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I-Class Fleet
Destroyer ordered from Yarrow's at Scotstoun on 30th
October 1935 under the 1935 Build Programme. The ship was laid down on 12th
February 1936 and launched on 11th February 1937 as the 2nd RN warship to carry
the name. It had previously been used for a Trawler hired in Aug. 1914 but
wrecked in the Firth of Forth in November that year. Build was completed on
24th August 1937 after delay due to delay in delivery of gun mountings. The
contract price was £259,371 but excluded Admiralty supplied items such as
weapons and communications equipment. This Class of destroyer was designed for
use as minelayers (See BRITISH DESTROYERS by E. March and The Naval Staff
History (MINING) for more information).
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1939 - NORWAY 1940
- DUNKIRK 1940
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On
a Field White a withered oak eradicated black.
M o t t
o
Primus
interpares : 'First among equals'
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 in
Mediterranean
with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
3rd On passage from
Alexandria to
Malta.
Transferred to Western Approaches
Command for anti-submarine duties in SW Approaches.
10th Passage to
Plymouth.
14th On arrival deployed for anti-submarine
and patrol duties.
18th Unsuccessful search for U29 which had
attempted a torpedo attack.
October Deployment in SW Approaches in
continuation.
4th Participated in sinking of U45 with HM
Destroyers INGLEFIELD and INTREPID SW of
Ireland
in position 50.58N 12.67W.
There were no survivors from the
submarine.
(See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp
and HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
November Transferred to 5th Destroyer Flotilla for
duty in Home Fleet.
14th Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Sheerness.
Nominated for service with 20th
Destroyer Flotilla for minelaying duties.
Converted for minelaying role.
December Under refit and conversion. See references.
12th After work-up for minelaying duties
joined Flotilla on formation.
18th Carried out first minelaying operation
in Heligoland Bight with HM Destroyer INTREPID
(Operation IB).
30th Deployed off
Fame Islands
for first lay of mines in East Coast Barrier with HM Destroyer
INTREPID (Operation LA).
1 9 4 0
January
2nd Carried out minelay in Heligoland Bight
with HMS INTREPID (Operation EW)
10th Carried out further Heligoland minelay
with HMS INTREPID (Operation ID1)
13th Completed Heligoland minelay with HMS
INTREPID (Operation ID2).
(Note: This minefield was
responsible for sinking the German submarine U54 on 13th February
and on 22nd February, two
destroyers LEBERECHT MAAS and
MAX SCHULTZ.
There were no survivors from any of
the three.
See above reference and WARSHIP
LOSSES OF WW2 by D Brown.).
14th Reverted to anti-submarine role when
all minelaying operations were suspended.
(See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
27th Torpedo tubes and gun mountings
replaced at
Portland.
February
3rd On completion took passage to
Scapa Flow for
duty with Home Fleet.
6th Deployed on interception patrol in NW
Approaches and
North Sea.
17th Intercepted German tartar ALTMARK which
had British merchant navy seamen on board.
Force enemy ship to enter Norwegian
coastal waters in Josing Fjord.
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnet.
(Note: ALTMARK was later boarded
by a party from HM Destroyer COSSACK and the British
seamen released in a well
publicised operation.)
March Home Fleet duties in continuation.
18th Escorted damaged HMS INTREPID to
Invergordon with HM Destroyer GALLANT after a
collision with the fishing trawler
OCEAN DRIFT.
27th Nominated for duty in
Force WV for
minelaying operation off
Norway.
Detached to convert for minelaying
duty in HM Dockyard, Chatham.
April Passage to
Scapa Flow
after conversion.
3rd Joined
Force WV for
lay of field off Norway in Vest Fjord (Operation WILFRED).
6th Sailed to execute WILFRED with HM
Destroyers ESK, IMPULSIVE and ICARUS.
8th Laid minefield and joined HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN off Narvik.
(For details of all minelaying
operations see Naval Staff History (Mining).
9th Present during initial stage of
engagement by HM Battlecruiser RENOWN with German
battleship SCHARNHORST.
Contact was lost to weather
conditions.
10th Carried out anti-submarine patrols off
Narvik.
Later rescued survivors from HM
Destroyer HARDY after 1st Battle of Narvik.
For details of the disastrous
operations off
Norway see
NARVIK by D. Macintyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by J Winton, THE
DOOMED EXPEDITION by J
Adams,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff History (HMSO-2001).).
14th Deployed with HM Destroyer HOSTILE as
escort for HM Destroyer ESKIMO under tow to
Skelfjord by HM Destroyer ESKIMO.
15th Returned to
Scapa
Flow.
29th Deployed as Senior Officer for minelay
off
Trondheim with HM Destroyers ICARUS
and
IMPULSIVE. (Operation ZMA).
May Norwegian support deployment in
continuation.
7th Boiler cleaning.
Pennant Number for visual
signalling use changed to I 16.
15th Resumed duties in 20th Destroyer
Flotilla.
16th Deployed for off Dutch coast for
minelay with HM Destroyers EXPRESS and ESK.
(Operation CBX3)
18th Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayer
PRINCESS
VICTORIA with ships of Flotilla
for minelay
of field in East Coast Barrier.
When HMS PRINCESS VICTORIA was
mined on entry into
Humber carried
out patrol
to ensure shipping avoided the new
danger area.
20th Deployed with HM Destroyers ESK,
EXPRESS, INTREPID, ICARUS and IMPULSIVE for a
series of minelaying operations in
the East Coast Mine Barrier.
(Operation BS Series. In all over
38,000 mines were laid In the Barrier to protect East Coast
shipping from attacks by surface
warships ships and submarines.
21st Carried out lay in Barrier (Operation
BS6).
23rd Operation BS7.
25th Operation BS8
26th HMS IMPULSIVE withdrawn for evacuation
duties at
Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
27th Operation BS9.
28th Detached to assist in evacuation of BEF
from
Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
(For details see SEVEN DAYS AT
DUNKIRK by AD Divine, BEF SHIPS by J de S Winser
and Naval Staff History
(HMSO-2003).).
Passage to Join
Dover Command.
29th Carried 930 troops from beaches to
Dover
and assisted in defence of shipping,
Rescued troops and survivors from
HM Destroyer GRAFTON.
31st Passage to beach head and embarked 1,290 troops for return passage.
June
1st Embarked troops for return to Dover and on return passage came
under air attack.
Sustained casualties and major damage and fatal
casualties including 21 of ships company.
(Note: Five soldiers were also killed.)
Extensive damage flooding of two boiler rooms
disabled ship until damage control enable
return to Dover using third boiler room.
Troops embarked in HM Destroyer HAVANT
(Note: HMS HAVANT came under air attack later
and had to be sunk because of serious
damage from two direct hits. Some of survivors
for ship were embarked by HM
Fleet Minesweeper SALTASH but some were killed.)
Passage to Dover
2nd Repair arranged at Sheerness
Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard,
Sheerness.
July
Under repair.
28th On completion took passage to rejoined
Flotilla at Immingham.
29th Prepared for minelaying operation.
August Carried out post repair trials on
completion of repair work.
31st Sailed with H M Destroyers EXPRESS,
ESK, ICARUS and INTREPID escorted by H M
Destroyers KELVIN, JUPITER and VORTIGERN for lay
of additional minefield field
west of Vieland on Dutch coast (Operation QBX5)
Following an enemy report the ships altered
course to westward of the laying position.
Before a signal was received from CinC Nore
instructing the minelayers to jettison
mines and attack reported, ship the minelayers
entered a German minefield laid on 7th
August.
After closing HMS EXPRESS which had detonated a
mine and lost all her forward
structure, lowered seaboat to rescue survivors.
During manoeuvres to go alongside
HMS EXPRESS, heavy explosion occurred forward
when ship detonated a mine and
steam was lost..
Steam was restored two hours to
allow astern speed of seven knots, but pressure could not
be maintained. Inspection revealed
ships back was broken.
Decision to abandon after opening hull valves
was made after HM Motor Torpedo
Boat 15, waiting to embark remaining survivors,
became seriously short of fuel and
had to leave the area.
Drifting hulk was later located by HM Destroyer
GARTH and then was sunk by a
torpedo from HM Destroyer KELVIN in position
53-26N 03.45E.
(Note: German aircraft were then carrying out
air attacks on drifting ship.)
8 Ratings were killed and 3 wounded. One officer
and 22 ratings were taken
prisoner.
For full details see Naval Staff History
(Mining).
This was the most disastrous and costly
minelaying operation.
Most minelaying carried out off the Dutch and
German coasts after Sept. 1940,
apart from small lays by Coastal Forces craft
was carried out by RAF aircraft.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS IVANHOE
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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28/09/39
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28/09/39
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RED 2
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03/10/39
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09/10/39
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19/03/40
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19/03/40
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ON 021/1
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23/03/40
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23/03/40
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(Note on Convoys)
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