1 9 4 1
August Contractors
trials.
25th Build completion date and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Commissioned
for service.
(Note: Radar
Type 285 was fitted during build to provide fire control for forward main
armament and an
RAF Air Surface detection equipment modified for shipboard
use was also
installed. This equipment was not very suitable for RN use,
For details of the development and use of radar for RN use see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse.)
September On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with ships of
Home
Fleet.
Joined
1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh (Port ZA).
23rd Carried out first operational minelay
(Operation SN23C in Butt of Lewis part of Northern
Barrage).
October Deployment
at Kyle of Lochalsh in continuation.
31st Deployed with Auxiliary Minelayers HMS
MENESTHEUS and HMS PORT QUEBEC to
carry out minelay in
Northern Barrage (Operation SN83A)
(Note:
Escorted by HM Destroyers BRIGHTON, OFFA, ORIBI and ONSLOW with cover
by
HM Cruiser SHEFFIELD).
November Deployment with 1st Minelaying
Squadron on continuation.
Planned
Northern Barrage minelaying operation (SN7O cancelled.
Transferred
with HMS MANXMAN to Hone Fleet for minelay off Norway.
(Note:
This operation was later cancelled.)
December Detached
for deployment in English Channel for series of minelaying Operations.
(Operation
HJ Series).
15th Embarked mines for minelay
Passage
to Bay
of Biscay for operational lays:
16th Laid Field HJ1.
20th Laid Field HJ2.
Came
under air attack during transit.
23rd Laid Field HJ3 with HM Minelaying
Cruiser MANXMAN.
1 9 4 2
January
6th Took passage to Gibraltar, Freetown and Takoradi with stores and
personnel.
February
1st Returned to Plymouth on completion of service.
2nd Resumption of minelaying operation
delayed by boiler repair work.
3rd Deployed at Dover for minelaying operations.
4th Carried out minelay across Channel
route likely to be used in event of breakout by German
battleships
GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST (Operation NS Series).
Laid
Field NS(A) - off Cap d'Antifer.
5th Laid Field NS(B) - off Dieppe.
7th Laid Field NS(C) - off Etaples.
9th Laid Field NS(E) - off Pointe de Barfleur.
12th Resumed laying of A/S minefields in Bay of Biscay (Operation HJ Series).
13th Laid Field HJ6.
15th Laid Field HJ7 with HMS MANXMAN.
18th Laid Field HJ8.
March Under
refit in Tyneside shipyard.
April On
completion resumed minelaying operations in Bay of Biscay.
11th Embarked mines for HM series Minelaying
operations.
14th Laid Field HM1.
17th Laid Field HM2.
20th Laid Field HM3
21st Transferred to Port ZA for duty with
1st Minelaying Squadron.
Arrived
at Port ZA.
22nd Diverted from operation and returned to Plymouth for conversion to carry
petrol
and
other stores.
May On
completion took passage to join Force H at Gibraltar for Malta support.
8th Sailed from Gibraltar to Malta with 240 tons of stores and
RAF personnel.
(Note:
Part of Operation BOWERY by Force H.) Rigged disguise as French destroyer.)
9th Sighted by aircraft during passage but
the disguise was accepted and no further
action
ensued.
10th Detonated two mines with paravanes on
entering Grand Harbour.
Sustained
damage.
Discharged
cargo and took return passage to Gibraltar.
12th Arrived at Gibraltar.
16th Passage to UK for repair.
20th Docked at Yarrow's Scotstoun.
29th Passage to Gibraltar to resume duties with Force
H. June
June
1st Sustained damage to bow structure and
propeller shaft in collision with tug on
entry
to harbour.
2nd Taken in hand for repair by HM
Dockyard, Gibraltar.
10th On completion embarked stores, mail and
personnel for Malta.
11th Sailed for Malta as part of relief convoy
(Operation HARPOON).
(Note:
For details of Operation HARPOON see THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
by
D MacIntyre, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Bamett , MALTA
CONVOYS
by R Woodman and Naval Staff History.)
12th Detached from HARPOON convoy and took
independent passage to Malta.
15th Disembarked stores on arrival in Malta and sailed on completion to
reinforce
escort
of HARPOON convoy which was under heavy air attacks.
16th Returned to Malta with the two surviving
mercantiles and escort.
Took
passage to Gibraltar with returning HARPOON escorts.
19th Arrived at Gibraltar.
20th Took passage to Clyde for repair and boiler clean.
24th Taken in hand for docking and repair at
Scotstoun.
July
9th On completion took passage to rejoin
Force H at Gibraltar.
13th Arrived at Gibraltar and embarked stores and
passengers for passage to Malta.
14th Took passage to Malta with ships of Force H
covering aircraft delivery.
(Operation
PINPOINT).
15th Detached from Force H ships and took
independent passage to Malta.
Under
air, surface and submarine attacks during passage, none were successful.
16th Discharged stores and passengers on
arrival in Malta.
17th Sailed for Gibraltar.
(Note:
Although attempts were made by Italian ships and aircraft to intercept this transit
but
failed to locate ship.)
21st Arrived at Gibraltar.
August Embarked
stores for delivery to Malta
Passage
to Malta co-incident with transit of Malta relief convoy.
(Operation
PEDESTAL - See above references and PEDESTAL by Peter C Smith).
16th Arrived in Malta and disembarked stores.
September Transferred
to Eastern
Mediterranean for carriage of stores.
October
Deployed
in eastern Mediterranean.
Nominated for independent return passage to Gibraltar.
Embarked
stores for Malta.
28th Sailed for Malta with ships of Force H
covering aircraft delivery
(Operation
TRAIN).
29th Detached from Force H ships and made
independent passage to Malta.
30th Disembarked stores and took return
passage to Gibraltar.
November
2nd Arrived at Gibraltar.
Nominated
for support of allied landings in North Africa (Operation TORCH).
11th Passage to Algiers with stores for support of
TORCH.
17th Took passage to Malta with stores.
18th Sailed for Gibraltar.
22nd At Gibraltar
27th Took passage to Haifa from Gibraltar to collect torpedoes for use
in Malta.
30th Return passage from Haifa to Malta.
December
1st Disembarked torpedoes and took
passage to Gibraltar.
Nominated
for minelaying operations in central Mediterranean.
4th At Gibraltar.
Passage
to Haifa to prepare for minelaying duties.
Carried
out practice minelay off Haifa.
Passage
to Algiers with call at Bone with MTB and submarine spares.
(For
details of operations in Eastern Mediterranean see OFFICIAL HISTORY OF WW2
MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EAST (HMSO) and Naval
Staff Histories.)
1 9 4 3
January Embarked
mines for Mediterranean operations.
(Note:
One source records that that ship embarked 150 tons of seed potatoes for
delivery
to
Malta.
4th Arrived at Malta and disembarked seed
potatoes.
(Note:
Deployed with HM Fast Minelayer ABDIEL for minelaying operations.)
7th Carried out minelay in Skerki
Channel..
8th Passage to Malta on completion.
9th Returned to Alexandria for troop transfer duties.
12th Deployed for transfer of troops from Beirut to Famagusta, Cyprus.
(Note:
4,000 troops were taken to Cyprus by ships of Mediterranean
Fleet.)
Took
passage from Cyprus to resume minelaying duties.
28th Arrived in Malta with mines embarked.
30th Carried out minelay in Skerki Channel.
31st Took passage from Malta to Alexandria to embark mines.
February Nominated
for transport of stores and personnel to Tobruk.
1st Hit aft by torpedo fired from U617 in
position 32.12N 24.52E East of Tobruk.
Serious
flooding of mine deck caused instability and could not be corrected.
Sank
quickly after 2 hours.
155
killed included 2 civilians.
Some
casualties were caused by explosion of depth charges.
Survivors
rescued by HM Escort Destroyers TETCOTT and BELVOIR were taken
to
Alexandria. (Casualty
List -
note
on casualties)
(Note:
Full details of all RN minelaying operations are available in The Naval Staff
History
on Mining and include information about the ABDIEL Class.
