U-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered under the War Emergency Programme
in on 12th June 1941 for build by J. I Thornycroft
at Woolston. The
ship was laid down on 2nd May 1942 and
launched on 22nd July 1943 as the 2nd RN ship to carry the name previously used for a WW1 destroyer sold
in 1926. Build was completed on 1st March
1944. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK in
March 1942 she was adopted by the Hendon, then
part of Middlesex but now in the London
Borough of Barnet.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
BISCAY
1944 - NORMANDY 1944
- OKINAWA 1945
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue.,
a brown bear passant
Proper.
D
e t a i l
s o f W a
r S e r v i
c e
(for more ship
information,
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to
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1
9 4 4
February
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned
for
service with 25th
Destroyer Flotilla..
March
1st
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with ships
of
Home Fleet.
April
On completion of work-up deployed in NW
Approaches with H M Destroyers GRENVILLE,
ULSTER, ULYSSES, URCHIN,
UNDINE, UNDAUNTED
and URANIA for screening and
interception patrol duties.
May
Home Fleet duties
with Flotilla in continuation.
14th
Part of screen for HM Escort Carriers EMPEROR
and STRIKER, HM Cruisers SHEFFIELD
and ROYALIST with HM Destroyers ONSLOW,
OBEDIENT, WAKEFUL,
Polish ORP
PIORUN
and ORP
BLYSKAWICA during
series of air attacks in Rorvik
and Stadlandet
areas
off Norway
Transferred to English Channel for duty with
Force G in support of planned landings
in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
For details of activities prior to and during
landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K.
Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944
(HMSO)).
Joined HM Destroyers JERVIS, CATTISTOCK,
PYTCHLEY, COTTESMORE and Polish
ORP KRAKOWIAK
with other ships of
Flotilla in Force G.
Took part in preparatory exercises for GOLD
Beach assault.
June
Passage to Assembly area for escort of Convoy
G10 with HMS UNDAUNTED.
3rd
Deployed in West Solent with Convoy G10.
(Note: Convoy comprised HM Frigate KINGSMILL
(HQ Ship Force G2), four Landing Ships
(Infantry), two Motor Launches and four rescue
craft).
4th
Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th
Passage through swept channel as escort for
Convoy G10.
6th
After arrival joined ships of Force G and
bombarded beach defences on GOLD Beach
in
accordance pre-arranged Fire Plan.
9th
Deployed on interception patrol duties off beachheads.
In action with E-Boats with HM Norwegian
Destroyer GLAISDALE and ORP KRAKOWIAK
off Le Havre.
Patrol and support duties in continuation till
released from NEPTUNE.
25th
Retained in Channel area.
July
Deployed for attacks on enemy coastal traffic
i Bay of Biscay.
See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith..
August
Channel deployment in continuation.
14th
Part of screen for HM Cruiser MAURITIUS with
HM Destroyer IROQUOIS (RCN) for an
offensive operation off French coast.
15th
Carried out attack on German Aircraft Repair
Ship RICHTOFEN and Minesweeper M385
off Sables d'Olonne,
NW of La Pallice.
Minesweeper was damaged and beached. Later became
a total loss.
22nd
Deployed with HM Cruiser MAURITIUS and HM
Canadian Destroyer IROQUOIS for
offensive patrol off Audierne
23rd
Carried out attack on coastal convoy sinking
patrol boats V702, V717, V720, V729 and V730.
September
Nominated for service with Flotilla in British
Pacific Fleet after refit..
October
Under Refit and preparation for foreign
service.
November
Passage to Trincomalee to join
Eastern Fleet prior to BPF service.
22nd
Transferred to
British Pacific Fleet on formation, during
passage.
For details of
BPF operations see OPERATION PACIFIC by E
Gray,. THE
FORGOTTEN
FLEET by J Winton,
TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith, WAR WITH
JAPAN (HMSO) and Naval
Staff History).
December
Joined Fleet at Trincomalee.
Deployed for Fleet screening and patrol
duties in Indian Ocean.
1
9 4 5
January Nominated
for screening
duty for HM aircraft Carriers
IMPLACABLE,
VICTORIOUS, INDEFATIGABLE, HM
Cruisers SUFFOLK,
ARGONAUT and
BLACK PRINCE with HM Destroyers KEMPENFELT,
WHELP,
WAGER,
GRENVILLE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED and UNDINE during
planned air attacks
on
oil refineries
at Pangkalan
Brandan, Sumatra
as Force 65 (Operation LENTIL).
1st
Sailed from Trincomalee with Force 65 for
LENTIL.
4th
Deployed with screen during
air operations.
7th
Returned
to Trincomalee with ships of Force 65.
13th
Took part in Full Dress Rehearsal off Ceylon
for planned air attacks on oil refineries
at Pladjoe and Soeengei,
Palembang, Sumatra (Operation MERIDIAN)
(Note: Force 63 comprised
HM Battleship KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft
Carriers
ILLUSTRIOUS.
INDOMITABLE, .INDEFATIGABLE, VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers
BLACK
PRINCE, ARGONAUT and
EURYALUS screened by HM
Destroyers GRENVILLE, UNDINE, UNDAUNTED,
KEMPENFELT,
URSA, WAGER, WAKEFUL, WHIRLWIND and WHELP.
16th
Joined Force 63 on departure from Trincomalee.
20th
Replenished from Force 69.
(Note: HM Cruiser CEYLON and HM Destroyer
WESSEX joined with Force 69.)
24th
Deployed as part of destroyer screen during
air operations for MERIDIAN I
(Note: Operation was delayed 24 hours by
adverse weather.)
26th
Replenished from Force 69.
29th
Deployed with screen during air operations for
MERIDIAN II.
(See WAR WITH JAPAN Vol
VI (KM30) and THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by John
Winton. for details)
30th
Replenished and took passage to Sydney for
service as British Pacific Fleet.
February
4th Arrived
at Fremantle.
On
arrival at Sydney worked up for Pacific
operations with US Navy in SW Pacific.
Designated Task Force 113 pending transfer to
US Navy overall command..
(Note: Exercises included US Navy communications
methods and procedures.
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes
changes to D29 to suit US
Navy
identity for destroyers.)
28th
Took passage to Forward British base at Manus,
Admiralty Islands with ships of
BPF as Task Force 113.to take part in joint
RN/USN operations.
(Note: Deployment of RN ships had not been
sanctioned by US Joint Chiefs of Staff
and approval was awaited.)
March
During passage using US Navy
procedures for
manoeuvring and communications.
7th
Arrived at Manus.
Docked
at Manus.
(Note: Other ships of BPF Took passage as Task
Force 113 to US Forward Base at
Ulithi and
replenished.
Deployment with US Navy had been subject to
delay in receiving approval
and eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet
as Task Force 57.
BPF sailed from Ulithi
as Task Force 57 to operational area
Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.)
March
7th
Arrived at Manus.
10th
Docked at Manus.
(Note: Other ships of BPF Took passage as Task
Force 113 to US Forward Base at
Ulithi and
replenished.
Deployment with US Navy had been subject to
delay in receiving approval
and
eventually were allocated to US 5th Fleet as
Task Force 57.
BPF sailed from Ulithi
as Task Force 57 to operational area
Destroyers were designated Task Group 57.8.)
On completion of docking escorted HM Cruisers
UGANDA with HM Destroyer
URCHIN
to reinforce British
TF57 during air attacks on Formosa to
support U S
invasion
of Okinawa
(Operation ICEBERG).
April
8th
Joined Task Force 57 with HMS URCHIN during
replenishment in Area COOTIE.
9th
Deployed with screen
for ships of BPF and sailed from COOTIE Area
to carry out
air operations on airfields in Formosa
(Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
11th
Part of screen during attacks on airfields at
Schinchiku and Matsuyama.
to
On completion returned with Task Force 57 to
rejoin operations with US Navy
13th
Task Force 58 on Sakishima
Gunto airfields
(Operation ICEBERG ONE).
14th
Replenished in Area COOTIE.
16th
Deployed with screen for Task Force 57 during
air operations.
19th
Replenished in Area MOSQUITO ONE
20th
Fleet screening in continuation during final
air attacks on Sakishima
Gunto by Task
Force 57-
On completion took passage to the US Navy Base
at Leyte with
Task Force 57 ships
(Note: For details of operations in Formosa
and Sakishima Gunto
see OPERATION
PACIFIC
by
E Gray, TASK
FORCE 57 by P smith and above references.)
23rd
Arrived at Leyte.
(Note: HM Depot Ship TYNE, HM Repair Ships
RESOURCE and ARTIFEX were at Leyte.)
May
1st
Sailed from Leyte
as part of screen for HM Battleships KING
GEORGE V and HOWE, HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE, FORMIDABLE, VICTORIOUS
and INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers
GAMBIA, BLACK PRINCE and EURYALUS with HM
Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN,
UNDINE, URANIA, UNDAUNTED, QUILLIAM,
QUEENBOROUGH, QUIBERON,
QUICKMATCH, QUALITY, KEMPENFELT, WHIRLWIND and
WESSEX to join ships of US
Task Force 58 for joint air attacks on Sakishima
Gunto group
(Operation ICEBERG TWO).
3rd Replenished in MOSQUITO
Area.
4th Detached with H M
Destroyers GRENVILLE, URCHIN, UNDINE, URANIA
and UNDAUNTED
as screen for HMS KING GEORGE V, HMS HOWE, HM
Cruisers SWIFTSURE, UGANDA
(RCN) and GAMBIA (RNZN) during bombardment of
airfields at Miyako
Shima.
During the bombardment the aircraft carriers
of Task Force 57 were carrying out flying
operations
some 30 miles away and came under heavy and
sustained attacks including KAMIKAZE suicide
bombers.
(Note: HMS FORMIDABLE and HMS INDOMITABLE
damaged in these attacks).
Rejoined aircraft carriers on
completion of bombardments. (See above
references.)
5th Part of screen during
air attacks by TF57 carriers deployed in
rotation with US to TF59
carriers
24th KAMIKAZE attacks
continued. HMS VICTORIOUS and HMS FORMIDABLE
were damaged.
25th On release from
operations returned to Manus
with TF57 screen.
27th Ships of US 5th Fleet
re-designated 5th US Fleet.
(Note: ships of BPF were accordingly
redesigned Task Force 37).
June
Passage to Sydney for R&R.
(Note: 25th Destroyer Flotilla - HM Destroyers
GRENVILLE, URANIA, ULYSSES, URCHIN and
UNDINE transferred to 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
These ships took passage to join joint USN/RN
operations off Japan.
July
Deployed in Australian waters and SW Pacific.
Not included in any references giving details
of operations off Japan.)
August Pacific area deployment
in continuation.
17th
Ships of BPF reverted to RN control.
Joined Task Unit 111.2 and took passage to Subic
Bay.
27th Sailed from Subic
Bay as part of screen for HM Aircraft carrier
INDOMITABLE, HM Light Fleet
Carrier
VENERABLE, HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, EURYALUS and
BLACK PRINCE with HM
Destroyers KEMPENFELT, QUADRANT, WHIRLWIND and
HM Auxiliary PRINCE ROBERT
(RCN) for passage to support reoccupation of
Hong Kong.
29th Met HM Battleship ANSON
AND HM Light Fleet Carrier VENGEANCE.
30th Entered Hong Kong with
ships of Task Unit 111.2.
P
o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS
URSA returned to UK after re-occupation of
Hong Kong and paid off into Reserve at
Portsmouth during 1946. She remained there
until 1952 when transferred to Chatham. The
ship was selected for conversion to a Type 15
Anti-submarine Frigate and converted by Palmer
shipyard at Newcastle in 1953-54.
She re-commissioned as a Frigate in 1955 and
joined the 6th Frigate Flotilla for service
with the Fleet in the Mediterranean until
1959. Although intended to re-commission
after a refit this ship was reduced to Reserve
in Malta. In 1961 she joined the 5th Frigate
Flotilla and was damaged in a collision with
HM Destroyer BATTLEAXE on 1st August 1962
during exercises in the Clyde. After she had
been repaired she was deployed with the 8th
Frigate Flotilla until paid off on 28th
November 1966 and reduced again to Reserve
status. HMS URSA was placed on the Disposal
List and sold for breaking up in 1967 at
Newport, Glamorgan where she arrived on 23
September 1967.
No
Convoy Escort Movements Reported
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