V (VALENTINE)-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered with the 8th
Emergency Flotilla on 1st September 1942 from
John Brown of Clydebank, Glasgow.
The ship was laid down on 8th September 1942
and intended to be named HMS KEMPENFELT but
this was changed to HMS VALENTINE before
launch on 2nd September
1943. She would have been the 4th RN warship
to carry the name that had last
been used for a destroyer built in 1917 and
taken out of service in 1940. After
a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
campaign in March 1942 this ship was
to have been adopted by the civil community of
Dorchester, Dorset. However
during build this new destroyer was
transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and
re-named HMCS ALGONQUIN when commissioned on
28th February 1944.
D
e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i
c e a s H M
C S
A
L G O N Q U I N
(for more ship
information,
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to
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1
9 4 4
February
Contractors
trials.
28th
- Commissioned for service in 26th Destroyer
Flotilla, Home Fleet.
Build
completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials.
March
On
completion of trials and storing took passage
to Scapa Flow to
work-up for operational service with ships of
Home Fleet. Worked-up at
Scapa Flow.
April
On
completion deployed with
Flotilla for Home Fleet duties in NW
Approaches. Nominated for support of planned
allied landings in Normandy and allocated for
for service in Force J of
Eastern Task Force (Operation NEPTUNE). (For
details see LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO),
OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and D-DAY SHIPS
by J de Winser.)
6th
- Deployed with Home Fleet as screen for HM
Aircraft Carriers
FURIOUS and SEARCHER with HM Cruiser BERWICK,
HM Destroyers SAVAGE, WIZARD, WAKEFUL, Polish
destroyers ORP
PIORUN and ORP BLYSKAWICA during air attacks
on coastal shipping off
Kristiansund, Norway. (Note: Two mercantiles
were sunk in these attacks.)
On
release from Home Fleet
transferred to Channel with ships of 26th
Flotilla for duty with Force J.
May
Deployed
with Force J for preparatory exercises and
later with
rehearsals by all ships of Eastern Task Force
prior to assault landings.
June
Deployed
in Solent for briefing. Allocated for escort
of Convoy
J11 with Coastal Motor Boat and two MTBs
during passage through swept
channel to Assault Beach.
4th
- Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th
- Sailed from Solent with J11 which included
HM Landing Ship HILARY
(Flagship of Force J), US Coastguard Cutter
and three Landing Ships Support
(Large).
6th
- Arrived off JUNO Beach and provided naval
gunfire support with HM
Canadian Destroyer SIOUX during assault on NAN
Beaches.
7th
- Deployed in Eastern Task Force area for
gunfire support and
interception patrol duties.
27th
- Released from NEPTUNE and resumed Home Fleet
duties with
Flotilla.
July
Deployed
with Flotilla at Scapa Flow for Home Fleet
duties.
August
10th
- Deployed with HM Destroyers MYNGS, VIGILANT,
VERULAM, VOLAGE,
VIRAGO, SCOURGE and SIOUX (RCN) as escort for
HM Aircraft Carriers
INDEFATIGABLE, TRUMPETER and NABOB, HM
Cruisers KENT and DEVONSHIRE for screening
duties during air attacks on German airfield
at Gossen, near Kristiansund North
and attacks on coastal shipping. (For details
see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
Naval Staff History.)
17th
- Deployed with Home Fleet to provide cover
for passage to Kola
Inlet of outward Convoy JW59 and during air
attacks on German battleship TIRPITZ
in Kaafjord. Part of escort for HM Aircraft
Carriers INDEFATIGABLE, FORMIDABLE,
FURIOUS, HM Cruisers BERWICK and DEVONSHIRE
with HM Destroyers MYNGS, VIGILANT, SIOUX
(RCN),
KEMPENFELT, ZAMBESI and Norwegian STORD. (For
details see CONVOY by P Kemp
and Naval Staff History.)
September
Home
Fleet Flotilla duties in continuation.
17th
- Deployed as screen for HM Battleship RODNEY,
HM Cruiser DIADEM,
HM Escort Aircraft Carriers CAMPANIA and
STRIKER with HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR,
MILNE,
MUSKETEER, SAUMAREZ, SCORPION, VENUS, VERULAM,
VOLAGE, and SIOUX (RCN) for defence of
Convoy JW60 to Kola Inlet and return Convoy
RA60 to UK.
October
Passage
to Home waters with escort for RA60.
3rd
- Detached with HMS RODNEY and other escorts
and returned to Scapa
Flow.
14th
- Part of escort for HM Aircraft. Carriers
TRUMPETER and FENCER,
with HM Cruiser EURYALUS as Force 9 for air
minelaying operation and coastal shipping
strikes off Norway with HM Destroyers VOLAGE,
SIOUX (RCN), SCORPION and SERAPIS (Operation
LYCIDAS - See Naval Staff History (MINING).
26th
- Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE for
air attacks on
Sandnessjoen, Bodo and Rorvik, Norway with HM
Cruiser MAURITIUS, HM Destroyers MYNGS,
VENUS, VERULAM, VOLAGE and SIOUX (RCN). German
Depot Ship KARL MEYER was
sunk at Rorvik.
November
12th
- Took part in attack on coastal convoy KS357
at Listerfjord, SE of
Egersund with HM Cruisers KENT, BELLONA, HM
Destroyers MYNGS, VERULAM and ZAMBESI. Two
ships and
5 escorting vessels were sunk.
27th
- Escorted HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE with
HM Cruiser DIDO and
HM Destroyers MYNGS, SCOURGE, ZEPHYR, SCORPION
and SIOUX (RCN) during air attacks on shipping
off
Mosjoen, north of Namsos during which three
ships were sunk. (Note: Two of
these were carrying Russian prisoners of war
many of whom died.)
December
Deployed
with Home Fleet for covering duty of Russian
Convoys. (For full
details of all Russian Convoy operations see
CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg and above
references.)
8th
- Part of escort for HM Aircraft Carriers
IMPLACABLE, TRUMPETER and
PREMIER with HM Cruiser DIADEM and HM
Destroyers ZAMBESI, SAVAGE, VIGILANT, ZEALOUS,
SERAPIS, SIOUX
(RCN) and Norwegian destroyer STORD during air
attacks on Haugesund.
1
9 4 5
January
1st
- Formed outer escort for Russian Convoy JW63
with HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HM Escort Carrier VINDEX as screen
with HM Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE, SCOURGE,
SERAPIS, ZAMBESI and ZEBRA.
8th
- Arrived at Kola Inlet without detection by
enemy.
11th
- Returned as escort for Convoy RA63.
21st
- Detached on arrival after an undetected but
stormy passage during
which convoy had to shelter in the Faeroes.
February
Deployed
with Home Fleet.**
March
Return
to Canada.**
April
Nominated
for service with British Pacific Fleet.**
May
to August
Under
repair at Halifax.
Prepared
for
service in Pacific.** (Note: Intended
deployment with British Pacific Fleet may
have been influenced by change in
Canadian policy restricting use
of volunteers only to man ships allocated to
join operations against Japan. For this
reason the ship did not serve in the BPF
before VJ Day.)
**
No record was available at
time of research to give details of the date
on which HMCS ALGONQUIN left 26th
Destroyer Flotilla in Home Fleet.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMCS ALGONQUIN was deployed in the RCN as a Fleet destroyer
until 1954 when she was selected for
conversion
into an anti-submarine Frigate. On completion she was used in this
role until the late 1960's when she was
reduced to Reserve. This ship was sold
for breaking-up in Taiwan and left Canada in
tow to the breaker's yard at Kaoshiang
on 21st April 1971.
No
Convoy Escort Movements Reported