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H .
M . S . B U R N H A
M ( H 8 2 )
Ex USS AULICK
(Type A - BELMONT Class) built by Bethlehem Steel,
Quincy. The
ship was laid down on 3rd February 1918 and launched on 11th April 1919- Commissioned on 23rd July 1919 for US naval service she was held
in Reserve in 1939. The ship transferred to the RN under the UK/US Lend Lease
Agreement on 26th November 1940 and commissioned as HMS BURNHAM
on 8th October 1940 at Halifax in Canada. This name was common to a town
in Maine, USA and one in Somerset. It had previously been used
for WW1 minesweeper which was renamed BLACKBURN in 1918. After a successful "WARSHIP WEEK"
National Savings campaign in March 1942 she was ‘adopted’ by the civil
community of Burnham on Sea, Somerset.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1941-43
H e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge : On a Field per fess wavy Blue and White in base a bar
wavy also blue.
Three torches Gold enflamed proper charged 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 Commissioned as HMS
RICHMOND at Halifax.
16th Took passage for
Plymouth via Newfoundland.
On arrival taken
in hand for modifications to suit RN use as a convoy escort.
November Passage to Scapa Flow
12th Began work-up with
ships of Home Fleet
Escorted HM
Aircraft Carrier FORMIDABLE from Belfast to Clyde.
December Joined escort of Convoy
SL76 from Freetown and sustained
structural weather
17th Taken in hand for
repair at Belfast.
1 9 4 1
January Under repair
30th On completion of post
repair trials took passage to join 12th Escort Group
February Joined HM Destroyers
BURWELL and SHERWOOD for Atlantic convoy defence.
March Atlantic convoy defence
in continuation with Group.
3rd Damaged in collision
with HM Destroyer MALCOLM.
5th Under repair at
Liverpool.
April Under repair.
Nominated for
service with Group in the Royal Canadian Navy Newfoundland Escort
Force.
27th On completion of post
refit trials took passage to join Group in Iceland.
May Deployed with Group
for Atlantic convoy defence based in Iceland.
Transferred with
Group to St Johns, Newfoundland.
June Western Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation
to
July
August Part of escort for
Atlantic Convoy HX143.
September Sustained damage in
collision with HM Destroyer CHESTERFIELD (sister ship).
Taken in hand for
repair at Boston, Mass.
(Note : 12th
Escort Group re-designated as 119th Escort Group, RCN.)
October Under repair.
23rd On completion took
passage to rejoin re-designated Group at St Johns.
November Deployed for western
Atlantic convoy defence with Group.
Part of escort
for Convoy SC53.
December Part of escort for Convoys
SC59 and CNS50
1 9 4 2
January Western Atlantic convoy
defence based at St Johns in continuation.
to
February
March Under refit at
Charlestown, SC.
April On completion of post
refit trials detached for convoy defence based at Bermuda.
May Rejoined Group at St
Johns.
June Western Atlantic
convoy defence in continuation.
July Part of escort for
Convoy ON113 with ships of 2nd Canadian-Escort Group.
(Note : For
details of dates see ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM IN WW2 by A Hague.)
August Part of escort for Convoy
SC97 with ships of Group.
September Part of escort for Convoy
ON129 with ships og Group.
October Nominated for return to
UK for refit.
Passage to UK.
November Under refit at Thames
commercial shipyard.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January On completion of post
refit trials worked-up for operational service.
Took passage to
St Johns to join 3rd Canadian Escort Group.
February Rejoined Group and
deployed for western Atlantic convoy defence.
Part of escort of
Convoys HX221 and ONS163 with Group.
March Atlantic deployment with
Group in continuation.
April Part of escort for
Convoy ON160 with Group.
May Part of escort for
Convoy HX238 with Group.
June Western Atlantic
convoy escort duty in continuation.
to
August
September Part of escort for Convoy
HX255 with Group.
October Nominated for return to
UK.
Withdrawn from
operational service on arrival in Western Approaches Command.
Deployment as an
Air Target Vessel approved after conversion
November Taken in hand for
conversion..
to (Note : Ship was
disarmed and modified for new role.)
December
1 9 4 4
January Under conversion.
to
February
March Deployed at station in
Irish Sea as Air Target Ship for training of aircrew.
to
October
November Withdrawn from service and
to be reduced to Reserve status at Milford Haven.
December Paid off and de-stored.
1 9 4 5
January Laid up in Reserve at
Milford Haven.
to
August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS BURNHAM was placed on the Disposal List in March 1947 and
sold to BISCO for demolition by R S Hayes at Pembroke Dock The ship arrived there in tow at the
breaker’s yard on 2nd December 1948. |
