CASTLE-Class
Corvette ordered on 9th December from
Fleming and Ferguson of Paisley, Glasgow
under the 1942 Emergency Programme and
to be built as a FLOWER Class Frigate and
named AMARILIS. Later the contract
was
changed for build of the new
design CASTLE Class Corvette bearing the
name ALLINGTON CASTLE. The ship was
laid down on 27th July 1943 and launched on
29th February 1944 as H.M.S. ALLINGTON
CASTLE. The error recognised June 1944 and
she was formally renamed ALLINGTON
CASTLE, a castle near Maidstone
in
Kant. No previous RN
warship had carried this name. Build
was completed on 19th June 1944.The ship was
adopted by the civil community
of Alsager,
Cheshire, but
not as part of the National Savings WARSHIP
WEEK campaigns held during 1941 -
42.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1944-45 -
ARCTIC
1944-45
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field White, on a cross couped
Red, a pheon
Gold
(Note:
Based on the Arms of the Wyatt family who
owned the
land at one time.)
S
u m m a r
y 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 4
June
Contractors trials and commissioned
for service.
Allocated for
service in 8th
Escort Group.
19th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
21st
Taken
in hand for
repair of defects.
30th On
completion of trials and storing took
passage to Tobermory.
July
Carried
out work-up at for operational
service.
17th
Joined Group and
deployed for convoy escort in NW
Approaches and Irish Sea.
23rd
Deployed in Clyde.
August
1st
Passage to Londonderry to join escort for
Gibraltar route convoy.
18th
Arrived at Gibraltar.
Return passage to Clyde
as escort to inward convoy..
Detached from convoy on
arrival and returned to Londonderry.
(Note:
Slight damage by fire reported on
16th August.)
September
Nominated for detached service with Home
Fleet for escort of Russian convoy.
12th
Passage
to Loch Ewe to join convoy.
15th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers KEPPEL, BULLDOG,
WHITEHALL HM Corvette BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE as close Escort for
Russian Convoy JW60 from Loch
(Note: Home Fleet ships
providing cover and support included HM
Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carrier
CAMPANIA, HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR,
MILNE, MUSKETEER,
SAUMAREZ, SAVAGE,
VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN (RCN) and SIOUX (RCN).
(For details
of all Russian convoy operations including
names of mercantiles
being escorted, see
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, by C Barnett, RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by B
Schoefield,
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R
A
Ruegg, ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman
and CONVOY! by
P Kemp.)
23rd Detached
from JW60 on arrival at Kola
Inlet after an uninterrupted passage,
despite attempts by
GRIMM
U-BOAT Group and aircraft to locate the
convoy.
29th
Joined
dose Escort fbr
return convoy RA 60 from Kola
29th
Interception
by U-Boat Groups GRIMM and ZORN failed.
During independent
attack by U310 two mercantiles
were sunk.
(Note:
Sinking of U921 by aircraft from HMS
CAMPANIA after an earlier
attack by SWORDFISH
aircraft
Is not confirmed by post war analysis.
See
HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair and U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp.).
October
4th
Detached from RA60 with
close
Escort during
passage to
Loch Ewe.
5th
Arrived in Clyde.
13th
Deployed with
escort of UK-Gibraltar
convoy.
23rd
At
Gibraltar.
30th
Passage
to UK with return
convoy.
November
8th
Arrived in Clyde.
Transferred to 20th
Escort Grew with H M Destroyers KEPPEL,
BEAGLE, BULLDOG and
WESTCOTT, HM Sloops
CYGNET, LAPWING and HM Corvette BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE.
28th
Passage to Aultbea
to join escort for Russian Convoy.
29th
Joined Russian Convoy JW62 with HM
Frigates BAHAMAS, LOCH ALVIE, SOMALILAND,
TAVY,
TORTOLA, HM Canadian Frigates MONNOW, NESS,
PORT COLBOURNE, ST
JOHN,
STORMONT,
HM Corvettes BAMBOROUGH CASTLE, TUNGSTEN
(Norwegian) and
EGLANTINE.
December
1st
HM Cruiser BELLONA, HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers CAMPANIA, NAIRANA, HM Destroyers
BEAGLE, BULLDOG,
CAESAR, CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA,
KEPPEL,
OBEDIENT, ONSLAUGHT,
ONSLOW, ORIBI, ORWELL and WESTCOTT joined
RW62
to
supplement
escort.
(Note:
Although threat by German Battleship TIRPITZ
had been removed
after attack by the RAF
additional
escorts from Home Fleet were provided by
Hone
Fleet because of the threat
to Russian
convoys by aircraft and submarines.
7th
Detached from RW 62 at Kola Inlet after
uninterrupted passage.
(Note: U-Boats of
STOCK Group failed to make contact.
Attempts
by single U-Boats were unsuccessful. See
above references.)
9th
Sailed from
Kola Inlet with other escorts to carry out
anti-submarine
operation against
U-Boats
assembled
to carry out concerted attacks on departing
ships.
(Note: U367 was sunk by HMS BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE during anti-submarine operation.)
See U-BOATS DESTROYED by
P Kemp.)
10th
Joined escort for return Convoy RA62
after departure from Kola Inlet.
11th
HMS CASSANDRA hit by torpedo from U365
and returned to Kola Inlet for repair.
12th
HM Norwegian Corvette TUNSBERG CASTLE
sank after striking mine 110 miles NW Kola.
(See above
references.)
Air
attacks on convoy failed and
two enemy aircraft destroyed.
13th
U365 sunk by two SWORDFISH aircraft
from 813 Squadron embarked in HMS CAMPANIA.
(See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
17th
RCN escorts and HMS LOCH ALVIE detached
from RA62.
20th
Arrived in Clyde after RA62 reached
Loch Ewe.
30th
Joined Convoy JW63 as escort during
passage to Kola Inlet with HM Destroyers
KEPPEL.
WALKER
and WESTCOTT, HM Sloops CYGNET,
LAPWING, LARK, H M Corvettes
BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE and ALNWICK CASTLE.
1
9 4 5
January
1st
HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft
Carrier VINDEX, HM Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE,
SCOURGE, SERAPIS,
ZAMBESI, ZEBRA,
ALGONQUIN (RCN), SIOUX joined JW63 to
supplement
escort.
8th
Detached from JW63 on arrival at Kola
Inlet after uninterrupted passage.
11th
Joined return convoy RA63 en departure
from Kola Inlet as escort with same snipe as
deployed with
JW63
(Note: Convoy forced
to shelter due to
severe weather NE of Faroes.)
24th
Sailed
from Faroes
with re-assembled Convoy
RA63.
26th
Detached from RA63 after arrival at Loch
Ewe.
27th
Arrived
In Clyde.
28th
Deployed
as escort for Escort Aircraft Carrier during
Deck Landing
Training
29th
Taken in hand for repair by Henderson
shipyard, Glasgow.
March
9th
Resumed
convoy defence duties and deployed for Local
Escort.
12th
Joined
Convoy JW65 at Loch Ewe as Close Escort
during passage to Kola
Inlet with HM Corvettes
ALNWICK CASTLE,
BAMBOROUGH CASTLE, LANCASTER CASTLE,
CAMELLIA,
HONEYSUCKLE,
OXLIP, HM Destroyers
MYNGS, STORD (Norwegian) and HM Sloop
LAPWING.
(Note: HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft Carrier CAMPANIA,
HM Destroyers
ONSLAUGHT,
OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SCORPION,
ZAMBESI, SIOUX (RCN)
and
HM
Corvette FARNHAM CASTLE were
also deployed to
reinforce escort.
15th
HM
Escort Aircraft
Carrier TRUMPETER escorted by HM Destroyers
SAVAGE and SCOURGE
joined
to provide increased air cover.
17th
Patrol
line of U-Boats of HAGEN Croup off Bear
Island failed to sight
convoy due to poor
visibility.
20th
Convoy
under U-Boat attacks during snow storms
which prevented air
operations from the two
carriers.
HMS LAPWING hit by
torpedo from U968.
(Note: This Sloop
later sank.
See above
references and WARSHIP LOSSES IN WW2 by D.
Brawn.)
Two mercantiles
were also torpedoed, one being sunk and the
other beached later
21st
Detached from JW65 after arrival at Kola
Inlet.
23rd
Deployed
with other escorts to carry cut attacks on
known assembly of U-Boats.
(Note: Convoy
re-routed through swept passage in Russian
minefield which avoided the awaiting
submarines.
Anti-submarine
operations were carried out by escorts in
the assembly
area before joining
return convoy
RA65.)
On
completion of operations joined
RA65 as escort for return passage with same
escorts as for
JW65
30th
Remained with RA65 when Home
Fleet ships detached.
April
1st
Detached from RA65 with Corvettes en
arrival at Scapa Flow.
Deployed
for convoy defence and anti-submarine
operations In
NW Approaches.
18th
Passage to Clyde from Scapa Flow.
20th
Deployed in Irish Sea in continuation.
(Note:
SCHNORKEL fitted
U-Boats were extensively deployed in coastal
waters.
See HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair, SEEK AND
STRIKE by W Hackman
and HOLD
THE NARROW SEA by P
Smith.)
May
12th
Passage to Scapa Flew from Clyde.
14th
Returned to Clyde.
(Note: After VE Day,
Western Approaches escorts were depleted to
meet surrendering U-Boats at
sea and also in
ports in Norway.
See
HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR and U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO)
for
details
on U-Boat operations in 1945.)
17th Nominated
for reduction to Reserve status
21st
Took passage from Clyde to Sheerness
for transfer to Reserve.
P o s t
W a
r N o t e s
HMS
ALLINGTON CASTLE was nominated
for further service in June 19t5 but could not
be brought out of Reserve
for
deployment in the Fishery Protection
Squadron until the
manning situation allowed. The ship was
recommissioned
at
Sheerness in
January 1946 and was
based at Fleetwood. She was deployed in Home
Waters for patrol duties until
1948 and laid-up in Reserve at Harwich.
After that Division closed, this ship,
reclassified as a Frigate, was transferred
to West
Hartlepool
where
she remained until 1958.
Placed on the Disposal
List as part of Defence Review in 1957 she
was sold to BISCO for demolition by by
T Young at Sunderland where she arrived in
tow on 20th
December 1958.
Special
Acknowledgement
This
revised
issue has been made possible by receipt of
details of Ship Movements supplied
by the Archivist of THE CASTLE
CLASS CORVETTES ASSOCIATION and also
information from THE NAVAL HISTORICAL
COLLECTORS
AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION.
The information
kindly forwarded has confirmed many of the
dates
in the former
issue and
filled in many gaps. This assistance is
greatly acknowledged.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
ALLINGTON CASTLE
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/08/44
|
02/08/44
|
OS
085KM
|
11/08/44
|
11/08/44
|
12/08/44
|
12/08/44
|
KMS
059G
|
13/08/44
|
13/08/44
|
18/08/44
|
18/08/44
|
MKS
058G
|
19/08/44
|
19/08/44
|
19/08/44
|
19/08/44
|
SL
167MK
|
27/08/44
|
29/08/44
|
25/08/44
|
27/08/44
|
OS
087KM
|
30/08/44
|
03/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
15/09/44
|
JW
060
|
23/09/44
|
23/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
RA
060
|
04/10/44
|
05/10/44
|
15/10/44
|
15/10/44
|
OS
092KM
|
25/10/44
|
25/10/44
|
25/10/44
|
25/10/44
|
KMS
066G
|
26/10/44
|
26/10/44
|
29/10/44
|
29/10/44
|
MKS
065G
|
30/10/44
|
30/10/44
|
30/10/44
|
30/10/44
|
SL
174MK
|
07/11/44
|
07/11/44
|
29/11/44
|
29/11/44
|
JW
062
|
07/12/44
|
07/12/44
|
10/12/44
|
10/12/44
|
RA
062
|
19/12/44
|
19/12/44
|
30/12/44
|
30/12/44
|
JW
063
|
08/01/45
|
08/01/45
|
11/01/45
|
11/01/45
|
RA
063
|
19/01/45
|
21/01/45
|
11/03/45
|
11/03/45
|
JW
065
|
21/03/45
|
21/03/45
|
23/03/45
|
23/03/45
|
RA
065
|
01/04/45
|
01/04/45
|
02/05/45
|
02/05/45
|
OS
126KM
|
05/05/45
|
08/05/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)