I-Class
Fleet
Destroyer ordered from Yarrow's at Scotstoun
on 30th
October 1935 under the 1935 Build Programme. The
ship was laid down on 12th
February 1936 and launched on 11th February 1937
as the 2nd RN warship to carry
the name. It had previously been used for a
Trawler hired in Aug. 1914 but
wrecked in the Firth of Forth in November that
year. Build was completed on
24th August 1937 after delay due to delay in
delivery of gun mountings. The
contract price was £259,371 but excluded
Admiralty supplied items such as
weapons and communications equipment. This Class
of destroyer was designed for
use as minelayers (See BRITISH DESTROYERS by E.
March and The Naval Staff
History (MINING) for more information).
B
a t t
l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC
1939 - NORWAY 1940 -
DUNKIRK 1940
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
Badge :
On
a Field White a withered oak eradicated black.
M
o t t
o
Primus
interpares :
'First among equals'
D
e t a i
l s 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 3 9
September
Deployed in
Mediterranean
with 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
3rd
On passage from
Alexandria
to Malta.
Transferred to Western Approaches Command for
anti-submarine duties in SW Approaches.
10th
Passage to
Plymouth.
14th
On arrival deployed for anti-submarine and
patrol duties.
18th
Unsuccessful search for U29 which had attempted
a torpedo attack.
October
Deployment in SW Approaches in continuation.
4th
Participated in sinking of U45 with HM
Destroyers INGLEFIELD and INTREPID SW of
Ireland
in position 50.58N 12.67W.
There were no survivors from the submarine.
(See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp and HITLER'S
U-BOAT WAR by C Blair.)
November
Transferred to 5th Destroyer Flotilla for duty
in Home Fleet.
14th
Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Sheerness.
Nominated for service with 20th Destroyer
Flotilla for minelaying duties.
Converted for minelaying role.
December
Under refit and conversion. See references.
12th
After work-up for minelaying duties joined
Flotilla on formation.
18th
Carried out first minelaying operation in
Heligoland Bight with HM Destroyer INTREPID
(Operation IB).
30th
Deployed off
Fame
Islands for first lay of mines in East Coast
Barrier with HM Destroyer
INTREPID (Operation LA).
1
9 4 0
January
2nd
Carried out minelay in Heligoland Bight with HMS
INTREPID (Operation EW)
10th
Carried out further Heligoland minelay with HMS
INTREPID (Operation ID1)
13th
Completed Heligoland minelay with HMS INTREPID
(Operation ID2).
(Note: This minefield was responsible for
sinking the German submarine U54 on 13th
February
and on 22nd February, two destroyers LEBERECHT
MAAS and
MAX
SCHULTZ.
There were no survivors from any of the three.
See above reference and WARSHIP LOSSES OF WW2 by
D Brown.).
14th
Reverted to anti-submarine role when all
minelaying operations were suspended.
(See Naval Staff History (Mining).)
27th
Torpedo tubes and gun mountings replaced at
Portland.
February
3rd
On completion took passage to
Scapa
Flow for duty with Home Fleet.
6th
Deployed on interception patrol in NW Approaches
and
North
Sea.
17th
Intercepted German tartar ALTMARK which had
British merchant navy seamen on board.
Force enemy ship to enter Norwegian coastal
waters in Josing Fjord.
For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
Corelli Barnet.
(Note: ALTMARK was later boarded by a party from
HM Destroyer COSSACK and the British
seamen released in a well publicised operation.)
March
Home Fleet duties in continuation.
18th
Escorted damaged HMS INTREPID to Invergordon
with HM Destroyer GALLANT after a
collision with the fishing trawler OCEAN DRIFT.
27th
Nominated for duty in
Force
WV for minelaying operation off
Norway.
Detached to convert for minelaying duty in HM
Dockyard, Chatham.
April
Passage to
Scapa
Flow after conversion.
3rd
Joined
Force
WV for lay of field off Norway in Vest Fjord
(Operation WILFRED).
6th
Sailed to execute WILFRED with HM Destroyers
ESK, IMPULSIVE and ICARUS.
8th
Laid minefield and joined HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN off Narvik.
(For details of all minelaying operations see
Naval Staff History (Mining).
9th
Present during initial stage of engagement by HM
Battlecruiser RENOWN with German
battleship SCHARNHORST.
Contact was lost to weather conditions.
10th
Carried out anti-submarine patrols off Narvik.
Later rescued survivors from HM Destroyer HARDY
after 1st Battle of Narvik.
For details of the disastrous operations off
Norway
see NARVIK by D. Macintyre,
CARRIER GLORIOUS by J Winton, THE DOOMED
EXPEDITION by J
Adams,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY
MORE CLOSELY and Naval
Staff History (HMSO-2001).).
14th
Deployed with HM Destroyer HOSTILE as escort for
HM Destroyer ESKIMO under tow to
Skelfjord by HM Destroyer ESKIMO.
15th
Returned to
Scapa
Flow.
29th
Deployed as Senior Officer for minelay off
Trondheim with HM Destroyers ICARUS
and
IMPULSIVE. (Operation ZMA).
May
Norwegian support deployment in continuation.
7th
Boiler cleaning.
Pennant Number for visual signalling use changed
to I 16.
15th
Resumed duties in 20th Destroyer Flotilla.
16th
Deployed for off Dutch coast for minelay with HM
Destroyers EXPRESS and ESK.
(Operation CBX3)
18th
Escorted HM Auxiliary Minelayer PRINCESS
VICTORIA with ships of Flotilla
for minelay
of field in East Coast Barrier.
When HMS PRINCESS VICTORIA was mined on entry
into
Humber
carried out patrol
to ensure shipping avoided the new danger area.
20th
Deployed with HM Destroyers ESK, EXPRESS,
INTREPID, ICARUS and IMPULSIVE for a
series of minelaying operations in the East
Coast Mine Barrier.
(Operation BS Series. In all over 38,000 mines
were laid In the Barrier to protect East Coast
shipping from attacks by surface warships ships
and submarines.
21st
Carried out lay in Barrier (Operation BS6).
23rd
Operation BS7.
25th
Operation BS8
26th
HMS IMPULSIVE withdrawn for evacuation duties at
Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
27th
Operation BS9.
28th
Detached to assist in evacuation of BEF from
Dunkirk (Operation DYNAMO).
(For details see SEVEN DAYS AT DUNKIRK by AD
Divine, BEF SHIPS by J de S Winser
and Naval Staff History (HMSO-2003).).
Passage to Join
Dover Command.
29th
Carried 930 troops from beaches to
Dover
and assisted in defence of shipping,
Rescued troops and survivors from HM Destroyer
GRAFTON.
31st
Passage to beach head and embarked 1,290 troops
for return passage.
June
1st
Embarked troops for return to Dover and on
return passage came under air attack.
Sustained casualties and major damage and fatal
casualties including 21 of ships company.
(Note: Five soldiers were also killed.)
Extensive damage flooding of two boiler rooms
disabled ship until damage control enable
return to Dover using third boiler room.
Troops embarked in HM Destroyer HAVANT
(Note: HMS HAVANT came under air attack later
and had to be sunk because of serious
damage from two direct hits. Some of survivors
for ship were embarked by HM
Fleet Minesweeper SALTASH but some were killed.)
Passage to Dover
2nd
Repair arranged at Sheerness
Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard,
Sheerness.
July
Under repair.
28th
On completion took passage to rejoined Flotilla
at Immingham.
29th
Prepared for minelaying operation.
August
Carried out post repair trials on completion of
repair work.
31st
Sailed with H M Destroyers EXPRESS, ESK, ICARUS
and INTREPID escorted by H M
Destroyers KELVIN, JUPITER and VORTIGERN for lay
of additional minefield field
west of Vieland on Dutch coast (Operation QBX5)
Following an enemy report the ships altered
course to westward of the laying position.
Before a signal was received from CinC Nore
instructing the minelayers to jettison
mines and attack reported, ship the minelayers
entered a German minefield laid on 7th
August.
After closing HMS EXPRESS which had detonated a
mine and lost all her
forward
structure, lowered seaboat to rescue survivors.
During manoeuvres to go alongside HMS EXPRESS,
heavy explosion occurred forward
when ship detonated a mine and steam was lost..
Steam was restored two hours to allow astern
speed of seven knots, but pressure could not
be maintained. Inspection revealed ships back
was broken.
Decision to abandon after opening hull valves
was made after HM Motor Torpedo
Boat 15, waiting to embark remaining survivors,
became seriously short of fuel and
had to leave the area.
Drifting hulk was later located by HM Destroyer
GARTH and then was sunk by a
torpedo from HM Destroyer KELVIN in position
53-26N 03.45E.
(Note: German aircraft were then carrying out
air attacks on drifting ship.)
8 Ratings were killed and 3 wounded. One officer
and 22 ratings were taken
prisoner.
For full details see Naval Staff History
(Mining).
This was the most disastrous and costly
minelaying operation.
Most minelaying carried out off the Dutch and
German coasts after Sept. 1940,
apart from small lays by Coastal Forces craft
was carried out by RAF aircraft.)
Addendum
CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of
HMS IVANHOE
by
Don Kindell
This convoy list has not been cross-checked
with the text above
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|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy
No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
28/09/39
|
28/09/39
|
RED
2
|
03/10/39
|
09/10/39
|
19/03/40
|
19/03/40
|
ON
021/1
|
23/03/40
|
23/03/40
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)
|