H .
M . S . B E V E R L E
Y ( H 6 4 )
Ex USS BRANCH (Type A - BELMONT
Class) built by Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship was laid down on 25th October 1918 and launched on 19th April 1919.
Commissioned
on 3rd April 1920 for service in US Navy she was
held in Reserve in 1939. The ship transferred to the RN under the Lend Lease
Agreement on 8th October 1940 and commissioned at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Like other Ex US Navy
destroyers that were transferred in 1940, her name was common to a town in Massachusetts, USA and in Yorkshire. It had not previously been
used for an RN ship. After a WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in February
1942 this destroyer was adopted by the civil community of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1940-43 -
MALTA CONVOYS
1941 - ARCTIC
1942
H e r a
l d i c D a t a
Badge :
On a Field White, a beaver proper charged on the body with
a
hurt, thereon a mullet White
D e t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 0
October
8th Transferred to RN at
Halifax and commissioned as HMS BEVERLEY.
Took passage from
Halifax to Devonport with call at St Johns, Newfoundland.
25th Taken in hand for
refit and modifications by HM Dockyard, Devonport to suit RN service
as an escort
after arrival. :
November
19th On completion of post
refit trials deployed for: local convoy defence in
English Channel
December. Convoy defence in
continuation.
Transferred to
6th Escort Group
1 9 4 1
January Deployed for Local
Escort of convoys in NW Approaches.
to
February
March Under refit in Tyneside
shipyard.
to (Note : Machinery
defects had been experienced during Atlantic service.)
April
May
31st On completion of
post refit trials resumed Atlantic convoy defence duties.
June Deployed for convoy
defence based in Iceland.
July Transferred for
escort of convoys between UK and Gibraltar.
Escorted 9th
Motor Launch Flotilla for passage to Gibraltar.
Returned as part
of escort for routine mercantile convoy from Gibraltar to UK.
August Under refit at Belfast.
Radar Type 286 was fitted.
(Note : For
details of use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA by D Howse. )
September On completion resumed
convoy defence duties with 8th Escort Group.
Based in
Londonderry and part of escort for UK - West Africa convoy.
October
2nd Joined military
convoy WS12 in NW Approaches to supplement Local Escort.
3rd Detached from W312
and returned to Clyde.
November Deployed as part of escort
for Convoy HX160 with ships of Group.
December
6th Joined Military
convoy WS14 in Clyde for Local Escort in NW Approaches with HM
Destroyers
CROOME, LANCASTER, NEWARK, SHERWOOD, WESTCOTT,
WITHERINGTON,
FOXHOUND, GURKHA, NESTOR and HM Anti-aircraft
Ship ULSTER
QUEEN.
12th Detached from WS14
with HM Destroyers CROOME, LANCASTER, NEWARK,
SHERWOOD,
WESTCOTT, WITHERINGTON and HMS ULSTER QUEEN
1 9 4 2
January Transferred to 1st
British Escort Group in continuation of Atlantic duties.
February Deployed for Atlantic
convoy defence with Group.,
March
23rd Joined military
convoy WS14 in Clyde for Local Escort in NW Approaches with HM
Destroyers
BADSWORTH, KEPPEL. LEAMINGTON and VOLUNTEER.
25th Sustained damage in
collision with HM Destroyer NEWPORT.
27th Detached with
above destroyers except HMS NEWPORT and returned to Clyde.
April Nominated for
detached service with Home Fleet for Russian convoy defence.
12th Deployed with HM
Destroyers AMAZON, BEAGLE AND BULLDOG, HM Corvettes
CAMPANULA, OXLIP,
SAXIFRAGE and SNOWFLAKE as Ocean Escort for Russian
Convoy PQ14
during passage from Iceland to Murmansk.
(Note :Cruiser
Cover was provided by HM Cruiser NORFOLK.
For details of
all Russian Convoy operations including names of escorts see CONVOYS
TO RUSSIA by RA
Ruegg, ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman ,CONVOY !
by P Kemp and THE
RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield.).
An attempt was
made by German destroyers HERMANN SCHOEMANN, Z24 and Z26 to carry
out
attacks on this convoy but this was frustrated by weather.
19th Detached from PQ14 on
arrival in Russian waters.
28th Joined return Convoy
OP11 with HMS FORESTER, FORESIGHT and same ships as PQ14 on
departure from
Murmansk.
29th Under threat of
submarine attacks.
30th HM Cruiser EDINBURGH
joined convoy after embarking gold bullion at
Murmansk.
Under attacks by
U88 and U 456.
HMS EDINBURGH hit
by torpedo from U456 and sustained serious damage.
with HMS BULLDOG,
HMS BEAGLE and BEVERLEY
May
1st Under air attack
and later attacks by German destroyer HERMANN SCHOEMANN, Z24 and
Z25 sent to
attack HMS EDINBURGH
Carried out
determined defence against German ships with HMS EDINBURGH and destroyers
of Close Escort.
Sustained
splinter damage.
(Note : HMS
EDINBURGH sustained further significant damage from return fire from enemy
destroyers.
The successful
repulsion of six attacks on the disabled cruiser reflect great credit on the
commanding
officer Commander M Richmond.)
HMS EDINBURGH
detached and took passage to Murmansk with HMS FORESTER and
HMS FORESIGHT.
2nd HMS EDINBURGH
subjected to further attacks by the German destroyers and had to
be abandoned
after being hit by torpedo from Z25and sunk on 2nd May.
See ARCTIC
CONVOYS for details.)
3rd Detached with HMS
AMAZON and HMS BEVERLEY and took passage to Iceland to land
injured
Passage to Clyde
for repair and refit.
June Under repair at
Belfast.
to (Note : Radar Type
271 was fitted for surface warning in place of Type 286.
July See above reference
for limitations of Type 286.
HEDGEHOG
Anti-submarine mortar was also fitted and Bridge structure was
replaced.
For details of
weapons used in Atlantic convoy defence see SEEK AND STRIKE by
W Hackmann.)
Nominated for
transfer to 4th Escort Group on completion.
August Joined 4th Escort Group
after completing post refit trials
. 29th Deployed as Local
Escort for military convoy WS22 during passage from Clyde in NW
Approaches with
HM Destroyers BICESTER, BULLDOG, KEPPEL, ZETLAND,
CHESTERFIELD and
Polish ORP BLYSKAWICA.
September
2nd Detached from WS22
with HMS CHESTERFIELD and returned to Clyde.
Escorted HM
Battleship RAMILLIES during part of return passage to UK for repair
after service in
Indian Ocean.
October Deployed with Group for
Atlantic convoy defence.
November Part of escort for Convoy
ONS140 with ships of GROUP
See ALLIED CONVOY
SYSTEM IN WW2 by A Hague for dates.
December Atlantic convoy defence in
continuation.
1 9 4 3
January Atlantic convoy defence
with Group in continuation.
February Part of escort for Convoy
SC118 with HM Destroyers VIMY and VANESSA.
4th Took part in attacks
on U187 with HMS VIMY after its wireless transmissions had
been intercepted.
(Note : Submarine
was sunk by depth charges after a surface engagement
See U-BOATS
DESTROYED by P Kemp.
Sustained minor
damage after collision with mercantile ADAMAS.
March Part of escort for
Convoy ONS169 with Group.
7th Convoy under threat
of attack from RAUBGRAF U-Boat Group which failed to find
this convoy.
See HITLER’S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.
16th Transferred with
escort to Convoy HX229 which had been attacked by the RAUBGRAF
Group on 11th and
was under threat from STURMER and DRANGER U-Boat Groups.
Under night
attack by STURMER, DRANGER and RAUBGRAF Groups.
(Note : Other
escorts were HM Destroyer VOLUNTEER and HM Corvette PENNYWORT.
Attacks on this
convoy, SC118, HX228 and SC122 were very costly.
For details of
their significance see above reference, WAR AT SEA by W Roskill,
THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by Donald Macintyre.)
April Deployed with 6th
Escort Group and part of escort for Convoy ONS176.
9th During passage
involved in collision with ss CAIRNAVALONA.
(Note : Other
ships of Group included H M Destroyers HIGHLANDER, VIMY and five
corvettes.
11th Hit by torpedo from
U188 during night attack on ON176 in position 52.28N 40.32W and sank
very quickly.
Only four of the ships’ complement of 152
survived.
Addendum
1942 WARSHIP WEEK ADOPTION
by Andrew Grant
HMS BEVERLEY was officially adopted by the town of Beverley in Yorkshire, and
provided the ship with many comforts. However, BEVERLEY was ‘awarded’ to
Merthyr Tydfil after £57,000 was raised during Warship Week. Beverley
continued to support the ship until she was sunk, and a few years ago the town
installed a memorial to the ship’s company.
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