H . M . S
. V E R D U N ( D 9 3 )
V-Class destroyer ordered from Hawthorn
Leslie, Newcastle in the 9th Order, 1916-17 Programme and laid down on 13th
January 19187. The ship was launched on 21st August 1917 and was the 1st RN
ship to carry the name which commemorates the heroic defence of Verdun in 1916.
Her build was completed on 3rd November 1917. After service with the Fleet
during WW1 this ship had the honour of being used to bring the body of the
'Unknown Soldier' from Calais to Dover in 1920 prior to burial in Westminster
Abbey as part of the Armistice Remembrance
ceremonies that year. Later she went into Reserve at Rosyth
as part of the 9th Destroyer Flotilla until 1939 when selected for conversion
into an Anti-Aircraft Escort (WAIR). The conversion by HM Dockyard, Chatham
began in September that year. Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign in March 1942 this ship was adopted by the civil community of Hoylake, in the
County of Cheshire.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
NORTH
SEA 1940-45 - ARCTIC
1942
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Field Paly, of three Blue, White
and Red.
a tower Gold.
M o t t
o
On ne passe pas:
'They shall not pass'
with wartime modifications (NP/Mark Teadham)
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Under
conversion to WAIR at Chatham
to (Note
The identity WAIR was used for destroyers built during WW1 which were to be
December converted
for use as escorts with an improved anti-aircraft capability.)
1 9 4 0
January Under conversion.
to Carried
out post refit harbour trials
March (Note : One source records ships as part of escort for
outward Convoy OG24 on
formation in SW Approaches. This is to be confirmed as ship
was not in service.)
April Commissioned
for trials.
May Post
refit sea trials.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to L93.
June Commissioned
for operational service as convoy escort in Rosyth Command..
July Joined
Rosyth Escort Force and deployed for convoy defence and patrol in North Sea.
August North Sea convoy defence and patrol in
continuation.
to
October
November
1st During escort of
convoy with HM Destroyer WATCHMAN and HM Corvette PINTAIL off
Yarmouth in action
with aircraft and hit by bomb in bridge area.
11 members
of the ships company including the Captain were killed and none wounded.
Towed
to Harwich
December Under
repair
1 9 4 1
January Under
repair
February Post repair trials.
to Resumed
North Sea convoy defence with Rosyth Escort Force.
March
April Rosyth Escort Force North Sea duties in
continuation.
to (For
details of service in this period see STAND BY FOR ACTION by Cdr. Donald
October and
THE BATTLE CF THE EAST COAST by J P Foynes)
November
18th Escorted Convoy FS50 of 58 ships with HM
Destroyers VESPER and WOLSEY of the
Rosyth
Escort Force.)
(Note :HM Destroyers CAMPBELL, GARTH and HAMBLEDON of the
21st
Destroyer Flotilla, HM Corvettes KITTIWAKE and WIDGEON from
Harwich.
were also deployed as escort.
19th In sustained action against E-Boats with
other escorts during which two of the mercantiles
and RFA WAR MEHTAR were sunk.
December North Sea convoy defence in continuation.
1 9 4 2
January Rosyth duties in continuation.
February Nominated
for detached service with Home Fleet.
Deployed for screening duties with other destroyers of Home Fleet.
March Part
of screen for H M Battlecruiser RENOWN, H M Battleships KING GEORGE V,
DUKE
OF YORK, HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS, HM
Cruisers BERWICK and KENYA
with HM Destroyers ASHANTI,
BEDOUIN, ECH, ECLIPSE, FAULKNOR, FURY,
GROVE,
INCONSTANT, ICARUS, INTREPID, JAVELIN, LANCASTER, LEDBURY,
LOOKOUT, ONSLOW, PUNJABI, TARTAR, WELLS and WOOLSTON.
(Note:
These ships were providing Distant Cover for passage of Russian Convoys PQ12
and
the returning QP9 because of the threat by the German
battleship TIRPITZ then in North
Norway. This was the first protective
deployment by a large number of Home Fleet major
units.
For
details of all the Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA
Ruegg.
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield, ARCTIC CONVOYS
by
R
Woodhead and CONVOY! by P
Kemp).
April On
release from Home Fleet detachment resumed East Coast convoy defence duty.
May East coast convoy defence based at Rosyth in
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 3
East
coast convoy defence duties in continuation.
(For
details of this type of service see THREE CORVETTES by N. Monsarrat
and
THE
BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by P Scott) .
1 9 4 4
East coast convoy defence in continuation.
(Note:
This ship was not deployed for escort duty in support of the Normandy landings.
(Operation NEPTUNE - See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO).)
1 9 4 5
January East
coast convoy defence in continuation.
to (Note
: During this period German minelaying and attacks by 'SCHNORKEL' fitted
May submarines
in coastal waters were increased and additional ships were
deployed to reinforce escorts. See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P. Smith).
June Paid
off and placed in Reserve after VE Day.
to
August
Special Note
This ship was another of the many 'unsung' heroes of the
East Coast convoys many of which made a safe passage despite the dangers of
weather, coastal hazards and enemy attacks by air, mine and sea.
P o s t Wa r N o t e s
HMS VERDUN was placed on the Disposal List after VJ Day
and sold for breaking up at Granton in April 1946.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VERDUN
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
03/04/40 03/04/40 OG 024 04/04/40 08/04/40
12/07/40 12/07/40 FN 0220 14/07/40 14/07/40
22/07/40 22/07/40 FN 0229 24/07/40 24/07/40
03/08/40 03/08/40 OA 193 unknown 07/08/40
15/08/40 15/08/40 FS 0253 17/08/40 17/08/40
25/08/40 25/08/40 FN 0262 27/08/40 27/08/40
29/08/40 29/08/40 FS 0266 31/08/40 31/08/40
01/09/40 01/09/40 FN 0269 03/09/40 03/09/40
06/09/40 06/09/40 FS 0274 07/09/40 07/09/40
09/09/40 09/09/40 FS 0276 11/09/40 11/09/40
13/09/40 13/09/40 FN 0279 15/09/40 15/09/40
17/09/40 17/09/40 FS 0284 19/09/40 19/09/40
26/09/40 26/09/40 FS 0292 28/09/40 28/09/40
29/09/40 29/09/40 FN 0294 01/10/40 01/10/40
03/10/40 03/10/40 FS 0299 04/10/40 04/10/40
06/10/40 06/10/40 FN 0301 08/10/40 09/10/40
14/10/40 14/10/40 FS 0309 16/10/40 16/10/40
17/10/40 17/10/40 FN 0311 19/10/40 19/10/40
25/10/40 25/10/40 FN 0319 27/10/40 27/10/40
30/10/40 30/10/40 FS 0323 02/11/40 02/11/40
02/11/40 02/11/40 FN 0324 04/11/40 04/11/40
12/11/40 12/11/40 FS 0334 14/11/40 14/11/40
15/11/40 15/11/40 FN 0335 17/11/40 17/11/40
21/11/40 21/11/40 FS 0341 23/11/40 23/11/40
24/11/40 24/11/40 FN 0342 26/11/40 26/11/40
27/11/40 27/11/40 FS 0347 29/11/40 29/11/40
02/12/40 02/12/40 FN 0348 04/12/40 04/12/40
10/12/40 10/12/40 FS 0358 12/12/40 12/12/40
14/12/40 14/12/40 FN 0359 16/12/40 16/12/40
19/12/40 19/12/40 FS 0365 21/12/40 21/12/40
27/12/40 27/12/40 FS 0373 29/12/40 29/12/40
07/01/41 07/01/41 FS 0383 10/01/41 10/01/41
17/01/41 17/01/41 FS 0390 19/01/41 19/01/41
01/03/42 unknown PQ
012 unknown 12/03/42
(Note
on Convoys)
