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1 9 3 9
September
3rd Detached from 2nd Cruiser Squadron Home Fleet with HM
Cruiser GLASGOW and
deployed as
Humber Force for patrol off Norway in search for German blockade
runners.
4th One of the attendant destroyers HMS JERSEY intercepted the
German freighter
22nd Planned offensive sweep in Skagerrak by 2nd Cruiser Squadron cancelled during
passage.
25th Escorted damaged submarine HMS SPEARFISH from Horns Reef to
Rosyth with the
HM Cruisers
SHEFFIELD, GLASGOW and AURORA screened by 6 Fleet destroyers.
RAF air cover
was also provided.
26th Under air attack for first time.
October
8th Deployed with HM Battlecruisers HOOD and REPULSE, HM
Cruisers AURORA,
GLASGOW and SHEFFIELD screened by four Fleet destroyers in
search for German
battleship
GNEISENAU, cruiser KOLN and destroyer escort reported in North Sea, south
of Norway
16th Damaged during air raid on warships in Forth Estuary.
One bomb
penetrated three decks.
Deployed on
patrol SE of Norway.
November
10th Joined Striking Force with HM Cruisers BELFAST, GLASGOW and AURORA for
North Sea patrol.
21st During departure from Rosyth with HMS BELFAST had to return
to return to harbour
when HMS BELFAST
detonated a magnetic mine.
23rd Carried out search between Iceland and Faeroes with HM Cruisers EDINBURGH
and
AURORA for SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU after the
sinking of HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser
RAWALPINDI.
December
24th Under repair in Tyne
shipyard until 23rd January 1940.
Radar Type 279
fitted for air warning.
1 9 4 0
January
23rd Rejoined Home Fleet on completion.
February Deployed with ships of 10tn
Cruiser Squadron on convoy defence in North Sea.
to and patrol duty in
NW Approaches to intercept commerce raiders.
March
April
7th Deployed to cover convoy ON25 to Norway with HMS MANCHESTER and the
destroyers
ECLIPSE, GRENADE, JANUS and JAVELIN.
Joined HM
Auxiliary Minelayer TEVIOT BANK, HM Destroyers ILEX, INGLEFIELD,
ISIS and IMOGEN
which had been on passage to lay minefield of Bud and later ordered
to join Home
Fleet when Operation R4 was cancelled Transferred to Home Fleet.
9th Joined Home Fleet ships.
Detached with HM
Cruisers MANCHESTER, GLASGOW and SHEFFIELD with screen
of seven
destroyers to attack shipping at Bergen.
Operation
cancelled by Admiralty during passage and returned to rejoin Home Fleet units.
Under air
attacks and sustained slight damage.
Returned to Scapa Flow to refuel.
12th Embarked half a battalion of Scots Guards with General
Mackesy, the Military
Commander for
operations in Norway and sailed from Scapa Flow.
Orders for
destination changed to Vestfjord not received until after landings
had been made at
Salangen. Attacked by U38 during patrol off Narvik but this
failed due to
torpedo defect. On arrival at Harstad Military decided to land
troops at
Sjovegan 35 miles NE of Narvik.
HM Destroyers
ELECTRA and ESCAPADE provided screen during passage
14th Arrived at Vaagsfjord and disembarked General Mackesey.
Landed troops at
Sag Fjord.
15th Deployed with Narvik Force to support shore military
operations and for defence against
air attacks on
ships.
(For details see
THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by Jack Adams).
19th Returned to Scapa
Flow.
(For details of
the policy changes and setbacks during the disastrous allied
operations in Norway see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.
Barnett,
by Donald
MacIntyre, CARRIER GLORIOUS by J Winton, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by
Jack Adams and the Naval Staff History.
29th Detached from Narvik Force to assist in evacuation of allied
troops from Andalsnes
and Molde.
30th Deployed at Andalsnes to support evacuation of allied troops
with HM Destroyers
SOMALI, MASHONA,
SIKH, WALKER and WESTCOTT.
May
1st Provided AA defence during evacuation from Andalsnes and
Molde. Part of the
Naval Base Party
and 300 troops were embarked from HM Destroyers SIKH and
and WANDERER
which had picked them up at Alfarnes six miles to the north of
Andalsnes.
2nd Returned to Scapa
Flow.
25th Under sustained air attacks lasting two days off Harstad
27th Provided naval gunfire support for assault by Polish troops
on the Arkanes
Peninsula as
part of allied military operation to capture Narvik.
28th Under air attack.
29th Damaged in air attacks and repair carried out by ships staff.
June
7th Flagship of Flag Officer, Narvik (Admiral of the Fleet The
Earl of Cork and
Orrery) during
evacuation from Narvik. Embarked General Auchinleck and the
French General
Bathouart and joined escort for troop convoy (Group II).
(Note: Ships
taking party in evacuation included HM Destroyers HAVELOCK, FAME,
FIREDRAKE,
BEAGLE and DELIGHT.
9th Reported sighting of wreckage during return passage with
Group II convoy.
(Note: This was
later identified as being from HM Aircraft Carrier GLORIOUS which
had been sunk by
German SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU on 8th.)
10th Detached from convoy and returned to Scapa Flow with HMS COVENTRY.
July
6th Escorted the damaged submarine HMS SHARK with HMS COVENTRY
and under air
attack during
passage.
16th Deployed with HM Cruisers GLASGOW, SHROPSHIRE and SUFFOLK to intercept
German warships
reported in North
Sea. After HMS
GLASGOW collided with HM
Destroyer IMOGEN
in fog, returned to Scapa
Flow with these
ships.
31st Transferred with HM Cruisers BIRMINGHAM and MANCHESTER to Thames Estuary
for
anti-invasion patrols.
September Deployed for anti-invasion patrol
duties in North
Sea.
to August
October Nominated for service in Mediterranean and to escort ships during passage to Malta
(Operation
COLLAR)
16th Returned to Scapa
Flow.
November
15th Deployed with HM Cruiser MANCHESTER as escort for ss NEW ZEALAND STAR
during Atlantic
passage from Scapa
Flow.
Joined by ss FRANCONIA, ss CLAN FORBES and ss CLAN FRASER.
HMS MANCHESTER
detached with ss FRANCONIA and took passage to Gibraltar.
Remained with
the remaining mercantiles.
(Note: HM
Destroyers JAGUAR and KELVIN were also deployed.)
21st Detached when HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD joined as escort for mercantiles during
passage
into Mediterranean.
Took passage to Gibraltar.
(Note: One
source records that troops were embarked)
24th Embarked RAF personnel for passage to Malta.
25th Joined Force F with HMS MANCHESTER, HM Destroyer HOTSPUR, HM
Corvettes
PEONY, GLOXINIA,
SALVIA and HYACINTH for passage to eastern Mediterranean
to reinforce
Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria.
Rejoined ss NEW ZEALAND STAR, ss CLAN FRASER and ss CLAN FORBES as
screened by HM
Destroyers DUNCAN and VIDETTE. Cover was provided by HM
Battlecruiser
RENOWN, HM Aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL, HM Cruisers SHEFFIELD
and DESPATCH
screened by eight destroyers of Force H.
Rejoined ss NEW ZEALAND STAR, ss CLAN FRASER and
ss CLAN FORBES as
(Operation
COLLAR which included the passage of three mercantiles).
27th Joined by Force D comprising HM Battleship RAMILLIES, HM
Cruisers BERWICK,
COVENTRY and NEWCASTLE, HM Destroyers DEFENDER, DIAMOND,
GALLANT
GREYHOUND and
HEREWARD.
Mercantiles
detached with escort before taking part in brief but long range engagement
with Italian
warships including three battleships and several heavy cruisers screened by
destroyers
Following air
attacks from HM Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL and an exchange of fire
the enemy ships
broke of the action.
(Battle of Cape Spartivento – see Naval Staff History (HMSO, 2002),
THE BATTLE FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN by D. MacIntyre and ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY by
Corelli Barnett).
(Note: Admiral
Somerville’s decision to discontinue pursuit was the subject of an
Admiralty Board
of enquiry supported this as it was clear his orders to
ensure safe
arrival of this convoy were correct.)
Rejoined
mercantiles and made passage through Sicilian Narrows with Mediterranean
Fleet units.
(Battle of Cape Spartivento).
28th Landed personnel in Malta. and completion joined escort for Convoy
ME4 during passage
to Alexandria.
(Note: ss NEW ZEALAND STAR joined the three empty mercantiles in
ME4).
30th Arrived at Alexandria and joined 7th Cruiser Squadron.
December Nominated for detached service on
East Indies Station for convoy defence.
2nd Sailed from Alexandria and took passage to Durban.
3rd Passage in Red
Sea.
10th Passage in Indian
Ocean
Diverted during
passage to provide support to military operations in Italian Somaliland.
Bombarded shipping
at Kismayu and on completion took passage to Durban.
16th Joined HM Cruisers DEVONSHIRE
and SHROPSHIRE at Durban for Ocean
Escort of WS4B
during passage to Suez.
28th Detached from WS4B on arrival at Suez.
(Note: HMS
DEVONSHIRE detached on 18th and HMS SHROPSHIRE on
26th HM Cruiser CARLISLE, HM Destroyers KANDAHAR and
KIMBERLEY joined WS4B to supplement escort in Red Sea.)
1 9 4 1
January Nominated
for escort and cover of Malta convoys (Operation MC4)
5th Sailed for Suda Bay, Crete with HM Cruiser GLOUCESTER, HM Destroyer ILEX and
JANUS as Force
B.
6th Embarked troops at Suda Bay for passage to Malta.
Escorted convoy
for part of passage to Piraeus
7th Detached from convoy to proceed to Malta.
8th Landed troops.
9th Joined HM Cruiser BONAVENTURE, HM Destroyers HASTY, HASTY,
HEREWARD
and HERO with
Force D ships. This cruiser and 4 destroyers were on passage in the
Sicilian Narrows
to reinforce the Fleet in the eastern Mediterranean.
(Note: Part of a
joint operation (EXCESS) with Force H at Gibraltar also
covering convoys
taking urgent supplies to Malta and Greece.
See ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, Naval Staff History and the above
reference.)
10th Part of escort for damaged destroyer HMS GALLANT which had
been mined during
passage of
EXCESS Convoy and was under tow by HM Destroyer MOHAWK.
(Note: HMS
GLOUCESTER, HMS BONAVENTURE and HM Destroyers GRIFFIN and
DIAMOND were
also in this operation)
11th Rejoined Fleet after HMS GALLANT reached Malta.
Joined escort for
EXCESS convoy to Alexandria with HMS GLOUCESTER and HM
Destroyers ILEX
and JAGUAR. Under attack by dive bombers SE of Malta and hit by
two delayed
action bombs which caused very extensive damage. In the face of
continual air
attacks repair work was impossible and the ship was abandoned
after the
survivors had been rescued by the destroyer HMS DIAMOND.
Sunk by
torpedoes from HM Cruisers GLOUCESTER and ORION.
(Casualty
List -
note on
casualties)
(For details see
BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN and the Naval Staff History).
