1 9 3 9
August Contractors trials.
23rd Build
completion and took passage to Chatham to embark stores and ammunition.
Commissioned for service as Leader of 5th Destroyer Flotilla.
Passage to Portland to work-up prior to taking up war
station.
30th Deployed at Portland for work-up.
September Work-up at Portland with interruptions.
4th During
anti-submarine exercises off Portland with HM Destroyer ACHERON came under
U-Boat attack which failed.
12th Embarked
HRH The Duke of Windsor at Le Havre for passage to Portsmouth.
13th Sailed
from Portsmouth for Plymouth for patrol and convoy defence in Channel and SW
Approaches.
17th Survivors
from HM Aircraft Carrier COURAGEOUS embarked from a US merchant ship
and taken to
Devonport.
(Note: HMS
COURAGEOUS was sunk by U29 SW of Ireland.)
20th Deployed
as escort for HM Aircraft Carrier HERMES during anti-submarine duties in SW
Approaches,
(Note: The policy of using aircraft carriers for this type
of duty was later abandoned following
the loss on 17th of HMS COURAGEOUS.)
26th Completed
outstanding work-up requirements at Portland and took passage to resume
operational
service in SW Approaches based at Plymouth.
October Deployment in SW Approaches in
continuation.
Nominated for transfer
to Home Fleet for screening of major warships with ships of Flotilla.
20th Took passage to Scapa Flow with call at Loch Ewe.
(Note:
Following loss of HM Battleship ROYAL OAK at Scapa Flow on 14th October
Fleet units were transferred to
Loch Ewe pending improvement of anti-submarine
defences.)
November Passage in NW Approaches and
sustained weather damage. Called at Sollum Voe
5th Arrived
at Scapa Flow with structural damage
(Note: Home
Fleet deployment was restricted by enforced reduction of maximum speed due
to damage.)
20th Passage
to Tyne for damage repair at builders.
21st Under
repair
(Note:
One source suggests ship had been nominated for the support of RN warships in
the
Baltic for planned
Operation CATHERINE) which was never implemented.)
December
14th Sailed from Newcastle to resume Home Fleet
Flotilla duties on completion.
Detonated
mine in position 13 miles NW Tyne
estuary and sustained further structural
damage with flooding.
Steering disabled.
15th Taken in hand at builders yard for
repair
1 9 4 0
January Under
repair.
February Under
repair.
29th Resumed Home Fleet duties on completion
of post repair trials.
March Involved
in collision with HM Destroyer GURKHA (i) during
deployment in NW
Approaches and sustained structural damage
Passage from Lerwick to Scapa Flow for survey and
temporary repair.
Permanent
repair arranged in London at commercial shipyard.
April Passage
to Thames from Scapa Flow.
5th In London Graving Dock for permanent
repair.
(Note: Whilst under repair attention was given to rectifying
defects causing leaks in systems.
common to other ships and deal with other defects to improve
availability.)
26th On completion took passage to resume
Home Fleet duties with Flotilla at Scapa Flow.
29th Arrived at Scapa Flow and nominated for support of operations
off the coast of Norway.
30th Passage to join
Flotilla at Harstad.
(Note: See NAVAL OPERATIONS OFF NORWAY April-June 1940
(HMSO).)
May
1st Took part in evacuation of allied
troops from Namso with HM Cruisers YORK and
DEVONSHIRE, HM Destroyers NUBIAN, MAORI, HASTY,
IMPERIAL, GRENADE
and
GRIFFIN.
First
destroyer alongside and embarked 150 French troops.
2nd Escorted troopships EL KANTARA and EL
MANSOUR from Namsos during return
passage to UK.
Deployed
in North Sea for patrol and support duties
7th Nominated for
transfer to Nore Command with ships of Flotilla.
9th During North Sea duties with HM
Destroyers KIMBERLEY, KANDAHAR and HASTY
despatched to join HM Cruiser BIRMINGHAM to take part in search for German
warships
operating in southern North Sea. See reference
Joined
screen for HMS BIRMINGHAM and remained when HMS KIMBERLEY was
detached to refuel.
Detached with HMS KANDAHAR and HMS BULLDOG to carry out search for
U-Boat.
After
unsuccessful search took return passage to rejoin screen and came under torpedo
attack by E-Boats. Hit forward below bridge structure by torpedo
from S21.
Ship
disabled and sustained serious damage both Boiler Rooms flooded.
27
of ship's company lost their lives.
10th Under tow by HM Destroyer BULLDOG and
under further E-Boat attacks during which
ship was rammed by an enemy ship causing further damage.
12th Tow transferred to two commercial tugs
from Tyne.
13th Arrived in Tyne and taken in hand for
repair at build yard.
June Under
repair
to (Note: Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes was changed to G01 following
November review
of all these identities in May 1940)
December
19th On completion of post repair trials took
passage to Scapa
Flow to resume
Fleet duties
with Flotilla.
20th Deployed work-up with ships of Home
Fleet including anti-submarine patrols.
23rd Deployed
off Faeroes for anti-submarine patrol
26th Faeroes
search in continuation.
Returned to Scapa Flow on release from search.
(Note:
During 1940 the ship had been available for operational use on 23 days.)
1 9 4 1
January Nominated for service in
Channel based at Plymouth with Flotilla.
7th Took
passage for patrol in NW Approaches.
10th Sailed
from Clyde with HM Destroyers JERSEY,
KIPLING and KASHMIR for
Channel deployment.
18th Deployed
at Plymouth.
(Note:
German destroyers based at Brest
were known to be operating against ship
traffic
in SW Approaches and 5th Flotilla carried out interception patrol
operations
against these ships.)
February
20th Deployed
with HM Destroyers KASHMIR, KIPLING and JACKAL as escort for
HM Destroyers INTREPID,
IMPULSIVE and ICARUS during minelaying off Brest
(Operation GS
For details see Naval Staff History (Mining).)
March
19th Deployed
with HM Destroyers KASHMIR, KIPLING and JACKAL as escort for same
ships as GS
and Motor Launches from Dartmouth
during minelay off Ile de Bas.
28th Escorted
HM Destroyers INTREPID, ICARUS and IMPULSIVE with HM Destroyers
KELVIN, KASHMIR and JACKAL during minelay off Brest (Operation GX)
29th Escorted
HM Fast Minelaying Cruiser ABDIEL with HM Destroyers KASHMIR,
KELVIN and JACKAL during minelay off Brest (Operation GY)
April Plymouth deployment in continuation.
20th Nominated
for transfer to Mediterranean with Flotilla
21st Took passage to Gibraltar from Plymouth.
24th Joined
HM Cruisers ABDIEL, DIDO, HM Destroyers JACKAL, JERSEY,
KASHMIR,
KELVIN and KIPLING at Gibraltar to form Force S and took passage to Malta as part
of
escort for reinforcement ships 0for Mediterranean Fleet (Operation SALIENT)
(Note:
Cover for the transit of this convoy and also for concurrent Operation DUNLOP
to launch
aircraft from HM Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL for use in Malta was
provided
by ships of Force H based at Gibraltar.)
28th Arrived
in Malta with ships of Force S and deployed with Flotilla as
Force K for attacks
on
shipping to North Africa for support of enemy military operations.
For details of naval operations
in the Mediterranean see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett, THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre,
MALTA CONVOYS by R Woodman and THE NAVAL WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
by J Greene
and A Massignani.
May
1st Deployed
with Flotilla for interception patrol.
2nd After
entry into Grand Harbour leading HM Destroyers JERSEY, JACKAL and KELVIN,
HMS JERSEY detonated a mine laid
earlier by aircraft and sank.
8th Sailed
with the three other ships of the Flotilla after obstruction by wreck of HMS
JERSEY
had
been cleared. Took passage with these ships to join HM
Cruisers AJAX, DIDO. ORION
and PERTH (RAN) of the Mediterranean Fleet and proceeded
westward together to join escort
for
military convoy carrying tanks and essential stores to Egypt and Greece
(Operation
TIGER - See references.
9th Joined
TIGER convoy.
10th Detached
from TIGER convoy screen with HM Destroyers JACKAL, KASHMIR,
KELVIN and KIPLING to carry out
bombardment at Benghazi before return to Malta
resume
Force strike duties as Force K.
11th Arrived
at Malta with HM Destroyers JACKAL, KASHMIR, KELVIN and KIPLING.
21st Despatched
with HM Destroyers KASHMIR and KIPLING to assist in defence of Crete
against
invasion by German forces and took passage from Malta to join Mediterranean
Fleet ships already deployed off
the island.
(Note:
HMS KELVIN had previously sailed to join 7th Destroyer Flotilla.)
22nd Deployed
with HMS KASHMIR and HMS KIPLING to carry out patrol north of Crete
to
intercept
invasion craft.
Carried out bombardment of Maleme airfield
23rd Under
heavy and sustained air attacks by German aircraft during which ship was hit
and
sank within two minutes in position 34.40N 24.10E south of Gavo,
Crete.
(Note:
HMS KASHMIR was also sunk in these attacks.
HMS KIPLING which had become
detached earlier rescued survivors from both
ships
including 159 from this destroyer.
For details see THE BATTLE FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN by D MacIntyre,
CRETE by SW Pack and Naval Staff History.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS
KELLY
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
03/10/39
|
03/10/39
|
OA 014
|
06/10/39
|
06/10/39
|
15/10/39
|
15/10/39
|
OA 020G
|
17/10/39
|
17/10/39
|
07/03/40
|
08/03/40
|
ON 018/1
|
10/03/40
|
10/03/40
|
07/03/40
|
09/03/40
|
HN 017
|
09/03/40
|
10/03/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note on Convoys)