T-Class
Fleet Destroyer ordered under the War
Emergency Programme in March 1941 from Denny at
Dumbarton. The ship was laid down on 25th November
1941 at the same
time as her sister snip HMS TERMAGANT in the same
shipyard. She was launched en 17th June 1943 and
completed en 20th January 1944. Following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK in March 1942 the ship had
been adopted by
Barrow-in-Furness,
then in the county of Lancashire, now in Cumbria.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
MARTINIQUE
1794 - TENERIFFE 1797 - JAVA 1806 -
ADRIATIC
1944 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944
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
December
Contractors sea trials.
Commissioned for service
1
9 4 4
January
20th
Build completion and Acceptance trials.
Worked-up with Home
Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Joined 24th Destroyer
Flotilla in the Home Fleet on completion of
work-up.
February
Transferred with Flotilla for
support duties in Mediterranean.
March
Deployed on escort and
support of military operations in Adriatic and
central
to
Mediterranean
June
July
Nominated for duty with
ALPHA Gunfire Support Group during allied
landings in the
South of France
(Operation ANVIL).
Carried out
preparation for support role.
27th
Operation ANVIL renamed DRAGOON.
August
Joined HM Cruisers ORION,
AURORA, AJAX and BLACK PRINCE, US cruiser
QUINCY, French
cruiser GLOIRE, US destroyers LIVERMORE, EBERLE,
KEARNEY
and ERICSSON
with HM Destroyer TERMAGANT in Malta forming
Gunfire
Support Group
ALPHA.
6th
Sailed for landing support duty.
14th
Met HM Battleship RAMILLIES which
joined Group from UK and took up position
for bombardment
duties en shore batteries in YELLOW beach area.
(For- full
details see INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
(HMSO)
15th
Provided naval gunfire support with ALPHA
Group during landings
17th
Released from bombardment duties but
remained in assault area.
28th
Released from DRAGOON duty with HMS
TERMAGANT and USS QUINCY
Reverted to
control by CinC Mediterranean.
September
Deployed on support and escort
duty in Eastern Mediterranean.
18th
Bombarded Melos in Cyclades.
19th
Took part in sinking of U407 with HM
Destroyer TROUBRIDGE and Polish destroyer
ORP GARLAND north of
Crete.
47
of the submarine crew were rescued.
(Note: HM Destroyers
BRECON and ZETLAND also took part in
hunt for U407 which
was first sighted by
ORP GARLAND. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by
P Kemp.)
24th
Transferred to British Aegean Force
with ships of 24th Flotilla and joined H M
Escort
Carriers,
HUNTER, STALKER, EMPEROR,
ATTACKER, SEARCHER PURSUER
and
KHEDIVE,
HM Cruisers ORION,
AJAX, ROYALIST, BLACK PRINCE,
ARGONAUT,
AURORA and COLOMBO
together with HUNT Class destroyers.
Deployed in
support of military operations to re-occupy
islands in the Aegean
and Greek
mainland. Carried out interception of craft
evacuating German troops.
Provided
support gunfire.
(For
details of operations in 1944 see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
October
Deployment
with British Aegean Force in continuation.
7th
Deployed with HM Cruiser BLACK
PRINCE and took part in sinking caique
and
landing craft
near Volvos in Gulf of Salonika.
17th
Took part in occupation of Scarpanto
with HM Destroyer CLEVELAND.
November
Deployed
in central Mediterranean
Nominated
for duty with British Pacific Fleet after UK
refit.
December
Passage
to Plymouth for refit in HM Dockyard, Devonport
Taken in hand
for refit
1
9 4 5
January
Under
refit and preparation for
service in Pacific.
to
Radar and communications
fit up-dated.
February
(For details of development
and use of radar see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse).
March
Post
refit
trials and prepared for foreign service.
Took passage
to Australia to join 24th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Note:
British Pacific Fleet designated Task Force 113
were transferred to US 5th
Fleet
on 23rd March and redesignated Task Force 57 after
approval by US
Chiefs
of Staff had been delayed whilst ships were at Manus,
Admiralty
Islands,
Forward
British Pacific Fleet base.
See
THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton, OPERATION
PACIFIC
by
Edwyn Gray,
TASK
FORCE 57 by P Smith and WAR WITH JAPAN,
Volume
VI (HMSO) for details of all operations in 1945.)
April
Exercised in
Mediterranean prior to onward passage to Sydney.
May
Deployed
in Australian
waters in preparation for service with US Navy.
Took passage to
join British Pacific Fleet at Manus.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to
D33 to conform with US
Navy
designation for destroyers.
June Deployed
at Manus with British
Pacific Fleet.
(Note: RN
Ships deployed with US 5th Fleet as Task Force
57 had had returned
to
Manus in late May
after completion of
attacks on Sakashima
Gunto
with
US Task Forces. They then went to Sydney,
Australia for R&R.)
11th
Transferred to Task Group 112.2
and joined H M Destroyers TROUBRIDGE,
TENACIOUS and
TEA2ER of 24th Destroyer Flotilla to form Task
Unit 112.2.15
for screening
duties during planned attack to neutralise
airfields at Truk.
(Operation
INMATE).
(Note: Task Group 112.2 comprised in addition:
Task
Unit 1 KM Fleet Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE.
Task
Unit 2 HM Escort Aircraft Carrier RULER, HM
Destroyer TERMAGANT.
Task
Unit 5 HM Cruisers UGANDA (RCN), ACHILLES (RNZN)
and
NEWFOUNDLAND.
See
above references.)
12th
Deployed with screen for Task
Group during passage to Truk.
13th
Joined HMS NEWFOUNDLAND, HMS
UGANDA and HMS ACHILLES with Task
Unit 15 ships
for screening duties and redesignated
Task Unit 3.
14th
Detached and deployed as screen
for Force 5 which was to remain in area 20 miles
from
flying-off position during air attacks by Force
2.
15th
Rejoined main force and redeployed
with HMS TERMAGANT to screen HMS
IMPLACABLE
and HMS RULER during bombardment of targets at Truk
by cruisers.
(Note: The
bombardments were less than satisfactory owing to
lack of experience in
carrying
out shore bombardments, poor communication
procedure and
failures
of
equipment
17th
Returned to Manus
with Task Group 111.2.
Transferred
with
Flotilla to 3rd US Fleet for service with Task
Force 37.
(Note:
Ships of British Pacific Fleet had been
transferred to US 3rd
Fleet as part of a
re-organisation
of US naval
commands in Pacific area and had been redesignated
Task
Force 37.
Task Force 37 then comprised:
HM
Battleship KING
GEORGE V.
HM
Aircraft Carriers FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS,
IMPLACABLE and
INDEFATIGABLE.
HM
Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND, BLACK PRINCE, EURYALUS, ACHILLES,
UGANDA
(RCN). HM Destroyers
4th
Destroyer Flotilla: GRENVILLE, UNDINE, URANIA,
URCHIN, ULYSSES,
UNDAUNTED
QUALITY, QUADRANT, QUIBERON (RAN),
QUICKMATCH
(RAN).
24th
Destroyer Flotilla TROUBRIDGE, TENACIOUS,
TERMAGANT,
TERPSICHORE,
TEAZER.
4th
Joined Task Force 37 on arrival at
Manus from
R&R.
6th
Sailed from Manus
to join US Task Groups In operational area off
Japan.
(Note: HMS
INDEFATIGABLE detached for defect repair during
passage.)
13th
Task Force 37 ships met refuelling
Group before starting operations.
17th
Deployed with screen for HMS KING
GEORGE V, Carriers and Cruisers of
BPF during
combined air attacks with US Navy Task Groups of
Force 38 on
airfields and
shore targets north of Tokyo.
18th
Deployment for screening duties in
continuation during further combined air
attacks.
(Note: BPF
aircraft attacks were restricted to secondary
targets as part of
a
deliberate
US policy to restrict attacks on Japanese
warships to
US
Navy aircraft.)
19th
After further air operations by
BPF carriers withdrew with screen to replenish.
20th
Replenished with BPF ships delayed
by typhoon threat In planned area.
HM Aircraft
Carrier INDEFATIGABLE joined BPF.
(Note: First
signs of shortage of fuel from British sources
became apparent.)
23rd
During passage with screen,
destroyers were refuelled from cruiser in order
to ensure
full availability during forthcoming air strikes
and bombardments.
24th
Deployed with screen for BPF ships
during air attacks on subsidiary targets
to
(Note: Despite US navy
restrictions British aircraft sank two Japanese
frigates
25th
and seriously damage
Escort Carrier KAIYO.)
After
withdrawal to replenish came under air attacks.
27th
Returned with screen for BPF to
rejoin US Task Groups in operational area.
(Note: Fuel
shortage from RN tankers increasing evident.)
29th
Screening deployment in
continuation.
Remained with
screen for cruisers and carriers when HMS KING
GEORGE V
detached for
bombardment with US Task Group 37-1.
30th
Screening duty continued.
(Note:
British aircraft from Task Force 37 sank
Japanese Frigate OKINAWA
NNW
of Maizuru - See
WARSHIPS DESTROYED by P
Kemp.)
31st
Deployed for screening during
passage of Task Force 37 ships or replenishment.
August
1st
Replenishment transferred to new
area because of swell conditions.
2nd
Passage with screen for BPF ships
to renew operations.
.
4th
Refuelled during passage from BPF
cruiser.
(Note:
Availability of fuel in destroyers was of
Increasing concern.)
9th
Detached from screening duty
during air strikes and joined Task Group 38.5
with HMS TERMAGANT
and TENACIOUS as screen for HMS GAMBIA
and HMS
NEWFOUNDLAND.
Took part
in bombardment of shore targets at Kamaisha,
Honshu
during main
attack by
US Task Unit 34.8.1 on Japan Iron Works.
Rejoined
Task Force 37 on completion of detached duty.
10th
Fuelling programme altered and
screening duty during further series of
combined
attacks continued.
(Note:
Decision to extend operational period was made
by US Admiral of
US
5th Fleet following the entry of USSR into war
with Japan.).
11th
Transferred to US Task Force 38
for deployment in Task Group 38.5.
(Note:
During
Replenishment period agreement with US Navy was
made
for
fuel to be provided for Token Force of RN ships
required to
take
part in surface ship bombardments and air
attacks in Tokyo area.
Remaining
British Pacific Fleet ships took passage to Manus
prior
to
R&R
in Australia.)
Token British element of Task Group 38.5
comprised:
HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V. HM Cruisers GAMBIA and
NEWFOUNDLAND.
HM Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE, TERMAGANT, TENACIOUS
TERPSICHORE,
TEAZER. HM Destroyers BARFLEUR, NAPIER, NIZAM,
WAKEFUL,
WRANGLER
13th
Deployed with screen for TG38.5
during air attacks in Tokyo area.
Determined
attempts by Japanese to carry out bombing
attacks defeated by early
interception
25 miles from aircraft carriers of Task Force
38.
15th
Screening duties continued for
passage to operation area after refuelling with
US
warships of Task Force
38.
Deployed
with screen for Task group 38.5 final air
strikes.
Air
attacks after formal surrender all failed.
27th
Deployed with reformed Task
Force 37 and anchored in Sagami Bay.
For
details see above references.)
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
TERPSICHORE was deployed
for the support of repatriation of allied
personnel from Japan and attended the final
surrender of Japan with
reformed Task Force 37 in Tokyo Bay on 2nd
September. On release from service
with the British Pacific Fleet the
ship returned to UK in 1946. She was placed in
Reserve and laid up at Devonport.
In 1953 this ship was converted
for use as a Type 16 Anti-submarine Frigate by
her builders at Wololston.
After completion and trials in her
new role in 1954 she was replaced in Reserve at
Devonport.
Refitted during 1958.and in 1960 laid-up at Lisahally,
Northern Ireland. This destroyer was placed on
the Disposal List in 1964 and sold to BISCO for
demolition by West of
Scotland Shipbreakers.
She arrived at the Breaker's
yard in Troon,
Ayrshire under tow on 17th May 1966.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of
HMS TERPSICHORE
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
13/02/44
|
04/03/44
|
UGS
033
|
08/03/44
|
12/03/44
|
21/04/44
|
21/04/44
|
IXF
013
|
21/04/44
|
25/04/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|