Type IV HUNT-Class Escort Destroyer ordered on 28th July 1940 from Thornycroft of Woolston under the 1940 War Emergency Programme. This ship was built to a Thornycroft design and laid down as Job J6140 on 28th February 1941 (See General Information). She was launched on 15th September 1942 as the first RN ship to carry this name. Build was completed on 12th February 1943. After a WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942 this destroyer had been adopted by the civil community of Barnes, Surrey.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1943 – ARCTIC 1943 – ENGLISH CHANNEL 1943-45 – SICILY 1943 – NORMANDY 1944 – BISCAY 1944
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a field Green, a hare sejant affronte Proper.
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 4 3
February Contractors sea trials and commissioned for service with Home Fleet.
12th Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials
On completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow.
March Worked-up with ships of Home Fleet at Scapa Flow
Deployed for patrol and convoy defence in NW Approaches.
April Home Fleet duties in continuation.
21st Joined HM Destroyers ANTHONY and LEWES for Local Escort of military convoy
WS29A.
26th Relieved as escort by HM Destroyer BOREAS and resumed Home Fleet duties
May Deployed for convoy escort and patrol in NW Approaches.
Nominated for support of allied landings in Sicily.
Operation HUSKY – For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C
Barnett, Naval Staff History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser).
June
21st Joined joint military convoy WS31/KMF17 as escort during passage to Gibraltar with
other Home Fleet destroyers on passage for HUSKY.
26th Remained as escort for KMF17 with HM Cruiser UGANDA during passage to Gibraltar
when WS31 detached and took passage to Cape of Good Hope.
Joined Destroyer Division 58 under allied command.
July Passage to Bone to join Support Force East.
7th Sailed from Bone as escort for Assault Convoy KMF18.
(Note: Deployed as Escort Group V with HM Escort Destroyers BLANKNEY. .
BLENCATHRA, BRECON and BROCKLESBY.)
9th Refuelled and returned to KMF18.
10th Arrived at BARK WEST Beach Head and detached from KMS18
Provided naval support and carried out patrol duty off beachhead.
Deployed with HM Destroyer BLANKNEY to occupy Pozzallo.
13th In collision with HMS BLANKNEY and sustained major damage to port bow structure.
Withdrawn from operation and took passage to Malta for repair.
Repair to be carried out in UK when condition satisfactory for passage.
August Passage to UK for repair.
21st Taken in hand for repair in Liverpool at commercial shipyard.
September Under repair.
Nominated for service in 15th Destroyer Flotilla at Plymouth.
October
2nd On completion took passage to Plymouth.
Deployed in English Channel and SW Approaches for convoy defence and patrol.
November Nominated for detached duty with Home Fleet.
Passage to resume Home Fleet duties
10th Joined returning Russian Convoy RA54A with HM Destroyer MIDDLETON and HM
Fleet Minesweeper HALCYON off Iceland as escort for final leg of passage to Loch Ewe.
13th Detached from RA54A
15th Joined outward Russian Convoy JW54A with H M Destroyer TERMAGANT and Polish
destroyer ORP BURZA as escort for part of passage to Iceland.
18th Detached from JW54A on arrival of Ocean Escort
(For details of all Russian Convoy operations see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B Schoefield, CONVOY ! by P Kemp and ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R. Woodman.
December Resumed Channel duties with Flotilla at Plymouth.
1 9 4 4
January Deployed in Channel and SW Approaches for convoy defence and patrol with Flotilla.
February Nominated for TUNNEL interception operation off French coast.
(See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by P Smith).
5th In action with HM Destroyers TANATSIDE, TALYBONT and WENSLEYDALE against
German Torpedo Boat T29, Minesweepers M156 and M206 off North Brittany coast,
(Note: M156 was badly damaged and later sunk in harbour during an RAF attack on the
port of L"Abervrach, Brittany.
March Deployed as escort for coastal convoys.
15th Intercepted E-Boats with HM Destroyer MELBREAK in defence of Convoy WP492 north
of Lands End.
Damaged E-Boat S143.
April Channel deployment with Flotilla in continuation
May Nominated for support of allied landings In Normandy with Force B (Follow-Up Force for
Western Task Force Assault beaches under US command).
(For details of activities prior to and during landings see OPERATION NEPTUNE by K
Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944 (HMSO).)
Took part in preparatory exercises.
June Joined Force B at Milford Haven with HMS WENSLEYDALE.
4th Operation postponed for 24 hours.
5th Passage to Channel for interception patrol to prevent access by surface warships and
submarines into Western Task Force area.
12th In action with HMS WENSLEYDALE against E-Boats attempting to attack shipping
and escorts.
(Note: It is assumed that ship was deployed for escort of Follow-up convoys when not
deployed for interception patrol.)
22nd After weather abated enemy operations increased with air support.
Under air attacks during patrol.
On release from NEPTUNE returned to Flotilla duties and deployed on convoy defence in
English Channel area.
July Deployed with Flotilla in SW Approaches for convoy defence.
to
November
December Taken in hand for refit at Pembroke Dock.
1 9 4 5
January Under refit.
February Nominated for transfer to 21st Destroyer Flotilla at Sheerness.
On completion of post refit trials took passage to join Flotilla.
(Note: Enemy submarine activity was concentrating on focal points of convoys in
English Channel which was being used by re-routed Atlantic convoys.
Mining by E-Boats and submersibles had also increased in Thames Estuary area.
These threats made heavy demands on escorts.
Submarines were those fitted with SCHNORKEL device.
See ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and HOLD THE NARROW SEA by
P Smith.)
March Deployed with Flotilla in Channel area and Nore Command.
to
May
June Transferred to Mediterranean for use as Reserve if required for deployment with Eastern
to Fleet in Indian Ocean.
August (Note: Ships in Mediterranean were deployed for support of occupation garrisons and
for exercises with ships on passage to join Fleets in the Far East.)
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS BRISSENDEN remained in the Mediterranean after VJ Day and was deployed with the Mediterranean Fleet until 1947. In this period she carried out Palestine Patrol. After returning to UK this ship Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status at Portsmouth on 19th June 1948. She laid-up there until 1953 when she was transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Lisahally, Ulster. Although under consideration by Kuwait for purchase and conversion to become the Royal Yacht this was not agreed and the ship was put on the Disposal List (Sales) in 1962. After sale on 18th February 1965 to BISCO for demolition by Arnott Young at Dalmuir on 18th February 1965 for £29,000 she arrived at the breaker’s yard in the Clyde on 3rd March that year.
HMS Brissenden (Navy Photos, click to enlarge) return to Contents List
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