Type
III HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from
Swan Hunter at Newcastle
on
23rd August 1940 and laid down on 12th December
1940 as
Job Number J4275. She was launched as HMS
HATHERLEIGH on 18th December 1941 as
the 1st RN ship to bear this name, that of a
Devonshire fox-hunt. The ship was
transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy on 24th
March 1942 and renamed HHelMS KANARIS. Build
was completed on 10th August 1942.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
No British
Battle Honours were
awarded as
the ship
served in an allied Navy
Ship Badge
None is included
in the Official
List of Heraldic Crests for RN warships
as she
was never
in
commission with the Royal Navy.
D
e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e a
s H H e l M
S K A N A R I A S
(for more ship
information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search)
1
9 4 2
March
Transferred
to Royal Hellenic Navy whilst fitting out.
April
to June
Fitting-out
in continuation.
July
Contractors
trials.
August
Commissioned
for service as HHelMS KANARIS.
10th
- Build completion and commenced Acceptance
trials.
Passage
to
Scapa Flow on completion of trials and storing.
September
Worked-up
for operational service in Royal Navy with ships
of Home Fleet
at Scapa Flow
1st -
Escorted HHelMS ADRIAS (Ex HMS BORDER) to Tyne
for repair.
2nd -
Return passage to Scapa Flow as escort for HM
Aircraft Carrier
FURIOUS with HM Escort Destroyer BLEAN
Resumed
work-up on arrival. On
completion took passage to join escort for
military Convoy WS23 in Clyde as
part of Ocean Escort during passage to Durban
30th
- Arrived in Clyde and joined HM Cruisers
DESPATCH, DURBAN, HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser QUEEN of BERMUDA, HM
Escort Destroyer PUCKERIDGE, HM
Destroyers ANTELOPE and VELOX for Ocean Escort.
(Note: WS23 comprised eight
troopships and a Local Escort of three
destroyers was provided for passage in
NW Approaches.)
October
4th -
Joined WS23 after delayed departure.
15th
- Detached from WS23 before arrival at Freetown
and made
independent passage.
16th
- At Freetown.
20th
- Sailed from Freetown with HMS DURBAN, HM Armed
Merchant Cruiser
CARTHAGE as Ocean Escort during passage to
Durban. (Note: Local Escort was
provided for initial stage of passage from
Freetown.)
November
5th -
Detached from WS23 at Durban.
Took
independent passage to
Alexandria from Durban with call at Aden. Joined
HHelMS PINDOS for Fleet duties
on arrival in Alexandria.
December
Deployed
at Alexandria.
1
9 4 3
January
to April
Deployed
for escort of convoys in eastern
Mediterranean (Note: Convoys were no long
proceeding direct to Malta from
Alexandria as ships bound for Malta joined
coastal convoys for Benghazi and
then detached for Malta. Coastal convoys were
escorted from ships based
at Alexandria and later by ships from Malta.)
May
Deployed
for support of military operations during
advance of Eighth Army into Tunisia, Joined 5th
Destroyer Flotilla to intercept craft evacuating
personnel from Cape Bon area (Operation
RETRIBUTION – For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett and
Naval Staff History).
June
Deployed
in Malta for convoy defence. Nominated for
support of planned
allied landings in Sicily. (Operation HUSKY –
For details see BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser, Naval Staff
History and THE BATTLE FOR THE
MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre.)
July
Deployed
with Greek Destroyers PINDOS, ADRIAS, MIAOULIS,
THEMISTOCLES and
Mediterranean Fleet Destroyers for escort of
Assault Convoys to British landing
areas in Sicily.
9th -
Present at initial landings and provided naval
gunfire support.
Deployed
for
escort of Build-up phase convoys.
12th
- Deployed with HM Destroyers ESKIMO and EXMOOR
in an attempt to
enter harbour at Augusta which failed after
coming under fire from shore
battery.
August
to December
Resumed
Mediterranean convoy defence duties on
release from HUSKY (Note: Did not take part in
landings at Salerno in September
1943 (Operation AVALANCHE), or Operation
ACCOLADE for defence of military forces
in Leros and Cos).
It is
not known to what extent this ship was involved
in the
indiscipline amongst Greek naval personnel at
Alexandria during this period.
1
9 4 4
January
to February
Convoy
defence in continuation.
March
19th
- Sustained serious structural damage in
collision with HM Cruiser
HAWKINS during passage in Red Sea.
25th
- Taken in hand for repair at Massawa.
April
to July
Under
repair
August
Resumed
Mediterranean Fleet service with 5th Destroyer
Flotilla at
Alexandria
September
Nominated
for service in British Aegean Force for support
of
re-occupation of islands in Aegean with Greek
destroyers THEMISTOCLES. PINDOS,
MIAOULIS and KRITI. (Operation MANNA) (Note:
This included provision of naval
gunfire support, landing of troops and
interception of craft attempting to
carry out evacuation of German garrisons.)
October
to November
Deployed
in Aegean for support of MANNA in continuation.
December
Deployed
in support operations in Greek coastal waters
and convoy
defence. Present at re-occupation of Piraeus.
1
9 4 5
January
to May
Deployed
with other Greek Navy destroyers for support of
military
operations in Greece and for convoy defence.
June
to August
Deployed
in for operations in Greek coastal waters as
required by Greek
authorities.
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HHelMS
KANARIS remained in Greek naval service after VJ
Day. In 1959 the ship was
returned to the Royal Navy. Placed
on the Disposal List she was sold for demolition
to a Greek shipbreaker
and arrived in tow at a local
shipbreaking yard in 1960.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HM
Hellenic Ship
KANARIS
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
13/11/42
|
13/11/42
|
CM
035
|
21/11/42
|
23/11/42
|
22/12/42
|
22/12/42
|
PA
016
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
21/01/43
|
21/01/43
|
MH
003/M
|
26/01/43
|
26/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
27/01/43
|
ME
016
|
01/02/43
|
01/02/43
|
29/04/43
|
29/04/43
|
MW
027
|
unknown
|
04/05/43
|
31/05/43
|
08/06/43
|
KMS
015
|
14/06/43
|
14/06/43
|
18/06/43
|
18/06/43
|
XTG
002
|
24/06/43
|
29/06/43
|
05/07/43
|
05/07/43
|
MWF
036
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
13/07/43
|
MEF
037
|
15/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
20/07/43
|
20/07/43
|
MWF
038
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
MEF
038
|
28/07/43
|
28/07/43
|
10/08/43
|
10/08/43
|
GUS
012
|
20/08/43
|
06/09/43
|
06/08/43
|
30/08/43
|
UGS
014
|
01/09/43
|
02/09/43
|
30/08/43
|
30/08/43
|
GUS
014
|
01/09/43
|
26/09/43
|
17/09/43
|
18/09/43
|
MKF
024
|
23/09/43
|
07/10/43
|
15/09/43
|
25/09/43
|
KMF
024
|
29/09/43
|
29/09/43
|
17/10/43
|
23/10/43
|
MKF
025
|
26/10/43
|
04/11/43
|
27/10/43
|
06/11/43
|
KMF
025A
|
11/11/43
|
11/11/43
|
17/11/43
|
17/11/43
|
MKF
026
|
30/11/43
|
09/12/43
|
03/01/44
|
03/01/44
|
XIF
007
|
08/01/44
|
08/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
XIF
008
|
25/01/44
|
25/01/44
|
20/01/44
|
28/01/44
|
MKF
028
|
29/01/44
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
SNF
014
|
11/02/44
|
11/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
21/02/44
|
SNF
015
|
24/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
14/02/44
|
26/02/44
|
GUS
031
|
26/02/44
|
18/03/44
|
21/02/44
|
27/02/44
|
KMF
029
|
02/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
18/02/44
|
01/03/44
|
UGS
033A
|
03/03/44
|
29/02/44
|
11/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
XIF
011
|
15/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
16/03/44
|
IXF
011
|
19/03/44
|
21/03/44
|
03/09/44
|
03/09/44
|
MKF
034
|
07/09/44
|
14/09/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|