H . M . S
. V E R S A T I L E ( D 3 2 )
V-Class Destroyer
ordered from Hawthorn Leslie with the 9th order of tine 1916-17 Programme. The
ship was launched on 31st October 1917 and was the first RN vessel to carry the
name. Build was completed on 11 tin February 1918. After
tine Armistice she served with the Atlantic Fleet in the 1st Destroyer Flotilla and was placed in
Reserve at the Nore in October 1936. This ship was brought forward for service
in 1939 and in February 1942 following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National
Savings campaign she was adopted by the civil community of Tipton, then part
of the county of Staffordshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1939-45 - NORTH SEA 1941-45 - NORMANDY 1944 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1944-45
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Black, a
weather vane Gold
M o t t o
Omnibus eadem: 'The same in all (winds)'
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v I c e
1 9 3 9
September Deployed
on convoy escort duty in SW Approaches based at Plymouth with 11th
Destroyer Flotilla.
8th Escorted Convoy
RB1 with HM Destroyer VIMY.
15th Escorted Convoy
RB5 with HM Destroyers VIMY and VIVACIOUS.
(Note : These were taking BEF to France)
October Convoy
defence in SW Approaches and Atlantic in continuation.
to (For
details of German U-Boat activities in 1939-40 see U - BOAT WAR IN THE
December ATLANTIC
(HMSO) and for RN activities ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by C Barnett).
1 9 4 0
January Deployment
for convoy defence in Western Approaches Command in continuation.
(See
above references).
14th Deployed with HM Sloop DEPTFORD as
escort for outward Convoy OG14 on formation
in SW Approaches and detached later same day.
February
3rd Deployed with HM Destroyers
WINCHELSEA, BROKE, HM Sloop ENCHANTRESS
as escort for outward Convoy OG17F on formation in SW
Approaches and detached later
same day.
11th Deployed with HM Sloops BIDEFORD and LEITH as escort for outward Convoy
OG18F
on formation in SW Approaches and detached on same day.
12th Joined HM Sloops ENCHANTRESS,
FOLKESTONE, HM Minesweeper GOSSAMER
and HM Submarine OTWAY in escort for inward Convoy HG18F
during passage in SW
approaches from Gibraltar.
15th Detached from HG18f on arrival at Liverpool and returned to Plymouth.
March SW
Approaches convoy defence in continuation.
to
April
May Transferred
to Dover Command to assist in evacuation from continent.
(See
Naval Staff History).
13th Assisted with evacuation at Hook of Holland (Operation ORDNANCE)
Damaged
in air attacks and towed to UK by HM Destroyer JANUS.
Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to I32 to conform with
changes to identities used by all RN ships.
June On
completion of repair joined 21st Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness for
convoy defence
in Channel and SW Approaches.
July Flotilla
duties in continuation including anti-invasion patrols.
to
August
September
11th Joined HM Destroyers JACKAL, ELECTRA and
VIMY for escort of ships of the 1st Minelaying
Squadron
(HM Auxiliary Minelayers PORT NAPIER, SOUTHERN PRINCE, PORT QUEBEC
and MENESTHEUS during minelay in NW Approaches (Operation
SN41)
(For
details see Naval Staff History MINING).
October
3rd Deployed as part
of escort for military Convoy WS3A Slow during passage in SW Approaches.
5th Detached with
Local escort from WS3A Slow.
November Western
Approaches convoy defence in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January Deployment in
Western Approaches in continuation.
to Transferred
to Harwich for North Sea convoy defence.
February
March Deployed
as escort for North Sea Convoy FN26
6th In action against E-Boats off Lowestoft with HM Destroyer BERKELEY and
HM Corvette
SHELDRAKE.
April North Sea convoy
defence in continuation.
to (See
HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith and THREE CORVETTES
by N
Monsarrat).
December
1 9 4 2
January North Sea convoy escort and patrol in
continuation.
to Nominated
for conversion to Long Range Escort.
December (See V&W DESTROYERS by A Preston for details of
conversion).
1 9 4 3
January Taken
in hand at Grangemouth for conversion.
February Under
conversion
to
August
September On
completion of post refit trials joined 7th Escort Group.
October Deployed
with Group for convoy defence in NW Approaches.
to (For
details of Atlantic convoy defence developments in 1942-44 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
December MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett, SEEK AND STRIKE by Hackmann, and
HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair)
1 9 4 4
January Atlantic convoy defence in continuation.
to Allocated
for detached duty with Force J during planned allied landings in Normandy.
April
May Took
part in preparatory exercises with Force "J" in English Channel
(Operation
NEPTUNE - See Naval Staff History
LANDINGS IN NORMANDY,
June
1944 (HMSO), OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards) and D DAY SHIPS
by J de Winser.
June Deployed
with Force J in Solent and prepared for escort of military convoys.
4th Operation delayed by 24 hours.
Joined
Convoy J14 with a Motor Launch for escort of following craft:
(Note: This comprised :
HM
Landing Ship (Infantry) ROYAL ULSTERMAN. 12 Landing Craft
,Infantry
Large);
20 Landing Craft (Tank) four Landing Craft (Tank Mk III) ; two Landing Craft
(Flak), one Landing Craft (Rocket) and one US Navy Coast Guard
vessel.
5th Passage to JUNO Beach with Convoy
J14.
6th Arrived at lowering position at H Hour
Minus 30 Minutes.
7th Embarked Rear Admiral W G Tennant, CB,
MVO (Rear-Admiral (MULBERRY/PLUTO) for
visit to witness sinking of Blockships
in SWORD Area (See above reference).
8th Deployed at Portland for escort of EPL2 Series of
convoys of Landing Ships (Tank)
to Western Task Force area.
10th EPL2 Series Convoy
escort in continuation on daily cycle.
July Resumed
commercial mercantile convoy defence role and transferred to English Channel.
August Deployed
on escort duty of mercantile convoys in English Channel and the SW Approaches.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Channel
escort and patrol duties in continuation.
to (Note
: During this period Atlantic convoys were re-routed through the Channel.
May Enemy
minelaying by E-Boats and submarines intensified and additional escorts were
deployed for patrol and convoy defence.
For
details of operations against SCHNORKEL U-Boats see above references.)
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS VERSATILE reduced to Reserve after the end of
hostilities with Germany and was placed on the Disposal List by 1947. Sold to
BISCO in 1949 the ship was towed to the Breakers’ yard at Granton and
broken-up.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VERSATILE
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
07/09/39 07/09/39 OB 001 09/09/39 10/09/39
15/09/39 15/09/39 OB 005 18/09/39 19/09/39
21/09/39 21/09/39 OB 008 24/09/39 25/09/39
01/10/39 02/10/39 OB 013 04/10/39 04/10/39
11/10/39 11/10/39 OB 018 14/10/39 17/10/39
21/10/39 21/10/39 OB 023 24/10/39 26/10/39
04/10/39 25/10/39 KJ 003 28/10/39 28/10/39
01/11/39 01/11/39 OB 028 03/11/39 03/11/39
03/11/39 03/11/39 OG 005 07/11/39 09/11/39
10/11/39 10/11/39 OB 033 13/11/39 15/11/39
20/11/39 20/11/39 OB 038 23/11/39 23/11/39
08/11/39 23/11/39 SL 008 24/11/39 24/11/39
30/11/39 30/11/39 OB 044 03/12/39 03/12/39
25/11/39 04/12/39 HXF 010 06/12/39 09/12/39
01/01/40 01/01/40 OA 064 04/01/40 04/01/40
01/01/40 01/01/40 OB 064 04/01/40 05/01/40
27/12/39 05/01/40 HXF 014 08/01/40 08/01/40
11/01/40 11/01/40 OB 070 14/01/40 14/01/40
14/01/40 14/01/40 OG 014 14/01/40 19/01/40
21/01/40 21/01/40 OB 077 24/01/40 24/01/40
01/02/40 01/02/40 OB 083 03/02/40 03/02/40
03/02/40 03/02/40 OG 017F 03/02/40 09/02/40
08/02/40 08/02/40 OB 088 11/02/40 11/02/40
11/02/40 11/02/40 OG 018F 11/02/40 17/02/40
06/02/40 12/02/40 HG 018F 15/02/40 15/02/40
21/02/40 21/02/40 OB 096 24/02/40 24/02/40
14/02/40 25/02/40 SL 020F 28/02/40 28/02/40
29/02/40 29/02/40 OB 101 03/03/40 03/03/40
18/02/40 05/03/40 SL 021 07/03/40 07/03/40
10/03/40 10/03/40 OB 107 15/03/40 15/03/40
02/03/40 13/03/40 HX 024 17/03/40 17/03/40
21/03/40 21/03/40 OB 114 24/03/40 25/03/40
13/03/40 25/03/40 HX 027 26/03/40 28/03/40
26/03/40 26/03/40 OB 119 unknown 29/03/40
21/03/40 02/04/40 HX 029 04/04/40 04/04/40
01/04/40 03/04/40 OA 121 04/04/40 04/04/40
10/04/40 10/04/40 OB 127 11/04/40 14/04/40
02/04/40 14/04/40 HX 032 16/04/40 17/04/40
28/04/40 28/04/40 OB 138 01/05/40 01/05/40
26/04/40 02/05/40 HG 028F 05/05/40 05/05/40
08/05/40 08/05/40 OB 144 10/05/40 12/05/40
16/06/40 29/06/40 HX 051 01/07/40 02/07/40
20/07/40 20/07/40 CW 007 22/07/40 22/07/40
05/09/40 05/09/40 BAS 003 09/09/40 09/09/40
03/10/40 03/10/40 WS 003A unknown 27/10/40
17/11/40 17/11/40 FS 0337 19/11/40 19/11/40
20/11/40 20/11/40 FN 0338 22/11/40 22/11/40
24/11/40 24/11/40 FS 0344 26/11/40 26/11/40
27/11/40 27/11/40 FN 0345 30/11/40 30/11/40
06/12/40 06/12/40 FS 0355 09/12/40 09/12/40
10/12/40 10/12/40 FN 0356 12/12/40 12/12/40
17/12/40 17/12/40 FS 0362 19/12/40 19/12/40
25/12/40 25/12/40 FS 0370 27/12/40 27/12/40
29/12/40 29/12/40 FN 0370 30/12/40 30/12/40
07/01/41 07/01/41 FS 0381 09/01/41 09/01/41
13/01/41 13/01/41 FS 0387 16/01/41 16/01/41
23/01/41 23/01/41 FS 0395 26/01/41 26/01/41
27/01/41 27/01/41 FN 0393 29/01/41 29/01/41
28/10/43 28/10/43 DS 046 30/10/43 30/10/43
02/11/43 02/11/43 SD 046 04/11/43 04/11/43
29/12/43 05/01/44 ONS 026 12/01/44 18/01/44
13/01/44 23/01/44 HX 275 27/01/44 28/01/44
20/05/44 20/05/44 WP 525 21/05/44 22/05/44
29/07/44 29/07/44 EBC 056 31/07/44 31/07/44
13/09/44 25/09/44 HX 308 29/09/44 28/09/44
24/10/44 24/10/44 ON 262 27/10/44 10/11/44
15/10/44 27/10/44 HX 314 31/10/44 29/10/44
03/12/44 03/12/44 TAM 007 04/12/44 04/12/44
12/04/45 12/04/45 ON 296 14/04/45 30/04/45
03/04/45 18/04/45 HX 348 20/04/45 20/04/45
27/04/45 27/04/45 OS 125KM 30/04/45 01/05/45
18/04/45 02/05/45 HX 351 04/05/45 03/05/45
(Note
on Convoys)
