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H . M . S. C L E V E L A N D ( L 4 6 )
Type I HUNT Class Escort
Destroyer ordered from Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow as Job No 1835 under the
1939 Programme on 21st March 1939. She was laid down on 7th June 1939 and
launched on 24th April 1940 as the 4th ship to carry this name, introduced in
1651. It had previously been used for the Royal Yacht sold in 1716 and for two
hired vessels during the Napoleonic Wars. Build was completed on 18th September
1940. Later in March 1942 she was adopted by Middlesbrough
in the North Riding of Yorkshire (now in Cleveland) after a successful WARSHIP
WEEK campaign for National Savings.
B a t t
l e H o n o u
rs
BASQUE ROADS 1809 - ATLANTIC 1942 - ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942
- NORTH SEA 1943 - SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943 - SOUTH
FRANCE 1944 - AEGEAN 1944 - ADRIATIC 1944
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a
Field
per fess wavy Red and Blue, upon a White roundel
a huntsman's cap Black in front of a stirrup Red.
D e t a i
l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 4 0
September Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in.23rd Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.
18th Build
completion and commences Acceptance Trials.
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow
October Worked up
for operational service with Home Fleet ships at Scapa Flow.
On
completion deployed in NW Approaches and North Sea for patrol and convoy escort.
20th Rescued
survivors from ss CONAKRIAN torpedoed in air attack off Girdleness.
November Transferred to
1st Destroyer Flotilla and took passage to Portsmouth.
Deployed for defence of coastal convoys in
English Channel.
December Channel convoy
defence and patrol in continuation.
1 9 4 1
January Channel
deployment in continuation.
to
February
March
22nd Escorted
HM Destroyers INTREPID, ICARUS and IMPULSIVE with HM Escort Destroyers
FERNIE and TYNEDALE during minelaying operation between Le Havre and Cherbourg.
(Operation JN).
(For
details of all minelaying activities see Naval Staff History (Mining).
April Channel
deployment in continuation.
May
Transferred to 15th Destroyer Flotilla based at
Plymouth for convoy escort and
patrol
in
South West Approaches and English Channel.
21st Rescued
10 of crew of Armed Yacht VIVA n which had been sunk in an air attack
off
Trevose Head.
June
Deployment in SW Approaches and Channel in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Convoy
defence and patrol In continuation.
February
12th Deployed without success for interception patrol off
Beachy Head during passage of
German battleships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU
through English Channel.
23rd Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyer BROCKLESBY to assist HM Escort Destroyers
ATHERSTONE and TYNEDALE for escort of Light Coastal Forces craft engaged in a
Commando
Raid
aid at St. Nazaire (Operation CHARIOT).
(For
details see THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson).
24th Under air
attack after making contact with returning Motor Launches.
April Channel
deployment with Flotilla in continuation.
May Deployed
with HM Escort Destroyer BROCKLESBY as escort for Convoy PW219.
16th Destroyed
Me109 off Rame Head in defence of convoy.
June Channel
deployment in continuation.
to
August
September
17th In action
against E-Boats whilst escorting Channel convoy off Eddystone Light.
Missed by torpedo but sustained 3 casualties in exchange of gunfire. (See
addenda)
October Channel
convoy defence in continuation.
Nominated for detached service as escort military convoys to Gibraltar prior
to planned allied
landings in North Africa.
(Operation TORCH – For details see Naval Staff History , BRITISH INVASION FLEETS
BY
J de
Winser and RELUCTANT ENEMIES by
W Tute)
November Escorted Convoy
KMS2 to Gibraltar and returned as escort for Convoy MKF1.
December Resumed duties
with Flotilla for coastal convoy escort.
1 9 4 3
January Channel
patrol and escort duties in continuation.
February
10th Damaged
in collision and taken in hand for refit in Dundee commercial shipyard.
March Under refit
April Nominated
for service in Mediterranean.
26th On
completion of shipyard work carried out post refit trials.
May Prepared
for foreign service.
Joined escort for military convoy KMF15/WS30 for passage to Gibraltar.
On arrival took passage to
Algiers to Join 57 Destroyer
Division.
June Deployed
in Western Mediterranean for convoy escort and patrol..
Nominated for duty in Support Force East during allied landings in Sicily.
(Operation HUSKY
– For details see Naval Staff History, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS.
July Joined
Support Force East as part of Escort Group S
5th Deployed
at Algiers for escort of military convoy KMS18
Rescued survivors from British troop transport DEVIS sunk by U593 in position 90
miles
east
of Algiers.
8th Detached
from convoy to refuel and rejoined escort on completion.
10th Present during
landings and provided naval gunfire support.
16th Deployed
in BARK WEST landing area
August Support of
military operations and convoy defence in continuation.
Nominated for escort duties with Carrier Support Force (Task Force 88) during
planned allied
landings at Salerno
(Operation AVALANCHE - For details see above references).
September Joined Task
Force 88.
12th Part of
destroyer screen of for ships of TF 88 during
Salerno landings.
Deployed for escort and support duties after assault phase.
16th Part of
escort for HM Battleship WARSPITE during bombardment.
Transferred to 48th Escort Group.
October Joined
Mediterranean HUNT Flotilla based- in Malta.
to
Deployed for convoy escort and patrol in central Mediterranean.
December
1 9 4 4
January Deployment
with HUNT Flotilla in continuation.
to
February
March Transferred
to 18th Destroyer Flotilla based in Malta in continuation.
to
Nominated for escort duty during allied landings in South of France under US
Navy overall
July command
(Operation DRAGOON).
August Prepared for
support and escort during landings.
9th Joined
HM Escort Destroyers CATTERICK, CALPE, US Minesweepers USS STAFF,
USS
SWIFT and USS THREAT for escort of Convoy AM1 from Oran.
10th Sailed from Oran.
15th Detached
on arrival of convoy at Lowering Position.
18th After
release from DRAGOON returned to CinC Mediterranean administration and
deployed for defence
of convoys.
Transferred to 5th Destroyer Flotilla for service with British Aegean Force.
Took
passage to Alexandria for support of re-occupation of
Aegean Islands.
September Deployed as
part of escort for aircraft carriers deployed for Aegean operations
October Support of
allied Aegean operations in continuation.
Provided gunfire support and searched for evacuating craft.
3rd In
action with HMS CALPE against assault craft off Piscopi, North of
Rhodes.
Six
enemy craft sunk.
17th Landed
party at Scarpanto.
November Deployed for
support of allied operations in Greece (Operation MANNA)
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Eastern
Mediterranean support and convoy escort in continuation with Flotilla
to
March
April
Transferred with Flotilla for support of military operation off west coast of
Italy.
May
1st
Bombarded shore installations at Genoa with HM Escort Destroyer CHIDDINGFOLD.
8th Retained
in Mediterranean after VE Day.
June Support,
Escort and patrol duties in continuation
to
August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS CLEVELAND was nominated
for reduction to Reserve after VJ Day and sailed from Gibraltar to Portsmouth on 25th September.
After arrival ship Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status. Initially Laid-up in the Reserve Fleet at
Portsmouth she later transferred to Cardiff and was placed on the Disposal List
in 1956. The ship was sold to
BISCO for demolition by E Rees at Llanelli but whilst on passage under tow she went ashore at Rhossilli Sands on the Gower Peninsula and was wrecked. As
a result she had to broken up in situ. Her
Demolition was not completed until December 1959 and the nett
sum recovered from the insurers was
£11,900.
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS CLEVELAND
by Don Kindell
(These convoys have not
been cross-checked with the above text)
Date convoy
Joined convoy
Convoy
No. Left convoy Date convoy
sailed as escort arrived
27/03/42 27/03/42 PW 132
29/03/42 29/03/42
01/04/42 01/04/42 WP 135
03/04/42 03/04/42
08/04/42 08/04/42 PW 137
09/04/42 09/04/42
10/04/42 10/04/42 WP 139
12/04/42 12/04/42
13/04/42 13/04/42 PW 140
14/04/42 15/04/42
17/04/42 18/04/42 PW 142
19/04/42 19/04/42
20/04/42 20/04/42 WP 144
22/04/42 22/04/42
23/04/42 23/04/42 PW 145
25/04/42 25/04/42
27/04/42 27/04/42 PW 147
29/04/42 29/04/42
30/04/42 30/04/42 WP 149
02/05/42 02/05/42
02/07/42 03/07/42 PW 180
04/07/42 04/07/42
05/07/42 05/07/42 WP 182
07/07/42 07/07/42
08/07/42 08/07/42 PW 183
09/07/42 10/07/42
12/07/42 12/07/42 PW 185
14/07/42 14/07/42
15/07/42 15/07/42 WP 187
17/07/42 17/07/42
18/07/42 18/07/42 PW 188
20/07/42 20/07/42
21/07/42 21/07/42 WP 190
23/07/42 23/07/42
26/07/42 26/07/42 PW 192
28/07/42 28/07/42
29/07/42 29/07/42 WP 194
31/07/42 31/07/42
02/10/42 02/10/42 WP 227
06/10/42 06/10/42
03/10/42 04/10/42 PW 227
05/10/42 07/10/42
24/10/42 24/10/42 WP 238
27/10/42 27/10/42
12/11/42 12/11/42 MKF 001X
16/11/42 19/11/42
21/11/42 21/11/42 WP 252
22/11/42 23/11/42
25/11/42 25/11/42 WP 254
27/11/42 27/11/42
28/11/42 28/11/42 PW 255
30/11/42 30/11/42
01/12/42 01/12/42 WP 257
03/12/42 03/12/42
22/12/42 23/12/42 PW 267
24/12/42 24/12/42
25/12/42 25/12/42 WP 269
27/12/42 27/12/42
31/12/42 01/01/43 WP 272
02/01/43 02/01/43
03/01/43 03/01/43 PW 273
05/01/43 05/01/43
07/01/43 07/01/43 PW 275
09/01/43 09/01/43
10/01/43 10/01/43 WP 277
11/01/43 12/01/43
14/01/43 14/01/43 PW 278
16/01/43 16/01/43
16/01/43 16/01/43 WP 280
17/01/43 18/01/43
18/01/43 19/01/43 WP 281
20/01/43 20/01/43
19/05/43 25/05/43 KMF 015
28/05/43 27/05/43
08/06/43 08/06/43 GTX 002
14/06/43 19/06/43
30/06/43 30/06/43 KMS 017
02/07/43 06/07/43
24/06/43 09/07/43 KMS 018B
10/07/43 10/07/43
10/07/43 10/07/43 MKF 018
17/07/43 23/07/43
14/07/43 14/07/43 KMF 019Y
unknown unknown
20/07/43 20/07/43 MKF 019Y
23/07/43 23/07/43
14/07/43 21/07/43 MKF 019
23/07/43 30/07/43
12/07/43 07/08/43 UGS 012
09/08/43 10/08/43
29/07/43 07/08/43 KMS 021
09/08/43 10/08/43
15/08/43 16/08/43 MKS 022
25/08/43 25/08/43
07/10/43 07/10/43 NSF 005
10/10/43 10/10/43
16/10/43 25/10/43 KMF 025
29/10/43 30/10/43
02/11/43 03/11/43 XIF
003 06/11/43 06/11/43
31/10/43 12/11/43 MKF 025A
14/11/43 24/11/43
15/11/43 25/11/43 KMF 026
30/11/43 30/11/43
16/12/43 18/12/43 MKF 027
20/12/43 04/01/44
23/03/44 23/03/44 NSF 018
27/03/44 27/03/44
28/03/44 28/03/44 SNF 018
31/03/44 31/03/44
29/03/44 05/04/44 KMF 030
12/04/44 12/04/44
15/04/44 15/04/44 XIF
013 unknown 20/04/44
21/04/44 unknown IXF 013
unknown 25/04/44
29/04/44 29/04/44 XIF
014 04/05/44 04/05/44
05/05/44 unknown IXF 014
unknown 09/05/44
15/05/44 15/05/44 MKF 031
22/05/44 29/05/44
24/05/44 24/05/44 NSF 023
27/05/44 27/05/44
28/05/44 28/05/44 SNF 023
31/05/44 31/05/44
11/06/44 21/06/44 KMF 032
24/06/44 24/06/44
04/07/44 unknown IXF 017
unknown 08/07/44
12/07/44 13/07/44 XIF
018 18/07/44 18/07/44
18/07/44 18/07/44 IXF
018 22/07/44 22/07/44
28/07/44 28/07/44 MKF 033
04/08/44 11/08/44
18/07/44 30/07/44 KMF 033
31/07/44 31/07/44
10/08/44 10/08/44 AM 001
15/08/44 15/08/44
24/08/44 01/09/44 KMF 034
07/09/44 07/09/44
10/09/44 11/09/44 XIF
021 15/09/44 15/09/44
16/09/44 16/09/44 IXF
021 20/09/44 20/09/44
(Note on Convoys)
SERVICE ON HMS
CLEVELAND, 1942-43
by Ronald Davies
(rdavies@zid.com)
Ron served on HMS CLEVELAND 1942-1943, and would like to know if there
are any other men still living that served on her at that time. "I left her
in April 1943 (after we escorted the DASHER and BITER from the Mediterranean -
Note: believed in November 1942). I
was a signalman and was one of the three men that was wounded on the night of
the 17/18 September 1942. Hope to hear from you." (February 2008)
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