Type II HUNT
Class Escort Destroyer ordered
under the 1939 Emergency War Programme from J S
White, Cowes, IoW on 4th September 1939. The
ship was laid
down as J6108 on 1st January 1940.
She was launched 17th October 1940
as the first RN warship to carry the name, that
of a fox-hunt in Hertfordshire.
Build completion date was 30th July
1941 and the ship had been adopted by the civil
community of Watford,
Hertfordshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in
March 1942.
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1942 - NORTH
AFRICA 1942-43
-
SICILY 1943
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge:
On a
Field Red, a
hunting horn Gold and a
Battle
Axe White in saltire
interlaced with a
horseshoe
inverted also 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 1
July
Contractor's sea trials and commissioned for
service in 1st Destroyer Flotilla.
30th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
August
During trials leaks were discovered in shaft
glands which were repaired before Acceptance.
Passage to Scapa Flow on completion of trials
and storing.
Worked-up for operational service with ships
of Home Fleet at Scapa Flow
September
Passage to Portsmouth to join Flotilla for
convoy defence and patrol in
English Channel.
(For details of naval activities in
English Channel see HOLD THE NARROW
SEA
by
P Smith and THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW
SEAS by P Scott).
October
Channel deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
to
November
December
11th
Detached for duty with Home Fleet
13th
Whilst on passage in action with aircraft off
Pembroke coast.
Hit on Quarterdeck by bomb caused explosion in
after 4in magazine.
18 ratings were killed
and
20 injured in after messdeck.
Y mounting wrecked and lost overboard.
Damage
control
measures taken to deal with fires and
flooding and ship settled by stern
with quarterdeck awash.
After propulsion restored took passage to
Milford Haven
steering by
engines.
Taken in tow to HM Dockyard, Pembroke Dock by
tug.
15th
Taken in hand for survey
1
9 4 2
January
3rd
Paid-off into Care and Maintenance.
February Under
repair at Pembroke Dock
to
June
July
Re-commissioned for service
10th
Carried out post repair trials on completion
of dockyard work.
23rd
On completion of trials took passage to
Plymouth.
24th
Taken in hand by HM Dockyard for
modifications.
August
On completed of modifications took passage to
Scapa Flow
Worked-up for service at Scapa Flow with Home
Fleet.
September
Deployed at Scapa Flow.
15th
Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron
during lay of section of the Northern Barrage
south
of Faeroes (Operation SN65A).
(For details of minelaying operations in WW2
see Naval Staff History (MINING).)
October
Deployed in Western Approaches Command for
convoy escort defence.
5th
Joined military convoy WS23 in Clyde with HM
Destroyers BEAGLE, WRESTLER,
BICESTER, ZETLAND and Greek destroyer KANARIS
as escort during
passage in NW Approaches.
(Note: HM Cruisers DESPATCH, DURBAN and HM
Armed Merchant Cruiser QUEEN OF
BERMUDA provided Ocean Escort for passage in
Atlantic.)
10th
Remained for escort of WS23 when destroyers of
Local Escort detached.
15th
Detached from WS23 with KANARIS and took
passage to Freetown after destroyers from
Freetown arrived for Local Escort
16th
Deployed at Freetown.
23rd
Escorted troopships BERGENSFJORD and
LEOPOLDVILLE during passage from Freetown
to Gibraltar.
31st
Attached to Central Task Force for planned
allied landings in North Africa.
(Operation TORCH – For details see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett, Naval Staff History and for
information on all ships involved BRITISH
INVASION
FLEETS by J de Winser).
November
Deployed at Gibraltar for briefing and
preparation for support of TORCH
Deployed with Task Force for support of
landing operations.
8th
At Oran for landings.
13th
Searched for survivors from Dutch destroyer
ISAAC SWEERS sunk by U431
north west
of
Algiers.
On release from Central Task Force attached to
Destroyer Division 59 based at Gibraltar.
December
Deployment for convoy defence duties in
continuation based at Gibraltar.
1
9 4 3
January
Gibraltar deployment for convoy defence in
continuation.
to
May
June
Nominated for support of planned allied
landings in Sicily with Support Force East as
part of
Escort Group S.
(Operation HUSKY - See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY, Naval Staff History and
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS.).
Convoy defence duties in continuation.
July
Joined Support Force.
Passage to Bone.
5th
Deployed as part of escort for assault convoy
KMS18
8th
Detached from KMS18 to refuel and rejoined
escort on completion.
10th
Detached from KMS18 on arrival at BARK WEST
Beach Head.
Deployed for naval gunfire support during
landings and carried out patrols to intercept
any
attempt to interfere with landings.
August
Resumed convoy defence deployment.
8th
Escorted liners
SATURNIA and VULCANIA from
Gibraltar to Malta.
September
Deployment for western Mediterranean escort
and patrol in continuation.
6th
Torpedoed and sunk by U617 whilst on passage
to Gibraltar in position 40 miles
east
of Europa
Point in position 36.06N, 04.44W.
Two hits aft detonated after magazine and ship
stayed afloat for only 8 minutes.
62 of ship’s company were killed with 129
survivors.
(Note: Some survivors were rescued by a
Spanish mercantile and avoided internment by
attracting the attention of a naval patrol
craft which took them to safety in
Gibraltar.
U617 was later
damaged in an A/S attack and then
abandoned off Morocco on 11th
September 1943).
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
PUCKERIDGE
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
21/07/42
|
21/07/42
|
WP 190
|
23/07/42
|
23/07/42
|
13/12/42
|
13/12/42
|
TE 009
|
14/12/42
|
18/12/42
|
12/12/42
|
31/12/42
|
UGS 003
|
01/01/43
|
01/01/43
|
08/02/43
|
14/02/43
|
KMF 009
|
16/02/43
|
16/02/43
|
17/02/43
|
17/02/43
|
MKF 009
|
19/02/43
|
24/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
03/03/43
|
KMF 010A
|
04/03/43
|
04/03/43
|
26/02/43
|
08/03/43
|
KMS 010G
|
11/03/43
|
11/03/43
|
10/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
MKF 018
|
17/07/43
|
23/07/43
|
14/07/43
|
14/07/43
|
KMS 019Y
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
26/07/43
|
27/07/43
|
MKS 019Y
|
29/07/43
|
31/07/43
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|