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
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
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,
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
