T-Class Destroyer ordered from
John Brown, Clydebank with the 6th Emergency
Flotilla on 14th March 1941. The ship was laid
down on 16th
November that year and launched on 9th
November 1942 as the second RN warship to bear
this name,
previously introduced for a WW1 destroyer. In
March 1942 after successful WARSHIP WEEK
National
Savings campaign she was adopted by the civil
community of Rowley
Regis, then part of Staffordshire. Build was
completed on 2nd April 1943.
B a t t
l e
H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1943 - SICILY 1943 -
SALERNO
1943 - AEGEAN 1943-44 - MEDITERRANEAN
1943-44 - ATLANTIC 1944 - SOUTH FRANCE 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge: On a
field Blue, three bells Gold, two and one all
conjoined
by a ring.
M o t t
o
Tumultu:
‘Let us use this Tumult’
(To
our advantage.)
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
Contractors
trials
April
Commissioned for Service
in 24th Destroyer Flotilla.
2nd
Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials
On completion of
trials and storing took passage to Scapa
Flow to
work-up
for operational
service with ships of Home Fleet.
May
Passage to Gibraltar to
join Flotilla.
June
Deployed with Flotilla
for convoy defence and screening duties based
in Malta.
Prepared for
support of planned allied landings in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY)
July
8th
Sailed from Malta with HM Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE and TYRIAN to join
major ships
deployed in the Ionian
Sea to provide
cover for landings.
For details see BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J
de Winser, ENGAGE
THE
ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett and the Naval Staff History.)
August
Fleet screening duties in
continuation.
September Nominated
for support of planned
landings at Salerno
(Operation AVALANCHE)
9th
Deployed with HMS TROUBRIDGE and HMS
TYRIAN
for screening of
major
ships providing
cover for landings. See above references.
11th
Provided naval gunfire support and
AA defence for Fleet units off landing
beaches.
October
Transferred to Aegean for
support of military operations following the
surrender of
Italy.
(Note: German
troops intended retain control of the islands
after the Italian surrender
and
British troops had been sent to Cos
and and Leros
where they met serious
opposition.
Naval support of the re-occupation was
urgently required.
For
details see WAR IN THE AEGEAN by P Smith and E
Walker.)
5th
Deployed with HM
Destroyer PATHFINDER and joined HM Cruisers
DIDO and
AURORA to carry
out patrol in Kaso
Strait to intercept any enemy
craft on passage to
reinforce German
garrisons. No craft were sighted and ships
came under spasmodic
unsuccessful air
attacks
(Note: Later the
two cruisers were involved in collision. See
reference.)
16th
Deployed with HMS
TYRIAN and carried out attack on convoy during
which a supply
ship was sunk.
21st
Carried out patrol
and sank trawler.
November
Deployed with Flotilla off west
coast of Italy for military support and
escort.
8th
Bombarded shore batteries at Volurno
and Gaeta
December
Deployed for Flotilla duties in
Adriatic.
1
9 4 4
January
Adriatic deployment with
Flotilla in continuation.
During patrol with
HMS TROUBRIDGE intercepted supply ship off Civitanova.
8th
Carried out bombardments in support
of partisan operations at San Bendetto,
Dubrovnik
and
Korcula.
February
1st
Carried out bombardment south of Ancona
at Racanti and Padosa
in support of
British military
operations on east coast of Italy with HMS
TENACIOUS.
4th
Carried out bombardments in support
of Yugoslav partisans at Hvar
and Curzola
with
HMS TEAZER.
27th
Carried out further bombardment at Cuzola
with HMS TROUBRIDGE.
March
Resumed duties in
central Mediterranean
with Flotilla.
Deployed for
convoy defence and anti-submarine patrol.
29th
Carried out anti-submarine search
for U223 with HM Destroyers LAFOREY and
ULSTER.
After
contact
established with submarine by HMS ULSTER
took part in series of joint
attacks.
Joined by HM
Destroyers WILTON, HAMBLEDON and BLENCATHRA
and continued
attacks
till nightfall.
30th
Contact maintained until U223
forced to surface after daylight and sunk by
surface gunfire
(Note: Before
surfacing U223 fired torpedo at HMS LAFOREY
which sank with heavy
loss
of life. See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.
Rescued 27 survivors from U223 with
other ships.
April
Flotilla deployment in
central Mediterranean in continuation.
to
June
July
Nominated for support of
planned landings in South France with HM
Destroyers
TROUBRIDGE, TUSCAN,
TYRIAN and TEAZER (Operation DRAGOON –Formerly
ANVIL. See above
references.)
Nominated for
service with Task Group 88.1 as escort and
took part in preliminary
exercises.
Deployment under overall
command of US Navy.
August
Sailed from Malta to join HM
Escort Aircraft Carriers KHEDIVE,
EMPEROR,
SEARCHER, PURSUER
and ATTACKER.
15th
Deployed as screen for TG88.1 during
landing operations.
27th
Released from TG881 on disbandment
and resumed RN control.
Transferred to
Eastern Mediterranean for service in British
Aegean Force.
29th
Carried out bombardment of Skyros
with HM Cruiser
BLACK PRINCE.
September
Deployed
in support of re-occupation of islands in
Aegean and the planned landings
in Greece.
October
Eastern Mediterranean deployment
in continuation.
Nominated for
service in British Pacific Fleet with Flotilla
Refit arranged in
UK.
November
Took passage to Portsmouth for
refit.
December
Under refit by HM Dockyard,
Portsmouth,.
1
9 4 5
January
Under refit.
to
March
April
On completion carried out
Post-refit trials and prepared for foreign
service.
May
Passage to Mediterranean
and worked-up for service with ships of the
Mediterranean
Fleet based in
Malta.
June
On
completion of work-up took passage to Sydney
via Suez.
July
Arrived in Sydney.
Pennant Number for visual
signalling purposes changed to D50 to conform
with US
Navy system of
identification for destroyers
August
Deployed in Pacific.
(Note: Although
part of British Fleet did not take part in any
operations off Japan with
ships
of Flotilla.)
P
o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
TUMULT was deployed in support of repatriation
of allied prisoners of war and
internees after VJ Day. These
duties included service at Shanghai with HM
Cruisers BERMUDA, ARGONAUT, HM
Destroyers TUSCAN
and QUIBERON. She returned to UK in 1946 and
paid-off at Portsmouth. Laid –up
in Reserve Fleet she
was selected for conversion into a Type 16
Anti-submarine Frigate and after
completion by a commercial shipyard
in Birkenhead she was re-commissioned for
service in the 2nd Training Squadron.
The ship was deployed
at Londonderry and Portland until returning to
Reserve in December 1957.
Laid-up at Chatham for three
years and she then transferred to Rosyth
before being
placed on the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO in
1965 she
arrived at in tow at Dalmuir
on 25th October that year for demolition by Arnott
Young.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of
HMS TUMULT
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
04/06/43
|
05/06/43
|
OS
049KM
|
13/06/43
|
13/06/43
|
13/06/43
|
13/06/43
|
KMS
016G
|
15/06/43
|
15/06/43
|
19/09/43
|
19/09/43
|
NSF
003A
|
21/09/43
|
22/09/43
|
09/02/44
|
09/02/44
|
IXF
009
|
13/02/44
|
13/02/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|