Cunard Line mercantile requisitioned in August 1939 for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. This ship was later purchased outright, converted for use as a Repair Ship and renamed HMS ARTIFEX. She remained in service after 1945 for training duties and was placed in Reserve in 1955. She was sold for breaking-up in Italy in 1960.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

None are recorded in the standard reference sources.

(Note:  It is possible that  'OKINAWA  1945' was

awarded after WW2 but this has not been confirmed.)

 

H e r a l d i c  D a t a

(As  HMS ARTIFEX)

Badge: On a Field Gold, in front of three sledge hammers

an Anvil Black.

 

 

S u m m a r y   o f   S e r v i c e

 

(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search

 

 

1 9 3 9

 

 

August           Hired for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser

 

September      Under conversion. 6in guns fitted.

                         (For details of the service of this type of warships see ARMED MERCHANT CRUISERS by

                         K  Poolman.)

 

October

                1st    Commissioned as HMS AURANIA.

 

November       On completion of conversion and work-up deployed for trade defence in Atlantic

to

December

 

1 9 4 0   t o   1 9 4 1

 

                        Atlantic Trade Defence deployment in continuation.

 

1 9 4 2

January           Atlantic trade defence in continuation.

to                     Selected for conversion for use as Heavy Repair Ship.

October

 

November       Purchased outright.

 

December       Paid off and taken in hand for conversion.

                         (Note: One source states the conversion was undertaken by an Admiralty Team based at

                                     Trincomalee,  Ceylon and therefore may have been carried out in Ceylon.

                                     See ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTION by D K Brown.).

 

1 9 4 3

 

                        Under conversion

 

 1 9 4 4

 

January          Under conversion.

to

July

 

August          Commissioned as HMS ARTIFEX on completion of conversion

 

September     Post refit trials and preparations for service in Pacific.

to

December

 

1 9 4 5

 

January          Passage to join British Pacific Fleet

to

February

 

March            Joined British Fleet Train , (Task Force 112), and deployed at British Forward Base in Manus,

                       Admiralty Islands Manus for support of ships of  Task Force 57 British Pacific Fleet.

              19th  Passage to Leyte for support of operations by Task Force 57 ships against airfield targets in

                        Sakishima-Gunto Islands. (Operation ICEBERG TWO).

                               (Note: Slips of Task Group 112 sent to the US Base at Leyte included HM HQ Ship LOTHIAN.

                                           Flagship of TG112, HM Depot Ship TYNE, Fleet Oilers and Supply Ships for water,

                                           armament and naval stores.)

 

April               Support duties at Leyte in continuation.

                        See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton, TASK FORCE 57 by Peter C Smith,

                        WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO) and OPERATION PACIFIC by E Grey for details  of

                        ICEBERG TWO operations by RN ships.)

 

May

              20th  Took passage Manus for support of the planned operations by Task Force 57 ships in Japanese

                        waters.

 

June               Deployed at Manus for Fleet Support. (See above references)

to

July

 

August          Remained at Manus until RN ships returned to Australia after their withdrawal from operations

                        with Task Force 36.

                                (Note: See above references for details of this withdrawal due to the lack of fuel from British

                                            sources.)

September     On release from British Pacific Fleet returned to UK.

 

1 9 4 6

 

                        After arrival in UK remained in commission and selected for training duties

                        Passage to Rosyth for training of Artificer Apprentices of HMS CALEDONIA.

 

1 9 4 7  t o  1 9 5 4

 

                        Deployed at Rosyth for Artificer Apprentice training.

 

1 9 5 5

 

                        Paid off into Reserve Fleet and destored.

                        Remained at Rosyth as Tender to HMS CALEDONIA.

 

 F i n a l   P h a s e

 

HMS ARTIFEX was laid up at Rosyth within HM Dockyard and placed on the Disposal List. She was to BISCO for demolition by an Italian shipbreaker on 28th December 1960 and towed from Rosyth to Spezia on 7th  January 1961.

 

 

---

 

Addenda

 

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS AURANIA

by Don Kindell

 

These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above

  

 

(Note on Convoys)

 

---

 

LAST YEARS OF HMS ARTIFEX

by Jeff Hannan (2 Aug 2010)

I have a copy of my late father's Christmas Menu of 1945 that shows ARTIFEX spent Christmas 1945 at Hong Kong. She had been sent there with emergency medical supplies and to repair the hospital. Her crew also repaired other local services like parts of the tramway system and generators. On return to the UK, ARTIFEX was initially placed in reserve at Gareloch (1946-1947/8), by 1948 she was being used as a training vessel attached to HMS Caledonia, the RN training establishment for shipwright artificer apprentices at Rosyth, where she remained until 1955.  She was then placed in reserve and finally laid up, placed on the disposal list and sold for scrapping. She was dismantled at La Spezia, Italy in 1961.