B-Class
Fleet
Destroyer ordered from Palmers,
Hebburn, Newcastle on 22nd March
1929 under
1928 Programme and laid down on
22nd July 1929. The ship was
launched on 25th
July 1930 as the 6th RN ship to
carry the name introduced in
1781 and last
used by a destroyer built in
1898 and sold in 1922. Build was
completed on 8th
April at a cost of £221,156
excluding Admiralty supplied
items. Initially the
ship was part of the
Mediterranean Fleet in the 4th
Destroyer Flotilla and in
1935 transferred with the
Flotilla to the Home Fleet. She
took part in the
attempted rescue of the crew of
HM Submarine THETIS which sank
off Liverpool
during trials in June 1939.
B
a t t l e H o n o u
r s
NORWAY 1940 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1940
H
e r a l d i c D a t
a
Badge:
On a Field Red, trumpet
Gold.
D
e t a i l s 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 3 9
September
Deployed as part of 19th
Destroyer Flotilla based at
Dover for convoy defence in
English
Channel and North Sea.
7th
Carried out unsuccessful attack
on submarine.
October
Patrol and escort duties in
continuation.
13th
During patrol with sister-
destroyer HMS BOREAS rescued
three survivors from U40 which
had
been sunk by mine in Dover
Straits.
November
Flotilla duties in continuation.
22nd
Augmented escort for HM
Auxiliary Minelayer PRINCESS
VICTORIA during minelay in
Dover Barrage with HM Destroyers
CODRINGTON, ESK and EXPRESS.
(Operation GF - For details see
Naval Staff History (Mining).)
1 9
4 0
January
Flotilla duties at Dover in
continuation.
February
Transferred to Rosyth for convoy
defence.
15th
Escorted HM Destroyer DUNCAN
with HM Destroyer BOREAS during
tow after being
mined in North Sea.
18th
Joined Convoy HN12 (Norway -
Methil) with HM Destroyer
ENCOUNTER to replace HM
Destroyer DARING which had been
torpedoed
Rescued survivors of Norwegian
merchant ship SANGSTAD with HM
Destroyer DIANA.
21st
Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayer
TEVIOTBANK with HM Destroyer
BOREAS during the
lay of section of North Sea
Barrage in Thames Estuary.
(Operation CML9 -See above
reference).
March
Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayer
TEVIOTBANK with HMS BOREAS
during lay of deep
minefield in Moray Firth.
(Operation PA2 - See above
reference).
April
Transferred for duty with Home
Fleet after German invasion of
Norway.
13th
Joined escort of Convoy NP1
carrying landing troops to
Namsos.
(Operation RUPERT/R4 - See
NARVIK by D MacIntyre).
15th
Carried out anti-submarine
search with HM Destroyer
FEARLESS.
Took part in sinking of U49 in
Vaagsfjord (Position 68.53N
16.59E).
(Note: Some documents were
recovered but proved of little
value for the decryption of
ENIGMA traffic. )
All but one of the submarine
crew of 42 were rescued.
(See HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR Volume
1 by C Blair and U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
16th
Part of escort for HM
Battleships RODNEY, VALIANT and
HM Battlecruiser RENOWN
during return to Scapa Flow from
Norwegian waters.
18th
Arrived at Scapa Flow
27th
Escorted troopship GUNVOR MAERSK
to Namsos with H M Destroyers
KIMBERLEY and
WOLVERINE.
28th
In action with aircraft off
Namsos without damage.
May
Deployed off Norway in support
of shore operations.
2nd
Escorted Convoy FP3 to Narvik.
3rd
Detached on arrival at Narvik.
Escorted French troopships
carrying Polish Brigade to
Tromso.
28th
Released from Home Fleet
detachment to resume operations
in southern North Sea based at
Harwich.
(For details of the disastrous
operations off Norway see NARVIK
by D Macintyre, THE
DOOMED EXPEDITION by J Adams,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by J Winton and
Naval Staff
History).
30th
During passage struck submerged
rock off the Wash and sustained
some structural damage aft.
June
Passage to Hull for repair to
plating in commercial shipyard.
Taken in hand on arrival.
July
Nominated for transfer to 1st
Destroyer Flotilla at
Portsmouth.
Passage to Portsmouth to join
Flotilla for Channel convoy
defence
8th
In action with aircraft in
defence of coastal convoy off
Hythe.
20th
Whilst escorting Channel Convoy
CW7 in Straits of Dover came
under heavy air attack.
Several near misses caused major
structural damage.
Back of ship was broken.
(Note: During this engagement
three aircraft were claimed by
ships gun crews.)
Ship sank during tow after
direct hit in engine room in
position 51.05N 01.1?E.
One of ship's company was
killed.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
BRAZEN
by
Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been
cross-checked with the text
above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy
sailed
|
Joined
convoy
as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy
arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
15/03/40
|
15/03/40
|
TM
027
|
16/03/40
|
16/03/40
|
29/03/40
|
29/03/40
|
TM
035
|
30/03/40
|
30/04/40
|
11/04/40
|
13/04/40
|
NP
001
|
15/04/40
|
15/04/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)