H . M . S . A I R
E D A L E ( L 0 7)
Type III
HUNT-Class Escort Destroyer ordered
from John Brown at Clydebank, on 4th
July 1940 under the
1943 War
Emergency Programme and laid down as Job Number 1578 on 20th November 1940. The ship was Launched
on 12th August 1941as the first RN ship to carry the name. Build was completed on 8th January
1942. After a
successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 19 was 'adoptedI by
the civil community
of Spenborough, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ARCTIC 1942 - LIBYA
1943
H e
r a l d i c D
a t a
Badge
: On a Field White, in front of a pomme,
a hare courant Gold.
D e
t a i l s o
f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 2
January Contractors
trials and commissioned for service.
8th Build
completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.
February Worked-up at
Scapa Flow with ships of Home Fleet.
Nominated for escort of Russian convoy.
14th
Provided Local Escort for Russian Convoy PQ11 with HM
Escort Destroyer MIDDLETON
and
three Trawlers.
17th Detached
from PQ11 with Local Escort and returned to Scapa Flow.
(Note: This was the first Russian convoy escort
which included a HUNT Class Escort Destroyer.
Nominated for service in eastern
Mediterranean in 5th Destroyer Flotilla
28th Took
passage to Gibraltar as escort to ss QUEEN VICTORIA and tug SAMSONIA with HM
Corvette PETUNIA.
March
13th Arrived
at Gibraltar.
15th Escorted
HM Cruiser DAUNTLESS for passage to Cape of Good Hope.
April
3rd Arrived
at Simonstown
Passage to
Alexandria.
May Joined 5th
Destroyer Flotilla at Alexandria.
11th Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyers BEAUFORT and DULVERTON to assist defence of
HM
Destroyer JACKAL returning; in tow to Alexandria after air attack.
(Note
: This towing attempt failed. See WARSHIP LOSSES IN WW2 by D Brown.)
June Nominated
for escort. of Malta
relief convoy MW11 (Operation VIGOROUS).
(Editor's Note: check
The Supply of Malta by Arnold
Hague for details.)
13th Deployed
with destroyers of 5th Flotilla and Fleet Destroyers for escort and screening
of
cruisers in defence of Convoy MW11.
14th Under
heavy and sustained air attacks
After
nightfall convoy under attacks by E-Boats.
(Note
: HM Cruiser NEWCASTLE and HM Destroyer HASTY were hit by
torpedoes}.
15th Convoy
ordered to reverse course by CinC at Alexandria because of threat attack by
major
Italian surface warships.
Order
later rescinded and convoy resumed westward course.
Under
selected attack by dive bombers.
Three
near misses and 2 hits aft resulted in major outbreak of fire and magazine
exploded.
Ship
abandoned and sunk by torpedo from HM Escort Destroyer ALDENHAM and gunfire
from
HM Escort Destroyer HURWORTH.
133
survivors were rescued.
(For
full details of this disastrous operation and the conflicting instructions
from the shore
based
CinC, see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett, THE
BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D Macintyre, MALTA CONVOYS by
R
Woodman and Naval Staff History.)
