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H . M S
. F E R N I E ( L 1 1 )
Type I HUNT Class Escort Destroyer ordered from John
Brown, Clydebank on 21ST March 1939 under 1939 Programme and laid down on
8thJune 1939. She was launched on 9th January 1940 as the first RN ship to
carry the name, that of a fox-hunt in Leicestershire. Build was completed on 29
May 1940. In February 1942 she was
'adopted' very appropriately by Market Harborough, Leicestershire after
a successful National Savings WARSHIP WEEK Campaign.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ENGLISH
CHANNEL 1940-44 - NORTH SEA
1941-45 - DIEPPE
1942 - NORMANDY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge : On a Field White upon a saltire
couped Red,
two foxes brushes in saltire Gold.
D e t a i l s o f
W a r S e r v i c e
1 9 4 0
May
Contractors trials and commissioned for service
29th Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
June Took passage to
work-up after completion of trials and storing.
Diverted for
service in English Channel.
9th Deployed for support of evacuation of troops and
personnel from French Channel ports
(Operation CYCLE – For details see BEF SHIPS by
J de Winser.)
(Note
: This operation included St Malo, Brest, St. Nazaire and La Pallice.
On
completion resumed work-up at
Scapa Flow
July
10th Escorted ships of
Minelaying Squadron during lay of first section of Northern Mine Barrage
north of North
Rona with HM Cruiser COVENTRY, HM Destroyers INGLEFIELD, IMOGEN,
HM Escort
Destroyers HAMBLEDON and ATHERSTONE (Operation SN1).
(For details of
all Minelaying operations see Naval Staff History (Mining)).
On
completion of work-up took passage to join 1st Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth
for coastal
August Deployed for
convoy defence with Flotilla.
7th In
action against E-Boats attacking convoy CW9 (Southend to
Solent).
22nd Laid smoke
screen to protect convoy against shore battery fire in the
Straits of Dover.
September
11th Under
heavy air attack against convoy CW11 in Channel.
(Note
: Sister destroyer HMS ATHERSTONE, part of escort was damaged.)
October
Coastal convoy escort in North Sea and English Channel in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 1
January Channel and
North Sea duties in continuation.
to
February
March
22nd
Detached to escort HM Minelaying Destroyers INTREPID,
ICARUS and IMPULSIVE with HM
Escort Destroyers TYNEDALE and CLEVELAND during minelaying between Le Havre and
Cherbourg (Operation JN)
April Channel
and North Sea escort and patrol duty ion continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 2
January Flotilla
duties in Channel and North Sea for patrol and escort in continuation.
February
15th Carried out unsuccessful search for German warships
SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU which
were making eastward passage through the English
Channel. to Wilhelmshaven from Brest.
(For
details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff History.)
March
13th Detached
for interception of German raider MICHEL and E-Boat escort known on passage in
westward in English Channel to Atlantic for attacks on shipping..
(For details see
HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith, THE BATTLE OF THE
NARROW
SEAS by P Scott
and Naval Staff History.)
April Channel
and North Sea patrol and escort duty in continuation.
to
May
June Nominated
for support of planned Commando attack on Dieppe (Operation JUBILEE)
Modified for use as Reserve HQ ship for Dieppe raid.
July Took
part in preparatory exercises for JUBILEE
August
19th Part of
escort for landing craft engaged in Dieppe landings.
Subjected to
heavy and sustained air attack off beaches with HM Escort Destroyers
ALBRIGHTON, BERKELEY, BLEASDALE and CALPE.
20th Escorted
returning remnants after failure of Operation JUBILEE.
(For
details see THE WATERY MAZE by B Fergusson, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett and Naval Staff History).
Resumed Flotilla escort duties on release from JUBILEE
September Flotilla convoy
defence duties in continuation.
October Detached for
special operation with Coastal Forces units
13th Deployed
as part of Force "B" formed to intercept convoy which included a German raider
(KOMET), during westward passage to the
Atlantic.
Joined in attack on convoy escorts after raider had been sunk.
(See
BATTLE OF THE NARROW SEAS by Peter Scott for full details.)
Resumed Flotilla duties on release.
November Deployed at
Portsmouth with Flotilla for convoy defence and patrol.
to December
1 9 4 3
January Transferred
to 21st Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness
Passage to Sheerness.
February Deployed for
convoy defence in North Sea.
to
December
1 9 4 4
January Coastal
convoy escort and interception duties with 21st Flotilla in continuation.
to
March
April Flotilla
duties at Sheerness in continuation.
Nominated for escort duty in Escort Group 131 during assault phase of planned
allied
landings in Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).
May Took part
in preparatory exercises
Joined Group with HM Corvette KINGCUP and two Motor Launches.
June Passage
to Milford Haven with Group.
3rd Escorted
Convoy ETC1 from Bristol Channel to Isle of Wight with HM Corvettes
KINGCUP,
WALLFLOWER, PRIMROSE and HM Trawler
BERN.
4th
Operation delayed by 24 hours and passage reversed temporarily
5th Arrived
in Solent and detached from ETC1.
Joined Convoy EWC1B.
6th Escorted
Convoy EWC1B from Solent to beachhead with same ships.
Returned to Solent
8th Escorted
Convoy ETC3 from Solent with HMS KINGCUP and Escort Group 133
(Note
: Others ships in EG131 comprised HM
Destroyer WALPOLE HM Corvette ORCHIS
and
two Motor Launches).
9th Passage
to Nore for escort of Build-up Phase convoys.
(For
details of naval activities prior to and during NEPTUNE see Operation NEPTUNE by
K
Edwards, LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO) and for record o ships involved
see D DAY SHIPS
by J de Winser.)
July On
release from NEPTUNE resumed Flotilla duties at Sheerness..
August Escort and
patrol duty in North Sea and Channel in continuation.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January
19th Took part
in rescue of crew of ss SAMVERN mined off Dutch coast.
(Note
: Extensive minelaying and attacks by submarines, submersibles and E-Boats were
taking
place
in southern North Sea and extra escorts were deployed in area to protect
shipping
to
Belgian and Dutch ports. See HOLD THE NARROW SEA, ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE
CLOSELY and SEA AND STRIKE by W Hackmann.
Atlantic convoys to east coast ports had also been re-routed through Channel
since the
air
threat from French bases had been removed by allied advance.)
February Coastal
convoy escort and interception patrol in continuation.
to
April
May Deployed
in Nore Command for support of military re-occupation and general duties.
to
Designated for future duty as an Aircraft Target Ship with reduced complement.
July
August Disarmed and
converted for future deployment.
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS
FERNIE was used as an Air Target Ship until 1947 when Paid-off and reduced to
Reserve status. The ship was
laid-up at Harwich but in 1953 moved to Barrow in when the Harwich Division
closed.. Placed on the Disposal List in 1955 she was sold to BISCO the next
year for demolition by Smith and Houston at Port Glasgow on the Clyde. The ship
arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard on 7th November 1956. |
