Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer
ordered from J. S. White at Cowes under 1940
War Emergency Programme on 28th
July 1940. The ship was laid down on 23rd June
1941 as Job No J6126 and
launched on 12th September 1942. She was the
1st RN warship to carry the name
and had been adopted by the civil community of
South Moulton in the County of
Devonshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign. Build
completion date was 21st January 1943.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
SICILY
1943 - SALERNO 1943 - ADRIATIC 1944 - SOUTH
FRANCE 1944.
H
e r a l
d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field barry
wavy of four White and Blue a goat's head
erased Black gorged
with
a chain
Gold, suspended therefrom by a link chain, a
bugle horn also Gold.
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 3
January
Contractor's trials and commissioned for
service.
21st
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
Passage to Tobermory on completion of trials
and storing.
February
Worked-up for operational service.
Nominated for escort of military convoy during
passage to Gibraltar.
March
Prepared for foreign service.
16th
Joined HM Destroyers BADSWORTH, DOUGLAS,
GOATHLAND, WHADDON. Polish
KRAKOWIAK. HM Sloops WOODPECKER and WREN in
Clyde as escort for joint Convoy
WS28 to Indian Ocean and KMF11 to
Mediterranean.
21st
Joint convoy divided of Gibraltar after arrival of HM Destroyers MALCOLM,
WITCH,
QUADRANT and WOLVERINE joined to escort WS28
Section to Freetown.
Remained with KMF11 Section escort during
passage to Gibraltar.
22nd Took
passage to Malta to join 60 Destroyer
Division.
April
Deployed with Flotilla based in Malta for
escort and patrol duty in western and central
Mediterranean.
May
Escorted convoys in support of military
operation in North Africa.
Took part in blockade of Cape Bon to intercept
craft evacuating German troops from the
Tunisian
coast (Operation RETRIBUTION).
June
Nominated for support of allied landings in
Sicily as part of Escort Group W in Support
Force
East.
(Operation HUSKY - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett, Naval
Staff History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J
H de Winser.)
Deployed for Convoy defence and patrol based
in Malta.
July
Passage to Sfax
7th
Sailed from Sfax as part of escort for
military convoy SBS1 with Group.
10th
Detached from SBS1 and carried out naval
gunfire support, patrol and support duties.
August
Deployed for escort of convoys and
supplemented defence of ships off Sicily
Nominated for convoy defence and support of
planned allied landings in Italy
(Operation AVALANCHE – See above references
for details.)
September
Preparation for Salerno landings.
Part of Escort for troop convoys.
9th
Deployed with Escort Group (Operation
AVALANCHE - See above references).
16th
Provided naval gunfire support and AA defence
off Salerno beaches.
Deployed for patrols to intercept E-Boats
attempting to interfere with landings.
October
Deployed for convoy escort and patrol in
central Mediterranean.
to
Supported military operations off west coast
of Italy.
December
1
9 4 4
January
Escort and support of military operations in Western Mediterranean.
to
(See WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN (HMSO)
June
July
Under refit in Malta
Nominated for escort duty under US Command for
planned landings in South of France.
(Operation DRAGOON - For detail see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO).
August
On completion transferred to 5th Destroyer
Flotilla based in Malta.
Passage to Naples for escort duty.
13th
Escorted US military convoy SM2 with HM Escort
Destroyers ALDENHAM, BLACKMORE,
BEAUFORT, BELVOIR, WHADDON, LAUDERDALE and
Greek PINDOS.
15th
Arrived in Assault Area.
Reverted to control of CinC Mediterranean on
release from DRAGOON.
Resumed duty with 5th Flotilla.
September
Deployed in Adriatic in support of military
operations, convoy defence and for
interception
to
enemy supply shipping.
October
(See THE LAST DESTROYER by FA Mason for
details of Aegean deployments.)
November
Adriatic deployment in continuation.
7th
Bombarded E-Boat base and installations at
Lussino Island at Bar on mainland of
Yugoslavia.
December
Transferred to UK to reinforce defence of
coastal convoys.
Passage to UK.
(Note: U-Boat attacks were being concentrated
on convoy focal point in English Channel and
North Sea using SCHNORKEL fitted submarines
See SEEK AMD STRIKE by W Hackmann,
BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS by
J Terraine and HOLD THE NARROW
SEA by P Smith.).
1
9 4 5
January
Nominated for service with 18th Destroyer
Flotilla, Eastern Fleet but attached to 21st
Destroyer
to
Flotilla based at Sheerness for coastal convoy
defence and patrol in North Sea and eastern
April
English
Channel.
(Note: Atlantic convoys to east coast ports
were being re-routed through Channel as the
threat
of air attacks from French bases had been
eliminated).
(See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith).
May
After VE Day left 21st Destroyer Flotilla and
prepared for foreign service with Eastern
Fleet.
to
June
July
Passage to Trincomalee via Mediterranean
August
Arrived in Ceylon after VJ Day and not
deployed operationally.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS EGGESFORD
remained in Ceylon until October 1945 when she
returned to UK and joined the Rosyth
Training Flotilla.. On 25th November 1946 the
ship
paid off and reduced to Reserve status at Portsmouth.
Laid-up there until
1952 when transferred to Penarth.
Following
discussions with the Federal German Government
this destroyer was
sold for service in German navy with HM Escort
Destroyers OAKLEY, ALBRIGHTON, HM Sloops
ACTAEON, HART,
FLAMINGO and MERMAID in January 1957. Renamed
BROMY. She
was refitted at Pembroke Dock before being
commissioned for service as a
weapons training ship on 14th May 1959.
Removed from the Active List in 1979
she was scrapped in Germany.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
EGGESFORD
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
23/01/43
|
23/01/43
|
PW
283
|
25/01/43
|
25/01/43
|
15/03/43
|
15/03/43
|
KMF
011
|
25/03/43
|
23/03/43
|
24/03/43
|
24/03/43
|
KMF
011X
|
25/03/43
|
25/03/43
|
25/03/43
|
26/03/43
|
MKF
011
|
26/03/43
|
05/04/43
|
28/03/43
|
28/03/43
|
ET
016
|
30/03/43
|
01/04/43
|
31/05/43
|
05/06/43
|
KMS
015
|
08/06/43
|
14/06/43
|
28/07/43
|
05/08/43
|
GUS
011
|
06/08/43
|
26/08/43
|
13/08/44
|
13/08/44
|
SM
002A
|
15/08/44
|
15/08/44
|
06/09/44
|
06/09/44
|
SM
007
|
unknown
|
09/09/44
|
14/09/44
|
14/09/44
|
SRM
010
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|