V-Class
destroyers ordered from Fairfield of Govan,
Glasgow with the 8th Emergency
Flotilla on 1st September 1941. She was laid down on 12th January 1942 and launched on 23rd February
1943 as the 11th RN warship to carry this name
previously used
for a cruiser sold in 1921. She had been adopted
by the civil community of
Evesham, Worcestershire following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in November 1941.
Build was completed on 28th August 1943 and the
ship was fitted for arctic service.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
GLORIOUS FIRST
OF JUNE 1794 - QUIBERON 1759 - ST LUCIA
1778 - ST LUCIA 1803 - ARCTIC
1943-44 - NORMANDY 1944 - MALAYA 1945 -
BURMA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field
Blue, the
symbol of the planet Venus Gold.
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
August Contractor's
sea trials and commissioning.
28th
Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
September On
completion of trials and storing took passage to
Scapa Flow to work-up
with ships of Home
Fleet
Worked-up for
operational service at Scapa Flow.
Joined 26th
Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet on completion.
October
Deployed
with Flotilla in NW Approaches for Fleet escort
and patrol.
November
3rd
Deployed as part of
screen for HM Battleship ANSON, HM Aircraft
Carrier FORMIDABLE, HM
Cruiser
JAMAICA with HM Destroyers ONSLOW, HAIDA (RCN),
Norwegian STORD,
US
destroyer
USS CAPPS and USS
HOBSON).
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by
RA Ruegg
CONVOY!
by P Kemp and THE
RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield).
23rd
Joined Ocean Escort
for Russian Convoy JW54B with m Destroyers
HARDY, SAVAGE,
SAUMAREZ,
SCORPION, SCOURGE and VIGILANT.
December
3rd
Made independent return passage to
Scapa Flow with Home Fleet units after arrival
of JW54B
at
approaches to Archangel.
Resumed
Fleet duties with Flotilla.
1 9 4 4
January
21st
Joined escort for Russian Convoy
JW56A at Akureyi with HM Destroyers OBDURATE,
HARDY, OFFA,
INCONSTANT, SAVAGE, VIGILANT, VIRAGO and
Norwegian destroyer
STORD.
28th
On arrival at Kola
Inlet despatched to
join escort for following Convoy JW56B.
29th
Reinforced escort
for JW56B.
30th
After HMS HARDY had
been torpedoed by U27b assisted in rescue of
survivors.
Sank
hulk of HMS HARDY.
February
3rd
Joined escort for
returning Convoy RA56 at Kola Inlet with Home
Fleet ships.
7th
Detached
from RA56 with HM Destroyers
OFFA, OPPORTUNE, SAVAGE and VIGILANT.
March
Flotilla
duties in NW Approaches in continuation.
29th Joined
Russian Convoy JW58 with m
Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Carriers ACTIVITY,
TRACKER,
HM Destroyers OBEDIENT', OFFA, OPPORTUNE ORIBI.
ORWELL,
SERAPIS,
SAUMAREZ, SCORPION and Norwegian STORD.
April
4th
Detached from JW58 on
arrival at Kola Inlet.
7th
Joined escort for return Convoy RA58
with HMS ACTIVITY and Fleet destroyers.
12th
Detached from RA58 with
HM Destroyers BEAGLE. BOADICEA, INCONSTANT,
KEPPEL,
WALKER, WESTCOTT,
WHITEHALL and WRESTLER before arrival
of
convoy in Loch Ewe.
Nominated
for duty in Support Force J during planned
allied landings in
Normandy with
HM
Canadian Destroyers SIOUX, ALGONQUIN, HM
Destroyers KEMPENFELT and
VIGILANT
of 27th Destroyer Flotilla.
(Operation
NEPTUNE - See OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and
NORMANDY
LANDINGS
JUNE 1944 (HMSO) for details).
May
Passage to Channel
for preparatory
exercises.
Joined
HM Destroyers FAULKNOR, FURY, BLEASDALE,
GLAISDALE (Nor.)
STEVENSTONE
and the French LA COMBATTANTE with ships of
Flotilla In
Force J.
2nd
Final rehearsal for Forces O, S, G and J
(Exercise FABIUS).
3rd
Berthing, and loading
and sailing phases exercised.
4th
Assault landing at Bracklesham Bay, West
Sussex. Defence exercise In Channel off
Brighton.
18th
On completion, took passage to Solent
for final preparations.
Bombardment
target allocated in Pre-Arranged Fire Plan.
Beaches
west of Corseulles with HM Destroyer FURY.
June
Deployed
in Solent.
3rd
Joined HMS STEVENSTONE
and French LA COMBATTANTE as escort for Convoy
J9.
(Note:
This comprised HM Frigate LAWFORD, 10 Landing
Ships (Infantry), three
Motor Gun
Boats
from Light Coastal Forces and two US Navy
Coastguard Cutters).
4th
Convoy sailing delayed
by 21 hours.
5th
Escorted Convoy
through swept channel.
6th
On arrival at beach
head took up bombardment station.
Provided
naval gunfire support, for JUNO Beaches.
7th
Deployed in Task Force
area for patrol, convoy defence and support as
required by Assault
Force
Commander.
27th
Retained in Channel
area after NEPTUNE terminated.
28th. In
action off
Cherbourg with light. German, naval units during
offensive sweep.
July
Channel
deployment in continuation.
On
release from Channel deployment rejoined Home
Fleet at Scapa Flow
with Flotilla.
August
Deployed
for Flotilla duties with Home Fleet.
September
17th
Joined escort for Russian Convoy JW60
with HM Battleship RODNEY, HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HM Escort. Carriers CAMPANIA and STRIKER
with HM Destroyers
MARNE,
METEOR, MILNE, MUSKETEER, SAUMAREZ, SCORPION,
VERULAM, VIRAGO,
VOLAGE and ALGONQUIN.
23rd
Detached from JW60
on. arrival at Kola Inlet.
28th
Escorted returning Convoy RA60 from
Kola Inlet with same ships.
October
3rd
Detached with Home
Fleet escorts before arrival in Loch Ewe.
23rd
Part of screen for
HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE, HM Cruiser
MAURITIUS with HM
Destroyers,
MYNGS, VERULAM, VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN and SIOUX
during air attacks
by carrier on
Sorreisa and Bardufoss airfield.
November
14th
Escorted HM
Escort. Carrier PURSUER and
HM Cruiser EURYALUS with HM Destroyers
NUBIAN and
ZEPHYR for carrier attacks on Trondheim
Nominated for
refit and took passage to Forth.
December
Under
refit at Commercial
shipyard in Leith prior to service with Flotilla
in Eastern Fleet
1 9 4 5
January
Under
refit.
February
Prepared
for service with Eastern Fleet after completion
of post refit
trials
Passage to
Trincomalee.
(Note: During
passage in Mediterranean carried our further
exercises .
March
Joined
Flotilla in Eastern Fleet.
Deployed on
Fleet screening and patrol in Indian Ocean.
April
10th
Part of screen for
HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH and French
battleship RICHELIEU.,
HM Cruisers
CUMBERLAND and LONDON with ships of Flotilla for
bombardment of
Sabang, Sumatra (Operation SUNFISH).
30th
Sailed from
Kyaupu to join aircraft carrier prior to planned
landings in Burma.
May
1st
Part of screen
for Eastern Fleet major ships of covering force
during landings at Rangoon.
(Operation
DRACULA - See OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray, THE
FORGOTTEN
FLEET by J
Winton and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).)
6th
Joined Force 63 as screen for HMS
QUEEN ELIZABETH, French RICHELIEU, HM
Escort Carriers
SHAH, EMPRESS, HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND, SUFFOLK,
CEYLON
and Dutch
cruiser VAN TROMP during bombardment of
Andamans.
(Operation
BISHOP).
9th
Joined Force 61
comprising HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, FS RICHELIEU,
HMS
CUMBERLAND,
Dutch VAN TROMP and 21st Carrier Squadron with
Fleet destroyers.
Deployed to
intercept Japanese ships sifted in entrance to
Malacca Straits.
(Operation
DUKEDOM).
14th
Detached with m Destroyers SAUMAREZ,
VERULAM, VIGILANT and VIRAGO to
search for
enemy warships sighted on passage north of
Sumatra
(Operation
MITRE).
15th
In action with
Japanese cruiser HAGURO and destroyer KAMIKAZE.
During a brilliantly
executed
tactical night attack HAGURO was sunk by
torpedoes in Malacca Straits SW of
Penang.
(For full
details see SINK THE HAGURO by John Winton and
above references.).
June
Eastern
Fleet screening and Indian Ocean patrol duties
in continuation.
to
Took
part in preparatory
exercises for allied landings in Malaya
(Operation ZIPPER).
July
August
Deployed
with screen for Eastern Fleet major units
providing cover for
landings.
(Note: This
Operation was postponed at the insistence of the
US Government and problems
relating
to the release of long serving SEAC personnel
under the PYTHON
Scheme.
As a
result it did rot take place until after VJ Day
.
For
more details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by C Barnett
and
above references.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS VENUS returned to UK after the surrender at Singapore
and the joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla at
Malta for service in the Mediterranean. In 1949
this ship Paid off
and was reduced to Reserve status at Devonport.
She was converted into a Type 15 Anti-submarine
Frigate by HM
Dockyard Devonport and then spent two years in
the Home Fleet in the 6th Frigate Squadron, and
later joined the Dartmouth Training Squadron in
which she remained until being again reduced to
Reserve status at Portsmouth. Before being
placed on the Disposal List she was
used for SEADART Guided Missile Trials in 1969.
The ship was sold to BISCO
for demolition by T W Ward in 1972 arid arrived
in tow at the breaker's yard in Briton Ferry on
20th December
1972.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
VENUS
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
01/11/43
|
02/11/43
|
RA
054A
|
08/11/43
|
14/11/43
|
22/11/43
|
25/11/43
|
JW
054B
|
02/12/43
|
03/12/43
|
12/01/44
|
21/01/44
|
JW
056A
|
27/01/44
|
28/01/44
|
22/01/44
|
29/01/44
|
JW
056B
|
01/02/44
|
01/02/44
|
03/02/44
|
03/02/44
|
RA
056
|
07/02/44
|
11/02/44
|
27/03/44
|
29/03/44
|
JW
058
|
04/04/44
|
04/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
07/04/44
|
RA
058
|
12/04/44
|
14/04/44
|
15/09/44
|
17/09/44
|
JW
060
|
23/09/44
|
23/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
28/09/44
|
RA
060
|
03/10/44
|
05/10/44
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|