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ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY V W 16 SHIPS

4)VIMY (DESTROYER)



Photo. www.wikipedia.org



Completed: 1917


Displacement: 1,316-1,339 tons


Length: 300 ft


Beam: 26, 9 ft


Draught: 9 ft standard, 11 ft 3 in deep


Propulsion: 3 Yarrow-type Water-tube boilers (White-Forster type in Valentine), Brown-Curtis steam turbines (Parsons in Valentine, Valhalla), 2 shafts, 27,500 shp


Armament: 4 x QF 4 in Mk.V (102mm L/45) guns, mount P Mk.I , 2 x QF 2 pdr Mk.II "pom-pom" (40 mm L/39) anti-aircraft guns, 4 (2x2) tubes for 21-inch (530 mm) torpedoes 


Speed: 34 Kts


Complement: 115


HMS Vimy served at south Atlantic Station base Freetown from April 1941 to December 1942 in several convoy Escort duties.  


December  Nominated for Local Escort duties at Freetown and took passage to join Local Escort Force

On arrival deployed for convoy defence.


1 9 4 1


January  Deployed at Freetown for Atlantic convoy defence. 8th  Joined military convoy WS5A with HM Destroyer VIDETTE, HM Sloops  BRIDGEWATER and MILFORD, HM Corvettes ASPHODEL and CALENDULA for Local Escort from Freetown.       


9th  Detached from WS5A during passage to Capetown. 22nd       Joined HM Corvettes ASPHODEL and CALENDULA in escort of military convoy WS5B for  passage into Freetown.


25th Detached with Local Escort on arrival of WS5B at Freetown. February  Atlantic convoy defence in continuation to March


April Nominated for temporary service at Gibraltar for support of planned passage of military convoy to Egypt (Operation TIGER – See above references.)


30th  Deployed at Gibraltar


May


                4th          Joined TIGER Convoy as screen for HM Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH with HM

                                Destroyers FORESIGHT, FORTUNE and FEARLESS in Atlantic escort for TIGER Convoy during final stage of Atlantic passage from UK.


                                (Note : This was to allow HM Battlecruiser REPULSE, HM Destroyers HAVELOCK,

                                HESPERUS and HIGHLANDER to refuel before rejoining convoy from Gibraltar

                7th          Released from TIGER detached service at Gibraltar and took passage to resume Freetown convoy defence.


June   Deployed at Freetown.

                16th        Joined military convoy WS9A with H M Destroyers BOREAS, BRILLIANT and

                                HIGHLANDER for Local Escort into Freetown.


                18th        Detached from WS9A with Local Escort on arrival at Freetown.


                20th        Joined WS9A with HM Destroyers BOREAS, VANSITTART and WILD SWAN on

                                departure from Freetown for Local Escort.


                22nd       Detached from WS9A with Local Escort and returned to Freetown.


July

                16th        Joined military convoy WS9B with HM Destroyers BOREAS, BRILLIANT and

                                VANSITTART on departure from Freetown for Local Escort.


                18th        Detached with Local Escort and returned to Freetown.


August

                14th        Joined HM Destroyer JUPITER in escort of military convoy WS10 with HM Destroyer

                                WRESTLER and HM Corvette BERGAMOT for passage into Freetown.


                17th        Detached from WS10 on arrival at Freetown with Local Escort.


                27th        Joined military convoy WS10X during passage to Freetown and detached on arrival


September

                13th        Joined FAST Section of military convoy WS11 with HM Destroyer WRESTLER and

                                Corvette STARWORT off Freetown and detached on arrival.


                18th        Joined SLOW Section of military convoy WS11 on departure from Freetown as Local

                                Escort with HMS WRESTLER.


                20th        Detached from WS11 SLOW with HMS WRESTLER and returned to Freetown.


October

                11th        Joined military convoy WS12 with HM Destroyer WRESTLER for Local Escort.


                14th        Detached from WS12 with Local Escort on arrival at Freetown.


                19th        Joined WS12 with BMS WRESTLER, HM Corvettes ANCHUSA, CALENDULA and

                                MIGNONETTE as Local Escort on departure from Freetown.


                22nd       Detached from WS12 with Local Escort and returned to Freetown.


November

                21st         Joined military convoy WS12Z with HM Destroyer VIMY as Local Escort during final stage

                                passage into Freetown.


                25th        Detached from WS12Z on arrival at Freetown.


December              Freetown deployment in continuation.

                              Nominated for return to Gibraltar for Local Escort duty.

 


1 9 4 2


January  Deployment at Gibraltar in continuation. to April


May

                19th        Joined military convoy WS19 for Local Escort into Freetown.


                22nd       Detached from W519 with Local Escort on arrival at Freetown.

                                (Note HMS BOREAS and HMS WILD SWAN had joined on 20th.)


June

                11th        Joined HM Destroyers BLACKMORE and DERWENT in escort of military

                                convoy WS19P for passage into Freetown.


                15th        Detached from WS19P on arrival at Freetown.


                19th        Joined WS19P on departure from Freetown with HM Destroyers DERWENT, PATHFINDER, PENN and QUENTIN for escort during passage to Capetown.  (Note : HM Battleships NELSON and RODNEY were providing Ocean Escort.)


                22nd       Detached from WS19P during passage and returned to Freetown.


                30th        Joined HM Destroyers BLACKMORE, BRILLIANT and VIMY in Local Escort for military

                                convoy WS20 during passage into Freetown.


July

                2nd         Detached from WS20 with Local Escort on arrival at Freetown.


                6th          Joined WS20 with HM Destroyer BOREAS for Local Escort on departure from Freetown.


                8th          Detached from WS20 with HMS BOREAS and then escorted ss BATORY to Takoradi before return to Freetown.  (Note : HM Battleship MALAYA was providing Ocean Escort.)


August

                10th        Joined HM Destroyers CATTERICK, LEDBURY and PETARD in escort for military convoy WS21 and detached on arrival at Freetown the same day


September             Freetown deployment in continuation.

                              Nominated for transfer to Gibraltar for escort of military convoys prior to planned allied landings in North Africa (Operation TORCH 


 

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