H . M . S
. V O R T I G E R N ( D 3 7 )
Admiralty V-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered from
J S Write, Cowes, IoW under the 1916-17 Programme Build (9th Order) and laid down
on 17th January 1917. The ship was launched on 5th October 1917 as the first RN
warship to carry the name. She was completed on 21st January 1918 and could be
used a minelayer. After brief wartime service she was deployed in the Baltic
during 1919 and later with the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. This ship was placed in
Reserve and brought forward during 1939 to attend the Review of the Reserve
Fleet by HM King George VI in August that year.
B a t
t l e H o n o
u r s
ATLANTIC 1939-40
- NORTH SEA 1941-42
H e r
a l d i c D a
t a
Badge : On a Field
Red, an ancient British Sword
hilt Gold, blade Silver.
M o t t
o
Virtus a majoribus :
'Our valour is from our ancestors'
D e t
a I l s o f W a r
S e r v I c e
1 9 3 9
September
3rd Deployed with 17th Destroyer Flotilla
at Plymouth for anti-submarine patrol and
convoy defence in SW Approaches and English Channel.
October Convoy
defence in SW Approaches in continuation.
to For details of activities in Home Waters
during 1939, see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
December CLOSELY by Corelli Bamett).
1 9 4 0
January Nominated
for service at Gibraltar with 13th Destroyer Flotilla.
13th Deployed with HM Destroyer VELOX to
replace HM Sloop ENCHANTRESS as escort for0
outward Convoy OG14F on passage in SW approaches to Gibraltar
15th Detached from
OG14F on arrival at Gibraltar.
Joined Flotilla for convoy defence at Gibraltar.
February
6th Joined HM Sloops ENCHANTRESS and
FOLKESTONE, HM Minesweeper GOSSAMER and
HM
Submarine OTWAY on departure of inward Convoy HG18F as part of escort during
initial
stage of passage to Liverpool.
Detached
from HG18F and returned to Gibraltar.
March
1st Joined HM Sloops SCARBOROUGH and WELLINGTON escorting inward Convoy OG20F
on
passage in Atlantic from Liverpool to Gibraltar.
2nd Detached from OG20F with escort and
took passage to Gibraltar.
12th Deployed with HM Destroyer WATCHMAN as
escort for inward Convoy HG22 during
passage from Gibraltar to Liverpool.
19th Detached from HG22 with HMS WATCHMAN on
relief by HM Destroyers WITCH and
VANQUISHER.
29th Joined outward Convoy OG24 with HMS
WATCHMAN on formation in SW Approaches as
escort for passage to Gibraltar.
April
2nd HM Destroyer WISHART joined OG24 escort
from Gibraltar.
4th Detached from
OG24F with escort on arrival at Gibraltar.
14th Joined inward Convoy OG25 during passage
in Atlantic to supplement escort by two
French
warships for final stage of passage into Gibraltar.
16th Detached from OG25
on arrival at Gibraltar.
May Pennant
Number for visual signalling purposes changed to I 37
to conform with changes
introduced for all RN warships.
June Passage to Gibraltar to join
Flotilla.
July
3rd Took part in the action against French
Fleet at Oran (Operation CATAPULT)
(For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and RELUCTANT ENEMIES
by W Tute).
6th Part of escort for HM Battlecruiser
HOOD, HM Battleship VALIANT, HM Aircraft
Carrier
ARK ROYAL, HM Cruisers ARETHUSA and ENTERPRISE
with destroyers of
13th
and 8th Destroyer Flotillas during air attacks on the French battleship
DUNKERQUE
(Operation
LEVER).
8th Joined HM Destroyers FAULKNOR,
FOXHOUND, FEARLESS, FORESTER, ESCORT,
DOUGLAS, ACTIVE, VELOX and WRESTLER
as screen for HMS HOOD, HMS VALIANT,
HM
Battleship RESOLUTION, HMS ARK ROYAL, HMS ARETHUSA and HM Cruiser
DELHI during planned air attacks
from HMS ARK ROYAL on Cagliari.
(Note : Operation was abandoned after heavy air attacks.)
12th Passage to UK
August Deployed
for convoy defence in Home waters pending refit and conversion.
5th Deployed with HM Destroyers FORTUNE,
FURY and WATCHMAN as Local Escort for
military convoy WS2 during passage from Clyde in NW Approaches.
7th Detached from WS2 with Local Escort and
returned to Clyde.
September Taken
in hand for refit and conversion for use as Short Range Escort.
October Under refit and conversion.
November On
completion of Post Refit trials joined 12th Destroyer Flotilla based at
Rosyth for North
Sea convoy defence.
(For
details of North Sea activities see THE BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by Peter
Scott and THREE CORVETTES by N
Monsarrat).
December
9th Part of escort
for east coast Convoy FN53 and under attack by seaplane off Aldeburgh.
1 9 4 1
North Sea convoy defence and
interception patrol against E-Boat incursions
(Note : See THE BATTLE OF THE EAST COAST by J P Foynes.)
1 9 4 2
January North Sea convoy escort and patrol
duties in continuation.
to
February
March
15th Sunk off Cromer by E-Boat S104 during
defence of Coastal Convoy with HM
Corvette GUILLEMOT.
Casualty
List was published on 16th May 1942.
(Note : 110 of ships’ company were killed with only 14
survivors.
This
was the heaviest loss of life of RN personnel in any one ship in defence
of an east coast convoy.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS VORTIGERN
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date convoy
sailed as escort
arrived
02/09/39 02/09/39 AB 001/1 unknown unknown
07/09/39 07/09/39 GREEN 1 10/09/39 18/09/39
07/09/39 07/09/39 AB 002/1 unknown unknown
29/10/39 29/10/39 HG 005 unknown 06/11/39
06/11/39 06/11/39 HG 006 unknown 14/11/39
19/11/39 30/11/39 HG 009 unknown 08/12/39
26/11/39 02/12/39 OG 008 03/12/39 03/12/39
21/12/39 25/12/39 OG 011 26/12/39 26/12/39
10/01/40 13/01/40 OG 014F 15/01/40 15/01/40
06/02/40 06/02/40 HG 018F 08/02/40 15/02/40
27/02/40 01/03/40 OG 020F 02/03/40 02/03/40
12/03/40 12/03/40 HG 022 19/03/40 22/03/40
28/03/40 29/03/40 OG 024F 04/04/40 04/04/40
10/04/40 14/04/40 OG 025 16/04/40 16/04/40
31/05/40
01/06/40 HG 032 04/06/40 unknown
05/08/40 05/08/40 WS 002 07/08/40 08/08/40
10/08/40 11/08/40 ZA unknown 19/08/40
10/09/40 10/09/40 FS 0277 11/09/40 11/09/40
13/09/40 13/09/40 FN 0279 15/09/40 15/09/40
18/09/40 18/09/40 FS 0285 21/09/40 21/09/40
21/09/40 21/09/40 FN 0287 23/09/40 23/09/40
03/12/40 03/12/40 FS 0351 07/12/40 07/12/40
07/12/40 07/12/40 FN 0353 09/12/40 09/12/40
11/12/40 11/12/40 FS 0359 14/12/40 14/12/40
16/12/40 16/12/40 FN 0360 18/12/40 18/12/40
21/12/40 21/12/40 FS 0366 23/12/40 23/12/40
29/12/40 29/12/40 FS 0375 01/01/41 01/01/41
18/01/41 18/01/41 FS 0391 20/01/41 20/01/41
31/01/41 31/01/41 FS 0400 02/02/41 02/02/41
04/02/41 04/02/41 FN 0400 06/02/41 06/02/41
(Note
on Convoys)
