H . M . S . W
I T C H ( D 8 9 )
Modified Thornycroft W-Class destroyer included in the 13th Order of the 1918-19 Programme for
build by Thornycroft at Woolston
and ordered in January 1918. She was laid down on 13th June 1918 and launched
on 11th November 1919 as the first RN ship to carry this name. Completion was
delayed by the end of hostilities and the ship was towed to HM Dockyard Devonport after launch. Build was completed in March 1924.
She saw little Fleet service and was placed in Reserve with other ships of the
Class. She remained in and Care and Maintenance at Rosyth.
In 1939 she was brought forward for the Royal Review of the Reserve Fleet and
remained in. commission after the
outbreak of war. She was adopted by the civil community of Northwich, Cheshire following a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43 - NORWAY 1940 - NORTH SEA 1944
H e r a l d ic
D a t a
Badge : On a Field Blue, a cat
affronte cantant Black,
before a crescent moon silver.
M o t t o
'I'll do and I'll do'
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
September Remained in
service.
Completed to war complement and embarked war stores.
3rd Joined
15th Destroyer Flotilla based at Rosyth for East coast convoy defence with
Rosyth
Escort Force.
October Transferred
to Western Approaches Command for Atlantic convoy escort.
November Atlantic
deployment in continuation.
to
(For details of activities in
Atlantic in 1939 see ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY
December by Corelli
Barrett)
1 9 4 0
January
Atlantic convoy defence in continuation.
11th Joined HM Sloops ABERDEEN, BIDEFORD and LEITH in escort for inward
Convoy HG14F with HM Destroyers WARWICK and
WANDERER to supplement escort during
passage in SW Approaches to Liverpool from
Gibraltar.
12th HMS LEITH detached.
13th Detached with escort on arrival of HG14F in Liverpool.
February
Western Approaches convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
(See
above reference and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HM30) ).
March
7th Joined inward Convoy HG21F in SW Approaches with HM Destroyer
WHIRLWIND as relief for
escort during final stage of passage to
Liverpool from Gibraltar.
10th Detached from HG21F with HMS WHIRLWIND on arrival at Liverpool.
(Note : All escorts for convoys in Western
Approaches Command were based at Liverpool after
headquarters transferred from Plymouth.)
19th Joined inward Convoy HG22 during passage to Liverpool in SW approaches with HM Destroyers
WATCHMAN and VORTIGERN in place of HM Destroyer
VANQUISHER as escort for final
stage of passage from Gibraltar.
21st Detached from HG22 and returned to base.
April
8th Joined inward Convoy HG25F in SW Approaches with HM Sloop
ROCHESTER,
HM Destroyers VIMY and VISCOUNT as escort for
passage into Liverpool
from Gibraltar.
9th Detached from HG25F with HMS VIMY and took passage to Scapa Flow for service with Home
Fleet for escort of military convoys to Norway
after German invasion.
(Operation RUPERT/R4)
22nd Deployed
with HM Destroyers VANSITTART, CAMPBELL, IVANHOE, ICARUS and
IMPULSIVE as
screen for HM Cruisers GALATEA,
SHEFFIELD and GLASGOW during
passage from
Rosyth for reinforcement of troops at Andalsnes (Operation SICKLE)
(Note
: Destroyers embarked 60 troops each. See Naval Staff History (HMSO-2001)
23rd Arrived
at Molde.
May Escort and
support of military operations in Norway in continuation.
11th Joined H
M Cruisers COVENTRY and CALCUTTA with H M Destroyers ISIS, CAMPBELL
and
ZULU as escort for the damaged cruiser HMS PENELOPE
for passage to
Greenock.
On release from
detached Home Fleet service rejoined Flotilla for coastal convoy escort.
(Note : Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to I89 to conform
with new identities introduced for RN warships.)
June East
coast convoy escort, and North Sea patrol duties in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January Deployed on
coastal convoy escort, in North Sea.
to
Transferred to Western Approaches for convoy defence with 10th Escort Group.
July Deployed
in NW Approaches. August
5th Deployed
as Local Escort for military convoy WS10 for passage in NW Approaches
with
HM Cruiser CAIRO, HM Destroyers
WHITEHALL, WINCHESTER, BROADWAY,
GURKHA, LANCE,
LEGION, Dutch ISAAC SWEERS and Polish ORP PIORUN.
(Note
: HM Cruiser LONDON was
the Ocean Escort for this convoy to
Freetown.)
7th Detached
from WS10 and returned to Clyde with Local Escort.
9th Deployed
as Escort for military convoy WS8C for passage from
Clyde to Scapa
Flow
(Note
: Part of planned occupation of
Azores which was later cancelled.)
10th Return
passage to Clyde.
15th Deployed
as Escort for military convoy WS10X for passage from
Liverpool to Clyde
with
Dutch
cruiser HEEMSKERK and HM Destroyers WHITEHALL
17th Detached
from WS10X on arrival in Clyde.
September
17th Deployed
as Escort for military convoy WS11X for passage from
Clyde to
Gibraltar with HM
Destroyers BLANKNEY, LAFOREY, LIGHTNING, ORIBI, WHITEHALL, Dutch ISAAC
SWEERS, Polish ORP GARLAND and PIORUN.
(Note
: Operation HALBERD - Malta relief convoy with cover by HM Battleship
PRINCE OF
WALES, HM Cruisers EURYALUS and KENYA.)
26th Passage
to UK on release from HALBERD.
October
1st
Deployed as Local Escort for military convoy WS12 for passage in NW Approaches
with HM
Cruiser CAIRO, HM Destroyers VERITY, WHITEHALL, BLANKNEY, STANLEY,
ASSINIBOINE (RCN), SAGUENAY (RCN), BADSWORTH, BRADFORD, BRIGHTON,
LANCASTER and NEWARK.
(Note
:HM Cruiser DORSETSHIRE was deployed as Ocean Escort.
4th Return
passage to Clyde with Local Escort.
November
13th Deployed
as Local Escort for military convoy WS12Z for passage in NW Approaches with HM
Destroyers VERITY, BADSWORTH, EXMOOR, VANQUISHER, WHITEHALL and
MAORI.
16th Return
passage to Clyde with Local Escort
December
13th Deployed
as Local Escort for military convoy WS14 for passage in NW Approaches with HM
Destroyers VANQUISHER, VOLUNTEER, BADSWORTH and BEAUFORT.
(Note
: HM Battleship RAMILLIES was deployed as Ocean Escort)
15th Return
passage to Clyde with Local Escort
1 9 4 2
January Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to
Nominated for conversion to Short Range Escort.
August Taken in hand
for refit and conversion.
(For
details of conversion see V&W DESTROYERS 1917-45 by A Preston).
September On completion
of trials and work-up resumed Atlantic convoy escort duties.
Part
of escort for Convoy ON127.
October Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to (See
above references and THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by Donald Macintyre).
November
December Deployed with
5th British Escort Group for convoy defence in Caribbean.
1 9 4 3
January
Part of escort for Tanker Convoy TM1 from
West Indies to Gibraltar with
Group.
Under
U-Boat attacks
See
HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO)
February Part of
escort for outward Convoy ON168 from UK to Halifax, NS.
(For
details of development of new weapons and tactics used by both sides in the
struggle for
dominance of the Atlantic sea routes see above references and WAR BENEATH THE
SEA
by P
Padfield).
Deployed with 2nd Escort Group for escort for
inward Convoy SC118 during Atlantic passage
to Clyde and threat of attack by PFEIL U-Boat
Group.
4th Carried out anti-submarine operations against PFEIL Group with HM
Destroyers VANESSA, VIMY,
BEVERLEY, HM Corvettes ABELIA (Free French),
LOBELIA and MIGNONETTE.
(Note :During these operations U187 WAS SUNK by
HMS VIMY after detection of wireless traffic
which enabled escorts to locate by using HF D/F.
For details see HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair
and SEEK AND STRIKE by W
Hackmann.)
5th Deployed for defence of SC118 but no attacks were made due to
weather conditions.
Detached to refuel.
Resumed duties with Group on completion.
Nominated for convoy defence at
Freetown.
March
16th Deployed as escort for military convoy WS28 during passage to
Freetown with HM Destroyers
MALCOLM, QUADRANT and WOLVERINE.
27th Detached
from WS28 on arrival at Freetown with Escort.
April
26th Deployed
as Local Escort for military convoy WS29 during passage into Freetown with HM
Destroyers MALCOLM and WOLVERINE.
28th Detached
from WS29 on arrival at Freetown.
May
6th Deployed
as Local Escort, for military convoy WS29 on departure from Freetown
with HM
Destroyers BOREAS, MALCOLM, RAPID and WOLVERINE.
8th Detached
from WS29 and returned to Freetown with Local Escort.
June
3rd Deployed
as Local Escort for military convoy WS30 on departure from Freetown
with HM
Destroyers BOADICEA, RAPID and WOLVERINE.
9th Detached
from WS29 on. relief by HM Destroyers
NORMAN, QUADRANT and REDOUBT.
Took passage to
Freetown with Local Escort
July
10th Joined
military convoy WS31 during passage from
Freetown to Cape of Good Hope
with HM
Corvette ARMERIA.
12th Detached
from WS31 escort on arrival of HM Destroyer RAPID and returned to
Freetown.
August Freetown
deployment in continuation.
to
Nominated for return to UK.
December
December
1 9 4 4
January Withdrawn
from Ocean escort duties and took passage to Home waters for escort of
to coastal
convoys in the North Sea.
April (Note :
This change was made because of the availability of new escorts which had
improved
accommodation and better weapons for this type of work than those fitted in a
ship
built
in. 1917.
See
V&W DESTROYERS by A Preston)
May Deployed
for North Sea convoy defence.
June Remained
in North Sea for coastal convoy defence and not deployed for support of the
allied
invasion of Normandy (Operation. NEPTUNE).
(See OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN
NORMANDY, JUNE 1944
(HMSO).
July North
Sea convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January North sea
convoy escort and patrol in continuation.
to (Note :
During this period German minelaying operations and attacks by SCHNORKEL
May fitted
submarines and submersibles were extensively carried cut.
Additional patrols in
the
Thames estuary were necessary
(See
HOLD THE NARROW SEA by
P Smith and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY).
June Deployed
for local port duties and support of re-occupation.
to
Nominated for reduction to Reserve status.
August
S p e c i a l N o t e
This destroyer although deployed for much of her service in
the Atlantic, was another of the ships which received little publicity. Her
contribution to the safe passage of convoys can be measured by the knowledge that German records establish that only 10% of
all convoys were attacked by the U-Boat and of the
75,000 ships escorted less than 1% were sunk - another of the ‘unsung’
heroines.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS WITCH
was Paid-off and placed In Reserve after VJ Day. She was put on the Disposal
List and sold to BISCO on 12th July 1946 for demolition by G Brunton. Later the ship arrived in tow at the breakers yard
in Granton on the Forth.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS
WITCH
by Don Kindell
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
14/10/39 14/10/39 FS 0021 16/10/39 16/10/39
27/10/39 27/10/39 OA 026 02/11/39 02/11/39
10/11/39 11/11/39 OA 033 12/11/39 15/11/39
20/11/39 20/11/39 OA 038 unknown 23/11/39
04/12/39 04/12/39 OA 047 05/12/39 08/12/39
08/12/39 08/12/39 OA 049 09/12/39 11/12/39
16/12/39 16/12/39 OA 054 unknown 19/12/39
01/01/40 01/01/40 OA 064 03/01/40 04/01/40
05/01/40 11/01/40 HG 014F 15/01/40 15/01/40
10/02/40 11/02/40 OA 089 12/02/40 13/02/40
04/02/40 14/02/40 HXF 019 17/02/40 17/02/40
02/02/40 18/02/40 OA 084 unknown 05/02/40
16/02/40 29/02/40 HX 020 04/03/40 04/03/40
01/03/40 07/03/40 HG 021F 10/03/40 10/03/40
11/03/40 11/03/40 OA 108GF 13/03/40 13/03/40
12/03/40 19/03/40 HG 022 21/03/40 22/03/40
25/03/40 06/04/40 HX 030 09/04/40 09/04/40
02/04/40 08/04/40 HG 025F 09/04/40 11/04/40
18/04/40 26/04/40 FS 002 01/05/40 01/05/40
02/07/40 02/07/40 HGY 10/07/40 14/07/40
22/08/40 23/08/40 OB 202 25/08/40 26/08/40
01/09/40 02/09/40 OB 207 unknown 06/09/40
02/09/40 15/09/40 SC 003 18/09/40 18/09/40
05/01/41 05/01/41 OB 270 08/01/41 08/01/41
22/12/40 09/01/41 SL 060 13/01/41 13/01/41
18/01/41 18/01/41 OB 275 22/01/41 23/01/41
11/01/41 23/01/41 HX 102 25/01/41 29/01/41
01/02/41 01/02/41 OB 281 05/02/41 05/02/41
25/01/41 06/02/41 HX 105 09/02/41 09/02/41
16/02/41 17/02/41 OB 287 unknown 21/02/41
09/02/41 24/02/41 HX 108 27/02/41 27/02/41
05/03/41 05/03/41 OB 294 09/03/41 09/03/41
18/02/41 10/03/41 SL 066 14/03/41 14/03/41
10/08/41 22/08/41 HX 144 22/08/41 30/08/41
16/08/41 29/08/41 HX 145 unknown 31/08/41
04/09/41 12/09/41 HX 148 13/09/41 17/09/41
16/09/41 25/09/41 HX 150 28/09/41 30/09/41
05/10/41 23/10/41 SL 089 25/10/41 26/10/41
14/12/41 23/12/41 HG 076 29/12/41 30/12/41
02/02/42 02/02/42 ON 063 07/02/42 13/02/42
25/02/42 28/02/42 CT 011 09/03/42 09/03/42
12/03/42 12/03/42 SC 074 18/03/42 28/03/42
09/03/42 20/03/42 ON 074 25/03/42 25/03/42
02/04/42 02/04/42 HX 183 06/04/42 15/04/42
27/03/42 10/04/42 ON 080 14/04/42 15/04/42
23/04/42 23/04/42 SC 081 27/04/42 09/05/42
23/04/42 02/05/42 ON 089 unknown 05/05/42
17/05/42 17/05/42 HX 190 20/05/42 28/05/42
15/05/42 25/05/42 ON 095 27/05/42 29/05/42
02/06/42 02/06/42 BX 022 04/06/42 04/06/42
12/06/42 12/06/42 SC 087 15/06/42 27/06/42
12/06/42 21/06/42 ON 103 27/06/42 26/06/42
27/06/42 27/06/42 BX 026B 29/06/42 29/06/42
03/07/42 03/07/42 SC 090 06/07/42 16/07/42
03/07/42 11/07/42 ON 109 16/07/42 18/07/42
19/07/42 19/07/42 BX 029B 21/07/42 21/07/42
24/07/42 24/07/42 SC 093 26/07/42 07/08/42
24/07/42 02/08/42 ON 115 unknown 08/08/42
11/08/42 11/08/42 SC 096 15/08/42 27/08/42
12/08/42 20/08/42 ON 121 unknown 27/08/42
28/08/42 28/08/42 BX 035B 30/08/42 30/08/42
05/09/42 05/09/42 SC 099 09/09/42 20/09/42
04/09/42 13/09/42 ON 127 18/09/42 20/09/42
01/10/42 04/10/42 HX 210 07/10/42 16/10/42
26/09/42 10/10/42 ON 134 14/10/42 17/10/42
26/10/42 26/10/42 HX 213 29/10/42 10/11/42
07/11/42 12/11/42 TA 026 13/11/42 13/11/42
12/01/43 12/01/43 SC 117 16/01/43 03/02/43
24/01/43 01/02/43 SC 118 04/02/43 12/02/43
26/05/43 26/05/43 ST 067 02/06/43 02/06/43
14/07/43 14/07/43 TS 047 20/07/43 20/07/43
25/08/43 26/08/43 CF 013B 31/08/43 31/08/43
13/09/43 13/09/43 MKS 024G 14/09/43 14/09/43
25/09/43 25/09/43 MKS 025G 04/10/43 08/10/43
