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T or
TUMULT-Class Destroyer ordered with the 6th Emergency
Flotilla on 13th March 1941 from John Brown of Clydebank . The ship was laid down on 10th November 1941 and
launched on 23rd September 1942. She was the second RN ship to bear this name, previously used in 1805
for a hired ship. In March 1942 following a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign she was
adopted by the civil community of Walthamstow, Greater London, now part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
The build was completed on 8th March 1943 and she was fitted for use as a Flotilla Leader.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943
- MEDITERRANEAN 1943-44 - AEGEAN 1944 - SOUTH FRANCE
1944 - ADRIATIC 1944 - OKINAWA 1945
H e r a l d i c D a
t a
Badge : On a field Red,
upon
water barry wavy in base White and Blue a
bridge of
three spans turreted White, masoned Black, flying therefrom
a flagstaff proper a flag
Blue.
D e t a i l s o
f W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 4 3
March Contractor's trials and
commissioning.
8th Build completion
and commenced Acceptance Trials
Nominated for
service in 24th Destroyer Flotilla as Leader.
Passage to Scapa Flow to work-up with ships of Home Fleet for
operational service
April Worked up with Home
Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On
completion took passage to Mediterranean.
May Deployed for screening
duties of major units.
10th
Part of screen for HM Cruisers AURORA, NEWFOUNDLAND, ORION, PENELOPE
and EURYALUS
with Mediterranean Fleet destroyers and Motor Torpedo
Boats for surrender of
Pantellaria.
(Operation
CORKSCREW - General Eisenhower was embarked on board HMS AURORA).
June
Deployed for Fleet screening during preparation for planned allied
landings in Sicily
(Operation HUSKY
– For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
Corelli
Barnett and Naval Staff History.)
July
8th Sailed from Malta with HM
Destroyer TUMULT for Fleet screening in support of HUSKY.
10th Part of destroyer screen for HM
Battleships NELSON, RODNEY, WARSPITE and VALIANT,
HM Aircraft
Carriers INDOMITABLE and FORMIDABLE, HM Cruisers PENELOPE,
AURORA,
CLEOPATRA, and EURYALUS with HM Destroyers QUILLIAM,
QUEENBOROUGH, QUAIL, ISIS, FAULKNOR, ECHO,
INTREPID, ECLIPSE, FURY,
INGLEFIELD, ILEX,
TUMULT, TYRIAN, OFFA, Polish ORP PIORUN and Greek
VASILASSA
(Note : These major
warships were deployed in the Ionian Sea to provide cover against any
attempt by Italian surface warships to interfere with landings.)
August Deployment for Fleet
screening in continuation.
31st Deployed as part of screen for
HMS NELSON, HMS RODNEY and HMS ORION to provide
naval gunfire
support during allied landings in Calabria.
(Operation
BAYTOWN - See above references).
September
2nd Provided additional naval
gunfire support for Calabrian landings.
9th Deployed with destroyer screen
for major units providing cover against Italian
surface
warships during allied landings at Salerno.
(Operation
AVALANCHE - See above references).
(Note : Major
units and screen were same ships as for HUSKY).
11th Under heavy air attack off
Salerno and provided AA protection to Fleet units.
October Deployed with Fleet screen
and support of military operations in Italy.
November Bombarded shore targets at
Minturno.
December Deployed with ships of Flotilla
for support of military operations on the East
coast of Italy
based at Bari.
1 9 4 4
January
Deployed in Adriatic for attacks on shipping and support of military
operations, based at Brindisi.
Carried out
bombardment of Dubrovnic and island of Korcula.
3rd Sank supply ship during attack
off Civitanova with HM Destroyer TUMULT
8th Took part in bombardment of
San Bendetto until 10th.
(Note: Ship ran
aground off Italian coast but was refloated without major
damage.)
February
Adriatic
deployment in continuation.
27th Bombarded targets at Curzola
with HMS TUMULT.
March
Deployed In Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean for convoy defence,
patrol and
to support of
military operations.
April
May
Nominated for
support of planned attack on island of Pantelleria and deployed in
Malta for preparatory
meetings and exercises. (Operation CORKSCREW)
31st Took part in bombardment of
Pantelleria with HM Cruiser ORION and HM
Destroyer
PETARD.
June
2nd Took part in
farther bombardment at Pantelleria with HMS ORION and HM
Destroyer
PALADIN.
10th Deployed with HM Cruisers
AURORA, ORION, NEWFOUNDLAND,
PENELOPE,
EURYALUS as screen with HM Destroyers LAFOREY, LOOKOUT,
LOYAL, JERVIS,
TARTAR, NUBIAN and WHADDON to cover landings
on
Pantelleria.
(Note:General Eisenhower was embarked in HMS AURORA.)
11th Present during landings after
which Italian Rear Admiral Pavesi surrendered the
fortress.
14th Deployed with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND
and found island of Lampione deserted.
20th Nominated for support of planned
landings on Sicily and deployed for preparatory
exercises
(Operation HUSKY)
July Preparation for
support of assault landings with ships of Flotilla. Joined HM Escort
Carriers KHEDIVE, EMPEROR, SEARCHER, PURSUER and
ATTACKER, HM
Cruisers
ROYALIST and DELHI with HM Destroyers TUSCAN, TYRIAN, TEAZER,
TUMULT, Greek
destroyer NAVARINON and HM Escort Destroyer WHEATLAND
for screening
duty during air operations as Task Group 88.1
August
12th
Sailed
from Malta with TF88.1
15th Present during landings in South
of France.
(Operation
DRAGOON –formerly ANVIL
See INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO),
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY by
C Barnett and VRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.).
18th With TG88.1 at Maddalena to
refuel and for rest period.
21st Redeployed with screen off
beachhead.
24th With TG88.1 at Maddalena.
28th Released from DRAGOON and
reverted to RN control.
September
Re-deployed with
Flotilla in Eastern Mediterranean with British Aegean Force
for
re-occupation of islands and preparation for landings in Greece.
13th Sank small Transport TON1 north
of Crete with HM Destroyer TUSCAN during an
operation to
intercept craft evacuating German garrison.
19th Participated in sinking of U407
south of Meloe in position 36.27N 24.33E
with
HM Destroyers
TERPSICHORE, BRECON, ZETLAND and Polish ORP GARLAND.
October
Patrol and support duty in Aegean.
Nominated for
service with Flotilla in Pacific after refit
November
Passage
to Chatham for refit prior to service with 24th Flotilla in British Pacific
Fleet..
December
Under refit by HM Dockyard, Chatham.
1 9 4 5
January
Under refit.
February
On completion of refit carried out post refit trials prior to storing
for foreign service.
Took passage to
Malta to work-up for service with Flotilla in British Pacific Fleet
March
On completion of work-up with ships of Mediterranean Fleet took
passage to Australia
via Suez to
prepare for service in with Flotilla as part of Task Force 57
April On arrival at Sydney
prepared for operational service under US Navy overall command.
Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to D49 to conform to US Navy
system of
identity for destroyers.
Took passage to
forward British Base at Manus for deployment with Flotilla in BPF.
May
9th
Joined
TF57 with HM Destroyers NAPIER, NEPAL, TENACIOUS and TERMAGANT.
. Replaced
destroyers in screen for HM Aircraft Carriers VICTORIOUS
and
FORMIDABLE after series of
attacks by KAMIKAZE during air operations in
Sakashima-Gunto area.
(Operation ICEBERG - For details of BPF operations see
OPERATION PACIFIC by
E Grey, THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by
J Winton. TASK FORCE 57 by P Smith and
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO).
25th
On
completion of TF57 air operations on Sakishima Gunto detached and joined HM
Battleship KING
GEORGE V as destroyer screen with HM Destroyers TENACIOUS
and TERMAGANT
for passage to Guam.
(Note : HMS
KING GEORGE V was taking Admiral Rawlings for visit to US Navy
CinC Pacific Fleet.)
28th Arrived at Guam.
June
Passage to Manus with HMS KING GEORGE V to rejoin ships of TF57
On arrival
nominated for duty with Task Group 111.2 under RN command for air
operations and
bombardment of Truk (Operation INMATE)
12th Formed Task Unit 111.2.15 with HM
Destroyers TENACIOUS, TERPSICHORE
and TEAZER
for screening of HM Aircraft Carrier IMPLACABLE, HM
Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND,
UGANDA (RCN) and ACHILLES (RNZN).
15th Carried out bombardment of Truk
with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND when air operations
had been completed.
16th Passage to Manus
with Task Force 111.2.
July Transferred
to US 3rd Fleet as Task Force 38 with ships of BPF after changes in US
Navy Command
structure in Pacific area..
(Note : Task
Force 37 comprised HMS KING GEORGE V, HM Aircraft Carriers
IMPLACABLE,
FORMIDABLE and VICTORIOUS,
HM Cruisers
NEWFOUNDLAND, ACHILLES, UGANDA, GAMBIA,
EURYALUS
and BLACK PRINCE screened by 15
destroyers).
18th Ships of BPF Joined US TG 38 for
series of combined attacks on the Tokyo and
Yokohama
areas.
Screening duty
in continuation during operations and replenishment.
August Deployment with TF37
screen during Joint operations with US TF38 including
air attacks
on targets in North Honshu and Hokkaido.
12th Re-deployed as part of US TF38 in
Task Group with HMS KING GEORGE V,
HMS
INDEFATIGABLE, HM Cruisers GAMBIA and NEWFOUNDLAND as
screen with
HM Destroyers TERMAGANT, TENACIOUS, TEAZER
TERPSICHORE,
BARFLEUR,
NIZAM, WAKEFUL,
NAPIER and WRANGLER.
(Note : The
remaining British ships of TF37 were withdrawn from the operation
because of difficulties in obtaining
fuel from the RN Fleet Train and the
increasing maintenance problems (See above references))
. 14th Refuelled from US Navy tankers.
15th Deployed with screen for TG38.5
during final air strikes on Japan.
27th Passage to
Sagami Wan with BPF units for attendance at formal surrender ceremony.
September
2nd Present with BPF
units at Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS TROUBRIDGE returned to UK later in 1945 with ships of
the 24th Flotilla and was retained in commission. She served in the Mediterranean with the 3rd
Destroyer Flotilla as its Leader after HMS SAUMAREZ had been badly damaged by a. mine off Corfu. The
ship was paid off into Reserve at Chatham In 1949. She was selected for conversion to a Type
15 Anti-Submarine Frigate in 1955 by HM Dockyard, Portsmouth but later transferred to JS White
at Cowes for completion. Commissioned for service in 1957 this ship was deployed In the West
Indies and in the Home Fleet until 1962. After a refit in Malta in 1964 she re-commissioned for service in
24th Escort Squadron. HMS TROUBRIDGE finally paid off on 27th March 1969 and was placed on the
Disposal List. On 5th May 1970 she arrived at Newport, Gwent under tow of HM Tug REWARD to be
broken-up by Messrs Cashmore.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS TROUBRIDGE
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
17/05/43 17/05/43 KMS 014X 26/05/43 26/05/43
28/04/43 18/05/43
UGS 008 21/05/43 21/05/43
19/09/43 19/09/43 NSF 003A 21/09/43 22/09/43
08/04/44 08/04/44 MKF 030 09/04/44 21/04/44
28/06/44 unknown XIF
017 unknown 02/07/44
28/01/45 31/01/45 KMF 039 01/02/45 04/02/45
(Note on Convoys)
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