Later
HUNT-Class coal burning minesweeper
ordered
from Murdoch and Murray of Port Glasgow
in May 1917. The ship was laid down on
5th September 1917. Machinery was
supplied by Yarrow of Scotstoun.
She was launched on
25th July 1918 as the 7th RN ship to
carry this name introduced in 1731 for
a
Sloop and last used by a Store Lighter
in 1809.
Her
build was completed on 30th October
1918. After WWI this ship was deployed
for
mine clearance work but later was
placed in Reserve at Alexandria.
.Following a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign February 1942 this
ship was
adopted by the civil community of Saltash,
Cornwall..
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
GOREE 1758* -
DUNKIRK 1940 - NORMANDY 1944
(*
= Only in Manning .)
H
e
r a l d i
c D
a t a
Badge:
None is
recorded in the Official List
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 3 9
August Brought
forward from Reserve
at Alexandria for service in Eastern
Mediterranean as 3rd
Minesweeping
Flotilla with sister ships ROSS,
PANGBOURNE, LYDD, ALBURY, FERMOY
and SUTTON
.
(Note:
Ships were to be deployed for
patrol for interception of ships
carrying illegal immigrants to
Palestine.
September Requirement
cancelled
and commissioned for minesweeping
duties
to
Deployed
with Flotilla for
Contraband Control duties in eastern
Mediterranean and Red Sea for
October
interception
of mercantile traffic.
November
Contraband
Control duties in continuation
Nominated
for
return to UK for minesweeping
duties.
(Note:
Increase in minelaying with magnetic
mines had mad
necessary an increase in the number
of ships
with a minesweeping capability,
especially
required off the East Coast of UK..
December
Passage to UK
On arrival deployed
at Harwich for minesweeping off East
Coast.
1
9 4 0
January
Deployed
at Harwich to ensure convoy routes off
East Coast were kept
clear of mines.
to
(Note: The ships
from Alexandria formed the 3rd and 4th
Minesweeping
Flotillas.)
February
March
Deployed
with 5th Minesweeping Flotilla based
at Rosyth with HM
Minesweepers ALBURY,
LYDD, PANGBOURNE and ROSS for
minesweeping on northern parts of
East Coast convoy
routes
(Note: In
addition also deployed to ensure a
clear passage
for RN minelayers during the lay of
the
East
Coast Mine Barrier to provide
protection of convoy route from enemy
craft.).
April
East Coast deployment in
continuation based at Granton,
near Edinburgh
May
Transferred
to 4th Minesweeping Flotilla at
Harwich for special duty after
German attacks on Low
countries.
24th
Deployed with HM Destroyer VEGA,
HMS FITZROY, HM Corvettes MALLARD
WIDGEON
and
SHELDRAKE to clear a
passage for mercantiles
FLORENTINO and TRANSEAS from North
Goodwin area to Zeebrugge
(Operation
EF).
(Note:
This operation was to place blockships
across harbour
entrance.)
25th
After clearance operation completed
took passage to return to Harwich.
(Note: Blockships
and escort came
under air attack and operation
abandoned.)
28th
Joined HM Minesweepers GOSSAMER,
LEDA, PANGBOURNE, ROSS, LYDD, KELLETT,
SUTTON,
ALBURY, FITZROY, SELKIRK and
HMS DUNDALK for passage to
assist
in the
evacuation of allied troops from
Dunkirk
(Operation
DYNAMO).
29th
Deployed off beaches to ferry troops
to ships unable to go into shallow
water.
Under air
attacks and continued rescue
operations.
31st
Return passage to Dunkirk to
resume evacuation
duties.
Pennant Number
for visual signalling purposes changed
to J52.
June
1st
Embarked 499 troops and took
passage to Margate.
Returned to
beaches and embarked 359 troop
2nd
On arrival
at Margate released from DYNAMO
resumed minesweeping duties at
Harwich.
Deployed with HM
Minesweepers KELLETT, ROSS, LYDD and
PANGBOURNE as 5th
Minesweeping
Flotilla at Harwich for east coast
minesweeping.
July
Flotilla
deployment in
continuation.
to
(Note: Extensive anti-invasion
measures were
introduced during this period
including patrols off
August
East Coast
ports to intercept invasion craft.)
September
Despatched
with HM Fleet
Minesweeper LEDA to assist in recovery
of HM Destroyer EXPRESS
that
had been seriously damaged after
detonating a mine
whilst engaged in minelaying
(Operation
CBX5) off
the Dutch coast
and was disabled.
2nd
Assisted in operation to tow HMS
EXPRESS to safety and returned to
Harwich on release.
For details
see Naval Staff History (Mining).
October
Transferred with Flotilla
to Granton
to resume minesweeping of northern
section
of east coat
convoy
routes.
November
Granton
deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
December
Transferred
to Londonderry with HMS
KELLETT and HMS ROSS for minesweeping
duties in
NW Approaches.
1
9 4 1
January
On completion of task
returned to Granton
and resumed East Coast duties.
February
East
coast minesweeping in continuation.
and
deployed for convoy escort as
required,
to
March
April
Transferred
to 4th Minesweeping
Flotilla when 5th Flotilla disbanded.
(Note:
The 4th Flotilla was thus the only one
of this Class deployed in Home
waters.)
May Transferred
with
Flotilla to Aberdeen and continued
duties off Scottish coast.
to
Under air
attacks.
November Flotilla
nominated for
clearance of British mines in Northern
Barrage between Faroes and Iceland.
(Note: This
was to create a Gap for passage of
allied ships.) Deployed
in
NW Approaches.
December
Deployed for Atlantic
minesweeping.
Under air
attacks during passages to and from
operational area
1
9 4 2
January On
completion of
clearance in Atlantic resumed duties
in southern North Sea.
Took
passage from Aberdeen to Yarmouth
February
East coast deployment in continuation
to
Nominated for
transfer to Plymouth Command.
June
July
Deployed in SW
Approaches for minesweeping
to
(Note: In
addition to clearance of mines from
coastal convoy routes operations
to provide
December
safe passage to
allied warships carrying out
interception of enemy coastal shipping
were also
carried out.).
1
9 4 3
January
Channel
deployment
in continuation.
to
May
June
Transferred with
Flotilla to Milford Haven for
clearance of existing minefield off
Irish coast..
to
(Note: This
proved a long task due to adverse
weather conditions in the area which
restricted
December
sweeping.
Carried out final
check of area prior to new minelay
by HM Cruiser
ADVENTURE.
1
9
4 4
January
SW
Approaches minesweeping
duties with Flotilla based at Milford
Haven in continuation.
to
February
March Transferred
to
Portsmouth Command and took passage to
Portsmouth.
Deployed
with Flotilla for minesweeping
operations prior to allied landings in
Normandy
(Operation
NEPTUNE)
(Note:
Other ships in Flotilla were ALBURY,
ELGIN, KELLETT,
LYDD, PANGBOURNE,
ROSS, SUTTON and
SELKIRK.)
April
Deployed with
Flotilla for mine clearance in area to
be used by cross-channel invasion
convoys
Detached to take
part in preparatory exercises with
Assault Forces.
(Note:
These included minesweeping during
darkness.)
May Mine
clearance
in Channel and exercises deployment
in continuation.
Detached
from Exercise FABIUS to recover bodies
of personnel drowned after sinking of
US
Landing Ships
during Exercise TIGER in Lyme Bay.
(See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY
(HMSO).)
On
release resumed minesweeping duties in
English Channel
(Note:
Flotilla allocated for mine sweep in
Channel 4 ahead
of ships of Assault Force O to
beach head.
June
Deployed for
support of Operation NEPTUNE.
5th
Carried out sweep in Channel 4
ahead of invasion craft.
6th
Completed sweep of Channel 4
without any incident.
Commenced sweep of
area between Channels 4 and 5 to
create new
Channel 34.
(Note:
Canadian 31st
Minesweeping
Flotilla, Danlayers
and Motor Launches were also
deployed.
For details see
above reference.)
7th
Returned
to Portsmouth with Flotilla when
Channel 34 work completed
8th
Deployed
for minesweeping away
from beach heads, nearer UK coast.
(Note:
Ships of this Class were not suitable
for patrol
deployment off the beach head.)
28th
After
completion of NEPTUNE support Flotilla
and resumed minesweeping in SW
Approaches with
Flotilla.
July
Deployed in
Lands End area after report of mine
explosion by convoy escort.
(Note:
U-Boats concentrating attacks in
coastal areas
frequently laid mines.
See HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
August Transferred
with
Flotilla to Swansea for minesweeping
operations in Bristol Channel and St
Georges Channel.
(Note:
Atlantic traffic was still being
routed through Irish
Sea as mercantiles using English
were
still vulnerable to air attacks.)
September SW
Approaches
deployment based at Swansea in
continuation with HMS ROSS,
to
.
HMS SUTTON and HMS
PANGBOURNE.
December Nominated
for
withdrawal from operational use with
ships of 3rd Minesweeping Flotilla.
1
9 4 5
January
Passage to
Falmouth to Pay-off.
to
Paid-off, de-stored and reduced to
Reserve status.
February
March
Laid-up at
Falmouth
to
August
F
i n a
l P h a s e
HMS
SALTASH
remained in Reserve at Falmouth until
1947 when she was placed on the
Disposal List. The ship was sold to
Dohmen and Habets of Ghent in July
1947 and
towed to Belgium for Demolition.