1 9 4 0
April
10th During air raid,
sustained damage to turbine mountings due to near
miss.
May
22nd Further damage by splinters whilst
docking resulted in flooding of compartments.
Completion
delayed by requirement for repair.
June Commenced
Contractors trials on completion of repair
July Contractors trials in continuation.
24th Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned
for service
26th Joined Home Fleet at
Scapa Flow for work-up
August Work-up at Scapa Flow with ships of
15th Cruiser Squadron.
September Deployed
with Home Fleet on convoy defence and patrol in
North Sea and NW Approaches
October Intercepted
German trawler taking meteorological party to
Greenland.
16th Escorted HM Battleship KING GEORGE V from
Tyne estuary to Rosyth with HM
Cruiser
BONAVENTURE and Home Fleet destroyers including HMS ASHANTI and HMS
FAME.
(Note:
During a series of high speed operations off the mouth of the River Tyne these
two
destroyers collided and both sustained major damage. Some
sources suggest that these
manoeuvres were intended to detonate any German magnetic
mines which may have
been laid in the area.)
November Detached
for patrol in Bay of Biscay with HM Battlecruisers HOOD, RENOWN and
REPULSE, HM Cruiser DIDO and HM Cruiser PHOEBE after German
battleship SCHEER
had attacked an Atlantic convoy and sunk HM Armed Merchant
Cruiser JERVIS BAY.
(Note:
One source reports that the German Meteorological trawler was captured and
its crew taken prisoner during this period).
Sustained slight structural weather damage.
December Redeployed
at Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet for convoy defence and interception
Nominated for Ocean Escort of military convoy during passage in NW
Approaches.
19th Joined Convoy WS5A on departure from
Clyde as Ocean Escort with HM Cruiser
BONAVENTURE
24th Relieved by HM Cruisers BERWICK and
DUNEDIN and detached from WS5A
(Note:
One source records ship detached after the attack on convoy by German cruiser
HIPPER when convoy dispersed on 25th. This is to be
confirmed.
See
HMS SHEFFIELD by R. Barrett).
1 9 4 1
January Nominated
for duty as Ocean Escort for military convoy WS5B during Atlantic passage
8th Deployed in Moelfre
Bay with
Bristol and Liverpool Sections to
provide AA protection
with HM Australian Cruiser AUSTRALIA until arrival of
Glasgow Section of WS5B
12th Escorted military convoy WS5B with HM
Battleship RAMILLIES, HM Cruisers
AUSTRALIA
(RAN), PHOEBE and EMERALD for initial stage of passage in western
approaches.
(Note:
Anti-submarine protection was provided by HM Destroyers HARVESTER,
HIGHLANDER,
BEAGLE, FEARLESS, JACKAL,
LEAMINGTON, LINCOLN,
VANSITTART, WATCHMAN, WITHERINGTON and FS LEOPARD.
15th Detached from WS5B and returned to
Scapa Flow with HMS PHOEBE.
23rd Deployed with HM Cruiser AURORA to
provide cover for passage of British merchant ships
escaping from
Sweden (Operation RUBBLE).
24th Carried out unsuccessful search for
three RUBBLE ships with HM Cruisers EDINBURGH
and
BIRMINGHAM screened by 3 destroyers.
25th Arrived at Rosyth with all 5 ships and
sailed for Northern Patrol.
28th Sighted German battleships GNEISENAU and
SCHARNHORST south of
Iceland but lost
contact in bad weather.
February Under repair to weather damage at Tyne shipyard.
to
March
April Nominated
for transfer with Squadron to reinforce Mediterranean Fleet at
Alexandria and to
join escort for military convoy from
Clyde during passage to
Gibraltar (Operation TIGER)
26th Joined Convoy WS8A as Ocean Escort with
HM Battlecruiser REPULSE
(Note:
WS8B comprised 14 mercantiles, five of which were
destined for
Malta with military
supplied for eighth Army (Operation TIGER)
Remaining
mercantiles were taking troops to
Suez via
Cape of Good Hope.
Anti-submarine
escort included HM Destroyers HARVESTER,
HAVELOCK,
and HESPERUS which were also to join Force H)
May
2nd Detached from WS8A with TIGER mercantiles and the three Fleet destroyers to take passage
to Gibraltar.
6th Joined Force F with HM
Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, HM Cruiser
FIJI and HM
Cruiser
GLOUCESTER screened by eight Fleet destroyers for escort of
convoy taking
tanks to
Alexandria for
Middle East army and stores to Piraeus
(Note:
Covered was provided by HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM
Aircraft Carrier
ARK
ROYAL and HM Cruiser
SHEFFIELD.
TIGER
convoy operation included transfer of re-inforcement
warships and some of
escort had been detached from
Alexandria to support passage.
(For
details of Mediterranean operations see THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre,
MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman,
and Naval Staff History (HMSO- 2002).
9th Joined HMS ORION, HMS
AJAX, HMS PERTH (RAN), HMS DIDO and HMS PHOEBE
on arrival of TIGER Convoy in
Malta.
10th Air attacks repelled by aircraft from HM
Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE and ships AA
defences.
14th Joined Force D with HMAS
PERTH and HMS PHOEBE screened by H M Destroyers
HASTY and GREYHOUND to cover convoys taking reinforcements to Crete.
18th Returned to
Alexandria.
20th Deployed with HMAS PERTH and 4
destroyers (Force B) off
Crete for interception
of invasion craft.
21st Italian E-Boat attacks failed. Joined
by HM Cruisers
CALCUTTA, CARLISLE , HM
HM
Destroyers KANDAHAR,
KINGSTON and NUBIAN to continue
interception
north of
Crete. Under air attacks and received some splinter damage and
flooding forward.
22nd In action against enemy convoy south of Milos sinking two ships.
Under
heavy air attacks and retired to west because of proximity of enemy airfields.
Further
air attacks during which 181 bombs were aimed at ship sustained serious damage,
(Note
Two turrets were disabled and out of action, speed reduced to 16 knots with
further flooding.).
See
Battle Summary No 4 in Naval Staff Histories for details.)
25th Under repair at Alexandria.
June On
completion deployed in support of military operations in
Syria (Operation EXPORTER)
16th Deployed with HM Destroyers KINGSTON and
NIZAM to relieve HM Cruiser PHOEBE,
HM destroyers
GRIFFIN and DEFENDER. for
support duties.
22nd Carried out offensive sweep north of Beirut.
Engaged
Vichy destroyers GUEPARD and VALMY during search inshore with
HM Cruiser
LEANDER.
Withdrew after coming under fire from shore batteries.
July
2nd Bombarded Vichy
positions at Abey and Damour
with
PERTH and 4
destroyers.
Came under attack by RAF aircraft on return passage.
4th Bombarded shore positions and carried
out patrol to intercept
Vichy ships.
14th On release FROM EXPORTER returned to
Alexandria.
August Deployed
in defence of convoys taking supplied to Tobruk (Operation TREACLE)
27th With HM Cruiser GALATEA, Stood by HM
Cruiser PHOEBE after damage in air attacks
September
25th Carried out diversionary sweep with HM
Battleships QUEEN ELIZABETH, BARHAM
and VALIANT. Mediterranean Fleet cruisers and destroyer
screen during passage of relief
convoy from
Gibraltar to
Malta
(Operation HALBERD/MD6 – See MALTA CONVOYS by R
Woodman.).
27th Returned to
Alexandria with ships of
Mediterranean Fleet.
October. Eastern Mediterranean Squadron duties in continuation.
November Nominated
for support of military operations in
Western
Desert.
19th Bombarded Halfaya
with HM Cruisers EURYALUS in support of Eighth Army
(Operation
CRUSADER – See Naval Staff History).
27th Deployed with HM Cruiser EURYALUS. HM
Destroyers GRIFFIN and HOTSPUR as
Force
C to carry out offensive sweep along coast of Cyrenaica.
Under
air attacks without damage,
28th Returned to
Alexandria.
December Deployed
in support of military operations and carried out patrols to intercept enemy
supply ships on passage to Derna.
8th Covered shipping attacks by destroyers
of 14th Flotilla with HMS EURYALUS, HMS
GALATEA and HM Destroyers GRIFFIN and HOTSPUR.
10th Carried out daylight bombardment of Derna with HM Destroyers GRIFFIN and
HOTSPUR.
13th Deployed with HMS AJAX, HMS NEPTUNE, HMS
GALATEA and HMS EURYALUS
screened by nine destroyers as Force B to
intercept enemy convoys to
Benghazi covered
by ships of Mediterranean Fleet.
Deployed
with HMS GALATEA and HMS EURYALUS to intercept convoys from
Taranto. HM Minelaying Cruiser ABDIEL
provided radio transmissions simulating
movements by battleships of Mediterranean Fleet. Enemy
convoys were recalled and
operation was abandoned
. (Note:
In addition to collision damage some enemy ships were sunk in attacks by
submarines. Italian battleship VITTORIO
VENETO, one of the Italian convoy
escorts was torpedoed and seriously damaged by HM Submarine
URGE.
(For
details of this operation and others in eastern Mediterranean see ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and Naval Staff History.
15th Joined HM Cruisers
CARLISLE and EURYALUS with HM Destroyers
DECOY, HASTY,
HAVOCK, JERVIS, KIMBERLEY, KIPLING and
NIZAM to form Force C.
Escorted HM Supply Ship BRECONSHIRE to Malta with oil
supplies.
17th Force C combined with Force K ships, HM
Cruisers AURORA AND PENELOPE,
screened by HM Destroyers LANCE, LIVELY, LEGION, MAORI,
SIKH, ZULU and
Dutch ISAAC SWEERS from Malta.
Took
part in brief action against Italian group consisting of DUILO, ATTENDOLO,
D'AOSTA,
MONTECUCCOLI and destroyer screen which withdrew when threat of attack
by destroyers equipped with radar through smoke screen was
considered likely.
(1st
Battle of Sirte - For details see Naval Staff History
and BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN BY D. MacIntyre).
HMS
BRECONSHIRE arrived safely in
Malta escorted by ships of Force K.
19th Returned to
Alexandria after
unsuccessful search for Italian convoy M42.
(Note:
Italian submersibles entered
Alexandria harbour to carry out attacks on
HMS
QUEEN
ELIZABETH, HMS VALIANT and tanker
SAVONA when defensive
boom at
Alexandria was raised for returning Force
C ships See references).
1 9 4 2
January
3rd Escorted HMS GLENGYLE to
Malta and HMS BRECONSHIRE for return
passage with
HMS
DIDO and HMS EURYALUS screened by HM Destroyers FOXHOUND, GURKHA,
KINGSTON, SIKH and
KIPLING as Force B (Operation MF2).
9th Returned to Alexandria with Force
B escorting HMS BRECONSHIRE.
16th Deployed with HM Cruisers DIDO and
EURYALUS, screened by HM Destroyers
HAVOCK,
HOTSPUR, FOXHOUND, KELVIN and KIPLING as Force B to cover
passage of Convoys to
Malta (MW8A and MH8B - Operation
MF3).
18th Convoys MH8A and MW8B combined.
19th Near missed during air attacks.
20th Returned to
Alexandria with Force B
ships.
February
12th Deployed with HM Cruisers DIDO and
EURYALUS screened by H M Destroyers
HAVOCK,
ARROW, GRIFFIN, HASTY, JAGUAR, JERVIS, KELVIN and KIPLING
as Force B.
13th Covered passage of Convoys MM9A and MM9B
to Malta and ME10 from
Malta.
(Operation
MF5).
Close
escort was provided by IMS CARLISLE, HM Destroyers LANCE, AVONVALE,
ERIDGE
and HEYTHROP (MW9A) and HM Destroyers BEAUFORT, DULVERTON,
HURWORTH and SOUTHWOLD (MWB).
Two
ships were lost and one diverted to Tobruk because of damage in heavy and
sustained
air attacks (See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and above
references).
14th Returned to
Alexandria as escort for
Convoy ME10 with Force B ships.
March
10th Deployed with HMS DIDO and HMS EURYALUS
as Force B to intercept an enemy
supply convoy off
Tripoli without success.
Searched
later for damaged Italian cruiser but no contact made.
See
above references.
11th During return to
Alexandria torpedoed on starboard side
amidships by U565 off Sollum
Ship
capsized and sank in 35 minutes.
582
of ships company survived with 86 lost.
Flag
of 15th Cruiser Squadron was transferred to HMS DIDO.
Casualty
List was published on
4th May 1942.
(Casualty List
-
note on
casualties)