H . M . S . S
K A T E ( H 3 9 )
Admiralty “R” Class destroyer ordered from John
Brown, Clydebank with the 7th Order. Emergency War
Programme on 5th December 1915. She was
launched on 11th January 1917 as the 2nd RN ship to bear this name, previously used by a
destroyer built in 1895 and sold in 1907. In 1938 she was attached to the Torpedo School at Portsmouth for
training. After a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this destroyer was adopted
by the civil community of Redcar, then in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1940-44 - ARCTIC 1943
- ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1944
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue a Skate Gold.
Motto
Per sequara labor: “I glide (skate)
over the surface'.
D e t a i 1s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Deployed for training duties at Portsmouth
to Modified for
minesweeping trials
December On completion deployed for convoy
defence duties.
1 9 4 0
January Modified for convoy defence
February Deployed at Scapa Flow on completion.
28th Escorted ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron during minelay in
Northern Barrage
(Operation SN85)
Experienced
heavy weather conditions and returned to base.
March Deployed in NW Approaches
for convoy escort.
to
July Transferred to 2nd
Escort Group
(Note: Other
ships in Group were HM Destroyers DOUGLAS, VETERAN
and SALADIN.)
August Escort
Group deployment in continuation.
September Transferred with Group for escort
of mid Atlantic convoys
based in Iceland
11th Deployed with Group from Iceland in support of Convoy SC42
defence.
October Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation with Group.
to December
1 9 4 1
January Atlantic convoy defence with
Group in continuation.
February Nominated for escort during
minelay.
28th Detached for escort of HM Auxiliary Minelayers MENESTHEUS, PORT
QUEBEC,
SOUTHERN PRINCE and AGAMEMNON during minelay in Northern Barrage.
(Operation
SN85.)
Forced to leave
due to extreme weather conditions and returned to base.
March. Resumed
Atlantic convoy defence with Group
April Atlantic convoy escort
with Group
to August
September Part of escort for Convoys HX147,
SC45 and ON18.
October Deployed
with Group for escort of convoys ON25, HX154 in NW Approaches
24th Sustained structural damage including
loss of after funnel in heavy
weather.
Taken in hand for repair.
November On
completion of repair resumed Atlantic convoy defence with Group
to December
1 9 4 2
January Transferred for deployment as
Local Escort in Home waters
to September
October Deployed with HM Cruiser
CURACOA, HM Destroyers BRAMHAM
and COWDRAY for convoy defence in NW Approaches
2nd Assisted in rescue of survivors from
HMS CURACOA after that ship
had sunk in collision with rms
QUEEN MARY
Part of escort with Group for convoys ONS25 and HX 154.
30th Deployed with HM Destroyer SARDONYX as
escort for
mercantiles on passage from Liverpool to join military convoy
WS24
in Clyde
November Local
Escort deployment in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Deployed
for Local Escort of convoys in coastal waters.
to February
March
16th Deployed as part of Local Escort for
joint military convoy
WS28/KMF11 for first part of passage
in coastal waters and
returned to Clyde
April Coastal
convoy defence in continuation,
to October
November
22nd Deployed with HM Destroyers MIDDLETON and
SALADIN as Local Escort
for Russian Convoy JW54B during passage from Loch Ewe.
25th Detached from JW54B on arrival of Ocean
Escort and returned to Loch Ewe.
December
5th Joined inward Convoy RA54B in NW
Approaches for Local Escort with HM
Destroyers BRISSENDEN, MIDDLETON and SALADIN.
9th Detached from
RA54B on arrival at Loch Ewe.
1 9 4 4
Local
Escort deployment in Home waters
(Note: This ship was not deployed for escort of military
convoys during
allied landings in Normandy
(Operation
NEPTUNE see Naval Staff History.)
1
9 4 5
January Home
waters deployment for coastal convoy defence in continuation.
to April (Note: Increase in attacks on coastal convoys by SCHNORKEL fitted
U-Boats
had resulted in an increase in modern escorts more
suited to anti-submarine operations and fitted with improved
weapons.)
May Withdrawn
from service and placed in Reserve
to August (Note: Serious manning problems required transfer of personnel to
new construction warships to be used in Pacific or Indian
Oceans.
P o s t W a
r N o t e s
HMS SKATE was Paid Off after the end of the war in Europe.
The ship was laid-up in Reserve and later placed on the Disposal List. Sold to
BISCO on 4th March 1947 and arrived in tow at the Breakers yard in Newport,
Wales on 20th July that year.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS SKATE
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined convoy Convoy
No. Left convoy
Date convoy
Sailed as escort
arrived
13/11/39 13/11/39 SA 017 14/11/39 14/11/39
30/08/40 02/09/40 OB 206 02/09/40 05/09/40
18/08/40 04/09/40 SL 044 07/09/40 07/09/40
07/09/40 08/09/40 OB 210 10/09/40 10/09/40
19/09/40 19/09/40 OL 003 21/09/40 22/09/40
09/09/40 21/09/40 HX 072 21/09/40 21/09/40
27/09/40 27/09/40 OB 220 30/09/40 01/10/40
19/09/40 01/10/40 HG 044 04/10/40 04/10/40
05/10/40 05/10/40 OB 224 08/10/40 12/10/40
27/09/40 09/10/40 SC 006 12/10/40 12/10/40
21/10/40 21/10/40 OB 232 25/10/40 26/10/40
14/12/40 15/12/40 OB 259 17/12/40 17/12/40
28/12/40 28/12/40 OB 266 31/12/40 01/01/41
15/12/40 01/01/41 SL 059 05/01/41 05/01/41
02/01/41 13/01/41 HX 098/1 15/01/41 17/01/42
19/01/41 19/01/41 OG 050 20/01/41 31/01/41
08/01/41 21/01/41 HG 050 24/01/41 26/01/41
24/01/41 24/01/41 OB 278 27/01/41 27/01/41
10/01/41 30/01/41 SL 062 03/02/41 03/02/41
03/02/41 08/02/41 OB 282 12/02/41 08/02/41
30/01/41 12/02/41 HX 106 18/02/41 18/02/41
27/04/41 30/04/41 OB 316 04/05/41 05/05/41
19/04/41 04/05/41 SC 029 08/05/41 08/05/41
22/05/41 22/05/41 OB 326 26/05/41 29/05/41
16/05/41 29/05/41 HX 127 01/06/41 02/06/41
04/06/41 05/06/41 OG 064 08/06/41 18/06/41
17/05/41 09/06/41 SL 075 12/06/41 13/06/41
04/06/41 15/06/41 HG 064 18/06/41 19/06/41
26/06/41 07/07/41 HX 135 10/07/41 12/07/41
17/07/41 17/07/41 OB 348 22/07/41 31/07/41
12/07/41 24/07/41 SC 037 27/07/41 28/07/41
31/07/41 01/08/41 ON 003 05/08/41 14/08/41
27/07/41 06/08/41 HX 141 09/08/41 11/08/41
01/08/41 12/08/41 HX 142 unknown 18/08/41
10/08/41 22/08/41 HX 144 unknown 30/08/41
16/08/41 29/08/41 HX 145 unknown 31/08/41
05/09/41 06/09/41 ON 013 09/09/41 11/09/41
30/08/41 12/09/41 SC 042 18/09/41 20/09/41
19/09/41 21/09/41 ON 018 24/09/41 02/10/41
18/09/41 30/09/41 SC 045 03/10/41 04/10/41
10/10/41 11/10/41 ON 025 16/10/41 24/10/41
10/10/41 19/10/41 HX 154 22/10/41 23/10/41
01/11/41 02/11/41 ON 032 06/11/41 16/11/41
21/11/41 22/11/44 ON 039 27/11/44 04/12/41
01/12/41 02/12/41 ON 042 06/12/41 14/12/41
28/11/41 10/12/41 SC 057 13/12/41 15/12/41
21/12/41 05/01/42 HX 166 05/01/42 05/01/42
28/01/42 28/01/42 DS 021 01/02/42 01/02/42
02/02/42 02/02/42 SD 021 04/02/42 04/02/42
11/02/42 11/02/42 DS 022 15/02/42 15/02/42
16/02/42 16/02/42 SD 022 19/02/42 19/02/42
27/07/42 27/07/42 UR 034 01/08/42 01/08/42
03/08/42 03/08/42 RU 034 07/08/42 07/08/42
04/08/42 22/08/42 SL 118 23/08/42 26/08/42
14/09/42 14/09/42 TA 022 15/09/42 19/09/42
06/09/42 14/09/42 HX 206 16/09/42 18/09/42
27/09/42 01/10/42 AT 024 02/10/42 02/10/42
22/11/43 22/11/43 JW 054B 25/11/43 03/12/43
26/11/43 05/12/43 RA 054B 09/12/43 09/12/43
16/12/43 16/12/43 DS 047A 18/12/43 18/12/43
19/12/43 19/12/43 SD 047A 21/12/43 21/12/43
31/12/43 31/12/43 DS 048 03/01/44 03/01/44
04/01/44 04/01/44 SD 048 07/01/44 07/01/44
06/01/44 18/01/44 HX 274 20/01/44 21/01/44
24/01/44 25/01/44 ON 221 25/01/44 11/02/44
05/02/44 05/02/44 WP 472 07/02/44 07/02/44
08/02/44 09/02/44 WP 474 10/02/44 10/02/44
12/02/44 12/02/44 WP 476 13/02/44 14/02/44
14/02/44 14/02/44 WP 477 15/02/44 16/02/44
11/03/44 11/03/44 WP 490 12/03/44 13/03/44
13/03/44 13/03/44 WP 491 15/03/44 15/03/44
25/03/44 26/03/44 WP 497 27/03/44 27/03/44
08/04/44 08/04/44 WP 504 09/04/44 10/04/44
12/04/44 12/04/44 WP 506 13/04/44 14/04/44
04/05/44 04/05/44 WP 517 05/05/44 06/05/44
06/05/44 06/05/44 WP 518 07/05/44 08/05/44
(Note
on Convoys)
