H . M . S
. E C H O ( H 2 3 )
E-Class Fleet Destroyer ordered on 1st November 1932
from Denny at Dumbarton under the 1931 Build Programme. The ship was laid down on 20th March 1932 and launched
on 16th February January 1934 as the ninth RN ship to carry the name introduced for a Prize taken in 1756. It
was last used for a Sloop sold
about 1828. Build was completed on 22nd October 1934 far a cost of £247,009,
excluding items supplied by the Admiralty such as guns and communications equipment. Much of her service was in the
Mediterranean until 1937 because of the Abyssinian crisis. In January she rejoined the Home Fleet with the
5th Destroyer Flotilla but a fire en board in 1938 kept her in dock for some months. After a further period of refit
she was deployed again in the Mediterranean for a few months before serving in Home waters. Following a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this ship was adopted by the civil community of
Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
QUEBEC 1759 -
MARTINIQUE 1762 - HAVANA 1762 -
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1795 - ATLANTIC
1939 -
NORWAY 1940 - BISMARCK Action 1941 - ARCTIC 1941-43 - MALTA CONVOYS 1942 -
SICILY 1943
- SALERNO 1943 - AEGEAN 1943
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field Party per
pale Green and Blue.
Two horns counterchanged Gold and Silver.
M o t t o
Marte et Arts : ‘By Mars and by
Art’
D e t a i l s o f W a
r S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
August Under boiler repair at Sheerness.
September On completion of post refit trials transferred to 12th
Destroyer Flotilla for anti-
submarine
patrol and convoy defence in Channel and
SW Approaches.
17th Took part in rescue operations after sinking of HM
Aircraft Carrier COURAGEOUS by
U29 in
position 50.10N 14.45W SW of Irish coast.
October Channel and SW Approaches deployment in continuation.
13th Grounded whilst entering Plymouth In fog.
14th Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard Devonport.
November Under repair.
13th On completion rejoined Flotilla in continuation of
duty.
December Channel and SW Approaches patrol and convoy defence in
continuation.
1 9 4 0
January Re-deployed with Flotilla at Scapa Flow for Home Fleet escort and patrol.
February
5th Detached with HM Destroyer ECLIPSE for escort of H
M Auxiliary Minelayer
PRINCESS
VICTORIA during lay of Dummy mines along East Coast Barrier off
Scottish
coast. (Operation LD1 - For details of all
minelaying activities in WW2 see
Naval
Staff History (MINING)).
Resumed Flotilla duties in Home Fleet en
completion.
20th Taken in hand for refit at Leith.
March Under refit.
April Under refit.
30th On completion rejoined Home Fleet.
May Deployed in support of military operations in Norway
for convoy defence and escort
of major
Fleet units.
18th Took part in rescue of troops and ship's company
from HM Cruiser EFFINGHAM
which had
run aground off Norway.
(Note : This cruiser later became a total wreck
in position 16.17N 13.55E.).
29th Assisted in evacuation of Bodo with HM Destroyers
ARROW, FIREDRAKE,
HAVELOCK
and VANOC.
June Transferred to 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet
Deployed for escort of final evacuation convoys
from Norway.
(For details of the disastrous naval operations
off Norway see NARVIK by Donald
MacIntyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by John Winton, THE DOOMED EXPEDITION by
Adams and
The Naval Staff History).
Home Fleet deployment with Flotilla in
continuation.
13th Detached to assist in rescue operations after H M
Armed Merchant Cruiser
SCOTSTOUN
torpedoed by U25 in position 00.09N 09-57W.
July
2nd Detached to assist in rescue operations after mv
ARANDORA Star had been
torpedoed in position
56.20N 10.40W.
9th Escorted ss ULSTER PRINCE carrying troops to
Iceland.
19th Resumed Home Fleet duties with Flotilla after
escorting ULSTER PRINCE back to UK.
August Home Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
5th Detached and joined HM Cruiser CALCUTTA, HM
destroyers INGLEFIELD,
BERKELEY
and GARTH for escort of ships of 1st
Minelaying Squadron for minelay in
SW
Approaches. (Operation SN32)
21st Detached with HM Destroyer ECLIPSE for escort of
ships of 1st Minelaying Squadron
for
minelay in Northern Barrage (Operation SN2).
28th Detached for duty in support of French expedition to
Dakar (Operation MENACE).
(For full details of this ill-fated and poorly
planned operation see MENACE by A.
Marder.
Escorted HM Battleship BARHAM with HM Destroyers
ECLIPSE, ESCAPADE and
INGLEFIELD for passage to Gibraltar.
September
2nd Arrived at Gibraltar with HMS BARHAM.
6th Sailed to join Force M during its passage from UK
to Freetown for MENACE.
13th Met Force M.
20th Deployed with HMS BARHAM to cover HM Cruisers
CORNWALL and DELHI during
operation to intercept Vichy French warships off
African coast.
22nd Sailed from Freetown as screen for Force M ships.
23rd Laid off Dakar during negotiations.
24th Deployed as screen for HMS BARHAM during
bombardment.
25th MENACE abandoned because of risk of damage from
shore-fire.
Escorted damaged HMS BARHAM towed by HM
Battleship RESOLUTION to
Freetown
29th On release from MENACE retained at Freetown for
local convoy defence.
October Convoy defence off West Africa in continuation.
Recalled to rejoin Flotilla in Home Fleet and
took passage to UK as part of escort for
Freetown-UK
convoy.
26th Detached from escort to assist in rescue work after
ss EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA had
been
set on fire by air attacks NW of Donegal Bay.
27th Landed survivors at Greenock.
30th Under repair to boilers at Greenock.
31st Rejoined Flotilla in Home Fleet.
November Deployed with Flotilla for Fleet duties in NW Approaches.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January Home Fleet duty with Flotilla in continuation.
5th Resumed Home Fleet duties in Flotilla on completion
of second minelay.
23rd Part of screen for Home Fleet major units providing
cover for the passage in North
Sea of Norwegian ships which had
broken out of Baltic from Sweden.
(Operation RUBBLE).
February
6th Joined screen of Home Fleet destroyers escorting HM
Battleship RODNEY to cover a
minelay in Northern Barrage by ships of 1st
Minelaying Squadron.
(Operation SN7A).
March Part of screen for Horns Fleet major units covering
raid by Commando units on the
Lofoten
Islands
(See COMBINED OPERATIONS (HMSO) and WATERY MAZE
by B Fergusson).
16th Resumed Hone Fleet Flotilla duties.
19th Rescued survivors from Norwegian ss LEO in NW
Approaches.
April Home Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
13th Detached with HM Destroyer LEGION to assist in
rescue of survivors from H M Armed
Merchant Cruiser RAJPUTANA which had been sunk
by U108 in position 64.50N
27.25W.
May Home Fleet duties with Flotilla in continuation.
21st Deployed as escort for cruisers on passage to
Northern Patrol in Denmark Strait.
24th
25th After sinking of HM Battle cruiser HOOD joined Fleet
units off Iceland for escort of
damaged
battleship HMS PRINCE OF WALES to Iceland.
(For details of the BISMARCK action and search
operations see PURSUIT by L
Kennedy
and BATTLESHIP BISMARCK by Baron von Mullenheim Rechberg).
June Home Fleet duties in continuation with Flotilla.
July
23rd Deployed with destroyer screen for HM Aircraft
Carriers FURIOUS and VICTORIOUS,
HM
Cruisers DEVONSHIRE and SUFFOLK as Force P.
30th Screen deployment during air attacks on Petsamo and
Kirkenes.
31st Screen deployment during air attacks on Tromso.
(See ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman).
August Home Fleet duties in continuation.
9th Joined escort for military convoy WS8C in
Clyde for passage to Scapa Flow.
(Note : This convoy comprised eight Landing
Ships (Infantry), two Landing Ships
(Tank),
six Motor Transport Ships, four Troopships
and two tankers. These ships were
to take
part in an operation to occupy the Azores
(Operation GRAY)
10th Arrived at Scapa Flow with WS8C
15th Sailed from Scapa Flow with escort for WS8C when
operation was cancelled.
17th Resumed escort duties or. arrival in Clyde with WS8C
Nominated for refit
Passage to Thames.
Taken in hand for refit at Harland and Wolff
shipyard, North Woolwich.
September Under refit.
to
October
November Post refit trials.
4th On completion of trials rejoined Flotilla in Home
Fleet.
December Home Fleet screening duties in continuation.
8th Escorted Russian Convoy PQ6 as screen for HM
Cruiser EDINBURGH with HM
Destroyer
ESCAPADE during passage to Kola Inlet.
19th Detached with HMS EDINBURGH and HMS ESCAPADE on
arrival off Kola Inlet to
escort
two Russian mercantiles to Murmansk.
Detached from HMS EDINBURGH to escort one of the
mercantiles into Murmansk.
Came under air attack from 2 Ju88 and during
avoiding action at high speed two men
were
swept overboard from the foc'sle. Enemy driven off by Russian Hurricanes and
the
arrival of HMS EDINBURGH in area. See
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman.
(For details of all Russian Convoy operations
including names of warships involved
see
ARCTIC CONVOYS, CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg, CONVOY! by P Kemp
and
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield).
1 9 4 2
January
4th Sailed from Kola Inlet with same ships to join
return Convoy OP 4 as Ocean Escort.
5th Joined convoy.
8th Detached when convoy dispersed.
9th Deployed en patrol south of convoy route with HMS
EDINBURGH and HMS
ESCAPADE.
10th Rejoined Flotilla en arrival at Scapa Flow.
February Deployed with screen for Home Fleet ships in search for
German warships TIRPITZ,
PRINZ
EUGEN and ADMIRAL SCHEER reported at sea off Norway.
March Part of destroyer screen for HM Battleships KING GEORGE
V and DUKE OF
YORK, HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS and
Home Fleet cruisers to cover passage of Russian
Convoys PQ12 and PQ13 as
well as returning QP8 and QP9.
April Deployed with Hone Fleet in continuation.
Nominated for detached duty as escort for
aircraft carriers during Malta aircraft
deliveries.
13th Joined HM Battlecruiser RENOWN, HM Cruisers CAIRO
and CHARYBDIS as
destroyer
screen for passage to Gibraltar with HM Destroyers INGLEFIELD,
ITHURIEL,
PARTRIDGE and US destroyers USS LANG and
USS MADISON.
19th Joined Force W with same ships and destroyers of
13th Destroyer Flotilla for the
delivery
of Spitfire aircraft to Malta (Operation
CALENDAR).
21st Passage to Scapa Flow to rejoin Home Fleet.
20th Aircraft launched despite known problems with long
range fuel tanks and defective
radio equipment
(Note : The aircraft arrived safely but were all
destroyed on the ground by air attacks.)
May Detached for further aircraft delivery operation.
Joined HMS RENOWN and USS WASP as destroyer
screen for passage to Gibraltar
with HM
Destroyers INTREPID, GEORGETOWN and SALISBURY, US Destroyers
USS LANG
and USS STERRET.
8th Joined Force W (HMS RENOWN, HMS CHARYBDIS, USS
WASP, HM Aircraft Carrier
EAGLE, as screen with same ships and destroyers
of 13th Flotilla for delivery to Malta
of
Spitfire aircraft (Operation BOWERY).
(Note : The safe arrival of the 61 aircraft of
the 64 launched and their immediate
availability for the defence of Malta
turned the tide of the air war over the island.)
11th Passage to Scapa Flow as escort for USS WASP with
same ships of Home Fleet.
15th Deployed in NW Approaches for anti-submarine defence
of UK-Iceland convoys.
June Home Fleet duties in continuation.
Nominated for refit.
18th Taken in hand for refit in Humber shipyard.
July Under refit.
August Under refit.
22nd On completion of post refit trials took passage to
join 8th Destroyer, Home Fleet at
Scapa
Flow for escort duty in NW Approaches.
September Deployed for support of Russian Convoy PQ18 and return
Convoy QP14.
8th Escorted HM Cruisers CUMBERLAND and SHEFFIELD with
H M Destroyers
AMAZON,
ECLIPSE, BULLDOG and VENOMOUS to establish fuelling base at Lowe
Sound,
Spitzbergen and to take stores to
Norwegian meteorological station at
Barentsberg.
Returned to Scapa Flow after completion of refuelling of escort destroyers.
Resumed Flotilla duties in NW Approaches.
October Home Fleet Flotilla duties in continuation.
November Home Fleet Flotilla duties in continuation.
20th Joined escort for returning Convoy OP15 during
passage from Kola Inlet.
22nd Detached from QP15 and resumed duties in NW
Approaches.
December
18th Joined Russian Convoy JW51A with HM Destroyers
BOADICEA, ECLIPSE,
FAULKNOR,
FURY and INGLEFIELD as Ocean Escort.
25th Detached on arrival at Kola Inlet.
(Note : German warships failed to intercept this
convoy - see references)
30th Joined return Convoy RA51 as Ocean Escort with same
ships, except HMS
BOADICEA.
1 9 4 3
January
6th Detached with same ships from RA51 after
uninterrupted passage due to the German
operation
against JW51B during which battleship SCHARNHORST was sunk.
(See above references).
23rd Deployed with screen for HM Battleship ANSON and H M
Cruiser SHEFFIELD
providing
Distant Cover for passage of Russian Convoy JW52 with 6 RN destroyers
and
Polish destroyer ORP ORKAN.
February Taken in hand for refit in Humber shipyard.
March Under refit
to Flotilla nominated for duty in Mediterranean in
support of future operations.
May
June Joined Flotilla in Home Fleet on completion of post
refit trials.
17th Passage to Gibraltar with 8th Destroyer Flotilla
July Nominated for escort of major Fleet mite during
allied landings in Sicily.
(Operation HUSKY - For details see ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and
Naval History).
Passage to Alexandria with Call at Gibraltar.
7th At Alexandria
10th Part of screen for Covering Force during assault
landings.
11th Deployed with HM Destroyer ILEX as screen for HM
Cruisers AURORA and
PENELOPE
for interception patrol.
13th Sank Italian submarine NEREIDE in Straits of Messina
with HM Destroyer ILEX.
August Deployed in. support of operations in Sicily with Fleet
units.
September Deployment with Mediterranean Fleet in continuation.
8th Deployed with Flotilla as screen for HM Battleships
NELSON, RODNEY, WARSPITE
and
VALIANT, HM Aircraft Carriers ILLUSTRIOUS and FORMIDABLE in Covering
Force
during allied landings at Salerno (Operation AVALANCHE).
9th Under air attack by German torpedo bombers which
were unsuccessful.
10th Part of screen for HM Battleships WARSPITE and
VALIANT with HM Destroyers
FAULKNOR, FURY, INTREPID, RAIDER, Greek
destroyer VASILISA OLGA and
French
LE TERRIBLE which met Italian Fleet on passage off
Malta to surrender.
12th Nominated for support of military operations to
occupy islands in Aegean which were
garrisoned by Italian troops.
14th Deployed with five other destroyers as screen for HM
Battleships KING GEORGE V
and HOWE
during passage to Alexandria as escort for
surrendered Italian battleships
VITTORIO
VENETO and ITALIA, four cruisers for
demilitarisation.
16th Arrived in Alexandria with Italian warships.
Re-deployed for support of operations in Eastern
Mediterranean to occupy islands in
Aegean.
17th During interception patrol with HM Destroyer
INTREPID sank Submarine Chaser
UJ2104
off Stampalia.
19th With HM Destroyer INTREPID embarked troops of Durham Light Infantry
and four
Bofor
guns at Haifa for passage to Leros.
October Detached from Aegean operations.
1st Escorted HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and HOWE
from Alexandria to Malta.
5th Resumed support of Aegean operations.
25th Deployed with HM Destroyer ROCKWOOD and Polish
destroyer KRAKOWIAK for
offensive patrol.
Under air attack SE of Casteloriso.
29th Carried out further offensive patrol.
November Aegean deployments in continuation.
3rd Deployed with HM Destroyers FAULKNOR,
PENN and PATHFINDER to take
troops
of 1st
Battalion Kings Own Royal Rifles from Alexandria to Leros.
12th Embarked troops for passage to Leros.
13th Rescued 109 survivors from HM Destroyer DULVERTON
sunk by air attack off Kos.
14th Bombarded German positions on
Mount Appetica, Leros in support
of British troops.
Evacuated troops from Samos and took them to
Leros.
15th Engaged and sank F-Lighters attempting to reinforce
Cos.
(For details of the disastrous naval operations
in defence of the Aegean Islands See
WAR IN
THE AEGEAN by P Smith and E Walker, FIGHTING DESTROYER by G C
Cornell
and THE LAST DESTROYER by FA Mason).
After surrender of Leros resumed Fleet duties in
Eastern Mediterranean.
December Transferred to Central Mediterranean, based at Malta for
support of the military
operations in Italy.
Nominated for refit.
12th Deployed in Gulf of
Gaeta.
22nd Taken in hand for refit in Malta.
1 9 4 4
January Under refit
to Arrangements made for transfer to Royal Hellenic
Navy.
March
April
5th Paid off from RN service as HMS ECHO
Transferred to Greece and renamed NAVARINON
____________________
S e r v i c e a s H . H . M . S . N A V
A R I N O N
May On completion of post refit trials and work-up
deployed for support of military in
to Adriatic and central
Mediterranean, convoy escort and patrol.
October Based in Malta.
November Transferred to Piraeus after assisting in re-occupation of
Greek islands in the Aegean
and
support of allied landings in Greece
December Support duty in continuation.
1 9 4 5
January Deployed in Greek coastal waters for support against
Communist insurgents.
to
May
P o s t W a r N o t e s
This ship was retained in the
Royal Hellenic Navy after the end of hostilities in Europe and in 1953 represented Greece at
Spithead during the Coronation Review. Before return to the RN in 1956 she was
used for training duties. On 8th
March 1956 she was handed back to the RN in Malta and was placed on the
Disposal List. Sold to BISCO for demolition by Clayton and Davie she arrived in
tow at the breakers’ yard in Dunston on Tyne during April
1956 and breaking-up had been completed by April 1957.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS
by Don Kindell
as HMS ECHO
Date convoy
Joined
convoy
Convoy
No.
Left convoy Date
convoy
sailed as
escort
arrived
27/09/39 27/09/39 OA 011 30/09/39 30/09/39
26/09/39 05/10/39 HG 001 06/10/39 06/10/39
07/10/39 07/10/39 OA 016G 09/10/39 11/10/39
09/02/40 09/02/40 ON 011/1 12/02/40 12/02/40
17/02/41 25/02/41 TC 009 27/02/41 27/02/41
08/03/41 09/03/41 OB 295 14/03/41 14/03/41
10/04/41 16/04/41 TC 010 19/04/41 19/04/41
08/12/41 11/12/41 PQ 006 20/12/41 20/12/41
26/12/41 05/01/42 QP 004 09/01/42 09/01/42
01/03/42 06/03/42 PQ 012 10/03/42 12/03/42
10/03/42 23/03/42 PQ 013 23/03/42 31/03/42
21/03/42 23/03/42 QP 009 23/03/42 03/04/42
02/09/42 14/09/42 PQ 018 22/09/42 21/09/42
13/09/42 14/09/42 QP 014 22/09/42 26/09/42
17/11/42 20/11/42 QP 015 22/11/42 30/11/42
15/12/42 18/12/42 JW 051A 25/12/42 25/12/42
30/12/42 30/12/42 RA 051 06/01/43 11/01/43
17/01/43 23/01/43 JW 052 24/01/43 27/01/43
21/12/43 21/12/43 NV 012B 22/12/43 22/12/43
as
HMHS
NAVARINON
30/05/44 07/06/44 MKS 051 09/06/44 09/06/44
