H.  M .  S .   C R E S C E N T    ( H 4 8 )

 

C-Class Destroyer ordered from Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow under the revised 1930 Build Programme on 9th July 1930. This ship was laid down as Yard No 668 on 1st December 1930 and named HMS CRESCENT when launched on 29th September 1930 at the sane time as her sister ship HMS CYGNET also laid down on the sane date in 1930. She was the 12th RN ship to carry the name, first used by a mercantile hired at Dartmouth in 1588 for use in the attacks on the Spanish Armada. It was last used in 1920 when HM Battleship GLORY was renamed for service as a Depot Ship. Build was-, completed on 15th April 1932 and the ship was used for special trials to compare performance of 'Seaglis' type propellers used by Italian warships with the standard Admiralty type. The results showed little difference in speeds achieved during a six hour trial. On completion of trials she Joined 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet and served in the West Indies in 1934. Later in 1935 the ship was detached for service in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean for six months after the invasion of the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. She reduced to Reserve on return to UK and deployed at Chatham for the training of Reservists. On 17th February 1937 she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and commissioned as HMCS FRASER at Chatham. She arrived at Esquimalt on 3rd May 1937 and until taking up her war station was deployed in the Pacific. The ship took passage to Halifax and from 15th September was deployed for escort of Atlantic convoys

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

ARMADA 1588 - GABBARD 1653 - SCHEVENINGEN 1653 - MARTINIQUE 1762 - CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1795 - MADAGASCAR 1796

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge : On a Field Blue, a Crescent Silver

 

 

H.  M  .C .  S .   F R A S E R   ( H 4 8 )

 

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           In transit of Panama Canal

                                (Note : Joined America and West Indies Squadron).

                10th         Deployed at Halifax for convoy defence.

 

October                   Local escort at Halifax in continuation.

to

December

 

1 9 4 0

 

January                   Deployed at Halifax for Atlantic convoy defence

to.                            Nominated for service with Jamaica Force.

February

 

March                     Passage to Bermuda for interception of blockade runners and commerce raiders.

                                Deployed for patrols in Caribbean sea area.

                                (Note : Part of America and West Indies Squadron.)

 

April                       Caribbean deployment in continuation.

 

May                        Transferred to UK for service in Western Approaches.

                26th         Took passage from Bermuda to Plymouth.

 

June

                3rd           On arrival deployed for support of evacuation of British and allied troops and

                                civilians from Bay of Biscay ports (Operation AERIAL).

                25th         During passage from St Jean de Luz in collision with HM Cruiser CALCUTTA off

                                the Gironde.

                                Ship hit forward of the Bridge structure and cut in two and sank quickly in position

                                45.44N 01.31W.

                                47 of the ship's company lost their lives.

 

P o s t   W a r   N o t e s

 

This name was carried forward In July 1944 then given to a Fleet destroyer of the Ch-Class on launch at Clydebank. This new warship was transferred on loan to the Royal Canadian Navy in Sept 1945 and purchased outright in 1951. converted for use as a Destroyer Escort in 1956 she served until 1970 in the operational fleet and has since been scrapped.

 

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Addendum

 

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMCS FRASER

by Don Kindell

 

Date convoy         Joined convoy              Convoy No.             Left convoy           Date convoy

sailed                     as escort                                                                                    arrived

  

19/09/39                 19/09/39                     HXF 001                20/09/39                 29/09/39

23/09/39                 23/09/39                     HX 002                  25/09/39                 10/10/39

25/09/39                 25/09/39                     HXF 002                26/09/39                 04/10/39

30/09/39                 30/09/39                     HX 003                  01/10/39                 14/10/39

08/10/39                 08/10/39                     HX 004                  10/10/39                 22/10/39

17/10/39                 17/10/39                     HX 005                  19/10/39                 29/10/39

25/10/39                 25/10/39                     HX 006                  27/10/39                 06/11/39

31/10/39                 31/10/39                     HXF 007                01/11/39                 12/11/39

02/11/39                 02/11/39                     HX 007                  03/11/39                 17/11/39

08/11/39                 08/11/39                     HXF 008                10/11/39                 21/11/39

10/11/39                 10/11/39                     HX 008                  11/11/39                 25/11/39

10/12/39                 10/12/39                     TC 001                   12/12/39                 17/12/39

22/12/39                 22/12/39                     TC 002                   24/12/39                 30/12/39

04/01/40                 04/01/40                     HXF 015                06/01/40                 15/01/40

06/01/40                 06/01/40                     HX 015                  07/01/40                 19/01/40

20/01/40                 20/01/40                     HXF 017                21/01/40                 01/02/40

22/01/40                 22/01/40                     HX 017                  23/01/40                 07/02/40

30/01/40                 30/01/40                     TC 003                   01/02/40                 07/02/40

12/02/40                 12/02/40                     HXF 020                13/02/40                 25/02/40

16/02/40                 16/02/40                     HX 020                  17/02/40                 04/03/40

26/02/40                 26/02/40                     HX 023                  27/02/40                 12/03/40