H .  M .  I .  S .   S U T L E J    ( U 9 5 )

 

Modified BITTERN-Class Sloop ordered from Denny of Dumbarton under the 1939 Programme for the Royal Indian Navy on 8th September 1939. The ship was laid down on 4th January 1940 and launched on 1st October that year by Mrs Amery. Build was completed on 23rd April 1941. She was the 3rd RN ship to use the name, introduced in 1869 and previously used for a cruiser broken-up in 1924.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

SICILY 1943 - BURMA 1944

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge : On a Field White,  on a base barry wavy Blue and White,

an Anchor Gold, border gold.

 

D e t a i l s   o f   W a r   S e r v i c e

 

1 9 4 1

 

April                       Contractor's sea trials.

                                Commissioned for service.

                23rd        Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.

 

May                        Passage to Tobermory on completion of trials and storing.

                                Carried out work-up for operational service.

 

June                        Nominated for convoy defence in Irish Sea

                25th        Passage to Scapa Flow to complete work-up with ships of Home Fleet.

 

July                         Under repair of defects discovered during work-up

                                Deployed in Irish Sea for convoy defence.

 

August                  Irish Sea deployment in continuation.

                                Nominated for service in East Indies.

                31st         Joined Convoy WS11 in Clyde as part of escort during passage in NW Approaches.

                                (Note : Escort included HM Battleship REPULSE. HM Destroyers ENCOUNTER, NESTOR

                                (RAN), HM Sloops SENNEN and TOTLAND, HM Armed Merchant Cruiser

                                DERBYSHIRE.)

 

September

                4th          Detached from WSI1 when convoy divided into Fast and Slow sections.

                                Joined escort for Slow section (WSI1 A) with HMS TOTLAND during Atlantic passage to

                                Freetown.

                15th        Arrived at Freetown with WS11A.

                18th        Joined HMS REPULSE, HMS ENCOUNTER, HM Corvette WOODRUFF and HMS

                                DERBYSHIRE as escort for WS11A during passage to Indian Ocean.

                                Diverted during passage for service in Mediterranean and proceeded independently to Suez to

                                join Mediterranean Fleet.

 

November

                4th          Arrived at Suez. for AA defence

 

December

                11th        Transferred to East Indies after Japan entered WW2 and took passage to Colombo.

                23rd        On arrival deployed on escort duty with military convoys to Singapore.

 

1 9 4 2

 

January                  Escorted military Convoys BM10 and BM12 to Singapore with reinforcements.

                                (For details of naval activities in East Indies see OPERATION PACIFIC by E Gray.

                                ENGAGE THE ENEMY M3RE CLOSELY by Corelli Barnett and WAR WITH JAPAN

                                (HMSO).)

 

February

                1st           Joined escort for joint Convoy DM2 and B12 1o Batavia and Singapore in Sunda Strait

                                with HM Australian Sloop YARRA

                                (Note : Convoy was escorted by HM Cruiser DANAE)

                2nd         HM Cruiser EXETER, Netherlands cruiser JAVA, HM Destroyer JUPITER, HM

                                Australian Destroyer VAMPIRE and HM Australian Sloop YARRA joined escort.

                                Returned to Trincomalee when detached.

 

March                    Deployed on convoy escort in Bay of Bengal.

to

April

 

May                        Transferred to west coast of India for coastal convoy defence

 

June                        Coastal convoy deployment in continuation.

to

August

 

September             Deployed at Bombay for escort of convoys to and from Persian Gulf and Aden

to

December

1 9 4 3

 

 

January                  Indian Ocean convoy defence in continuation.

to

March

 

April                       Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean.

 

May                        Passage to join Fleet at Alexandria.

June                        Deployed on defence of convoys in Eastern Mediterranean.

                                Nominated for escort of military convoys during passage to Sicily during planned

                                Allied landings (Operation HUSKY)

                                (For details of HUSKY see Naval Staff History, ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY

                                by C Barnett and for information about all mercantiles and warships taking part

                                BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser)

 

July

                3rd          Part of escort for military convoy MWF36 during passage to landing beach in Sicily.

                10th        Detached from MWF36 on arrival at Beach Head,

 

August                  On release from HUSKY resumed deployment with 1st Escort Group of Levant Command

                                and deployed for escort of convoys in eastern Mediterranean.

 

September             Escorted military convoys supporting defence operations in Aegean Islands.

                                Deployed with HM Australian Minesweeper IPSWICH, French Escorts COMMANDANT

                                DUBOC, COMMANDANT DOMINIQUE and Greek destroyer KONDOURIOTIS.

                12th        Embarked troops for passage to Casteloriso for landings.

                16th        Passage to Casteloriso but operation abandoned.

 

October                  Convoy defence in Aegean area in continuation.

 

November              After military operations in Aegean ceased resumed envoy escort duties in the eastern

                                Mediterranean.

                                (For details of the disastrous naval operations in defence of the Aegean see WAR IN THE

                                AEGEAN by Peter C Smith and Edwin Walker.)

 

December              Transferred to Eastern Fleet and took passage to Bombay.

                                Joined escort for Bombay convoy at Aden.

                27th        On arrival deployed for convoy escort in Arabian Sea based at Bombay

 

1 9 4 4

 

January                  Convoy defence based at Bombay in continuation.

to

February

 

March                    Transferred to Bay of Bengal for convoy defence between Chittagong and Calcutta.

 

April                       Bay of Bengal convoy defence in continuation.

to

May

 

June                        Transferred to anti-submarine patrol in Indian Ocean

 

July                         Transferred to Trincomalee for Indian Ocean service.

                15th        Took part in unsuccessful ant-submarine search with aircraft support for U181

                                See references.

 

August                  Indian Ocean deployment in continuation.

to

September

 

October                  Withdrawn from service for Long Refit at Bombay.

 

November              Under refit and Paid-off

to

December

 

1 9 4 5

 

January                  Under refit

                                Re-commissioned for service

 

February                Carried out post refit trials and work-up for operational service.

 

March

                7th          On completion prepared for support of assault operations in Burma and Malaya.

 

April                       Deployed in Bay of Bengal.

                27th        Escorted assault convoy for landings at Rangoon with HM Indian Sloops CAUVERY,

                                GODAVERI, KISTNA, NARBADA, and HINDUSTAN (Operation DRACULA).

                                (For details see above references.)

 

May                        Support of military operations and convoy defence in continuation.

                16th        Deployed with HM Indian Sloops CAUVERY, GODAVERI, KISTNA, NARBADA and

                                HINDUSTAN, supported initially by HM Cruiser PHOEBE and later by HM Cruiser

                                CEYLON.

                                Carried out patrol between the Mergui Archipelago and Port Blair, Andamans for interception

                                of Japanese craft evacuating Japanese forces from Andamans.

 

June                        Interception patrol duties in continuation.

 

July                         Patrol and support duty in Indian Ocean and Malacca Straits.

 

August                  Withdrawn from operational service because of High incidence of defects

                3rd          Taken in hand for refit in Bombay.

 

P o s t   W a r   N o t e s

 

HMIS SUTLEJ did not re-commission until February 1966, largely due to the disruption in India following the end of WW2.. In 1947, after partition, she was retained in the Indian Navy and reclassified as a Frigate. During 1955 this sloop was converted for use as a Survey Ship and was Paid-off on finally 31st December 1978. Placed on the Disposal List in 1979 she was sold for demolition in India.