Flotilla Leader ordered from
Cammell Laird, Birkenhead under 1934 Programme on 12th December 1934. The ship
was laid down on 30th May 1935 and launched on 7th April 1936 as the 7th Royal
Navy warship to carry this name introduced for a Gunboat in 1797, last used for
a destroyer built in 1912 and sold in 1921. Build was completed on 11th
December 1936 at a cost of £278,482 excluding equipment supplied
by the Admiralty such as weapons and
communications outfits. The design of
this ship was slightly larger than H-Class destroyers so as to accommodate Flotilla
Staff. Service before the outbreak of war as Leader for 2nd Destroyer Flotilla
in the Mediterranean Fleet.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
CRIMEA
1855 - CHINA 1860 - JUTLAND 1916 - ATLANTIC 1940 -
NORWAY 1940
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field "Peon"
(Black with gold ermine tails)
a scallop shell Silver.
M o t t
o
Amicitia et virtute: ' With
friendship and valour ’.
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 Deployed with Flotilla in
Mediterranean
Carried out convoy escort and contraband
control in eastern Mediterranean.
Nominated for trade defence in Atlantic with ships of Flotilla.
Passage to Gibraltar
October
5th Took passage from
Gibraltar to take-up duties based at Freetown.
Deployed for trade defence and search for blockade runners and commerce
raiders
(Note: Hunting Groups were formed for these operations. See ENGAGE
THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff History)
November
Atlantic deployment in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 0
January
Nominated for transfer to Home
Fleet
13th Took passage from
Freetown to Plymouth
25th On arrival taken in hand for
modification by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
(Note:
Work undertaken included routing docking for inspection of underwater fittings
Protection against magnetic mines installed by fit of de-gaussing cable.
February
Nominated for deployment based in Clyde for Atlantic convoy defence in
NW
Approaches.
March
Transferred with ships of Flotilla for service in Home Fleet
9th Joined Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
Deployed
for screening of major Home Fleet units and patrol.
April
Nominated for escort of
minelayers during lay of planned minefield of Norway to deny use
of
coastal waters by enemy shipping (Operation WILFRED/R4)
6th Joined Home Fleet
ships providing cover for minelay with HM Destroyers HAVOCK,
HOSTILE
and HUNTER,
Remained with Home Fleet when Operation R4
cancelled.
8th After German intended invasion of
Norway had been confirmed detached with same ships
to
carry out patrol off the mouth of Vest Fjord.
9th HM Destroyer HOSTILE joined and
reconnaissance of Vest Fjord carried out with all
four
other ships after discussion with Norwegian Pilot Station at Tranoy about movements
of German
warships.
10th Entered Ofot Fjord and
engaged German destroyers
(First
Battle of Narvik.)
During
attack on destroyers alongside wharf with HMS HUNTER and HMS HAVOCK
sank
destroyer HEIDKAMPF by torpedo.
Carried out further attacks on mercantiles in harbour.
During return passage
out of Fjord in action with five German
destroyers and came
under
heavy return 5in gun fire.
Sustained major damage and disabled.
Ship
beached on south shore of fjord.
For
full details of this engagement and the disastrous operations off Norway see
NAVAL
OPERATIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY (HMSO-2001),
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett, ,
NARVIK by D Macintyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by John Winton and THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by T Adams.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS HARDY
by Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked with the text above
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Date convoy sailed
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Joined convoy as escort
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Convoy No.
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Left convoy
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Date convoy arrived
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09/09/39
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09/09/39
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BLUE 001
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19/09/39
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19/09/39
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22/09/39
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22/09/39
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GREEN 2
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27/09/39
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unknown
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13/01/40
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13/01/40
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SL 016F
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20/01/40
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27/01/40
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(Note on Convoys)
