PALADIN-Class
Fleet
Destroyer ordered from Hawthorn Leslie
Newcastle on 2nd October 1939 with 2nd Emergency Flotilla. She was laid down en 6th February 1940 and launched on 28th
January 1941 as HMS ONSLOW but in August
1941 her name was changed to PAKENHAM. This
name had been introduced in 1798
for a Gun Vessel and previously used by a
WW1 destroyer sold in 1921. The ship
was fitted with additional accommodation for
use as the Leader of a destroyer
flotilla. Build was completed on 4th
February 1942 at a cost of £416,710,
excluding Admiralty supplied equipment such
as guns and communications
equipment. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings
campaign during March 1942 she was adopted
by the civil
community
of Wallasey, then in the county of Cheshire.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
DIEGO
SUAREZ
1942 - MEDITERRANEAN
1942-43
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field White, an eagle
displayed Green enfiled
with a mural crown Green.
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 4 2
January Contractors
trials and commissioned
for
service in 12th Destroyer Flotilla.
Damaged
during sea trials
by collision with tug MALTA
.
Under
repair for 4 days.
4th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Passage to Scapa
Flow on completion.
February Worked-up
at Scapa Flow with Home Fleet.
March On
completion
deployed in Clyde.
Nominated
for service in support of
planned landings in Madagascar
23rd
Joined military Convoy WS17 in
Clyde with HM Destroyers INCONSTANT and
JAVELIN.
28th
Detached with other escorts for
refuelling at Ponta Delgardo,
Azores.
30th
Rejoined WS17 and later detached
with HM Aircraft Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS and
took
passage
to Freetown
(Note:
Passage delayed when HMS ILLUSTRIOUS
remained in area to provide
support
against
attack by commerce raider which never
materialised.)
April
3rd
At Freetown with HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS, HMS INCONSTANT and HMS JAVELIN.
9th
Joined Convoy WS17A on
departure from Freetown with H M Battleship
MALAYA, HMS
ILLUSTRIOUS
and HM Cruiser HERMIONE, HM
Destroyers ACTIVE, ANTHONY,
INCONSTANT,
JAVELIN, LAFOREY, LOOKOUT and LIGHTNING as
escort for
passage
to
Indian Ocean.
(Note:
Convoy WS17 split into two sections at
Freetown. W317B sailed
two days after
WS17A.)
18th
At Capetown.
22nd
Detached from WS17A on arrival
at Durban.
Prepared
for Madagascar landing
support duties.
May
Passage
to Mombasa.
4th
Part of escort for assault convoy
with HM Destroyers INCONSTANT .PANTHER,
ANTHONY, ACTIVE,
LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, LOOKOUT, PALADIN, DUNCAN
and
JAVELIN, eight
Corvettes and four Fleet Minesweepers.
For details see RELUCTANT
ENEMIES by W Tute,
WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson and the
Naval Staff History
9th
On completion of IRONCLAD
transferred to Mediterranean Fleet with HMS
PALADIN and
HMS
INCONSTANT for escort of Malta supply
convoy. Passage to Alexandria.
June
Deployed
with HM Destroyers PALADIN and INCONSTANT in
eastern
Mediterranean.
13th
Part of escort for Malta relief
convoy (Operation VIGOROUS).
Joined HM Cruisers CLEOPATRA, DIDO,
CLEOPATRA, EURYALUS, ARETHUSA,
COVENTRY,
NEWCASTLE and BIRMINGHAM with Fleet and
Escort Destroyers of
Mediterranean
Fleet for the passage to Malta. The WW1
battleship HMS
CENTURION was
also
used and had been disguised as a modem
battleship of the KING
GEORGE V Class.
14th
Under heavy and sustained air
attacks.
15th
After development of threat by heavy
Italian warships ordered to reverse course
by
CinC at Alexandria. Under attack by E-Boats
and continuing air
attacks. The
conflicting
instructions from shore confused the
situation.
16th
Operation abandoned. Surviving
warships and mercantiles returned to
Alexandria.
A
later attempt by U77 to carry out a torpedo
attack was frustrated by
anti-submarine
procedures.
(Note:
A heavy
price in ships and men was paid - for
details of this disastrous
operation
and its conflicting and hesitant
instructions from shore see ENGAGE
THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and THE
BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
by D.
Macintyre.
28th
Deployed with HM Destroyer
PALADIN as escort for HM Battleship QUEEN
ELIZABETH
from
Alexandria to enter Suez Canal.
(Note:
HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH was going for repair in
USA via Aden,)
July
Retained
with Fleet in Mediterranean as Leader of
12th Destroyer
Flotilla.
14th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers
PALADIN, JERVIS and JAVELIN as escort for
convoy from
Port
Said to Cyprus.
17th
Returned to Port Said from
Cyprus.
19th
Deployed with H M Cruisers DIDO
and EURYALUS with H M Destroyers PALADIN,
JERVIS
and JAVELIN during bombardment
of Mersa Matruh.
August
10th
Joined H M cruisers ARETHUSA
and EURYALUS with H M Destroyers JERVIS,
PAKENHAM,
KELVIN, KELVIN, ALDENHAM, BEAUFORT,
DULVERTON, BRIDGE,
HURSLEY,
HURWORTH, HM Corvette HYACINTH and HM
Auxiliary ANTWERP to
escort
Convoy MW12 of three ships
from Port Said
as a diversionary operation during
passage
of
relief Convoy from Gibraltar to Malta
(Operation
PEDESTAL - See PEDESTAL by P. Smith.).
12th
Convoy MW12 joined by HM
Cruisers CLEOPATRA and DUX) which had come
from Haifa,
escorted
by HM Destroyers JAVELIN, SIKH and ZULU for
passage westward in
Eastern
Mediterranean.
13th
Returned to Port Said with MW12
and escorting warships.
September
Mediterranean
deployment for screening,
patrol
and escort duties in continuation.
October
Fleet
duties and patrol in continuation.
30th
Shared credit for sinking U559
with HM Destroyers PETARD, HERO, DULVERTON
and an
RAF
aircraft of 4? Squadron. See U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp.
(Note: There were no
survivors
from the submarine which had been boarded by
a party
from HMS PETARD to
recover ENIGMA Coding equipment and
documents. An
officer
and seaman rating from the boarding party
were lost when
submarine
scuttling
charges detonated and U559 sank. Their self
sacrifice enabled
valuable
documents
to be retrieved. When received, the
decryption teams at
Bletchley Park
GC&CS
were able to read U-Boat signals which saved
many lives during
1943
.
by
diversion of Atlantic convoys in 1943. They
were both posthumously awarded
The
George Cross.
For
details see BREAKING THE ENIGMA by D Kahn
and Bletchley Park Trust
Report
No 5, June 1997.)
November
16th
Escorted Malta Relief Convoy
MH13 from Port
Said with H M Cruiser EURYALUS, HM
Destroyers
JAVELIN, JERVIS, KELVIN, NUBIAN, PALADIN and
PETARD.
(Operation
STONEAGE/M39).
17th
Detached fron
MW13 when HM Destroyers ALDENHAM, BEAUFORT,
CROOME,
DULVERTON,
EXMOOR,
HURSLEY, HURWORTH,
TETCOTT and Greek PINDOS joined
convoy.
Took
passage to
Alexandria for Fleet screening duty.
18th
Deployed with same destroyers as
screen for HM Cruisers ARETHUSA, CLEOPATRA,
DIDO
and ORION to
provide cover during passage of MW13 to
Malta.
Under
air attack on MW13 off Derna
during which
HMS ARETHUSA was torpedoed and
returned
to Alexandria in tow by HMS PETARD.
19th
Detached from MW13 with
Mediterranean Fleet ships and returned to
Alexandria.
(Note:
Close escort of HUNT Class remained until
MW13 arrived in Malta.
Passage
of this convoy effectively raised the siege
of the Island.)
December
2nd
Deployed with HMS ORION, HMS
PETARD and Greek VASILISSA OLGA as
additional escort
for
Convoy MW14 to Malta.
(Operation
PORTCULLIS/MH1)
(Note:
MW14 had a Close Escort of seven HUNT Class
destroyers.)
4th
Force K from Malta joined MW14
SW of Crete.
(Note:
Force K comprised HM Cruisers CLEOPATRA,
DIDO, EURYALUS screened
by HM
Destroyers
JAVELIN, JERVE3,
KELVIN and NUBIAN.)
5th
Remained in Malta when MW
14 reached Grand Harbour.
7th
Escorted Convoy ME11 from Malta
to Egypt with HMS ORION and HM Destroyers
PETARD
ALDENHAM,
BELVOIR, CROOME,
DULVERTON, EXMOOR, HURSLEY, TETCOTT and
Greek
PINDOS. (Operation ME).
8th
Under air attacks over 48 hour
period.
11th
Detached from ME11 on arrival at
Port Said and took passage to refit.
1
9 4 3
January
On
completion of refit at Alexandria took
passage to Malta
13th
Deployed with HM Cruiser ORION,
HM Destroyers PALADIN, JAVELIN, NUBIAN and
HURSLEY as escort for Convoy
ME13 during
passage to Port Said.
14th
Sank Italian submarine NARVALLO
with HM Destroyer HURSLEY in position
34.01N,16.21E
Detached
from ME13 later
and returned to
Malta.
16th
Deployed with HMS JAVELIN for
interception patrol off North African coast.
Sank
Italian naval Auxiliary TANARO on passage
from Tripoli to Sfax.
17th
Returned to Malta with HMS
JAVELIN.
18th
Deployed with HMS NUBIAN and
Greek VASILISSA OLGA for interception
patrol.
Sank
Italian transport STROMBOLI by surface
gunfire with HM Destroyer
NUBIAN and
Greek
VASILISSA OLGA.
Rescued
10 survivors from enemy ship which had been
carrying petrol.
February
Detached
for duty in Red Sea.
4th
Part of escort for military
convoy taking ANZAC troops through Red Sea
for
return to Australia
with
HM Destroyers PETARD, ISIS, HERO, HM Frigate
DERWENT and Greek
VASILLISA
OLGA
(Operation PAMPHLET).
8th
Rejoined Fleet at Alexandria
after release from PAMPHLET.
Took
passage to resume Flotilla duties in Malta.
March
Deployed
with Flotilla in Malta for interception and
patrol duties.
8th
Escorted HM Minelaying Cruiser
ABDIEL to Malta after minelay in Sicilian
Narrows
and
sank ferry barge off Pantallaria
with HMS
PALADIN.
9th
Returned to Malta with HMS
PALADIN.
15th
Deployed with HMS PETARD and VASILISSA OLGA
to join Convoy MJ23 to supplement
escort
by HM Destroyers HURWORTH, CROOME and Greek
KANARIS
(Operation
POKER).
16th
Joined MW23and came under air
attack after fighter cover left.
No
damage was incurred.
April
Malta
deployment in continuation.
16th
Deployed with HM Destroyer
PALADIN SW of Marsala
and intercepted convoy escorted
by
Italian
torpedo boats TIFONE, CLIMENE, CIGNO and
CASSIOPEA.
Engaged
Italian torpedo boats GIGNO and CASSIOPEA.
(Note:
Convoy escaped with the other two escorts.)
Sank
CIGNO by torpedo
after vessel disabled by
surface gunfire.
Hit
four times by return fire and sustained
major damage with some
flooding in Engine Room.
Disabled
and taken in
tow by HMS PALADIN but operation had to be
abandoned due to threat
of
air attacks.
Ship's
company taken off by HMS PALADIN before
being sunk by torpedo in
position 37.26N
12.30
E off Cape Granitola.
HMS
NUBIAN later joined as escort for passage to
Malta.
(Note:
103 survivors from CIGNO had been rescued.)
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
PAKENHAM
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked
with the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
11/06/42
|
13/06/42
|
MW
011
|
16/06/42
|
16/06/42
|
16/11/42
|
16/11/42
|
MW
013
|
20/11/42
|
20/11/42
|
01/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
MW
014
|
05/12/42
|
05/12/42
|
17/12/42
|
17/12/42
|
MW
017
|
20/12/42
|
20/12/42
|
13/01/43
|
13/01/43
|
ME
015
|
14/01/43
|
18/01/43
|
21/01/43
|
23/01/43
|
MH
003/M
|
26/01/43
|
unknown
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)