1 9 4 2
December Contractors trials
1 9 4 3
January
3rd Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
Commissioned for service in 10th Cruiser Squadron, Home Fleet.
27th On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with
ships of Home Fleet.
February Work-up
for operational service
29th Deployed in NW
Approaches for interception patrol and convoy defence.
March Detached
for convoy defence based at Freetown.
April Deployed
for convoy defence and interception of blockade runners in South Atlantic.
May
5th Escorted rms
QUEEN MARY with HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS during passage to Canada
in Atlantic.
(Note:
QUEEN MARY was taking Winston Churchill and Staff Officers to attend meeting
with President Roosevelt.
HMS
CHARYBDIS detached during passage because of weather conditions.)
June Deployed
in SW Approaches for convoy defence and interception.
Transferred to Mediterranean for
service with 15th Cruiser Squadron.
Passage
to Clyde to join joint military
convoy WS31/KMF17 as Ocean Escort during passage
in the Atlantic for defence against surface attack by German warships
21st Joined convoy in Clyde.
(Note:
HM Destroyers ARROW, BLANKNEY, BLENCATHRA, BRECON, BRISSENDEN,
HAMBLEDON
LEDBURY, MENDIP, VICEROY, WALLACE, WITHERINGTON and
WOOLSTON
were also deployed for escort of KMF17 to Gibraltar.)
26th Detached with
KMF17 ships and escorting destroyers. when
convoys divided
. Sailed
for Algiers
July Deployed
in western Mediterranean.
3rd Embarked CinC
(Admiral Cunningham) in Algiers for passage to Malta:
4th Arrived in Malta to join Support Force East
Other
ships in Force included HM Cruisers CARLISLE,
COLOMBO and DELHI,
HM
Monitors EREBUS and ROBERTS,
9th Sailed from Malta and covered passage of
invasion convoy during passage to Sicily with
HM
Cruisers ORION, MAURITIUS and NEWFOUNDLAND, in eastern Mediterranean
(Operation HUSKY).
(For
details of HUSKY landings and support see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by Corelli Barnett , BRITISH
INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser and Naval Staff
History).
10th Arrived at ACID Beach Head
Covered landings of 1st Airborne Division SW of Syracuse.
Rescued
36 survivors from Hospital Ship TALAMBA after air attack
11th Bombarded Augusta screened by HM
Destroyers ESKIMO and NUBIAN.
12th Deployed in central Mediterranean for shipping sweep with HMS
MAURITIUS, HM
Destroyers NUBIAN and TARTAR
for shipping sweep.
August Deployed
in support of military operations in Sicily
September
9th Covered landings by British X Corps at Salerno (Operation AVALANCHE).
Slightly damaged by collision with HMS DELHI during air attacks on
anchorage.
11th Provided naval gunfire support with HMS
ROBERTS, HM Cruisers MAURITIUS,
ORION,
AURORA, US Cruisers PHILADELPHIA and USS BOISE during German
counter-attack.
Under sustained air attacks. (For details see same
references as for HUSKY).
13th Hit by FX1400 Glider Bomb when providing
naval gunfire support and sustained major
damage with serious flooding.
Towed
to Malta by US Tug NARRAGANSETT
October. Under temporary repair for
passage.
November Passage to USA.
December
3rd Began repair at
US Navy Yard, Charleston.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair and refit.
to Transfer to Royal Canadian Navy agreed.
September
October
21st On completion re-commissioned and
manned by RCN.
(Note:
Name retained because of colonial connections.)
30th Passage to UK for
completion of work not possible in US Navy Yard.
Nominated for service in British Pacific Fleet.
November After
arrival took passage to Tyne shipyard.
December Refit
work in hand including fit of modem radars: -
(Note:
Work done included
Type 274 to replace Type 284 for fire control of forward 6"
turrets.
Types
277 and 293 instead of Type 272 for surface warning and height finding
with associated identification outfits (IFF).
For
details of development and use of radar see RADAR AT SEA by D. Howse)
30th On completion took passage to Mediterranean for work-up.
1 9 4 5
January Commenced
working up with Fleet in eastern Mediterranean.
Under repair at Alexandria after
explosion of torpedo during maintenance.
February
14th Passage to Australia to join
British Pacific Fleet.
March
2nd Diverted to join HM Aircraft Carrier
FORMIDABLE, HM Destroyer NAPIER (RAN) and
HM
Destroyer URCHIN in search for survivors from merchant ship torpedoed 800 miles
west of Fremantle.
9th Joined BPF at Sydney.
Carried out Exercises with HMS FORMIDABLE prior to service with 5th
US Fleet in SW Pacific.
24th Passage to Manus
with HMS FORMIDABLE, HM Destroyer URSA and HMS URCHIN.
For
details of Operations by BPF see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, OPERATION
PACIFIC by E. Gray and WAR WITH JAPAN (HMSO).
April
8th Joined British Task Force 57 of US 5th
Fleet in Area C00TIE to cover attacks
by RN and USN
aircraft carriers on Sakishima Gunto islands.
(Operation
ICEBERG I ).
11th Covered attacks by HM Aircraft Carrier
INDEFATIGABLE on North Formosa with HM Cruiser
GAMBIA, HM
Destroyers URSA, URCHIN and WHIRLWIND.
Air
attacks broken up by air cover and ship AA defences
(Operation ICEBERG OOLONG).
23rd Rest and
Recuperation period at US Navy Forward Base, Leyte.
May
2nd Deployed with HW6 GAMBIA, HM Cruiser EURYALUS and HM
Cruiser BLACK PRINCE to
cover air attacks by HM Aircraft Carriers INDOMITABLE,
VICTORIOUS, FORMIDABLE
and INDEFATIGABLE on Sakishima Gunto
(Operation ICEBERG II)
Bombarded
shore targets at Nobara and Suknama
in conjunction with ships of US
Task Group 58.
Under
KAMIKAZE attacks
3rd Fouled oiling hose whilst refuelling.
Divers used to clear obstruction.
4th Bombarded airfields on Miyako with TF 57 ships and detached to shell an air strip at
Sukhamo.
5th Deployed away from operating area as a
radar picket to give early warning of
approach of
KAMIKAZE aircraft.
9th Under KAMIKAZE attacks on BPF ships.
(Note:
HMS FORMIDABLE and VICTORIOUS were damaged in these
attacks.).
12th Further deployment as
radar picket with HM Destroyer WESSEX
13th Rejoined TF 57 for continuation of cover
duty.
For full details see above references and TASK FORCE 57 by P
Smith.)
25th Released from operation and took passage
to Sydney for Rest and Recuperation Period.
June
12th Transferred to British Task Group 111.2
with HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE,
HM Escort Carrier RULER. HM Cruisers SWIFTSURE, NEWFOUNDLAND and
ACHILLES
(RNZN).
13th Covered HMS IMPLACABLE during air
attacks on Truk Archipelago.
14th Bombarded Dublon
seaplane base with HM CRUISERS NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES
(RNZN)
and SWIFTSURE
(Operation INMATE)
(Note:
This were not very successful due to inexperience of crew and also technical
problems
17th Returned to
British Forward Base at Manus with ships of TG111.2. July
July
6th Transferred to US 3rd Fleet as part of
re-designated British element Task Force
37 after US
Navy command structure alterations.
16th Covered HMS FORMIDABLE, HMS VICTORIOUS
and HMS IMPLACABLE with HM
Battleship KING GEORGE V,
HM Cruisers NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES (RNZN)
EURYALUS,
HMS GAMBIA and BLACK PRINCE during joint RN/USN operations and
bombardments of targets in
Japan as preparation for Operation
OLYMPIC.
(Note:
Operation OLYMPIC - Planned final assault on main islands of Japan.)
20th Refuelled from USN
tankers to reduce delay in replenishment.
27th Relieved in Task Force 37 by HM Cruiser
ARGONAUT.
(Note:
This was because of Canadian legislation preventing service in Pacific by any
personnel who had not volunteered for this duty).
August
4th Passage to Esquimalt from Pearl Harbour and returned to RCN control.
