Modified
W-Class destroyer ordered from J S White at Cowes, IoW in April 1918 with the
13th
Order of the 1918-19 Programme. The ship was laid down on 20th December 1918 and launched on 24th October 1919. She was the 8th RN warship to
carry the name, introduced in 1651 for a 48 gun ship
later renamed DUNKIRK, and last used in 1876 when
the 1st Rate screw ship FREDERICK WILLIAM (Ex
ROYAL FREDERICK) was renamed in 1876. On 19th October that year this warship
began service
as a training ship for merchant navy cadets and remained
moored in the Thames at Greenhithe until
sold in July 1948. One month later she foundered and was
raised in 1953 to be broken up at Grays, Essex. This
destroyer was transferred to Portsmouth after her launch and completed
by HM Dockyard on 20th September
1922. She served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets before being placed in
Reserve in
the early 1930’s at Portsmouth. Brought forward for service as
part of the mobilisation in 1939 this ship
was adopted by the civil community of the City of Worcester following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 and had already a previous
association with the city.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
DOVER 1652 - PORTLAND 1653 - GABBARD 1653 - CHEVENINGEN 1653
- PORTO FARINA 1653
- SANTA CRUZ 1657 - PORTO BELLO 1739 - CARTAGENA 1741 - USHANT 1778 -
SADRAS 1782 - PROVIDIEN 1782 - NEGAPATAM
1782 - TRINCOMALEE 1782 - CUDDALORE 1783 - DUNKIRK 1940 - ATLANTIC 1940 - NORTH SEA 1942-43 - DOVER STRAITS 1942 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942-43
- ARCTIC 1943
H e r a l d i c d a t a
Badge: On a Field quarterly Black and Red, a triple towered
Castle. Silver.
M o t t o
In bello in pace fidelis: 'Faithful in peace and war'
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)
1 9 3 9
September Completed preparation for war service, commissioning.
storing.
Nominated for convoy defence and patrol in Home
waters
Passage to take-up war station.
October
Deployed with 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Portsmouth
comprising HM Destroyers
to
December MONTROSE, VENOMOUS, VETERAN, WILD SWAN, VERITY, WHITSHED
and WIVERN for convoy defence
Carried out convoy escort and patrol in English
Channel and SW Approaches.
(Note: Traffic from London River was routed via
English Channel and escort
duties included cover of military convoys to
ports in France for the
British Expeditionary Force. U- Boats ceased
using the English Channel
after establishment of the Dover Mine Barrage
which sank U12 and U40
whilst attempting passage to the Atlantic via
Dover Strait. U16 grounded
during an attempt to make a submerged passage
and was detected by a
protective magnetic loop, after which she was
attacked by depth charges
and grounded. There were no survivors. See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by
P Kemp, HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith and the
Naval Staff
History for details of naval activities in Home
waters during this period.)
1 9 4 0
January Flotilla deployment based at Portsmouth in
continuation.
to April
May Transferred to Dover Command for support of military
withdrawal of allied
troops and personnel after German attack on
France and the Low Countries.
24th Took part in evacuation of troops from the beaches
at Dunkirk
(Operation DYNAMO)
(Note: The ship made six trips to the beaches
and carried 4,350 soldiers
to safety. For details see Naval Staff History
and NINE DAYS TO
DUNKIRK by A D Divine and BEF SHIPS by J de
Winser.)
27th Sustained damage during air attacks.
June Under repair.
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes
changed to I96.
July On completion resumed operational duties with
Flotilla at Harwich.
Deployed in North Sea for patrol and convoy
escort.
August Transferred to Western Approaches Command for Atlantic
convoy defence
to
December Deployed in NW Approaches.
(Note: For details of tactics and weapons used
by German U-Boats and by
convoys escorts see THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
by D Macintyre,
SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann, U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO) and HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C
Blair.)
1 9 4 1
January Resumed service for North Sea convoy defence and patrol
with 16th Destroyer
Flotilla based at Harwich.
Joined HM Destroyers MACKAY, WHITSHED and
WALPOLE in Harwich
Escort Flotilla.
February Harwich deployment in continuation.
(Note: For details of escort of convoys in
North Sea see THREE CORVETTES by
N Monsarrat and THE BATTLE OF THE NORTH SEA by J
P Foynes )
(Note: Ship had been fitted with an RAF
Air-Surface radar identified as
Naval Type 286M by this time. For details of the
development and use
of radar by the RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.
This radar
had a fixed aerial which limited its use on
board ship. Later a naval
version, Type 286P was fitted using a rotating
aerial).
March Passage in North Sea with HMS WHITSHED to join south
bound Convoy FS29
as escort.
(Note: This convoy had been subject to air
attacks on 6th March whilst off the
coast of Northumberland.)
7th Diverted by E-Boat carrying decoy operation to draw
attention away from
concurrent attack by 1st German E-Boat Flotilla
on northbound Convoy FN26.
Gave chase with HMS WHITSHED but unable to make
contact and unable to
support HM Destroyer PYTCHLEY and HM Corvette
PUFFIN in defence of
FS29. Two ships in convoy were sunk in attacks
by the German Flotilla.
For details see THE BATTLE OF THE NORTH SEA.
(Note: This was a period of high E-Boat
activity in the area and the ship had
engaged E-Boats on four occasions in the
previous 16 days.
April North Sea deployment in continuation
to
December (Note: For further details of operations in North Sea see THE
BATTLE OF
THE NARROW SEAS by P Scott which in particular
deals with the
activities by Light Coastal Force craft.)
1 9 4 2
January North Sea convoy defence and interception patrol to
deter E-Boat attacks
in continuation with Flotilla.
February Placed on alert state with Flotilla in anticipation of
the possible break-out
from Brest by German battlecruisers SCHARNHORST
and GNEISENAU
to return to Germany by the Dover Straits.
12th Deployed with
HM Destroyers CAMPBELL and VIVACIOUS of 21st Destroyer
Flotilla and HM Destroyers MACKAY, WHITSHED and WALPOLE of 16th
Flotilla for
exercises of tactical practices to be used in the event of German
passage attempt.
Carried out torpedo attack on enemy warships
with combined force.
Sustained major structural damage from 11in and
8in guns in return fire
. Fires were started and extensive flooding in No
1 Boiler Room disabled ship.
Despite 17 fatal and 45 other casualties the
ship’s company were able to
raise steam and enable ship to return to Harwich
without aid of tugs.
For full details of this gallant but forlorn
action see THE CHANNEL
DASH by T Robertson, THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW
SEAS and the
Naval Staff History.
March Under repair.
to
August Selected for conversion to Short Range Escort. See V&W
DESTROYERS
1917-45 by A Preston and BRITISH DESTROYERS by E
March.
Nominated for detached service with Home Fleet
on completion of conversion
and post refit trials.
September Passage to Scapa Flow to join Home Fleet.
16th Deployed with HM destroyers AMAZON, BULLDOG, COWDRAY,
ECHO,
VENOMOUS and WINDSOR to establish a fuelling
base at Lowe Sound,
Spitzbergen for use by escorts of convoys to and
from North Russia.
(Operation GEARBOX – See CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA
Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by P Kemp, RUSSIAN CONVOYS by R Woodman
and
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield.)
20th Deployed as escort for RFA OLIGARCH with HM
Destroyers IMPULSIVE
and FURY to join return Convoy QP14 during
passage from Kola Inlet to Loch
Ewe. See ARCTIC CONVOYS
26th Detached from QP14 and resumed Home Fleet duties.
October
Home Fleet detached service in continuation.
to
November
December Deployed with HM Destroyers MONTROSE, MUSKETEER, RAIDER,
QUEENBOROUGH (RAN) and Polish destroyer ORP
PIORUN as screen
for HM Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE and HM
Cruiser
BERMUDA to provide cover against attack by major
German warships
during passage of Convoy RA51 from North Russia.
1 9 4 3
January Nominated for return to Flotilla duties at Harwich on
release from detached
service with Home Fleet.
(Note: Since the middle of 1942 a system of
patrol lines for interception of
E-Boats on passage to attack North Sea convoys
had been introduced
in Nore Command.)
February Deployed with 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich
for North Sea
to
September convoy defence and Z Line interception patrol duties..
(For details see THE BATTLE OF THE EAST COAST.)
October
Harwich duties in continuation.
24th Deployed with HM Destroyer MACKAY and Light Coastal
Forces craft
for interception patrol to cover passage of
convoys FN1160 and FS1164
off coast of Norfolk against anticipated E-Boat
attack.
25th Engaged E-Boats of 4th German Flotilla off Cromer
with HMS MACKAY
and Coastal Forces craft. Enemy was attempting
torpedo attacks on convoys
and these were repelled. Four E Boats did not
return to Ijmuiden.
For details see above reference and THE BATTLE
OF THE NARROW
SEAS.
November North Sea convoy defence and interception patrol in
continuation.
December Deployed for interception patrol and convoy escort based
at Harwich.
23rd Mined off Smiths
Knoll and stern structure
destroyed.
Taken in tow to Yarmouth.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair and Survey
to
April Declared beyond economic repair for operational use.
Paid-off and de-stored.
May Selected for user as an Accommodation Ship in London
after completion
to
December of repair and de-equipping.
1 9 4 5
January Passage London under tow and prepared for use locally.
to May
June Formally commissioned as HMS YEOMAN and continued
nominated role.
to
August
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS
WORCESTER remained in use under her new identity after VJ Day until placed on
the Disposal List in
1946. She was subsequently sold to BISCO and towed to the Breaker’s yard at
Grays, Essex to be broken-up in February 1947.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
WORCESTER
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date convoy
sailed |
Joined convoy
as escort |
Convoy No. |
Left convoy |
Date convoy
arrived |
|
|
|
|
|
20/05/40
|
26/05/40
|
HG 031F
|
29/05/40
|
29/05/40
|
29/12/40
|
29/12/40
|
FS 0374
|
01/01/41
|
01/01/41
|
04/02/41
|
04/02/41
|
FN 0400
|
06/02/41
|
06/02/41
|
02/09/42
|
10/09/42
|
PQ 018
|
10/09/42
|
21/09/42
|
13/09/42
|
unknown
|
QP 014
|
25/09/42
|
26/09/42
|
20/11/42
|
20/11/42
|
CW 135
|
21/11/42
|
21/11/42
|
21/11/42
|
21/11/42
|
CE 133
|
22/11/42
|
22/11/42
|
15/12/42
|
15/12/42
|
CE 139
|
16/12/42
|
16/12/42
|
30/12/42
|
07/01/43
|
RA 051
|
10/01/43
|
11/01/43
|
19/03/43
|
19/03/43
|
CW 164
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
20/03/43
|
CE 162
|
21/03/43
|
21/03/43
|
22/05/43
|
22/05/43
|
CW 180
|
23/05/43
|
23/06/43
|
23/05/43
|
23/05/43
|
CE 178
|
24/05/43
|
24/05/43
|
19/06/43
|
19/06/43
|
CW 187
|
20/06/43
|
20/06/43
|
20/06/43
|
20/06/43
|
CE 185
|
21/06/43
|
21/06/43
|
25/07/43
|
25/07/43
|
CW 196
|
26/07/43
|
26/07/43
|
26/07/43
|
26/07/43
|
CE 194
|
27/07/43
|
27/07/43
|
02/08/43
|
02/08/43
|
CW 198
|
03/08/43
|
03/08/43
|
03/08/43
|
03/08/43
|
CE 196
|
04/08/43
|
04/08/43
|
22/08/43
|
22/08/43
|
CW 203
|
23/08/43
|
23/08/43
|
23/08/43
|
23/08/43
|
CE 201
|
24/08/43
|
24/08/43
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)