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H .
M . S . G E O R G E T O
W N ( I 4 0 )
Ex USS MADDOX (Type C -
ANNAPOLIS Class) built by Bethlehem Steel Fore River. The ship was launched on 27th October 1918 and completed on 10th March 1919. She was transferred to the RN
under the US/UK Lend Lease Agreement on 23rd September
1940.
On commissioning she was named HMS MADDOX as the names to be used by this Class
of destroyers had not been announced.. The ship was later renamed HMS
GEORGETOWN which is a name cannon to a town in USA and the capital of the then
British Guiana. In March 1942 following a
successful "WARSHIP WEEK" National Savings campaign in May 1942 this
ship was 'adopted' by the
civil community of Battle, East Sussex.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1940-43
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge On a Field White, a cross couped
red enfiled in chief by a mural
crown gold 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
September Pre-acceptance trials.
10th Ex USN destroyers to
given names of towns common to UK and USA.
(Note : There
were a few exceptions as in this case.)
23rd Commissioned for RN
service as HMS MADDOX at Halifax.
(Note: Only names
of first eight ships had been formally announced)
Prepared for
passage to UK.
29th Sailed to
Newfoundland.
October
1st On arrival at St
John's damaged in collision with HM Destroyer HAMILTON.
(Note : HMS
HAMILTON was another Ex US Navy destroyer being transferred).
Returned to
Halifax for repair.
4th Names of second
batch of ships announced and ship became HMS GEORGETOWN.
On completion of
repair took passage to Plymouth.
November Atlantic Passage with call
at St Johns Newfoundland.
13th Arrived at Devonport.
Taken in hand by
HM Dockyard Devonport for limited refit
(Note : This did
not include all requirements for RN service.
Nominated for
service with 4th Escort Group.
Took passage to
Scapa Flow to work-up for convoy defence duties.
17th Completed work-up and
took passage to join Group at Greenock.
20th Deployed with Group
for convoy escort in NW Approaches.
1 9 4 1
January Atlantic convoy defence
in continuation.
February
26th Damaged in collision
but remained in service.
March Convoy defence duties
with Group in continuation
to
May
June Taken in hand for
repair in Tyne shipyard.
July Repair work
transferred to Clyde shipyard.
Nominated for
service with 3rd Escort Group on completion.
20th Deployed with Group
in NW Approaches.
August Convoy defence in
continuation.
15th Deployed with HM
Destroyers ANTELOPE, CASTLETON, CHARLESTOWN, DOUGLAS,
INTREPID,
LEAMINGTON and SALADIN as escort for military convoy WS8C from Scapa
Flow during
passage to Clyde after cancellation of planned operation to occupy Azores.
17th Detached from WS8C on
arrival in Clyde and resumed duties with Group.
September Part of escort for Convoy
SC44 with ships of Group.
Part of escort
for Convoy SC48 with ships of Group.
For details of
dates see ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM IN WW2 by A Hague.
Transferred to
27th Escort Group.
November Under refit in Clyde
shipyard to complete modification required to suit RN service.
(Note : Stage 2
alterations included fitting of surface warning radar Type 271 and an Anti-
Submarine Mortar
(HEDGEHOG).
See RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse and SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann for
details of these
outfits).
December Under refit for Stage 2
Modifications.
13th Completion delayed by
fire in boiler room.
1 9 4 2
January Under repair and
modification.
to
March
April On completion of post
refit trials resumed convoy defence duties.
5th Deployed with HM
Destroyers BADSWORTH, LANCASTER, LAUDERDALE and ST MARY'S
as escort for
military convoy WS18 during passage from Clyde in NW Approaches.
20th Detached from WS18
with ships of Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
May Deployed with HM
Destroyers ECHO, INTREPID, sister HMS SALISBURY, US Destroyers
LANG and STERRETT
as screen for HM Battlecruiser RENOWN and US Aircraft Carrier USS
WASP during
passage to Gibraltar (Operation BOWERY).
8th Part of screen for
HM Aircraft Carrier EAGLE, HM Cruiser CHARYBDIS, HMS RENOWN and
USS WASP with
same destroyers from Home Fleet and supplemented by destroyers from Force H
for aircraft
delivery to Malta.
(Note: Force H
destroyers were HMS VIDETTE, HMS PARTRIDGE, HMS ITHURIEL, HMS
WISHART, HMS
WESTCOTT, HMS WRESTLER and HMS ANTELOPE of 13th
Destroyer
Flotilla (Operation BOWERY).).
10th Passage to Scapa Flow as escort for HMS RENOWN and USS
WASP with the same RN and US
Navy destroyers.
Taken in hand for
further repair in Clyde shipyard.
June On completion of
repair joined Clyde Escort Force.
21st Joined HM Destroyers
SALISBURY, BOADICEA, RIPLEY, ST ALBANS, VIDETTE,
WOLVERINE and
VANSITTART as Local Escort for military convoy WS20 during passage
from Clyde in N W
Approaches.
24th Detached from WS20
with Local Escort and returned to Clyde.
July Clyde Escort Force
deployment in continuation.
17th Deployed with HM
Destroyer BUXTON as Local Escort for military convoy WS21P during
passage from
Clyde in NW Approaches.
(Note : HM
Cruiser ORION, HM Destroyer NEPAL and Dutch destroyer TJERK HIDDES were
Ocean Escort for
Atlantic passage from Clyde.)
22nd Detached from WS21P
with HMS BUXTON and returned to Clyde.
August Deployed with Clyde
Escort Force including detached service for escort of ships of 1st Minelaying
to Squadron during
final stages of Northern Barrage minelay
October Nominated for loan
service with Royal Canadian Navy in Western Local Escort Force at St Johns.
November Passage to Newfoundland and
joined Western Local Escort Force.
December Deployed with sister ship
HMS LINCOLN in support of escort for Convoy HX218.
(For details of
weapons and tactics used in anti-submarine warfare see THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC by D
Macintyre and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO).).
1 9 4 3
January Deployed in support of
passage of Convoy HX222 for initial phase of passage to UK with HM
Destroyer
ROXBOROUGH, another Ex US Navy destroyer.
15th Encountered very
heavy weather during which HMS ROXBOROUGH sustained major damage
to bridge
structure and was totally disabled.
Unable to stand
by stricken ship due to fuel shortage.
February Western Local Escort
Force service in continuation.
March Taken in hand for refit
at Charleston, South Carolina.
April Under refit.
May Resumed convoy defence
duty at St Johns.
June Convoy defence duty
in continuation.
to Future deployment
under consideration.
October
November Passage to UK for reduction
to Reserve status.
Called at Azores
to refuel.
December Paid off and reduced to
Reserve at Hartlepool.
1 9 4 4
January Laid up at Hartlepool.
to Selected for
transfer to USSR
May
June Prepared for service
and refitted at Middle Docks, Tyneside.
July Refit work completed
and Soviet Navy personnel joined ship.
Renamed ZHOSTKI
August Took passage to Murmansk
to join Northern Fleet.
(Note : Ship
joined Russian Convoy JW59 with other ships being transferred on loan.)
P o s t R N S e r v i c e
HMS GEORGETOWN served
in the Russian Northern Fleet as ZHOSTKI until August 1952 when she was towed
to Rosyth. This ship reverted to her previous identity on 9th September 1952
.Immediately placed on the Disposal List she was sold to BISCO for demolition
by T W Ward for demolition at Inverkeithing, near Rosyth and arrived in tow at
the shipbreaker’s yard on 16th September 1952.
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