HMS Monkshood, British corvette, WW2 (2024)

FLOWER-Class corvette ordered from Fleming and Ferguson at Paisley on 28th. August 1940. She was laid down on 1st October 1940 and was launched on 17th April 1941 as the first RN warship to bear this name. Build was completed on 29th September 1941. The ship was adopted by the civil community of Alcester, Warwickshire after a successful WARSHIP WEEK National Savings Campaign in March 1942. (Note: The design of this ship incorporated some of the modifications introduced as a result of war experience had revealed some of the shortcomings of the Whaler type structure.)

B a t t l e H o n o u r

ATLANTIC1940-44 - BISCAY 1943

H e r a l d i c D a t a

In common with many other warships commissioned for service

during WW2 and which carried a name not previously borne by

a warship no formal approval was given by the Admiralty for use

of a Ships Badge. Many ships did however use an informal Badge.

S u m m a r y o f W a r S e r v i c e

(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search

1 9 4 1

September Contractors Trials and commissioning for service in Western Approaches

Command for Atlantic convoy defence.

29th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.

October On completion of trials and storing took passage to Tobermory for work-up

prior to joining 8th Escort Group.

Worked-up for operational service at Tobermory

(Note: This ship may have been amongst the first escorts to carry out her

work-up for operational service at this newly opened base.)

Passage to Liverpool to join Group.

S p e c i a l N o t e

Datesof joining escort of outbound convoys and arrival of inbound convoys escorted by the Escort Group to

which this ship belonged are shown. Dates of detaching are not shown. The ship may not have been with the

Group on every occasion, if under refit, maintenance or repair. With one exception, as recorded, no ships

escorted by the two Groups were sunk or damaged.

November Deployed at Liverpool pending return of ships of Group from escort of outward

Convoy ON30 to the Dispersal Point in NW Approaches.

16th Deployed with Group for escort of outward Convoy ON37 of 43 ships.

Detached from ON37 with Group and returned to Liverpool.

December

8th Deployed with ships of Group for escort of outward Convoy ONS44 of 34 ships.

Detached from ONS44 on arrival at Dispersal Point in NW Approaches.

Joined escort for inward Convoy SC58 during passage to Liverpool.

21st Detached from SC58 on arrival.

(Note: Details of warships involved will be recorded in Command War Diary

which should be available in the Public Record Office at Kew.)

Other warships in Group were:

HM Destroyers WATCHMAN, MALCOLM, BEVERLEY,

SARDONYX and SCIMITAR, HMS NEWMARKET, HM Corvettes

ARABIS, DAHLIA, SNOWFLAKE, VERBENA, VIOLET and

PETUNIA.)

1 9 4 2

January

12th Deployed with Group for escort of outward Convoy ON51.

Detached from ON51 on arrival at Dispersal Point in NW Approaches.

February Joined inward convoy SC66 in NW Approaches as escort for passage

in NW Approaches to Liverpool

9th Detached from SC676 on arrival.

March Nominated for transfer to B1 Escort Group based at Londonderry

Deployed in Home waters.

(Note: 8th Escort Group was disbanded early in 1942 but reformed in 1943.

April Joined 1st Escort Group

(Note: Other ships in Group were HM Destroyers HURRICANE,

ROCKINGHAM, WATCHMAN and HM Corvette DAHLIA.

May Passage with ships of Group to join inward Convoy HX187 of 24 ships

in NW Approaches as escort into Liverpool.

8th Detached on arrival.

20th Deployed as escort with ships of Group for outward Convoy ON96 of 41

during passage in NW Approaches

June Detached from ON96 and joined inward Convoy HX193 of 31 ships

in NW Approaches as escort with ships of Group during passage to

Liverpool.

19th Detached from HX193 on arrival.

July

1st Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ONS108

of 37 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

Detached from ONS108 in NW Approaches.

Joined inward Convoy SC92 of 43 ships as escort for passage into

Liverpool.

31st Detached fromSC92 on arrival.

August

6th Deployed with ships of Group for escort of outward Convoy ON119

comprising 32 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

Detached from ONS119 and joined inward Convoy HX201 of 30 ships

as escort during passage to Liverpool.

14th Detached from HX201 on arrival.

23rd Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ONS124

comprising 31 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

Detached and returned to Londonderry.

September Passage to join inward Convoy HX206 of 45 ships in NW Approaches

as escort during passage to Liverpool.

18th Detached from HX206 on arrival.

27th Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ON134

comprising 42 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

October Detached from ON134 and returned to Londonderry.

Passage with ships of Group to join Inward Convoy SC105 of 50 ships

in NW Approaches for escort into Liverpool

30th Detached from SC105 on arrival.

November Passage with ships of Group to join HX215 comprising 42 ships

for escort during passage to Liverpool in NW Approaches.

25th Detached from HX215 on arrival.

December

4th Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ON151

of 36 ships during passage in NW Approaches

Detached from ONS151 and returned to Londonderry with escort.

1 9 4 3

January Passage with ships of Group in NW Approaches to meet inward

Convoy SC114 of 34 ships and escort to Liverpool.

7th Detached from SC114 on arrival.

24th Deployed with ships of Group for escort of outward Convoy ON 162

comprising 58 ships as escort for passage in NW Approaches.

(Note: Other Ships in1st Escort Group in 1943 were:

HMCorvettes MEADOWSWEET, WALLFLOWER,

BORAGE, ANCHUSA and HM Frigate KALE.)

February Detached from ON162 and returned to Londonderry.

Passage in NW approached with ships of Group to join inward Convoy

SC119 of 39 ships during passage into Liverpool.

22nd Detached from SC119 on arrival.

March

5th Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ON 171 of

38 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

Detached and returned to Londonderry on relief in Mid Atlantic.

Passage with ships of Group to join inward Convoy HX230 comprising

41 ships and escorted into Liverpool.

April

2nd Detached from HX230 on arrival.

13th Deployed with ships of Group as escort for outward Convoy ON178

comprising 57 ships during passage in NW Approaches.

Detached from ON178 in NW Approaches and returned to Londonderry.

(Note: The Norwegian ship SCEBLI was sunk whilst with this convoy

on 21st April.)

May Deployed with ships of Group for escort of inward Convoy X236

comprising 46 ships and took passage to join as escort in NW

Approaches into Liverpool.

9th Detached on arrival of HX236.

Nominated for detached service in joint RN/RAF anti –submarine

operations in Bay of Biscay

June Deployed in Bay of Biscay for attacks on U-Boats during their passage

to July to and from bases in French ports

(Operations MUSKETRY, SEASLUG.)

August On release from Bay of Biscay operations resumed convoy escort duties in

to DecemberWestern Approaches Command.

(Note: For details about the Battle of the Atlantic, the weapons used

during convoy defence and those by U-Boats see:

THE ALLIED CONVOY SYSTEM by A Hague

HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair

U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO)

SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann

CONVOY ESCORT COMMANDER by P Gretton

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by D MacIntyre

Naval Staff History)

1 9 4 4

January Atlantic deployment in continuation.

to May (Note: No record of attachment to an existing Escort Group has been

traced and requires further research. Deployment in the Atlantic

during 1944 is confirmed by the award of Battle Honour

ATLANTIC 1939-44.

May Atlantic deployment in continuation

to July (Note: This ship did not take part in preliminary exercises and operations

during the allied invasion of Normandy (Operation NEPTUNE).

See LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944 (HMSO).

August Home waters deployment for convoy defence in continuation.

to December

1 9 4 5

January Home waters deployment in continuation.

to May (Note: During this period extensive anti-submarine patrol operations

were carried out and the number of ships used as escorts for

coastal convoys was increased to counter attacks by SCHNORKEL

fitted and conventional submarines as well as midget submarines in

English Channel and North Sea. See references.)

June To meet the requirements for manning of new ships preparing for use in the

to August Far East, many ships of this type were Paid-off and placed in Reserve at UK ports.

Further research is required to establish the date that this ship was laid-up.

(Note: Reference should be made to the Admiralty PINK Lists held in the Naval

Historical Branch, MOD, London for this period which give information

about planned, but not actual, deployments of warships.)

P o s t W a r N o t e s

HMS MONKSHOOD was placed on the Disposal List in 1947 and sold to a commercial shipping company for use as a mercantile. Renamed ss W R STRANG she was under British ownership until 1957 when sold to a Japanese company and renamed TOSHI MARU This ship was sold in 1965 for breaking-up in Japan.

Addenda

CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of HMS MONKSHOOD

by Don Kindell

These convoy lists have not been cross-checked with the text above

(Note on Convoys)