H
e
r a l d i
c D
a t a
1 9 4 3
September
Contractors
trials and commissioning.
10th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
Work-up delayed
by trials defects and installation
problems.
October
Under repair
to
November
Under repair
5th
Taken in hand in build yard for
completion of Alterations and
Additions (A
and A's)
work and repair.
December
Under repair
1
9
4 4
January
Under repair
(Note:
Modification for use as Carrier Flagship
with Aircraft Direction facilities.
was part of
the additional work.)
February
On completion of work prepared
for work-up in Clyde area.
March
Work-up in continuation.
30th
Joined escort for HM Battleships ANSON,
DUKE OF YORK, HM Aircraft Carriers
FURIOUS,
VICTORIOUS and Escort Carriers with HM
Cruisers BELFAST,
SHEFFIELD and
JAMAICA screened by Fleet destroyers for
air attacks on German
battleship
TIRPITZ at Altenfjord
(Operation TUNGSTEN). April
April
3rd
Air attacks not successful.
(Note: This Home
Fleet deployment also covered passage of
Russian Convoy JW5S)
10th
Fighter Direction training at Scapa
Flow.
12th
Escorted HM Escort Aircraft Carriers
EMPEROR and STRIKER with
HMS SHEFFIELD
during air
attacks on
shipping off Norway.
On return
started refit in Tyne shipyard.
May
Under
refit.
Nominated for
support of allied landings in South
France and took passage.
(Note: To be
deployed as Flagship of British
Carrier Group TG881.)
June
On completion took
passage to Mediterranean.
July
On arrival deployed in
central Mediterranean.
August
Transferred to US Navy overall
Command for South of France landings.
(Operation
DRAGOON - For details see
LANDINGS IN THE SOUTH OF
FRANCE
(HMSO).
Joined HM
Cruiser DELHI and HM Escort Carriers
ATTACKER, EMPEROR, KHEDIVE,
SEARCHER and PURSUER
to form TG881 for air cover during
Assault
Phase of operation.
15th
Arrived off Beach Head area and
commenced Fighter Direction
operations.
(See above
reference).
28th
Released from DRAGOON transferred to
British Aegean Force to intercept craft
evacuating
enemy forces from islands.
September
Deployed north of Crete to
cover air operations by Escort Carriers.
15th
In action against warships in Aegean
off Cape Spatha
with HM Destroyer TEAZER.
German
escort EXPEL and UJ2171 (HEIDELBERG) were
sunk (Operation OUTING I).
24th
Covered reoccupation of Aegean Inlands
and Greek mainland
with HM Escort Carriers
EMPEROR, HUNTER,
KHEDIVE, PURSUER, SEARCHER and STALKER
(Operation
MANNA).
October
12th
Escorted Escort Carriers during support
operations and
provided naval gunfire with HM
Cruisers ORION, AJAX,
BLACK PRINCE, ARGONAUT, AURORA and
COLOMBO.
30th
Returned to Alexandria
after release from Aegean and Greek
operations.
November
Deployed in Eastern Mediterranean. Nominated
for duty with Eastern Fleet
at Trincomalee.
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Under
refit at Alexandria.
February
Passage
to Ceylon.
Match
Joined 21st Aircraft Carrier
Squadron.
April
23rd
Worked-up for East
Indies military support
operations with HM Escort Carriers
HUNTER, STALKER,
EMPEROR, KHEDIVE, HM Cruiser PHOEBE.
28th
Covered assault landings near Rangoon
(Operation DRACULA).
May
4th
Escorted Escort Carriers during air
strikes on shipping off
Tenasserim
coast and
airfields.
10th
Escorted Escort Carriers during search
In 11 Degree Channel
for Japanese warships
evacuating Nicobar
and Andaman Islands.
(Note: HM
Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH, French
battleship RICHELIEU,
HM
Cruiser CUMBERLAND and Netherlands
cruiser TROMP screened by eight
destroyers
were also deployed. See THE FORGOTTEN
FLEET and
WAR
WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).)
11th
Covered Escort Carriers during air
attacks on Car Nicobar.
14th
Search extended to cover 6 Degree
Channel for interception of
Japanese warships
by destroyers
of 26th Flotilla.
Escort
reinforced by HMS CUMBERLAND (Operation
MITRE).
(This operation
culminated in the sinking of the
Japanese cruiser HAGURO.
For further
details in SINK THE HAGURO by J Winton
and above reference.
16th
Covered air strikes by HMS HUNTER and
HMS KHEDIVE on Andamans.
June
20th
Escorted HMS STALKER, HMS KHEDIVE and
HMS AMEER with HM
Cruiser SUFFOLK
screened by
five destroyers
during
series of air operations including
attacks on airfields
and shipping
off coast of Sumatra.
Photo-reconnaissance
flights were also made over southern
Malaya (Operation BALSAM).
July
Escorted Squadron
Carriers during shipping strikes and
attacks on targets in Malayan area.
Prepared for assault
landings in Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER).
August
Passage
to ZIPPER operational area.
(Note: This
British operations was postponed at US
insistence and implementation of the
PYTHON Scheme to
return long serving service personnel in
SEAC to
UK.
See ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett
, OPERATION
PACIFIC by E
Gray and above reference.)
September
9th
Covered landing operations in Malaya as
escort for ships of 21st Aircraft
Squadron with HMS
NELSON, French
RICHELIEU, HM Cruisers CEYLON,
NIGERIA and CLEOPATRA.
11th
At Singapore
for surrender ceremony.