T or
TUMULT-Class
Destroyer ordered with the 6th Emergency
Flotilla on 13th March 1941 from John Brown
of Clydebank. The ship was laid down on 10th
November 1941 and
launched on 23rd September 1942. She was the
second RN ship to bear this name, previously
used in 1805
for a hired ship. In March 1942 following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign she was
adopted by the civil community of
Walthamstow, Greater London, now part of the
London Borough of Waltham Forest.
The build was completed on 8th March 1943
and she was fitted for use as a Flotilla
Leader.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
SICILY
1943 - SALERNO 1943 - MEDITERRANEAN
1943-44 - AEGEAN 1944 - SOUTH FRANCE
1944 - ADRIATIC 1944 - OKINAWA
1945
H e r a l d
i c D a
t a
Badge:
On a field Red,
upon
water
barry wavy in base White and Blue a
bridge of
three spans turreted White, masoned Black,
flying therefrom
a
flagstaff proper a flag
Blue.
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 3
March
Contractor's trials and
commissioning.
8th
Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials
Nominated for
service in 24th Destroyer Flotilla as Leader.
Passage
to Scapa Flow to work-up with ships of Home
Fleet for
operational service
April
Worked up with Home
Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On
completion took passage to Mediterranean.
May
Deployed for screening
duties of major units.
10th
Part
of screen for HM Cruisers AURORA,
NEWFOUNDLAND, ORION, PENELOPE
and EURYALUS
with
Mediterranean Fleet destroyers and Motor
Torpedo
Boats for surrender of
Pantellaria.
(Operation
CORKSCREW - General Eisenhower was embarked on
board HMS AURORA).
June
Deployed
for Fleet screening during preparation for
planned allied
landings in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY
– For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by
Corelli
Barnett and Naval Staff History.)
July
8th
Sailed from Malta with HM
Destroyer TUMULT for Fleet screening in support
of HUSKY.
10th
Part of destroyer screen for HM
Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, WARSPITE and
VALIANT,
HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE and FORMIDABLE, HM Cruisers
PENELOPE,
AURORA,
CLEOPATRA, and EURYALUS with HM Destroyers
QUILLIAM,
QUEENBOROUGH, QUAIL, ISIS,
FAULKNOR, ECHO,
INTREPID, ECLIPSE, FURY,
INGLEFIELD, ILEX,
TUMULT, TYRIAN, OFFA, Polish ORP PIORUN and
Greek
VASILASSA
(Note: These major
warships were deployed in the Ionian Sea to
provide cover against any
attempt
by Italian surface warships to interfere with
landings.)
August
Deployment for Fleet
screening in continuation.
31st
Deployed as part of screen for
HMS NELSON, HMS RODNEY and HMS ORION to
provide
naval gunfire
support during allied landings in Calabria.
(Operation
BAYTOWN - See above references).
September
2nd
Provided additional naval
gunfire support for Calabrian landings.
9th Deployed
with destroyer screen
for major units providing cover against
Italian
surface
warships during allied landings at Salerno.
(Operation
AVALANCHE - See above references).
(Note: Major
units and screen were same ships as for
HUSKY).
11th
Under heavy air attack off
Salerno and provided AA protection to Fleet
units.
October
Deployed with Fleet screen
and support of military operations in Italy.
November
Bombarded shore targets at
Minturno.
December
Deployed with ships of Flotilla
for support of military operations on the East
coast of Italy
based at Bari.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed
in Adriatic for attacks on shipping and
support of military
operations, based at Brindisi.
Carried out
bombardment of Dubrovnic and island of Korcula.
3rd
Sank supply ship during attack
off Civitanova with HM Destroyer TUMULT
8th
Took part in bombardment of
San Bendetto until 10th.
(Note: Ship ran
aground off Italian coast but was refloated
without major
damage.)
February
Adriatic
deployment in continuation.
27th
Bombarded targets at Curzola
with HMS TUMULT.
March
Deployed
In Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean for
convoy defence,
patrol and
to
support of
military operations.
April
May
Nominated for
support of planned attack on island of
Pantelleria and deployed in
Malta
for preparatory
meetings and exercises. (Operation CORKSCREW)
31st
Took part in bombardment of
Pantelleria with HM Cruiser ORION and HM
Destroyer
PETARD.
June
2nd
Took
part in
farther bombardment at Pantelleria with HMS
ORION and HM
Destroyer
PALADIN.
10th
Deployed with HM Cruisers
AURORA, ORION, NEWFOUNDLAND,
PENELOPE,
EURYALUS as screen with HM Destroyers LAFOREY,
LOOKOUT,
LOYAL, JERVIS,
TARTAR, NUBIAN and WHADDON to cover landings
on
Pantelleria.
(Note: General
Eisenhower was embarked in HMS AURORA.)
11th
Present during landings after
which Italian Rear Admiral Pavesi surrendered
the
fortress.
14th
Deployed with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND
and found island of Lampione deserted.
20th
Nominated for support of planned
landings on Sicily and deployed for
preparatory
exercises
(Operation HUSKY)
July
Preparation for
support of assault landings with ships of
Flotilla. Joined HM Escort
Carriers KHEDIVE, EMPEROR, SEARCHER,
PURSUER and
ATTACKER, HM
Cruisers
ROYALIST and DELHI with HM Destroyers TUSCAN,
TYRIAN, TEAZER,
TUMULT, Greek
destroyer NAVARINON and HM Escort Destroyer
WHEATLAND
for screening
duty during air operations as Task Group 88.1
August
12th
Sailed
from Malta with TF88.1
15th
Present during landings in South
of France.
(Operation
DRAGOON –formerly ANVIL
See INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
(HMSO),
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by
C Barnett and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de
Winser.).
18th
With TG88.1 at Maddalena to
refuel and for rest period.
21st
Redeployed with screen off
beachhead.
24th
With TG88.1 at Maddalena.
28th
Released from DRAGOON and
reverted to RN control.
September
Re-deployed with
Flotilla in Eastern Mediterranean with British
Aegean Force
for
re-occupation of islands and preparation for
landings in Greece.
13th
Sank small Transport TON1 north
of Crete with HM Destroyer TUSCAN during an
operation to
intercept craft evacuating German garrison.
19th
Participated in sinking of U407
south of Meloe in position 36.27N 24.33E
with
HM Destroyers
TERPSICHORE, BRECON, ZETLAND and Polish ORP
GARLAND.
October Patrol
and support duty in Aegean.
Nominated for
service with Flotilla in Pacific after refit
November Passage
to
Chatham for refit prior to service with 24th
Flotilla in British Pacific
Fleet..
December Under
refit by HM Dockyard, Chatham.
1 9 4 5
January Under
refit.
February On
completion of refit carried out post refit
trials prior to storing
for foreign service.
Took passage to
Malta to work-up for service with Flotilla in
British Pacific Fleet
March On
completion of work-up with ships of
Mediterranean Fleet took
passage
to Australia
via Suez to
prepare for service in with Flotilla as part
of Task Force 57
April
On arrival at Sydney
prepared for operational service under US Navy
overall command.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to D49 to conform to US Navy
system of
identity for destroyers.
Took passage to
forward British Base at Manus for deployment
with Flotilla in BPF.
May
9th
Joined
TF57 with HM Destroyers NAPIER, NEPAL,
TENACIOUS and TERMAGANT.
.
Replaced
destroyers
in screen for HM Aircraft Carriers
VICTORIOUS
and
FORMIDABLE
after series of
attacks by KAMIKAZE during air operations in
Sakashima-Gunto
area.
(Operation
ICEBERG - For details of BPF operations see
OPERATION PACIFIC by
E
Grey, THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by
J Winton. TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith and
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
25th
On
completion of TF57 air operations on
Sakishima Gunto detached and joined HM
Battleship
KING
GEORGE V as destroyer screen with HM
Destroyers TENACIOUS
and TERMAGANT
for passage to Guam.
(Note: HMS
KING GEORGE V was taking Admiral Rawlings for
visit to US Navy
CinC Pacific
Fleet.)
28th
Arrived at Guam.
June
Passage to Manus
with HMS KING GEORGE V to rejoin ships of TF57
On arrival
nominated for duty with Task Group 111.2 under
RN command for air
operations and
bombardment of Truk (Operation INMATE)
12th
Formed Task Unit 111.2.15 with HM
Destroyers TENACIOUS, TERPSICHORE
and TEAZER
for
screening of HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE,
HM
Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND,
UGANDA (RCN) and ACHILLES (RNZN).
15th
Carried out bombardment of Truk
with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND when air operations
had been
completed.
16th
Passage to Manus
with Task Force 111.2.
July
Transferred
to
US 3rd Fleet as Task Force 38 with ships of
BPF after changes in
US
Navy Command
structure in Pacific area..
(Note: Task
Force 37 comprised HMS KING GEORGE V, HM
Aircraft Carriers
IMPLACABLE,
FORMIDABLE and VICTORIOUS,
HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND,
ACHILLES, UGANDA, GAMBIA,
EURYALUS
and BLACK PRINCE
screened by 15
destroyers).
18th
Ships of BPF Joined US TG 38 for
series of combined attacks on the Tokyo and
Yokohama
areas.
Screening duty
in continuation during operations and
replenishment.
August
Deployment with TF37
screen during Joint operations with US TF38
including
air attacks
on targets in North Honshu and Hokkaido.
12th
Re-deployed as part of US TF38 in
Task Group with HMS KING GEORGE V,
HMS
INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers GAMBIA and
NEWFOUNDLAND as
screen with
HM
Destroyers TERMAGANT, TENACIOUS, TEAZER
TERPSICHORE,
BARFLEUR,
NIZAM, WAKEFUL,
NAPIER and WRANGLER.
(Note: The
remaining British ships of TF37 were withdrawn
from the operation
because
of difficulties in obtaining
fuel from the RN Fleet Train and the
increasing
maintenance problems (See above references))
.
14th
Refuelled from US Navy tankers.
15th
Deployed with screen for TG38.5
during final air strikes on Japan.
27th
Passage to
Sagami Wan with BPF units for attendance at
formal surrender ceremony.
September
2nd
Present with BPF
units at Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo
Bay.
P
o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS
TROUBRIDGE returned to UK later in 1945 with
ships of
the 24th Flotilla and was retained in
commission. She served in the Mediterranean
with the 3rd
Destroyer Flotilla as its Leader after HMS
SAUMAREZ had been badly damaged by a. mine off
Corfu. The
ship was paid off into Reserve at Chatham In
1949. She was selected for conversion to a
Type
15 Anti-Submarine Frigate in 1955 by HM
Dockyard, Portsmouth but later transferred to
JS White
at Cowes for completion. Commissioned for
service in 1957 this ship was deployed In the
West
Indies and in the Home Fleet until 1962. After
a refit in Malta in 1964 she re-commissioned
for service in
24th Escort Squadron. HMS TROUBRIDGE finally
paid off on 27th March 1969 and was placed on
the
Disposal List. On 5th May 1970 she arrived at
Newport, Gwent under tow of HM Tug REWARD to
be
broken-up by Messrs Cashmore.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of
HMS TROUBRIDGE
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
17/05/43
|
17/05/43
|
KMS
014X
|
26/05/43
|
26/05/43
|
28/04/43
|
18/05/43
|
UGS
008
|
21/05/43
|
21/05/43
|
19/09/43
|
19/09/43
|
NSF
003A
|
21/09/43
|
22/09/43
|
08/04/44
|
08/04/44
|
MKF
030
|
09/04/44
|
21/04/44
|
28/06/44
|
unknown
|
XIF
017
|
unknown
|
02/07/44
|
28/01/45
|
31/01/45
|
KMF
039
|
01/02/45
|
04/02/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|