1
9 3 9
September
Deployed for convoy defence in Channel.
12th
Escorted military convoy DB1 from
Southampton
to Brest with HM Destroyer
VANSITTART.
October
Channel convoy escort duties in
continuation.
to
Withdrawn from operational duties and
modified for minesweeping duties.
December
On completion resumed convoy defence
duties.
1
9 4 0
January
Convoy escort deployment in
continuation in Home waters.
to
April
May
26th
Transferred to Dover Command to assist
in evacuation of allied troops from
Dunkirk
(For details see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
Corelli Bamett,
Naval Staff
History, NINE DAYS AT DUNKIRK
by AD
Divine, and
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.)
31st
Involved
in collision with HM Destroyer ICARUS
and grounded with damage
to
propellers.
June
Under repair and resumed convoy escort
in Channel.
Sustained damage
during air raid on Portland.
July
Under repair and selected for service as
an Anti-submarine escort.
On completion of modifications resumed
Channel duties.
12th
Embarked troops of No 3 Commando at Dartmouth
for planned raid on Guernsey.
Passage with HM
Destroyer SALADIN.
14th
Returned to Dartmouth
after failure of operation.
(For
details see COMMANDO STRIKE by K
Massey.)
August
Transferred
to Western Approaches Command for
Atlantic convoy escort in
5th
Escort Group
September
Part of escort for Convoy HX72 with
ships of Group.
21st
Under attack by pack of six U-boats
and drove off an attack by U32.
(Note:
This was the first attack on an Atlantic
convoy by a group of six
submarines.
For details see HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C
Blair.)
October
Atlantic convoy escort in NW
Approaches with ships of Group.
to
For details of U-Boat deployments see
above reference and
U-BOAT WAR IN
December
THE
ATLANTIC
(HMSO)
1
9 4 1
January
Atlantic
convoy escort with Group in continuation
to
February
March
Part
of escort for Convoy HX112 with HM
Destroyers WALKER, VANOC,
VOLUNTEER,
SARDONYX and six FLOWER Class Corvettes,
including
HMS BLUEBELL and HMS
HYDRANGEA.
7th
Sighted U100 on surface and carried
out attacks
Took
part in sinking of U100 in position
61.04N 16.30W with HMS VANOC
and HMS
WALKER,
(Note: This
German submarine was commanded by J Schepke
who had
achieved
distinction as a successful U-boat
commander. He
was not
one of the six
survivors rescued. See U-BOATS DESTROYED
by
P Kemp.)
April
Atlantic escort with Group in
continuation.
to
May
June
Deployed
with 8th Escort Group as part of escort
for Convoy HX133 with
HM Destroyer MALCOLM, WATCHMAN,
SARDONYX, HM Corvettes
ARABIS, NASTURTIUM,
VIOLET and HM Minesweeper SPEEDWELL.
29th
Took part in anti-submarine operations
with Group against U651 which
resulted in
sinking of the submarine in position
59.52N
18.36W. 44 of the
crew of U651
were rescued..
July
Atlantic convoy escort in
continuation.
August
Part
of escort for Convoy HX143 with HMS
MALCOLM, HMS WATCHMAN
and six
FLOWER Class corvettes of 8th Escort
Group.
September
Atlantic convoy escort with Group in
continuation.
October
Deployed with Group for escort of Convoy
ON30.
November
Deployed
with Group for escort of Convoy HX160
for outward passage to
Mid-Ocean Meeting
Point.
December
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
1
9 4 2
January
Transferred to 1st Escort Group in
continuation of Atlantic escort duties.
Based
at Londonderry
with HM Destroyer SABRE and
HM Corvette
ALISMA.
February
Deployment
with Group in continuation
to
During this period the Group escorted 13
convoys many of which had no
December
losses in transit.
For details of tactics used
in defence and those used by
German
submarines as well as information about
new weapons introduced
see THE
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by D Macintyre,
CONVOY
ESCORT
COMMANDER, BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS by J
Terrain
and SEEK AND
STRIKE by W Hackmann.)
1
9 4 3
January
Transferred
to 21st Escort Group and joined HM
Destroyers SALADIN,
SKATE and SABRE for escort of UK-Iceland
convoys.
February Convoy
escort
with Group between UK
and Iceland in continuation.
to
June
July
Deployed as Stand-By Group based in
Iceland
for reinforcement of escorts
of Atlantic
convoy under attack by U-Boat Groups
(Operation
ROSEGARDEN)
Sustained
damage in heavy weather conditions and
withdrawn from operational
duty for
repair. Passage to UK
for repair.
August
Under repair.
(Note: Escort
Group was disbanded during this period
and
later reformed
with new
CAPTAIN Class Frigates built in USA
under Lend-Lease.)
September
On completion of repair and refit
resumed operational service.
4th
Deployed with HM Destroyers LANCASTER,
SARDONYX and METEOR
as
escort for HM
Auxiliary Minelayers AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS
and
PORT QUEBEC during
Northern Barrage Minelay (Operation
SN222B).
(Note: See Naval
Staff History (Mining) for details of
Northern Barrage. HM
Minesweeper
SCOTT was specially deployed for
navigation duties
during this
operation.)
October
Withdrawn for Atlantic escort duties.
(Note: This
was due to her age and also the fact
that new
ships were now
becoming
available for ocean escort duties)
Transferred to Plymouth
Command for Channel
coastal convoy escort.
November
Coastal convoy escort in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 4
January
Channel deployment in continuation.
February
Deployed
with HM Destroyer WARWICK in search for
submarine reported
in S W
Approaches.
20th
Carried out anti-submarine search
operations during which HMS WARWICK
was hit by T5
homing torpedo and sank very quickly
when
explosives were
detonated. Rescued
93 survivors from HMS WARWICK.
March
Plymouth
deployment for convoy defence and patrol
in continuation.
April
Deployed
for escort duties in support of landing
craft during exercises in
preparation
for planned allied landings in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE)
26th
During escort of convoy of US landing
ships on passage for landings on
Slapton
Sands (Exercise TIGER) involved in
collision with
LST and sustained
structural
damage.
Withdrawn
from Exercise and took passage to Plymouth
for repair.
(Note:
This poorly escorted convoy was later
attacked by E-Boats which sank
several ships
with heavy casualties. See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June
1944 (HMSO)
May
Resumed coastal convoy deployment on
completion of repair.
June
Coastal convoy escort in continuation.
(Note: Did
not take part in escort or support of
landings in
Normandy.
July
Coastal
convoy escort in continuation
to
September
October
Withdrawn
from operation service and relegated to
Training role based at
to
Plymouth.
December
1
9 4 5
January
Training duties in continuation.
to
May