U-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under a War
Emergency Programs in April 1911 from Cammell
Laird at Birkenhead. The ship was laid down on
8th September 1942 as Build Number 11104 and
launched on 19th July 1943 as the 8th RN
warship to carry this name introduced in 1794
for a French Prize. It had been last used by a
submarine built in 1940 but which had been
lost during May 1941. Build was completed on
3rd March 1944. Following a successful WARSHIP
WEEK National Savings campaign during March
1942 she had been adopted by the civil
community of Barking in Greater London.
Battle
Honours
CHINA
1900 - DOGGER BANK 1915 -
BELGIAN COAST 1916 -
NORMANDY 1944 - OKINAWA 1945.
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue, a falcon White hooded and belled
Gold
D
e t a i l s
o
f W a r S e r v i
c e
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1
9 4 4
February
Contractor's sea trials and commissioning. for
service in 25th Destroyer Flotilla
March
3rd
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa
Flow to work-up for operational
duties with ships of Home Fleet..
April
On completion Joined HM Destroyers GRENVILLE,
ULSTER, URCHIN, UNDINE, URSA
and URANIA
in
Flotilla for screening of major Home Fleet
units.
3rd
Part of screen for HM Battleship ANSON, HM
Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS, HM Escort
Carriers
SEARCHER, EMPEROR, PURSUER and FENCER, H M
Cruisers ROYALIST,
JAMAICA,
BELFAST
and SHEFFIELD with HM Destroyers MILNE,
ONSLAUGHT,
VERULAM, METEOR, SWIFT,
VIGILANT,
VIRAGO, JAVELIN, WAKEFUL, URSA,
ALGONQUIN (RCN), SIOUX (RCN) and Polish ORP PIORUN
during air attacks on German
battleship TIRPITZ in Altenfjord.
(Operation TUNGSTEN - For details see ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.
Barnett
and
CONVOY ! by P Kemp).
May Home
Fleet screening and patrol duties in
continuation.
Nominated with ships of Flotilla for transfer
to Force G during
allied invasion
of
Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE).
(For details of naval activities prior to and
during landings and of major ships
in
Force G see
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944 (HMSO) and
OPERATION NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards).
Took part in preliminary exercises with ships
of Force G.
June
Joined HM Destroyers JERVIS, CATTISTOCK,
PYTCHLEY, COTTESMORE and Polish
ORP
KRAKOWIAK
in Force G with ships of Flotilla
3rd
At Spithead in
Assembly area.
4th
Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th
Joined Convoy G10 with HMS
URSA for escort
through swept channel.
(Note: Convoy comprised HM Frigate KINGSMILL
(HQ Ship Force G2), four Landing
Ships, Infantry.
two Motor
Launches and four rescue craft.).
6th
After arrival Provided naval gunfire support
for landings on GOLD Beach.
7th
Escorted HM Cruiser APOLLO taking General
Eisenhower and Admiral B. Ramsay,
Allied
Naval
Commander Expeditionary Force (ANXF) from
Portsmouth to beachhead
areas.
Embarked General Eisenhower and Admiral Ramsay
from HMS APOLLO after the cruiser
had damaged her
propellers and took passage to Portsmouth.
8th
Deployed in Eastern Task Force Area for
gunfire support and defensive patrols to
intercept enemy surface craft and submarines
attacking ships off beachhead.
25th
After completion of build-up phase retained in
Channel.
July
Resumed Home Fleet duties at Scapa
Flow with Flotilla
August
Nominated for service in Pacific with
Flotilla.
September
Refit and preparation for service with British
Pacific Fleet..
to
October
November
Passage to Trincomalee.
22nd
Joined British Pacific Fleet on formation.
December
After arrival detached with Flotilla for
screening of Eastern Fleet major ships and
patrol in Indian
Ocean.
1
9 4 5
January
Detached for duty with Eastern Fleet.
4th
Part of screen for HM Aircraft Carriers
INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS and INDEFATIGABLE,
HM
Cruisers SUFFOLK, CEYLON, ARGONAUT and BLACK
PRINCE with HM Destroyers
UNDINE, GRENVILLE, URANIA, URSA, KEMPENFELT,
WHELP and WAGER as
Task Force 63.
(Operation LENTIL - Air attacks on oil refineries
at Pangkalan Brandan,
Sumatra).
(See Operation Pacific by E Gray,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO).).
16th
Sailed from Ceylon as Task Force 63 (H M
Battleship KING GEORGE V, H M Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE, ILLUSTRIOUS, VICTORIOUS
and INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT and EURYALUS, HM
Destroyers GRENVILLE,
UNDINE, URSA, KEMPENFELT, WAKEFUL, WHIRLWIND,
WAGER and WHELP.
(Note: Ships of British Pacific Fleet to join US
5th Fleet at Sydney.
20th
Refuelled at sea from Task Force 69.
24th
Part of defence for TF63 during air attacks on
oil refinery at Pladjoe,
North of
Palembang,
Sumatra (Operation MERIDIAN I).
26th
Refuelled at sea from TF69, prior to Operation
MERIDIAN II)
.
28th
Part of defence for TF63 during attacks on
refinery at Soengi-Gerong,
Suratra,
30th
Replenished and took passage to Fremantle.
February
Transferred with BPF ships to US 5th Fleet and
designated Task Force 57 (TF57).
(For details of naval operations by TF57 see
TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, OPERATION
PACIFIC, THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton, Naval
Staff History and WAR WITH
JAPAN)
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes
changed to D25 to conform with US Navy
identity for destroyers.
Worked up at Sydney for operations in Central
Pacific.
(Note: These included US Navy signal and
manoeuvring procedures adopted by RN ships for
use during detached service with US Navy.
March
Exercised on passage to Manus.
7th
On arrival future deployment undecided by
internal US wrangling. See above references
.
Waited for decision by US Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
.
15th
Allocated for service with 5th US Fleet and
given new identity -Task Force 57.
18th
Sailed for Ulithi
as part of screen for ships of Task Force 57-
(Note: TF57 comprised: -
HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE, HM
Aircraft Carriers
INDOMITABLE, VICTORIOUS, ILLUSTRIOUS,
INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers
SWIFTSURE, GAMBIA (RNZN), BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT,
EURYALUS, HM Destroyers GRENVILLE, ULSTER,
URANIA, UNDINE,
QUICKMATCH, QUIBERON, QUEENBOROUGH,
KEMPENFELT,
WHIRLWIND and WAGER.
20th
Joined 5th US Fleet at Ulithi.
23rd
Sailed from Ulithi
with TF57 to operational area off Sakishima
Gunto.
26th
Part of screen during air attacks on airfields
in Sakishima Gunto
Group.
(Note: Provision in support during Okinawa
landings Operation ICEBERG ONE)
April
Screening duties with TF57 in continuation.
21st
Took passage to Leyte
with TF57 on completion of 6th strike period.
23rd
Arrived at Layte
for repair and replenishment.
Future deployment of TF57 under consideration
27th
Proposal to transfer BPF to SW Pacific area
cancelled. BPF to remain with 5th Fleet as
Task
Force 57-
May
1st
Took passage to operational area from Leyte
with TF57 for continuation of attacks on
Sakishima Gunto
Group (Operation ICEBERG TWO).
(Note: Other ships in Task Force 57 were:
HM Battleships KING GEORGE V, HOWE, HM
Aircraft Carriers
INDOMITABLE,
INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers SWIFTSURE, UGANDA (RCN), GAMBIA
(RNZN), EURYALUS and
BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers GRENVILLE,
URSA, URCHIN,
UNDINE ,URANIA, QUILLIAM , QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH,
QUEENBOROUGH, QUALITY, KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND
and WESSEX.
4th
After arrival in area detached with ships of
25th Destroyer Flotilla to screen HMS KING
GEORGE V, HMS HOWE, HMS SWIFTSURE, HMS BLACK
PRINCE, HMS
EURYALUS, HMS GAMBIA and HMS UGANDA during
bombardment of airfields on
Miyako Shima.
(Note: During this bombardment the aircraft
carriers of TF57 came under sustained attack
by bombing including KAMIKAZE aircraft.)
Bombardment curtailed and force returned to
rejoin aircraft carriers).
5th
Deployment with screen for Task Force in
continuation
to
(For details see above references and Naval
Staff History).
25th
26th
Passage to Sydney BPF ships via Manus.
(Note: HMS KING GEORGE V with HMS TROUBRIDGE,
HMS TENACIOUS and
HMS TERMAGANT were detached for passage to
Guam).
June
5th
Arrived at Sydney for rest and recuperation
period.
(Note: Ships of BPF were transferred to US 3rd
Fleet during this period owing to a
re-organisation
of US Navy command structure in Pacific and
were re-designated
Task Force 37).
28th
Sailed with Task Force 37 from Sydney for Manus.
(Note: Task Force 37 comprised:
HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft
Carriers FORMIDABLE,
VICTORIOUS,
IMPLACABLE, HM Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES
(RNZN), UGANDA (RCN), EURYALUS, GAMBIA (RNZN)
and BLACK PRINCE
with HM Destroyers QUIBERON, QUADRANT,
QUALITY., QUICKMATCH,
TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT, TEAZER,
TERPSICHORE,
GRENVILLE, UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN. UNDINE and
ULYSSES.
July
4th
Arrived at Manus
with BPF.
6th
Sailed for operational area with TF37.
(Note: HMS IMPLACABLE detached because
of machinery defect and joined later)
Transferred to US 3rd Fleet and BPF ships redesignated
as part of Task Force 37.
Passage
to Japan with TF37 for joint RN and USN
operations.
17th
Deployed with HM Destroyers QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH, QUALITY, QUADRANT,
TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS, TERMAGANT, TEAZER,
TERPSICHORE, GRENVILLE,
UNDINE, URANIA, URCHIN and ULYSSES to screen H
M Battleship KING GEORGE V,
HM Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS
and HMS IMPLACABLE, HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES (RNZN), UGANDA (RCN),
EURYALUS, GAMBIA
(RNZN) and BLACK PRINCE. TF37 during joint
attacks with US TF38 on targets in Tokyo
and Yokohama areas.
18th
Bombarded targets in South Honshu with TF37.
In action against surface suicide craft.
August Deployed
in operational area with TF37-
9th
Part of screen TF37 ships during combined air
attacks and surface bombardment of
targets in North Honshu and Hokkaido with US
Task Groups.
12th
Escorted ships of TF37 to Manus
after reduction of British element due to lack
of
fuel
from
British sources (See above references).
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS UNDAUNTED returned to UK after VJ Day and was
reduced to Reserve at Devonport.
She was laid up initially at Milford Haven but
returned to Devonport
in 1947. After conversion to Anti-Submarine
Frigate in 1954 she re-commissioned and
remained in service until 1973 when placed on
the Disposal List. This destroyer was then
used as a Target for submarine torpedo trials
and sunk by HM Submarine SWIFTSURE in November
1958.
No Convoy
Escort Movements Reported
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