1
9 3 9
August
Commissioned and took passage to Portland.
Attended Royal
Review.
Passage to
Gibraltar
to take up War Station
September
Joined 13th Destroyer Flotilla and
deployed for convoy defence and
Contraband
Control
in Western
Mediterranean.
October
Flotilla duties at Gibraltar
in continuation.
to
November
December
18th
Joined outward Convoy HG11 as escort for
initial stage of passage to Liverpool
with HM Sloop
SANDWICH
and two French Navy destroyers
19th
Detached from HG11with escort and
returned to
Gibraltar
1
9 4 0
January
Deployed with Flotilla at
Gibraltar
for Atlantic convoy escort and patrol
Flotilla deployment in continuation
February
18th
Deployed as escort for inward Convoy
OG15F during passage in Atlantic to
Gibraltar
with HM Sloop
ABERDEEN.
22nd
Detached from OG15F ob arrival at Gibraltar
March
Gibraltar Flotilla deployment in
continuation.
to
April
May
Gibraltar
deployment with Flotilla in continuation
Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to I90
June
Nominated for duty with Force H as
required after formation.
July
Deployed for reconnaissance of French
naval activities at
Oran
after
French surrender.
(Note: This
deployment was made before the attempt
to negotiate
the future
role of the French warships at Oran..
For details
see
RELUCTANT ENEMIES by W
Tute
and ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett).
Transferred to Home Fleet and took
passage to
Scapa Flow.
August
Deployed at Scapa
Flow for Fleet screening and patrol duties.
to
November
December
Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron with HM Destroyer
BATH,
ST
ALBANS
and KEPPEL during minelay in NW
Approaches with cover from Home Fleet
(Operation SN10A)
(For details of all minelaying
operations see Naval Staff History
(Mining).
1
9 4 1
January
Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying
Squadron with HM Destroyers
BEAGLE, KEPPEL and Free French destroyer
OURAGON for
minelaying
operations north and south of Faeroes
covered by Home
Fleet ships (Operation SN6).
February
Transferred to Western Approaches
Command for service with 2nd
to
Escort Group for Atlantic convoy escort
with HM Destroyers
March
VETERAN, LEAMINGTON, SKATE, SALADIN, HM Corvettes
ABELIA, ANEMONE and VERONICA.
April;
Part of escort for Convoy OB314 and
detached with HM Destroyers
LEAMINGTON and ROXBOROUGH to reinforce escort for
Convoy HX121 by HM Destroyers MAORI and
INGLEFIELD.
(Note:
HX121 was under attack by group of
U-Boats.)
(For details of U-BOAT deployments see
U-BOAT WAR IN THE
ATLANTIC (HMSO) and for current tactics
and weapons used in
defence of convoys THE BATTLE
OF THE ATLANTIC by D.
MacIntyre.)
28th
Carried out depth charge attacks which
sank U65
(Note:
Credit for sinking of U65 was originally
given to HM
Corvette GLADIOLUS but subsequently to
this ship.
(Note: See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR, Volume 1 by C Blair.)
May
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
to
August
September
10th
Deployed in Iceland
area.
11th
Despatched with HM Destroyers
LEAMINGTON,
VETERAN,
HM Corvettes GLADIOLUS, WETASKIWIN (RCN), HM
Trawlers BUTTERMERE and WINDERMERE to
reinforce
escort of Convoy SC42 which was
under sustained and heavy
attacks by U-Boat Group
MARKGRAF.
(Note: The
Trawlers were Whalers requisition in
1939 for use as
minesweeping
escorts.)
Air cover was also provided by CATALINA
aircraft of
209 Squadron RAF based in Iceland.)
Directed anti-submarine operations in
defence of SC42 with
ships of Group during which
U207 was sunk
(Note: This
sinking was not recognised until after
the end of
WW2 and then credited to HMS LEAMINGTON
and
HMS VETERAN.
See HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR.) 1.)
October
Deployed with Group for escort of
Convoys ONS25 and HX154.
November
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 2
January
Escorted Convoy ON55 with US
destroyer MAYO and sustained
damage when these two ships
collided in extreme weather
conditions. See HITLER’S U-BOAT
WAR.
Detached from ON55 and rook passage to
Iceland
for repair.
Nominated for conversion to Short
Range Escort. See V & W
DESTROYERS by A Preston and BRITISH DESTROYERS
by E March.
February
Passage to UK
for repair and refit
Taken in hand for refit and
conversion.
March
Under refit.
to
(Note: Escorts were being fitted with
Surface warning radar
April
Type 271 by this period, Fit during
refit to be confirmed)
May
On completion of post refit trials took
passage to
Scapa Flow
for
deployment
with Home Fleet.
June
Nominated for support of passage to
Convoys PQ17 and QP13
during
passage in Arctic
Ocean.
(For details of all Russian Convoy
operations see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA
by RA Ruegg,
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp. ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman, THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by
B Schoefield
and Naval Staff History.)
Passage to Iceland
to join Convoy PQ17.
27th
Sailed from
Reykjavik
with PQ17 as escort for RFA GREY
RANGER.
July
2nd
Detached from PQ17 with RFA
GREY
RANGER on completion
of fuelling for escorts and
took passage to join QP13 for fuelling.
4th
Remained with QP13 when PQ17 was
scattered on orders from
Admiralty because of perceived threat of
attack by German
major
warships.
(For details see above references and
THE CONVOY IS TO
SCATTER by J Broome.)
7th
Detached from QP13 on arrival in
Icelandic waters.
8th
Resumed Atlantic convoy defence duties
in Western Approaches
Command.
August
Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 3
January
Western Approached deployment in
continuation.
to
June
July
Deployed with HM Canadian Destroyer
IROQUOIS and HM
Frigate MOYOLA for escort of military
convoy during
Atlantic
passage to Gibraltar.
11th
Under attack 300 miles west of
Portuguese coast by He177
aircraft
using radio controlled Glider Bomb Hs293
(but see addenda) during
which
troopships
DUCHESS OF YORK
and CALIFORNIA
were hit
and sunk with PORT
FAIRY damaged.
Took part in rescue operations.
(Note: This
was first successful attack by German
aircraft using
these
weapons and received little publicity.
694
passengers
were rescued and 57 perished.)
August
Convoy escort in continuation.
to
(Note: A significant increase of
military convoys took place in 1943
September
due to the military operations in the
Mediterranean area.)
October
Deployed for defence of UK
–
Gibraltar
route convoys.
31st
Shared credit for sinking U732 with HM
Trawler IMPERIALIST in
position
35.54N 05.53W west of Gibraltar.
Rescued eight
survivors.
(Note: This
submarine had been attacked by HMS
IMPERIALIST
and forced to submerge. After
resurfacing U752 was
detected on radar by an
aircraft and abandoned. See
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR and U-BOATS
DESTROYED,)
November
Convoy defence in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Deployed in Home waters for convoy
defence
to
(Note: This ship was not deployed for
escort of assault or build-up
December
convoys during allied landings in Normandy.
See
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY.
June 1944 (HMSO).
1
9 4 5
January
Home waters deployment in continuation.
February
Withdrawn from operational service,
Paid-off and reduced to
Reserve status.
March
Placed on Disposal List
20th
Sold to BISCO for demolition.
by
T W Ward.