H .
M . S . V I V A C I O U S ( D 3 6 )
Admiralty V-class Destroyer ordered from
Yarrow's of Scotstoun, Glasgow with the 9th Order of the 1916-17 Programme. The
ship was laid down in July 1916 and launched on 3rd November that year as the
1st RN warship to carry this name. She was completed in December 1917 and was
fitted for use as a minelayer. During 1919-1920 this ship was deployed in the
Baltic and was in action against Russian warships. Later she served in the
Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets until the mid 1930’s when placed in
Maintenance Reserve at Rosyth and brought forward in August 1939 for the Review
of the Reserve Fleet by HM King George VI at Weymouth. The ship remained in
commission and began war service in Western Approaches. After a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this ship was adopted by
the civil community of Solihull, then in Warwickshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1939-40 - DUNKIRK 1940 - NORTH SEA 1942-45
- DOVER
STRAITS 1942 - ARCTIC 1943 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1943-44 - NORMANDY
1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Green a
squirrel Gold.
M o t t
o
Sursum caudus: ' Tails up'
D e t a
i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
August Brought
forward for Review of Reserve Fleet by HM King George VI at Weymouth
Manned
by Reservists
September Remained
in commission when war was declared and took-up allocated war station.
Deployed
with 17th Destroyer Flotilla based at Plymouth for convoy escort and
anti-submarine patrol in Channel and SW Approaches.
10th Deployed with HM Destroyer KEITH as
escort for BEF convoy of 18 ships taking stores,
ammunition and vehicles to Cherbourg.
October Deployed
in SW Approaches and English Channel with Flotilla for
to convoy
defence based at Plymouth.
November
December
15th Deployed as escort for inward Convoy
HG10 during passage to Liverpool
from Gibraltar in SW Approaches.
16th Detached from HG10 on arrival and took
passage to Plymouth
1 9 4 0
January Western
Approaches deployment for convoy defence based at Plymouth in
to continuation
March
April
12th Deployed with HM Destroyers BROKE and
VERITY join inward Convoy HG25
during passage from Gibraltar to Liverpool in Western Approaches.
Joined HM Sloops BIDEFORD and FOWEY escorting HG25.
15th Detached from HG25
with escort on arrival at Liverpool.
Transferred
to Liverpool as base following move of
headquarters of Western
Approaches
Command to Liverpool.
26th Nominated for
deployment in support of evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk.
(Operation
DYNAMO - For details see THE NINE DAYS OF DUNKIRK by AD
Divine,
BEF SHIPS by J de Winser and Naval Staff History
(HMSO-2002).
Deployed
from Dover with HM Cruiser CALCUTTA, HM Destroyers GALLANT,
GRIFFIN, GREYHOUND, IMPULSIVE, SABRE
and WAKEFUL to assist in
evacuation.
27th Deployed for patrol off beaches to
intercept any attack by E-Boats and provided
AA
defence,
28th Made two trips to Dunkirk and embarked 326 and 359 men
respectively for passage to
Dover.
30th Landed 537 men at Dover from Dunkirk.
31st Under fire from
shore howitzers off Bray and sustained 15 casualties.
(Note : Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changed
to 136 to conform with
changes made for all RN warships.).
June
1st Landed 427 men at Dover
3rd Deployed for operation to block
harbour at Dunkirk (Operation OK)
Returned
to Dover with crews of blockships..
(Note:
This ship carried a total of 1,649 passengers to Dover during DYNAMO.)
7th Transferred to Sheerness to join 21st
Destroyer Flotilla for convoy defence
July Deployed
for convoy escort in North Sea.
August Carried
out convoy defence duty and anti-invasion patrols in North Sea,
September North Sea duties in
continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January Deployed
in North
Sea
for convoy defence and B-Boat patrol in North Sea.
to (For
details of North Sea convoy defence see THREE CORVETTES by N Monsarrat
December THE BATTLE FOR THE NARROW SEAS by P Scott).
1 9 4 2
January North Sea deployment
with Flotilla in continuation.
February
12th During Flotilla exercises with HM
Destroyers CAMPBELL, MACKAY,
WORCESTER,
WHITSHED and WALPOLE ordered by Admiralty to make torpedo
attack on German battleships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU then
on passage
through English Channel with the cruiser PRINZ EUGEN from Brest to Wilhelmshaven.
First
ship to make an attack and escaped without serious damage or casualties.
(Note : This attempt to prevent the enemy ships was
unsuccessful but the ships later
detonated mines whilst entering harbour in Germany.
See
Naval Staff History for details.)
Resumed
convoy defence in North Sea,
March Escort
and patrol duty in North Sea in continuation.
to (Note : This ship was not
converted for use as a Long Range Escort
December See
V AND W DESTROYERS 1917-45 by A Preston.
Classified as Short Range Escort).
1 9 4 3
January North Sea convoy and patrol in
continuation.
Nominated
for detached service in Home Fleet..
February
5th Deployed as part of escort for
returning Russian Convoy RA52 for final stage of
passage with HM Escort Destroyers BLANKNEY and MIDDLETON.
March Home
Fleet deployment in continuation.
Deployed
as part of escort for returning Russian Convoy RA53 for final stage of passage
with HM Escort Destroyers MEYNELL and PYTCHLEY.
April Resumed
service with Flotilla for North Sea convoy defence.
May Deployed in North Sea for convoy
defence and E-Boat patrol.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January North Sea deployment in
continuation.
to
April
May Nominated
for duty with HM Destroyer CAMPBELL, HM Corvettes CLOVER,
PENNYWORT
and Motor Launches of Light Coastal Forces as Escort Group 103
in Force "L" for escort of Follow-up convoys
during planned allied landings in
Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE -For details
of naval activities before and during
landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY,
June
1944 (HMSO).).
June Began service with 103rd Escort Group in
Thames Estuary.
8th Escorted Convoy ETM3 comprising 14 Motor Transport
ships) from Thames to Solent
with Group supplemented by HM Corvettes POPPY end STATICE.
9th Passage from Solent to Eastern Task Force area as
escort to Convoys ETM33 and Etm3W
with Group.
Returned to Nore after arrival off beach head.
10th Continued Follow-up convoy escort duty
from Thames to beach head with Group.
July After
release from NEPTUNE resumed convoy escort and patrol duties in the English
Channel and North Sea with
Flotilla.
September Flotilla duties in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January North
See and Channel escort and patrol in continuation.
to (Note
: During this period there was in increase in German minelaying in Thames estuary and
April North Sea by E-Boats
and submersibles.
In
addition ‘Schnorkel’ fitted U-Boats were
concentrating attacks in convoy focal
points and increased escorts were deployed . - See HOLD THE NARROW SEAS by P
Smith
and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C Barnett).
May After
VE Day deployed in support of reoccupation operations.
15th Escorted minesweepers with HM Destroyer
WOOLSTON during mine clearance operations
prior to entry of allied warships into Bergen.
June Paid-off
and reduced to Reserve status.
to
August
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS VIVACIOUS remained laid-up
in Reserve until 1947 when she was placed on the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO for demolition by Metal
Industries on 17th May the ship arrived in tow at the breakers in Charlestown
near Rosyth on 10th September 1948.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VIVACIOUS
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date convoy
sailed as escort arrived
05/09/39 05/09/39 RED 1 06/09/39 27/09/39
11/09/39 11/09/39 BC 001F 12/09/39 12/09/39
15/09/39 unknown OB 005 unknown 19/09/39
19/09/39 19/09/39 BC 003F 20/09/39 20/09/39
21/09/39 21/09/39 BC 004/1 23/09/39 23/09/39
21/09/39 21/09/39 BC 003FR 22/09/39 22/09/39
21/09/39 22/09/39 BC 004F 23/09/39 23/09/39
24/09/39 24/09/39 BC 005/1 26/09/39 26/09/39
30/09/39 30/09/39 BC 007/1 02/10/39 02/10/39
02/10/39 02/10/39 BC 006R 03/10/39 03/10/39
09/10/39 09/10/39 BC 010/1 11/10/39 11/10/39
19/09/39 10/10/39 KJ 001 11/10/39 11/10/39
17/10/39 17/10/39 BC 010R 19/10/39 19/10/39
07/11/39 07/11/39 BC 014/1 09/11/39 09/11/39
10/11/39 10/11/39 BC 013R 12/11/39 12/11/39
15/11/39 15/11/39 BC 015/1 17/11/39 17/11/39
24/11/39 25/11/39 OB 040 26/11/39 28/11/39
26/11/39 26/11/39 OG 008 28/11/39 03/12/39
10/12/39 10/12/39 AXS 008 11/12/39 11/12/39
09/12/39 15/12/39 HG 010 16/12/39 16/12/39
23/12/39 23/12/39 BC 020/1 25/12/39 25/12/39
29/02/40 29/02/40 BC 028/1 02/03/40 02/03/40
02/03/40 02/03/40 BC 027R 04/03/40 04/03/40
07/03/40 07/03/40 BC 029/1 09/03/40 09/03/40
09/03/40 09/03/40 BC 028R 11/03/40 11/03/40
14/03/40 14/03/40 BC 030/1 16/03/40 16/03/40
16/03/40 16/03/40 BC 029R 18/03/40 18/03/40
22/03/40 22/03/40 BC 031/1 24/03/40 24/03/40
24/03/40 24/03/40 BC 030R 25/03/40 25/03/40
30/03/40 30/03/40 BC 032/1 01/04/40 01/04/40
01/04/40 01/04/40 BC 031R 02/04/40 02/04/40
05/04/40 12/04/40 HG 025 15/04/40 15/04/40
13/04/40 14/04/40 HG 026 16/04/40 23/04/40
16/04/40 16/04/40 OA 130G 18/04/40 18/04/40
24/04/40 unknown OA
135G unknown 26/04/40
26/04/40 26/04/40 OG 027 26/04/40 01/05/40
22/04/40 04/05/40 HX 037 07/05/40 07/05/40
08/05/40 unknown OA 144 unknown unknown
17/06/40 29/06/40 HX 051 02/07/40 02/07/40
11/09/40 11/09/40 FS 0278 14/09/40 14/09/40
14/09/40 14/09/40 FN 0280 16/09/40 16/09/40
20/09/40 20/09/40 FS 0286 21/09/40 21/09/40
22/09/40 22/09/40 FN 0288 24/09/40 24/09/40
29/01/43 05/02/43 RA 052 07/02/43 09/03/43
01/03/43 09/03/43 RA 053 14/03/43 14/03/43
03/06/43 03/06/43 CW 183 04/06/43 04/06/43
12/06/43 12/06/43 CW 185 13/06/43 13/06/43
25/07/43 25/07/43 CW 196 26/07/43 26/07/43
26/07/43 26/07/43 CE 194 27/07/43 27/07/43
14/08/43 14/08/43 CW 201 15/08/43 15/08/43
06/11/43 06/11/43 CW 222 07/11/43 07/11/43
07/11/43 07/11/43 CE 220 08/11/43 08/11/43
07/04/44 07/04/44 CW 260 08/04/44 08/04/44
08/04/44 08/04/44 CE 258 09/04/44 09/04/44
25/05/44 25/05/44 CW 272 26/05/44 26/05/44
09/06/44 09/06/44 ETM 004 10/06/44 10/06/44
19/06/44 19/06/44 ETM 014 20/06/44 20/06/44
26/06/44 26/06/44 ETM 018 27/06/44 27/06/44
28/06/44 28/06/44 FTM 021 29/06/44 29/06/44
01/07/44 01/07/44 ETM 023 02/07/44 02/07/44
11/07/44 11/07/44 ETM 033 12/07/44 12/07/44
16/07/44 16/07/44 ETM 038 17/07/44 17/07/44
22/07/44 22/07/44 ETM 043 23/07/44 23/07/44
26/07/44 26/07/44 FTM 049 27/07/44 27/07/44
28/07/44 28/07/44 ETC 051 29/07/44 29/07/44
30/07/44 30/07/44 FTC 052 31/07/44 31/07/44
13/08/44 13/08/44 ETM 060 14/08/44 14/08/44
04/12/44 04/12/44 TAM 008 05/12/44 05/12/44
05/12/44 05/12/44 ATM 004 06/12/44 06/12/44
12/12/44 12/12/44 TAM 015 13/12/44 13/12/44
16/12/44 16/12/44 TAM 020 17/12/44 17/12/44
(Note
on Convoys)
