A-Class Fleet destroyer ordered on
6th March 1928 from John Brown at
Clydebank and laid
down on 13th August that year. She was launched on
8th August 1929 as the 2nd RN ship to carry
the name, introduced in 1797 and last borne by a destroyer
sold in 1921. Build was completed on
11th February 1930.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
SAN
DOMINGO 1806 -
MARTINIQUE 1809 -
JUTLAND 1916
-
ATLANTIC 1939-40 -
NORWAY 1940 - SCHARNHORST
action 1940
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Blue a shell Gold over wavelets
Green
and Silver.
M o t t o
Memores majoris : 'Remember your
ancestors'
D e t a i l s of S e r v i c e
1 9 3 0
February Contractors trials
11th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
14th Commissioned for service in 3rd Destroyer Flotilla,
Mediterranean Fleet.
March On completion of Acceptance Trials and work-up prepared
for foreign service.
April Passage to Mediterranean to join Flotilla in Malta.
May Deployed with Flotilla for exercises and took part in
Fleet visits programme.
to
December
1 9 3 1
January Flotilla duties based in
Malta
to
February
March Took part in joint Home and Mediterranean Fleet
exercises at Gibraltar.
to
April
May Resumed Flotilla duties in Malta and took part in
Fleet Exercise and visits
to Programme
September
October Flotilla duties based in
Malta
to
December
1 9 3 2
January Deployed with Flotilla for exercises and Fleet visits
programme.
to
July
August Passage to UK to Pay-off and refit.
30th Paid-off and taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Devonport.
September Under refit.
October Post refit Harbour Trials and commissioned for service
in 3rd Destroyer
Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet.
November On completion of trials and work-up prepared for foreign
service.
December Resumed Flotilla duties in Malta.
1 9 3 3
January Deployed with Flotilla and took part in joint exercises
with Home Fleet
to and Mediterranean Fleet exercise and visits
Programme including Fleet
October Regatta.
November Passage to Gibraltar
24th Commenced Routine docking and maintenance by HM
Dockyard, Gibraltar.
December
20th Resumed Flotilla duties on completion.
1 9 3 4
January Flotilla duties based in
Malta in continuation.
to Took part in Spring Fleet Programme and exercises
with Home Fleet at.
May
June
12th Damaged in collision with HM Destroyer CODRINGTON
during exercises
off Malta.
(Note : HMS CODRINGTON was Leader of 3rd
Destroyer Flotilla.)
25th Under repair by HM Dockyard Malta.
July
27th On completion of repair and sea trials resumed
Flotilla duties.
August Deployed with Flotilla for exercises and visits.
to
December
1 9 3 5
January Flotilla duties including Spring Fleet visits and joint
exercises with Home
to Fleet at Gibraltar.
March
April Passage to UK to Pay-off and refit.
29th Paid off and taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Devonport.
May Under refit
to
June
July
3rd Recommissioned for service with 3rd Destroyer
Flotilla, Mediterranean
Fleet and commenced Post Refit Trials.
August On completion of work-up and preparation for foreign
service took
passage to rejoin Flotilla in Malta.
September Deployed with Flotilla for exercises and visits.
to
December
1 9 3 6
January Flotilla duties in continuation including Fleet
exercises and visits
to
May
June Flotilla duties in continuation including
Non-intervention Patrol and
to Humanitarian aid to refugees after outbreak of
civil war in Spain.
December
1 9 3 7
January Deployed with Flotilla for patrol and civil aid in
western Mediterranean.
to Nominated for Long Refit in
UK.
April
May Passage to UK to Pay-off and refit.
June
1st Paid-off and taken in hand for Long Refit by HM
Dockyard, Devonport.
July Under refit
to
December (Note : Fitted with Anti-Submarine detection equipment
(ASDIC/Sonar)
1 9 3 8
January Under refit.
to Nominated for service in 7th Destroyer Flotilla in
Home waters.
March
April Harbour trials and prepared for service.
11th Refit completion and commissioned for service.
15th Post refit sea trials and shakedown.
May On completion of work-up commenced duties with
Flotilla.
June Deployed in Home waters for exercises and visits
to (Note : Some of this period was spent in SW
Approaches.
October Deployment for Non-Intervention and interception of
shipping on passage to or from Spanish port to
be confirmed.)
November
3rd Under repair and refit by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
December Repair and refit in continuation.
1 9 3 9
January Nominated for duty as Emergency Destroyer at Plymouth
on completion.
17th Resumed operational service at Plymouth.
February Deployed at Plymouth for training and Emergency
Destroyer duty/
Nominated for special duty at Barrow.
(Note : HM Destroyers CODRINGTON, ACHATES and
ARDENT
of this Class and previously in 3rd Flotilla
with an older destroyer
HMS BROKE were also deployed at
Plymouth for Local duties.)
March
2nd Assisted Vickers-Armstrong Ltd during Trials of
Argentinean cruiser LA
ARGENTINA which commenced sea trials in January.
(Note : This assistance is recorded as being
associated with underwater
detection equipment and it may be assumed that
this RN destroyer
acted as consort during sea trials.)
13th Returned to duties at Plymouth.
April Deployment at Plymouth in continuation.
to
July
August Took up allocated War Station allocated with 18th
Destroyer Flotilla for convoy defence
in Channel based at Plymouth.
Prepared for war service.
(Note : Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches
Command was established
as part of mobilisation and was based at
Plymouth.)
D e t a i l s of
W a r S e r v i c e
September Deployed in Channel for convoy defence and anti-submarine
patrol.
Part of escort for HM Battleship RENOWN during
passage to Clyde from
Portsmouth to rejoin Fleet after modernisation
at Portsmouth.
October Channel and SW Approaches deployment in continuation.
to
November
December Nominated for transfer to Liverpool
(Note : CinC Western Approaches moved from
Plymouth to Liverpool.)
20th Under refit by HM Dockyard, Devonport.
(Note : This may have been part of preparations
for Atlantic deployment.)
1 9 4 0
January
5th Took passage to Liverpool on completion of sea trials.
After briefing in latest requirements of CinC
commenced deployment
for Atlantic convoy defence.
31st Deployed with escort for HM Cruiser AJAX during
passage into Plymouth
on return from GRAF SPEE action in Battle of
River Plate.
February Atlantic escort duties in continuation.
to
March
April
10th Nominated for transfer to Home Fleet in 1st
Destroyer Flotilla.
Took passage to Scapa Flow to join Home Fleet.
13th Deployed with HM Destroyers CODRINGTON and ARDENT as
screen for HM Battleship VALIANT and HM Cruiser
VINDICTIVE
providing cover for passage of military convoy
NP1 in NW Approaches.
(For details see The Naval |Staff History, Naval
Operations off Norway
1940, NARVIK by D Macintyre and THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by
J Adams. Convoy identified as NP1 was taking
troops for landings in
Narvik (Operation RUPERT/R4.)
15th On release from NP1 deployed for convoy escort and
support of military
operations in Norway
May Norwegian deployment in continuation.
10th Part of escort for damaged HM Cruiser PENELOPE
during initial stage
of passage from Skelfjord to UK for repair after
hitting submerged rock.
(See above references.)
(Note : Escort for HMS PENELOPE for North Sea
passage included
HM Cruisers COVENTRY and CALCUTTA, HM Destroyers
CAMPBELL, ISIS, WITCH and ZULU.)
31st Deployed with HM Destroyers HIGHLANDER, DIANA,
ARDENT and
ACHERON as escort for HM Aircraft Carriers ARK
ROYAL and GLORIOUS
during passage from Clyde to provide air cover
during evacuation of troops
from Norway (Operation ALPHABET)
June
2nd Detached from escort to refuel at Harstad.
On completion took passage to join HMS GLORIOUS
as escort.
8th Remained as escort for HMS GLORIOUS with HMS ARDENT
when
cover operation ended and took passage to UK.
Under fire from German battleships SCHARNHORST
and GNEISENAU.
Laid protective smoke screen to protect British
units and engaged enemy
ships whilst making a torpedo attack. Four
torpedoes fired, one of which
hit SCHARNHORST abreast the after 11in
Turret.causing flooding and the
disabling of her armament.
During heavy return fire from secondary armament
sustained several hits
including one in Engine Room.
Sank in position 68.45N 04.30E with only one
survivor, Leading Seaman.
C G Carter who later described his experiences
in his book THE MAN
WHO HIT THE SCHARNHORST.
(For further information see above references.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS ACASTA
by Don Kindell
These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
07/09/39 07/09/39 OA 001 09/09/39 unknown
13/09/39 13/09/39 OA 004 16/09/39 unknown
19/09/39 19/09/39 OA 007 22/09/39 22/09/39
25/09/39 25/09/39 OA 010 28/09/39 28/09/39
07/10/39 09/10/39 OA 017 11/10/39 11/10/39
13/10/39 20/10/39 HG 003 21/10/39 21/10/39
21/10/39 21/10/39 OA 023 23/10/39 26/10/39
31/10/39 31/10/39 OA 028G 02/11/39 03/11/39
03/11/39 03/11/39 OG 005 07/11/39 09/11/39
14/11/39 15/11/39 OA 035 19/11/39 19/11/39
08/11/39 19/11/39 HXF 008 21/11/39 21/11/39
16/11/39 02/12/39 SL 009 02/12/39 02/12/39
06/12/39 06/12/39 OA 048 08/12/39 09/12/39
18/12/39 18/12/39 OA 055G 21/12/39 21/12/39
27/12/39 04/01/40 SL 014F 08/01/40 11/01/40
12/01/40 12/01/40 OA 071 14/01/40 16/01/40
21/01/40 22/01/40 OA 077 24/01/40 24/01/40
18/02/40 19/02/40 OA 094 20/02/40 21/02/40
12/02/40 22/02/40 HXF 020 25/02/40 25/02/40
12/03/40 12/03/40 HG 022 19/03/40 22/03/40
13/03/40 14/03/40 OA 109 16/03/40 16/03/40
25/03/40 06/04/40 HX 030 09/04/40 09/04/40
11/04/40 13/04/40 NP 001 15/04/40 15/04/40
12/05/40 20/05/40 TC 004 21/05/40 21/05/40