Flotilla
Leader ordered from
Cammell Laird, Birkenhead under 1934
Programme on 12th December 1934. The ship
was laid down on 30th May 1935 and
launched on 7th April 1936 as the 7th
Royal
Navy warship to carry this name introduced
for a Gunboat in 1797, last used for
a destroyer built in 1912 and sold in
1921. Build was completed on 11th
December 1936 at a cost of £278,482
excluding equipment supplied
by the Admiralty such
as weapons and
communications outfits. The design
of
this ship was slightly larger than H-Class
destroyers so as to accommodate Flotilla
Staff. Service before the outbreak of war
as Leader for 2nd Destroyer Flotilla
in the Mediterranean Fleet.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
CRIMEA
1855 - CHINA 1860 - JUTLAND 1916 -
ATLANTIC 1940 -
NORWAY
1940
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field "Peon"
(Black with gold ermine tails)
a scallop shell Silver.
M
o t t
o
Amicitia
et virtute:
' With
friendship and valour ’.
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
with Flotilla in Mediterranean
Carried
out convoy
escort and contraband
control in eastern Mediterranean.
Nominated
for trade defence in Atlantic with ships
of Flotilla.
Passage
to Gibraltar
October
5th
Took passage from
Gibraltar to take-up duties based at
Freetown.
Deployed
for trade defence and search for blockade
runners and commerce
raiders
(Note:
Hunting Groups were formed for these
operations. See ENGAGE
THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY and Naval Staff History)
November
Atlantic
deployment in continuation.
to
December
1
9 4 0
January
Nominated
for transfer to Home
Fleet
13th
Took passage from
Freetown to Plymouth
25th
On arrival taken in hand for
modification by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
(Note:
Work undertaken included routing docking
for inspection of underwater fittings
Protection
against magnetic mines installed by fit of
de-gaussing
cable.
February
Nominated
for deployment based in Clyde for Atlantic
convoy defence in
NW
Approaches.
March
Transferred
with ships of Flotilla for service in Home
Fleet
9th
Joined Fleet at
Scapa Flow.
Deployed
for screening of major Home Fleet units
and patrol.
April
Nominated for escort of
minelayers during lay of planned minefield
of Norway to deny use
of
coastal waters by enemy shipping
(Operation WILFRED/R4)
6th
Joined Home Fleet
ships providing cover for minelay with HM
Destroyers HAVOCK,
HOSTILE
and HUNTER,
Remained with Home
Fleet when Operation R4
cancelled.
8th
After German intended invasion of
Norway had been confirmed detached with
same ships
to
carry out patrol off the mouth of Vest
Fjord.
9th
HM Destroyer HOSTILE joined and
reconnaissance of Vest Fjord carried out
with all
four
other ships after discussion with
Norwegian Pilot Station at Tranoy
about movements
of
German
warships.
10th
Entered Ofot
Fjord and
engaged German destroyers
(First
Battle of Narvik.)
During
attack on destroyers alongside wharf with
HMS HUNTER and HMS HAVOCK
sank
destroyer HEIDKAMPF by torpedo.
Carried
out further attacks on mercantiles in
harbour.
During
return passage
out of Fjord in action with five
German
destroyers and came
under
heavy return 5in gun fire.
Sustained
major damage and disabled.
Ship
beached on south shore of fjord.
For
full details of this engagement and the
disastrous operations off Norway see
NAVAL
OPERATIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN IN NORWAY
(HMSO-2001),
ENGAGE
THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett,
,
NARVIK by D Macintyre,
CARRIER
GLORIOUS by John Winton and THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by T Adams.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS HARDY
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
09/09/39
|
09/09/39
|
BLUE
001
|
19/09/39
|
19/09/39
|
22/09/39
|
22/09/39
|
GREEN
2
|
27/09/39
|
unknown
|
13/01/40
|
13/01/40
|
SL
016F
|
20/01/40
|
27/01/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)