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H
. M .
S . B A D S W O R T H ( L 0 3 )
Type II '”HUNT” Class Escort Destroyer ordered en 20th
December 1939 from Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
under the 1939 War Emergency Programme. The ship was laid down on 15th
May 1940 as Admiralty Job No. J3260 (Yard No 1055).
She was launched on 17th March 1941 as the first RN
ship to carry this name, that of a Yorkshire fox-hunt. Build completion date
was 18th August 1941 and after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings
Campaign in March 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Batley then in
the West Riding of Yorkshire.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43 - MALTA CONVOYS 1942 - ARCTIC
1942
H e
r a l d i c D a t a
Badge
: On a Field Red, in front of a sun rising Gold from
clouds White
a horseshoe inverted Black.
D e t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 1
August Contractors sea trials
and commissioned for service
18th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On
completion trials took passage to
Scapa Flow.
September Worked-up for
operational service.
On
completion joined Londonderry Escort Force.
Deployed for convoy defence in NW Approaches
October
1st Joined
military convoy WS12 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BRADFORD, BRIGHTON, NEWARK
and
LANCASTER as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
3rd Detached
from WS12 with Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
November
13th Joined
military convoy WS12Z in Clyde with HM Destroyers EXMOOR, VANQUISHER, WITCH,
and
WHITEHALL as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
16th Detached
from WS12Z with Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
December
13th Joined
military convoy WS14 during passage from Clyde in NW Approaches for Ocean Escort
with
HM
Battleship RAMILLIES and HM Destroyer BEAUFORT.
21st Detached
from WS14 with HM Armed Merchant Cruiser CILICIA, HMS BEAUFORT and Local
Escort from Freetown on arrival..
1 9 4 2
January Passage from
West Africa to resume convoy defence at Londonderry
February Londonderry
deployment in continuation.
March
23rd Joined
military convoy WS17 in Clyde with HM Destroyers BEVERLEY, NEWPORT, KEPPEL,
LEAMINGTON and VOLUNTEER as Local Escort during passage in NW Approaches.
25th HMS
NEWPORT detached to return to Clyde after collision with HMS BEVERLEY.
27th Detached
from WS17 with remainder of Local Escort.
April Nominated
for detached service in support of planned Combined Services operation.
Escorted HM Landing Ships (Infantry) QUEEN EMMA and PRINCESS BEATRIX with four
other
HUNT
Class Escort Destroyers for attack en shipping in Bayonne by No 1 and No
6 Commando
Raid
was aborted due to weather conditions and enemy state of alert.
(Operation MYRMIDON).
On
release from MYRMIDON returned to
Londonderry.
15th Joined
military convoy WS18 in Clyde with HM Destroyers GEORGETOWN, LAUDERDALE,
LANCASTER and ST MARY'S as part of Local Escort for passage in NW Approaches.
19th Detached
from VB18 with same ships and returned to Clyde.
Nominated for escort of Russian Convoy.
28th Part of
Ocean Escort for Russian Convoy PQ15 with HM Cruiser NIGERIA, HM Auxiliary AA
Ship
ULSTER QUEEN, HM Destroyers BOADICEA, MATCHLESS, SOMALI, VENOMOUS
and
Norwegian destroyer ST ALBANS.
(Note
: HM Submarine STURGEON was also with the convoy initially as was HM Cruiser
LONDON.
Transit of convoy was covered by ships of the Home Fleet.)
May
2nd Under
sustained attacks by aircraft and submarines.
Sank
British mercantile ss BOTAVON which had been damaged in air attack and unable to
remain
in
convoy.
3rd Assisted
in rescue of survivors from British mercantiles ss
CAPE CORSO and ss
JUTLAND sunk
by
air attacks.
5th Detached
from PQ15 on arrival at Murmansk.
Remained in North Russia.
21st Joined
Ocean Escort for return Convoy QP12 with HMS ULSTER QUEEN, HM Destroyers
VENOMOUS. BOADICEA, ESCAPADE, INGLEFIELD, Norwegian ST ALBANS,. HM
Minesweeper HARRIER
and three trawlers.
(For
details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg,
ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman, THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield, CONVOY !
by P.
Kemp and ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett).
27th Detached
Iron convoy with HMS VENOMOUS and HMS ULSTER QUEEN.
29th Nominated
far escort of Malta supply convoy (Operation HARPOON).
June Prepared
for Mediterranean escort duty at
Londonderry.
6th Joined
Convoy WS19S in NW Approaches as part of Ocean Escort for passage to Gibraltar.
(Note
: Home Fleet ships deployed with WS19S included HM Cruisers LIVERPOOL, KENYA,
HM
Destroyers ONSLOW, ICARUS, BEDOUIN and Polish destroyer ORP KUJAWIAK).
12th
Joined HM Cruiser
CAIRO, HM Destroyers BEDOUIN,
MARNE, MATCHLESS, PARTRIDGE,
ITHURIEL, BLANKNEY, MIDDLETON and ORP KUJAWIAK, HM Minesweepers HEBE,
SPEEDY, HYTHE and RYE as
Force X at Gibraltar
for escort of convoy for passage to Malta
.
through Sicilian Narrows.
14th Under
heavy and sustained air attacks during which HMS LIVERPOOL was damaged and had
to
return to Gibraltar.
15th In action
with Italian warships attempting to intercept and attack convoy.
(For
details see THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN by D Maclntyre, ENGAGE THE
ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and MALTA
CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
16th Sustained
major structural damage forward after detonating a mine whilst entering Grand
Harbour,
Malta
with the two mercantiles which survived passage of HARPOON,
(Note
: The night time entry coupled with errors in the signal received to give
details of the
Swept
Channel resulted in ships passing through a minefield.
ORP
KUJAWIAK was sunk after also detonating a mine,
HMS
MATCHLESS, mercantile ss ORARI and HM
Minesweeper HEBE were also
damaged by mines.
Ship
had a hole 12 ft by 15 ft in her forward structure below waterline.
Among
the casualties sustained were survivors from merchant ships which
were sunk during
passage to Malta).
17th Docked
and taken In hand for repair by HM Dockyard, Malta.
July Under
temporary repair to allow return passage.
August Repair in
continuation
10th Prepared
for return
11th Sailed
from Malta with HMS MATCHLESS as escort for mercantiles ss TROILUS and ss ORARI
for
passage to Gibraltar as Force Y.
Operation ASCENDANT)
(Note
These two ships ware the sole survivors of the HARPOON convoy.
Transit passage was deliberately planned to coincide with the passage of the
next Malta
relief convoy (Operation PEDESTAL
During passage close to North African coast Italian recognition marks were
painted on
Foc'sle.
For
details see PEDESTAL by P Smith and above references.
15th Arrived at Gibraltar.
18th Took
passage to UK for repairs
25th Taken in hand for repair at North Shields commercial shipyard.
September Under repair
to
October
November Post refit
trials and prepared for operational service.
December Rejoined
Londonderry Escort Force for
North Atlantic convoy defence.
18th Joined
military convoy WS25 with HM Destroyers HAYDON and WOLVERINE as part of
escort for passage in Atlantic to Freetown.
24th Detached
from WS25 with same ships and returned to Clyde.
1 9 4 3
January Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
to
Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean for escort and support duties with 60th
February Destroyer
Division.
March Prepared for
foreign service.
16th Joined Joint military convoy WS28/KMF11 in Clyde
with Polish destroyer KRAKOWIAK,
HM Destroyers DOUGLAS, EGGESFORD, GOATHLAND, WHADDON and HM Sloops
WOODPECKER and WREN as escort during Atlantic passage.
21st Detached
from joint convoy with ships bound for Gibraltar (KMF11) as escort during
passage
to
Gibraltar with same ships.
Deployed in Western Mediterranean for convoy defence and patrol.
(For
details of 1943 Mediterranean operations see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY)
April
22nd Mined at
Bone, Algeria and sustained major structural damage aft.
Starboard engine immobilised and both shafts distorted.
Ship
beached and was later re-floated.
Towed
into harbour by HM Minesweeper
CLACTON.
May Repair
arrange in Malta and towed
there for temporary repair
June On
completion of repair to allow passage towed to UK by tug FRISKY as part of
Convoy
MKS
15.
July Taken in
hand for repair at commercial shipyard in Liverpool.
Paid-off
August Under repair.
to Transfer on loan to Norwegian Navy arranged.
December Paid off from RN service.
1 9 4 4
January Under repair.
to
July
August Under repair.
8th
Transferred on loan to Royal Norwegian Navy.
Renamed KNM Ship ARENDAL
S e r v i c e u n d e r N o r w
e g i a n C o m m a n d
K. N. M. S. A R E N D A L
September Nominated for
duty with 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich.
to
Shipyard work completed
October Carried out
harbour trials
November Carried out
Post refit trials and worked-up for operational service.
December Joined Flotilla
at Harwich for escort and patrol duty in North Sea and Channel.
1 9 4 5
January North Sea
and Channel convoy defence and patrol in continuation.
to (Note :
During this period there was extensive minelaying by enemy E-Boats and by
submarines
February in Thames
Estuary and off East Coast.
"SCHNORKEL"
fitted submarines were attacking coastal shipping.
Escorts and patrols were increased as countermeasures.
See
HOLD THE NARROW SEA by
P Smith.)
March
25th In action
against minelaying E-Boats in Thames Estuary with Polish destroyer ORP
KRAKOWIAK.
April Flotilla
duties in continuation.
to
Continuation of Loan to Norway approved
after VE Day.
May
June Deployed
with Norwegian Navy on loan from RN.
to
August
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
KNMS ARENDAL was purchased by Norway after the end of
hostilities and remained in operational use as an escort destroyer until 1956
when she was classified as a Frigate. The ship was used as a training ship for
Cadets before being renewed from the active list in 1961.
Special Note
Details of escorts of VB series military convoys were
provided by Donald Kindell of Ohio, USA
from an unpublished source. This is gratefully acknowledged. |
