted by HM Destroyers
KASHMIR, KELVIN, JERSEY and
JUPITER.
11th Arrived at
Plymouth and took passage to
Scapa Flow.
13th Rejoined Horns Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
1 9 4 1
January Refit
in Tyne shipyard.
to (Note:
Air warning radar Type 279 fitted.
March For
details of the development and use of radar in RN see RADAR AT
SEA by
D
Howse.)
April
18th On completion of Post Refit trials took
passage to rejoin Home Fleet.
May Deployed
on Northern Patrol with HM Cruisers
BIRMINGHAM and ARETHUSA.
6th Covered ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron during minelay in Northern Barrage.
(Operation
SN9A).
7th During Northern Patrol duty diverted
to intercept German weather ship MUNCHEN with
HM
Cruisers EDINBURGH and
BIRMINGHAM screened by four Fleet
destroyers.
German
ship scuttled but ENIGMA machine thrown overboard by German captain.
ENIGMA
Rotor elements and associated documentation were recovered by a party from
HMS
SOMALI before ship sank and taken to
UK by HMS NESTOR.
(Note:
This operations was specifically intended to recover an ENIGMA machine
For
details see BRITISH INTELLIGENCE IN WW2 (Ed. Hinsley) and
BREAKING
THE ENIGMA by D Kahn)
22nd Established patrol line between
Iceland and Faeroes with HM Cruisers
ARETHUSA and
BIRMINGHAM to intercept any break-out of
German battleship
BISMARCK.
24th
Patrolled
NE of
Iceland after loss of HMS HOOD in case
BISMARCK should try to
go
back to
Germany via
Denmark Strait.
June
3rd Returned to
Scapa Flow and resumed Northern Patrol.
July
2nd Detached during patrol to reinforce
escort for
Malta relief convoy.
11th Passage to
Gibraltar with HM Battleship NELSON, HM
Cruisers EDINBURG and
ARETHUSA,
screened by Home Fleet destroyers.
21st Joined Force X with HM Cruisers
EDINBURGH, ARETHUSA and MANXMAN for
escort
of convoy to
Malta covered by HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Battleship
NELSON,
HM Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL and HM Cruiser HERMIONE with destroyer
screen
from Force H. (Operation SUBSTANCE).
(Note:
This also covered of supply ship HMS BRECONSHIRE
See
Naval Staff History, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, THE
BATTLE
FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre and
MALTA CONVOYS by
R
Woodman.)
23rd Under sustained air attacks and hit on
starboard side aft in boiler room by torpedo.
Extent
of damage necessitated return on one shaft to
Gibraltar with escort by HM Destroyers
AVON VALE, VIDETTE, VIMY and WISHART
26th Under temporary repair at
Gibraltar by HM Dockyard
August Permanent
repair arranged in
USA.
September
17th Sailed to
USA from
Gibraltar with HM Destroyer FIREDRAKE
Escorted
by HM Destroyer HEYTHROP from
Gibraltar to 25 degrees west.
23rd Commenced refit in Philadelphia Navy
Yard. Under refit
October Under
refit and repair
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Under
refit
to (Note:
Some work was carried out to prepare for installation of RN equipment such as
radar
February Carried
out harbour trials
March
3rd On completion of Post Refit sea trials
took passage to Bermuda.
Carried
out further trials and Shakedown
Took
passage to Portsmouth
April At
Portsmouth to completed refit work and special modifications not
possible in US
shipyard.
(Note:
Installation of Fire control Radars Types 284 and Type 285 for main and
secondary
armament
and of new RN design 10cm Type 273 surface warning radar.)
May
2nd Rejoined Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow for Northern Patrol and convoy
defence.
June
1st Detached to cover minelay by ships of
1st Minelaying Squadron in Northern Barrage
(Operation
SN72).
On
completion resumed Northern Patrol duties.
25th Detached with HM Destroyer ECLIPSE to
take supplies and personnel to relieve garrison
at
Spitzbergen (Operation GEARBOX).
July
3rd Passage to join HM Battleship HMS DUKE
OF
YORK and
US battleship USS
WASHINGTON,
HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS, HM Cruisers
CUMBERLAND
and
NIGERIA for provision of Distant Cover
for Russian Convoy PQ17.
(For
details of all Russian convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
CONVOY
! by P Kemp, ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman and THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS
by B Schoefield.).
(Note:
The disastrous dispersal of this convoy is well documented in the above
references.)
4th After dispersal of PQ17 returned to
Scapa Flow with Home Fleet ships.
August Nominated
for support of passage to
Malta of relief convoy.
3rd Detached with HM Cruisers
NIGERIA and
KENYA to escort of
Malta supply convoy with
other Home Fleet ships including
HM Ships NELSON, RODNEY, VICTORIOUS and
FURIOUS
screened by Fleet destroyers.
10th Joined Force X with HM Ships
NIGERIA,
KENYA and
CAIRO screened by Home Fleet
destroyers
for escort of convoy to
Grand
Harbour
. Transit
was subjected to air and submarine attacks (Operation PEDESTAL).
(For
details see BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D. Macintyre, PEDESTAL
by
P. Smith,
MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman. and Naval
Staff History.)
12th During series of E-Boat attacks near
Pantellaria hit by two torpedoes fired by Italian
Torpedo
Boats MAS16 and MAS22
. These
struck amidships on starboard side with major flooding in machinery
compartments
Only
the port outer shaft could be used and ship was completely disabled with a 12
degree
list.
13th Hope of Damage Control work to
sufficiently control flooding and enable ship to return
to
Gibraltar abandoned and scuttling charges
placed.
312
of ship's company rescued by H M Destroyers PATHFINDER and ESKIMO).
Explosive
charges proved ineffective and as the ship remained afloat its hulk was sunk by
torpedo
fired from HMS PATHFINDER.
Some
of the other survivors crew managed to get ashore in
Tunisia and were interned by
the
Vichy French authorities in conditions which can only described as horrendous
and
without
compassion. They were held in appalling circumstances until allied force
occupied
Tunisia after landings in
North Africa (Operation TORCH). (Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)