MATCHLESS-Class
Fleet Destroyer
ordered from Fairfield's at Govan, Glasgow on
7th September 1939 under the 1939 Build
Programme and laid
down on 7th December that year. She was
launched on 2nd December
1941
as the second RN ship to carry this
name, first used for a destroyer built in 1919
and sold in 1921. Completed on 18th September
1942 at a cost of
£462,543 this ship had been adopted in
December 1941 by the
civil
community
of East Barnet, now in Greater
London.
B
a t t le
H o n o u r s
ARCTIC
1942-41 - NORTH CAPE 1943 - ATLANTIC 1943 -
AEGEAN 1944
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a field White.
a demi-marine
of 1805 affrontee
proper.
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 4 2
September
Contractors trials.
9th
Commissioned for service in Home Fleet.
18th Build
completion and commenced
Acceptance trials.
Prepared for work-up and
took passage to Scapa
Flow.
October
Worked up with ships of Home Fleet
On completion deployed
with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla for Home Fleet for
screening and patrol in NW
Approaches and North
Sea.
(Note: Other ships in
Flotilla were HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR and
MILNE.
November
Nominated for escort of Russian convoy
23rd
Joined escort for Russian Convoy QP15
with HM Destroyer ORWELL.
30th
Detached from QP15 and returned to Scapa
Flow.
December
19th
Joined HM Destroyers QUADRANT and RAIDER
as screen for HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V
and HM Cruiser BERWICK
providing Distant
Cover for passage of Russian Convoy JW51A to Kola Inlet.
31st
Deployed as screen for HM Battleships
KING GEORGE V, HOWE and HM Cruiser BERMUDA to
Distant Cover for the
return Convoy
RA51
during passage to Iceland with HM Destroyers
MONTROSE,
QUEENBOROUGH, RAIDER,
WORCESTER and Polish ORP PIORUN.
(For details of all
Russian Convoy operations and names of escorts
see CONVOYS TO
RUSSIA by
RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield,
CONVOY! by Peter
Kemp and
ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
1
9 4 3
January
21st
Deployed with HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
BULLDOG, MATCHLESS, OFFA ONSLAUGHT and
Polish ORP PIORUN as
Ocean Escort for Russian Convoy JW52 during
passage to Kola Inlet as
relief for Western Local
Escort.
24th Under
torpedo attacks by aircraft.
27th
Detached on arrival at Kola Inlet.
29th
Joined returning Convoy RA52 as Ocean
Escort during
passage from Kolas Inlet to Loch Ewe
with
HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
BULLDOG, FORESTER, ICARUS, MATCHLESS, OFFA,
ONSLAUGHT,
ONSLOW and Polish ORP
PIORUN.
February
5th Detached
front RA52 with Ocean Escort and
took passage to resume Home Fleet duties.
(Note: HMS ONSLOW and
HMS FORESTER detached on 2nd and 4th.)
24th Part of
screen for HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS
HOWE and HMS BERWICK providing Distant Cover
for
passage of Russian Convoy JW53.
(Note: HM Destroyers ICARUS, METEOR, OFFA,
ONSLAUGHT and Polish PIORUN were also
part
of
screen.)
March
2nd Deployed as screen
for HMS KING GEORGE V,
HMS HOWE and HM Cruiser GLASGOW providing
Distant Cover for return
Convoy RA53 with HM Destroyers FORESTER,
ICARUS, OFFA, ONSLAUGHT
and ORP PIORUN
9th Took passage to Scapa
Flow with screen and Home Fleet ships on
release from covering duties.
Nominated
for refit at Tyne commercial shipyard
17th Present during
visit by HM King George VI
to Home Fleet in Scapa
Flow.
Passage to Tyne
25th Taken in
hand for refit.
(Note: Ships of Flotilla were detached
from Home Fleet for
Atlantic convoy support duty in
Western
Approaches Command and served as 3rd Support
Group.
For details
of this deployment for convoy defence at the
Battle of the Atlantic see SEEK
AND STRIKE
by W Hackmann,
BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS by J Terraine.
HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR
by C Blair and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC
(HMSO).
Confirmation
that this ship was deployed with 3rd Support
Group before refit is required.)
April
Under refit
May
18th
Carried
out post refit trials and on completion took
passage to Scapa
Flow.
Resum0ed Home Fleet
duties with Flotilla including service as 3rd
Support Group with HM
Destroyers ORIBI, ORWELL
and Polish ORP
ORKAN
(Ex HMS MYRMIDON). of Flotilla.
(Note: Group provided
additional anti-submarine protection for
convoys under known 0threat of
U-Boat attack.
June
Detached service in Western
Approaches in continuation.
to
August
September
Nominated for special duty and took
passage to Faeroes.
27th Embarked RAF
personnel and sailed from
Faeroes for Murmansk
with HM Destroyer
MAHRATTA..
(Note:
RAF personnel were
taking passage to Russia for support of
RAF aircraft being used for
reconnaissance
flights over Altenfjord,
Norway
in preparation for planned attacks on the
German
battleship TIRPITZ.)
31st Disembarked RAF
personnel and made return
passage to rejoin Home Fleet at Scapa
Flow
October
Deployed with HM Destroyers ORIBI,
ORWELL and ORKAN of Flotilla as 10th Support
Group
in
support of Convoy SC143
under attack by ROS8BACH Group of U-Boats.
8th After
detection of wireless transmissions
from U758 carried out search for U-Boat.
Came under retaliatory
attack by Acoustic T5 torpedo which detonated
in wake.
(Note: For details of
weapons and tactics used in the Battle of the
Atlantic see above references.)
Assisted in rescue of 44
survivors from ORP ORKAN which had been sunk
by another acoustic
torpedo
fired by U378.
17th Resumed
Home Fleet duties with Flotilla
at Scapa Flow
after release from Western Approaches
duty as 10th Support
Group.
20th Passage to
Kola Inlet for escort during
passage to UK of mercantiles
held In North Russia.
(Operation
FR).
(Note HM Destroyers
MAHRATTA, MATCHLESS, MILNE, SAVAGE, SAUMAREZ,
SCOURGE, SCORPION, and WESTCOTT, HM
Corvette
EGLANTINE, HM
Minesweepers
HARRIER and SEAGULL,
five small trawler minesweepers,
six
Motor
Launches being provided under Lease Land,
manned by
Russian crews were
also part of
this operation.
Passage
was covered
by HM Cruiser LONDON, US cruiser USS
AUGUSTA and HM
Destroyer
MIDDLETON
23rd Joined escort
for return Convoy RA55A
with HM Destroyers MATCHLESS, OPPORTUNE and
VIRAGO during passage
from Kola Inlet.
29th Detached from
HMS ANSON and HMS BELFAST
with destroyers due to extreme weather.
(Note:
HMS
MATCHLESS had to return to Scapa
Flow for repair of
weather damage repair.
December
1st
Rejoined HMS ANSON
and HMS BELFAST after weather moderated.
2nd
Passage to Scapa
Flow with Distant Cover ships.
15th
Joined Russian Convoy JW55A during
passage to Kola Inlet with HM Destroyers
MILNE,
ASHANTI, METEOR,
MATCHLESS, OPPORTUNE, VIRAGO AND ATHABASKAN
(RCN)
21st
Detached from JW55A with Ocean Escort
when Eastern Local Escort joined.
23rd
Deployed with HM Destroyers MATCHLESS,
OPPORTUNE and VIRAGO as part of Ocean
Escort
for return Convoy RA55
with HMS BEAGLE. HMS WESTCOTT, HMS METEOR,
HMS MILNE, HMS
ASHANTI. HMCS ATHABASKAN.
25th
Despatched from RA55 to re-inforce
Ocean Escort of following eastward Russian
Convoy
JW55B with HMS
MATCHLESS, HMS OPPORTUNE and HMS
VIRAGO.
(Note: This was
directed by CinC
Home Fleet in HM Battleship DUKE OF
YORK because of
direct
threat of attack by German SCHARNHORST and
destroyers. See references.
Joined JW55B Ocean
Escort.
26th
Detached from escort
and joined HM Cruisers BELFAST,
SHEFFIELD and NORFOLK
to carry
out attack on SCHARNHORST.
(Note:
SCHARNHORST had been disabled by ships of
Home Fleet.
See THE
KOLA RUN by D MacIntyre,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY
by C
Barnett, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield
and
Naval Staff History.)
Carried out torpedo
attacks on SCHARNHORST with HM Destroyers
MATCHLESS,
OPPORTUNE
and VIRAGO (Battle
of North
Cape).
(Note: SCHARNHORST
sank with only 36 survivors rescued by British
destroyers.).
27th
Arrived at Kola Inlet with other
British warships before taking passage
to
Scapa
Flow.
1
9 4 4
January
26th
Joined escort for
Russian Convoy JW56B with HM Destroyers
MAHRATTA, MILNE,
SCOURGE, OPPORTUNE and
HURON (RCN) to supplement Ocean Escort during
passage
to Kola Inlet and
covered by HM Cruisers BERMUDA, BERWICK and
KENT from Home
Fleet.
HMS BERWICK
returned later with machinery defect.)
February
1st
Detached from JW56 on
arrival at Kola Inlet.
3rd
Joined Ocean escort for
return convoy RA56 with Home Fleet destroyers
which had formed
Ocean Convoys JW6A and
JW56B.
9th
Detached from RA56
Ocean Escort with HM Destroyers INCONSTANT,
MAHRATIA,
METEOR, MILNE,
SCOURGE, HURON (RCN) and Norwegian
STORD.
Resumed Home
Fleet Flotilla duties for
screening and patrol duties based at Scapa
Flow.
24th
Deployed as screen for
HM Battleship ANSON, HM Aircraft
Carrier FURIOUS,
Polish
destroyer BLYSKAWICA and five other Home
Fleet
destroyers during operation off
Norway to attack
shipping (Operation BAYLEAF)
25th
Involved in collision
with BLYSKAWICA and sustained structural
damage.
28th
Taken in hand for
repair by Brigham
and Cowan
shipyard in Hull.
March
Under repair.
April
6th
Carried out post repair
trials and took passage to resumed Flotilla
duties at Scapa
Flow.
10th
Deployed at Scapa
Flow.
Nominated
for escort of convoy of mercantiles
from Kola Inlet.
19th
Passage to Kola Inlet
with
22nd
Arrived at Kola Inlet
with HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers
ACTIVITY
and FENCER, HM
Destroyers BEAGLE, BOADICEA, INCONSTANT,
KEPPEL, MARNE,
MATCHLESS, METEOR,
MILNE, ULYSSES, VERULAM, VIRAGO, WALKER,
WESTCOTT, WHITEHALL,
WRESTLER, HM Canadian Frigates CAPE BRETON,
GROU,
OUTREMONT and WASKESIU.
(Note: Mercantile NAS
HELLAS also sailed in company to embark
Russian and US Navy
personnel
for passage to UK.
Russians
were to join warships being provided from US
under Lease Lend. and US
personnel
had manned US cruiser MILWAUKEE transferred to
Soviet Navy.
NAS HELLAS
had to return to UK with defects during
passage with the result that
most of
the Russian passengers
had to be embarked in the mercantiles
and the US
Navy
personnel in the RN escorts.)
28th
Joined return Convoy
RA59 with HMS ACTIVITY, H M Destroyers
BOADICEA, MARNE
MATCHLESS, METEOR and
MILNE to join escort of Convoy RA59 for return
passage .
(Note: 16 passengers were embarked for passage.)
May
4th
Detached from RA59 with HM Destroyers
MARNE, MATCHLESS, METEOR and
MILNE after a series
of submarine attacks.
Resumed Home Fleet
duties.
June
Deployed at Scapa
Flow for Home Fleet duties.
(Note: Major warships
of Home Fleet were at short notice for support
of landings in Normandy
Operation
NEPTUNE –See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY (HMSO)
Owing to
demands on Home Fleet for support of landings
In Normandy, no
convoys were
sailed to Kola Inlet.
29th
Embarked mall
and stores for passage to North Russia with
MATCHLESS and METEOR.
(Operation DC).
July
3rd
Arrived at Kola Inlet.
4th
Took passage from Kola
Inlet.
8th
Resumed Home Fleet
duties en return to Scapa
Flow.
August
17th
Joined Convoy JUW59 with HM Cruisers
JAMAICA, HM Escort Carriers STRIKER and VINDEX,
HM Destroyers CAPRICE,
MARNE,M5IEOR and MILNE to supplement Ocean
Escort.
(Note: Battleship ARCHANGELSK (Ex HMS ROYAL
SOVEREIGN), other USN and RN ships
took passage
with this convoy to begin service in Soviet
Northern Fleet)
24th
Detached from JW59 after arrival of Local
Escort.
28th
Joined return Convoy
RA59A with HM Cruiser JAMAICA, HM
Escort Carriers STRIKER,
HM Destroyer CAPRICE,
MARNE, METEOR and MILNE as part of escort for
the returning Convoy
RA59A
September
5th
Detached from RA59A with
same ships and returned to Scapa
Flow.
17th
Joined Russian Convoy
JW60 with HM Battleship RODNEY, HM Cruiser
DIADEM. HM Escort
Carriers CAMPANIA and
STRIKER, HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR, MILNE
SAUMAREZ,
SCORPION,
VENUS, VERULAM,
VIRAGO,
VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN (RCN) and SIOUX (RCN).
23rd
Detached with escort on
arrival of JW60 at Kola Inlet.
28th
Sailed from Kola Inlet
with same ships as escorted JW60 for escort of
returning Convoy RA60.
October
3rd
Detached from RA60 with
Home Fleet escorts and returned to Scapa
Flow.
Nominated for foreign
service with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
12th
Under repair at Chatham and prepared
for service in the Mediterranean.
31st
Passage to Milford Haven
November
1st
Sailed from Milford Haven to Malta for
service with the Flotilla in the
Mediterranean.
11th
Arrived at Alexandria and joined
Flotilla for support of the re-occupation of
islands in the eastern
Mediterranean
and military operations.
December
Deployed with sister ships MATCHLESS,
METEOR and MILNE of Flotilla for Fleet duties
including support of
military operation in Aegean and
for patrol in
central Mediterranean.
4th
Deployed with HM Cruiser
AURORA and carried out bombardment of Rhodes.
Later
embarked Italian personnel held as Prisoners
of War at Volvos.
During deployment in Aegean off Greece recovered
ss
FORT COLUMBIA taken by Greek
Communist Partisans
(ELAS).
1
9 4 5
January
Deployed in Aegean and re-captured
several vessels seized by ELAN Partisans.
support of Aegean
military operations in continuation. including
attack on Skiathos.
and carried
out interception
patrols
February
Deployed for patrol, interception and
support duties
to
March
Carried out interception patrol
and support of military operations as well as
Fleet dutie1March
April
Deployed in central
Mediterranean
Bombarded German bases
and traffic routes to delay retreat of enemy
from Italy.
(Note: HMAS
NESTOR, USN and Free French warships
also took part.)
May
After VE Day remained in
Mediterranean Fleet with Flotilla.
to
(Note: During this Period
Mediterranean Fleet ships took part in
working-up of RN ships on
August
passage to join East
Indies Fleet and British Pacific Fleet for
operations against Japan.
and support
of garrisons in Trieste
and Greece.)
P
o s t
W a r N o t e s
HMS
MUSKETEER remained in the
Mediterranean Fleet with ships of the Flotilla
and visited Tangiers in January 1946. She
return to
Harwich on 5th April 1946 to Pay-off at
Chatham and after de–storing was
laid-up in
the Reserve Fleet at Harwich. In 1950 whilst
on passage to Liverpool for refit
she broke away from HM Tug SAUCY
but tow was re-established. On completion of
refit she returned to lay up at
Harwich until 1954 when transferred
to Chatham. Although selected for conversion
to a Type 62 Frigate this project
was abandoned and ship
had another refit at Belfast by Harland
prior to
being briefly used as an Accommodation Ship
and Depot Ship for
Coastal Forces craft at Harwich in 1955 until
placed on the Disposal List. Sold
to BISCO for demolition on
3rd September that year she arrived in tow at
the breaker’s yard on 6th
December 1955 to be broken-up by TJ
Young.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of
HMS
MUSKETEER
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
23/11/42
|
30/11/42
|
QP
015
|
17/11/42
|
30/11/42
|
19/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
JW
051A
|
15/12/42
|
25/12/42
|
31/12/42
|
03/01/43
|
RA
051
|
30/12/42
|
11/01/43
|
21/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
JW
052
|
17/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
29/01/43
|
05/02/43
|
RA
052
|
29/01/43
|
09/03/43
|
24/02/43
|
26/02/43
|
JW
053
|
15/02/43
|
27/02/43
|
04/03/43
|
05/03/43
|
RA
053
|
01/03/43
|
14/03/43
|
29/09/43
|
05/10/43
|
ONS
019
|
26/09/43
|
14/10/43
|
06/10/43
|
09/10/43
|
SC
143
|
28/09/43
|
12/10/43
|
03/11/43
|
08/11/43
|
RA
054A
|
01/11/43
|
14/11/43
|
28/11/43
|
02/12/43
|
JW
054B
|
22/11/43
|
03/12/43
|
28/11/43
|
03/12/43
|
RA
054B
|
26/11/43
|
09/12/43
|
15/12/43
|
21/12/43
|
JW
055A
|
12/12/43
|
22/12/43
|
23/12/43
|
25/12/43
|
RA
055A
|
22/12/43
|
01/01/44
|
25/12/43
|
26/12/43
|
JW
055B
|
20/12/43
|
30/12/43
|
26/01/44
|
01/02/44
|
JW
056B
|
22/01/44
|
01/02/44
|
03/02/44
|
09/02/44
|
RA
056
|
03/02/44
|
11/02/44
|
28/04/44
|
04/05/44
|
RA
059
|
28/04/44
|
06/05/44
|
17/08/44
|
25/08/44
|
JW
059
|
15/08/44
|
25/08/44
|
28/08/44
|
05/09/44
|
RA
059A
|
28/08/44
|
05/09/44
|
17/09/44
|
23/09/44
|
JW
060
|
15/09/44
|
23/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
03/10/44
|
RA
060
|
28/09/44
|
05/10/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)