RIVER-Class
Frigate ordered or. 8th May 1941 in the 1941 War
Programme from
Charles Hill, Bristol and laid down as Yard
No 291 on 31st January 1942. She was the 2nd of
the Class built in this
shipyard and was launched on 10th October that
year by Mrs J Hodges whose
husband worked for the
shipbuilder. This ship was the 7th RN ship to
carry the name,
introduced in 1757 for a 6th Rate and previously
by a vessel hired during WW1.
Build was completed on was 20th
February 1943. Following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK campaign for National
Savings the ship
had been adopted by the civil
community of Droylesden
.Lancashire, now in Tameside Metropolitan Borough,
Greater Manchester.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
LOUISBURG
1758 - QUEBEC 1759 - HAVANA 1762 - SICILY 1943 -
ATLANTIC
1943 - BURMA
1945
H e r a l d
i
c D a t a
No
details are given in the official Record of
Heraldic Crests which was exceptional
as the name
had been
previously used for several warships since 1757.
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
February
Contractors trials and commissioned for service
in Western Approaches Command.
27th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
March
Carried out sea trials in Bristol Channel,
15th
On completion of trials and storing took passage
to Tobermory
16th
Arrived at Tobermory to commence work-up for
operational service.
April
Passage to join Western Approaches Command for
Atlantic convoy defence.
May
Deployed for Atlantic convoy defence.
Nominated for support of planned allied landings
in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY)
June
Passage to Mediterranean as part of escort for
military convoy.
Deployed in Mediterranean
July
Joined
Support Force East for escort and support of
HUSKY
(For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by C Barnett. Naval Staff History
and for information about all mercantiles and
warships involved BRITISH INVASION
FLEETS by J de Winser.)
7th
Part of escort for assault convoys.
(Note: This deployment continued until build-up
of military units was complete.)
August
9th
Transferred
East Indies Station or convoy defence
Passage to Kilindini to join East.
Indies Escort Force.
September
Deployed at Kilindini
for defence of Indian
Ocean convoys.
October
20th
Joined military convoy WS33 at Durban as part of
escort during passage to Kilindini.
26th
Detached from WS33 on arrival.
30th
Deployed with HM Destroyer RAPID for escort of
WS33 during passage from Kilindini to
Aden
November
Deployed for Indian Ocean convoy defence.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January
Indian Ocean duties in continuation
to
Nominated for refit
February
Passage to Simonstown.
March
Taken in hand for refit at HM Dockyard
Simonstown.
April
On completion of post refit trials resumed
Indian Ocean-convoy defence.
May
Indian Ocean .deployment in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
Transferred to Trincomalee for duty with East
Indies Fleet.
Deployed for convoy defence in
Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal.
(For details of operations including landings on
coast of Burma see THE FORGOTTEN FLEET
by J Winton, OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray and
Naval Staff History.)
February
Allocated for escort of RFA Tanker ECHODALE in
Task Force 62 for replenishment of ships
carrying cut air operations.
(Operation STACEY - Photo-reconnaissance flights
over Malaya and Sumatra.)
22nd Sailed
from Trincomalee with RFA ECHODALE for
replenishment duty.
23rd
Detached from Force 62 and joined screen for
Task Force 61 in place of HM Frigate SPEY
which had a machinery defect.
(Note: Task Force 62 comprised HM Escort
Aircraft Carriers EMPRESS and AMEER,
HM Cruiser KENYA screened
by HM Destroyers VOLAGE, VIRAGO, VIGILANT, HM
Frigates SWALE and PLYM.)
24th
Refuelled from one of the Escort Carriers.
26th
Reconnaissance flights commenced.
March
Operation STACEY deployment in continuation.
7th
Returned to Trincomalee on completion of STACEY.
Resumed convoy defence duties.
April
Deployed with Force W for escort duties.
to
(Note: During this period Assault landings were
carried out at Rangoon
August
Operation DRACULA and Force W provided escorts
during passage of convoys.
Took part in extensive preparatory exercises.
(Note: Military convoys to ports in India and
Burma required suitable escorts by
ships of
Force W for planned landings in Malaya Operation
ZIPPER.)
Landings in Malaya were postponed until after VJ
Day but requirements for
escorts in
Bay of Bengal were undiminished.
This delay was due to administrative problems in
UK relating to the return of long
serving SEAC personnel and the insistence of
the US Government for
postponement.
(See above references and the SEAC Final
Report (HMSO).)
P
o s t W a r N o t es
HMS
TRENT took passage to Cape Town after VJ
Day and was refitted in a commercial shipyard.
After
completion the ship remained on the East Indies
Station and was
deployed in the Indian Ocean. She was
transferred to the Royal Indian Navy at Bombay
in May 1946 for use as a Survey Ship.
Following conversion for this type of duty, the
ship served as HMIS KHUKRI
until 1951
when she was renamed INS INVESTIGATOR. The name
change was made after the earlier Survey Ship
carrying the name, long been
associated with surveying in the East Indies
area, was sold. INS INVESTIGATOR Paid-off at the
end of September 1974
after over 25 years use as a survey ship.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS TRENT
by
Don Kindell
This
convoy list has not been cross-checked with the
text above
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy
No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
06/04/43
|
07/04/43
|
ON
177
|
17/04/43
|
23/04/43
|
18/04/43
|
24/04/43
|
HX
235
|
03/05/43
|
05/05/43
|
01/06/43
|
01/06/43
|
XK
008
|
10/06/43
|
10/06/43
|
28/06/43
|
28/06/43
|
KMF
018
|
07/07/43
|
11/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
17/07/43
|
MKS
018
|
22/07/43
|
22/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
GUS
010
|
22/07/43
|
09/08/43
|
14/07/43
|
24/07/43
|
MKF
019
|
28/07/43
|
30/07/43
|
08/08/43
|
09/08/43
|
OS
053KM
|
17/08/43
|
17/08/43
|
17/08/43
|
17/08/43
|
OS
053
|
27/08/43
|
27/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
31/08/43
|
ST
075
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
26/09/43
|
26/09/43
|
CF
014
|
04/10/43
|
10/10/43
|
20/10/43
|
20/10/43
|
CM
046
|
26/10/43
|
unknown
|
26/10/43
|
27/10/43
|
CM
046A
|
02/11/43
|
02/11/43
|
10/11/43
|
10/11/43
|
AB
020S
|
19/11/43
|
19/11/43
|
29/11/43
|
29/11/43
|
BA
056
|
07/12/43
|
07/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
20/12/43
|
AB
025A
|
27/12/43
|
27/12/43
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
AB
029A
|
13/02/44
|
13/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
07/02/44
|
AKD
014A
|
09/02/44
|
19/02/44
|
18/02/44
|
18/02/44
|
BA
062A
|
24/02/44
|
24/02/44
|
29/01/44
|
29/02/44
|
BA
059
|
04/02/44
|
04/02/44
|
05/03/44
|
05/03/44
|
AKD
017
|
10/03/44
|
23/03/44
|
01/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
CM
049B
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
14/03/44
|
AKD
017F
|
25/03/44
|
25/03/44
|
28/06/44
|
28/06/44
|
CM
055
|
04/07/44
|
04/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
14/07/44
|
CM
055A
|
19/07/44
|
19/07/44
|
09/08/44
|
09/08/44
|
AB
043
|
14/08/44
|
14/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
21/08/44
|
BA
077
|
26/08/44
|
26/08/44
|
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
ABF
004
|
20/09/44
|
20/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
27/09/44
|
BAF
005
|
02/10/44
|
02/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
20/10/44
|
ABF
005
|
25/10/44
|
25/10/44
|
09/11/44
|
09/11/44
|
ABF
005A
|
14/11/44
|
14/11/44
|
28/11/44
|
28/11/44
|
ABF
006
|
04/12/44
|
04/12/44
|
12/12/44
|
12/12/44
|
BAF
007
|
17/12/44
|
17/12/44
|
30/12/44
|
02/01/45
|
BAF
008
|
03/01/45
|
03/01/45
|
04/01/45
|
04/01/45
|
AJ
007/2
|
11/01/45
|
11/01/45
|
16/01/45
|
16/01/45
|
JA
002/2
|
22/01/45
|
22/01/45
|
25/01/45
|
25/01/45
|
ABF
008
|
30/01/45
|
30/01/45
|
08/05/45
|
08/05/45
|
KRS
002/
|
10/05/45
|
10/05/45
|
(Note
on Convoys)