Service history HMS Viscount (D92)

1 service history

1.1 first world war
1.2 interwar
1.3 second world war

1.3.1 1939–1940
1.3.2 1941–1942
1.3.3 1943–1945

service history
first world war

upon completion, viscount assigned grand fleet, based @ scapa flow in orkney islands, in served rest of world war i. viscount rapidly gained reputation exceptionally fast ship , attacked , sank @ least 1 german u-boat caught on surface. hms viscount signalled attack @ full speed. u-boat spoilt aim of viscount s forward battery submerging full-speed astern. viscount steamed on u-boat , destroyed depth charges. hms viscount participated in several cruises/escorts murmansk , archangel during period. other actions included interception , seizing of bolshevik-controlled russian warships in support of white russian forces.

interwar

after conclusion of world war i, viscount served in atlantic fleet. in 1921 joined light cruisers caledon, castor, cordelia, , curacoa , destroyers vanquisher, vectis, venetia, viceroy, violent, winchelsea, , wolfhound in baltic sea cruise, departing united kingdom on 31 august 1921. ships crossed north sea , transited kaiser wilhelm canal enter baltic, called @ danzig in free city of danzig; memel in klaipėda region; liepāja, latvia; riga, latvia; tallinn, estonia; helsinki, finland; stockholm, sweden; copenhagen, denmark; gothenburg, sweden; , kristiania, norway, before crossing north sea , ending voyage @ port edgar, scotland, on 15 october 1921.

viscount later served in mediterranean fleet before being assigned duties in home waters. attached 1st submarine flotilla in 1938.

second world war
1939–1940

when united kingdom entered world war ii on 3 september 1939, viscount deployed 19th destroyer flotilla, based @ plymouth, convoy escort , patrol duty in english channel , southwestern approaches. in january 1940, reassigned western approaches command continued escort , patrol operations plymouth. on 7 january 1940, , destroyer vanoc relieved 2 french warships escort convoy hg 13 during final leg of voyage gibraltar united kingdom; destroyers venetia , volunteer , trawler arctic ranger joined escort on 8 january 1940, , viscount detached on 10 january. on 18 february 1940, viscount , vanquisher relieved french warship escort convoy hg 18 during final portion of voyage gibraltar liverpool, detaching return plymouth when arrived @ liverpool on 19 february 1940. on 8 april 1940, viscount, destroyers vimy , witch, , shoreham-class sloop rochester relieved french warship escort of convoy hg 25f last leg of voyage gibraltar liverpool; although vimy , witch detached next day, viscount , rochester stayed convoy until arrived @ liverpool on 11 april 1940. in april, western approaches command moved headquarters liverpool, , result viscount s base changed plymouth liverpool.

in may 1940, viscount s pennant number changed i92. month, assigned operations related norwegian campaign in aftermath of april 1940 german invasion of norway , denmark. on 17 may 1940, joined destroyers diana , veteran in escorting aircraft carrier hms glorious river clyde in scotland norwegian coast. on 7 june 1940, viscount, destroyers antelope, witherington , wolverine, , escort destroyer atherstone departed united kingdom meet convoy of troopships had been delayed fog. later day, destroyers rendezvoused troopships – carrying allied personnel evacuated norway campaign there ended in german conquest of country – , repair ship vindictive , took them under escort clyde. convoy came under attack german aircraft on 8 june 1940, escorts drove german planes off.

viscount returned north atlantic convoy escort duty in july 1940. in september 1940 detached join witherington , destroyers vansittart , whitehall in escorting auxiliary minelayers menestheus, port napier, port quebec, , southern prince while laid mines in northern barrage in operation sn42.

viscount went convoy operations, , part of escort of convoy hg 47 – bound gibraltar united kingdom – along hastings-class sloop folkestone , flower-class corvette gentian in november 1940. detaching hg 47, rendezvoused convoy hx 90 – 41 ships bound halifax, nova scotia, canada, liverpool – escort on 1 december 1940. later day, hx 90 came under attack first of 6 german submarines, sank 10 of ships on 1 , 2 december. sinkings stopped after viscount , royal canadian navy destroyer st. laurent conducted 13 depth-charge attacks on asdic contacts on course of 4 hours on 2 december, keeping submarines submerged , unable attack until hx 90 had left area. on 2 december, viscount rescued survivors of hx 90 s lost ships, picking of 21 survivors armed merchant cruiser forfar, german submarine u-99 had torpedoed , sunk 500 nautical miles (930 km) west of ireland @ 54°35′00″n 018°18′00″w / 54.58333°n 18.30000°w / 54.58333; -18.30000 (hms forfar sunk) loss of 172 lives; 16 survivors of british merchant ship kavak, german submarine u-100 had torpedoed , sunk during night of 1–2 december 340 nautical miles (630 km) west of bloody foreland @ 55°00′00″n 019°30′00″w / 55.00000°n 19.50000°w / 55.00000; -19.50000 (ss kavak sunk); 36 survivors of british merchant ship goodleigh, german submarine u-52 had torpedoed , sunk on 2 december 367 nautical miles (680 km) west of bloody foreland @ 55°02′00″n 018°45′00″w / 55.03333°n 18.75000°w / 55.03333; -18.75000 (ss goodleigh sunk); , 27 survivors of ellerman lines cargo ship tasso, u-52 had torpedoed , sunk on 2 december 360 nautical miles (670 km) west of bloody foreland @ 55°03′00″n 018°04′00″w / 55.05000°n 18.06667°w / 55.05000; -18.06667 (ss tasso sunk). viscount escorted hx 90 rest of way liverpool, arrived on 5 december 1940.

1941–1942

leaning against depth charge thrower, quarterdeck lookout on board hms viscount searches sea submarines, 1942 (iwm a13362)

viscount continued on convoy escort duty in north atlantic until june 1941, when began conversion long-range escort @ liverpool. conversion complete, underwent post-conversion acceptance trials and, having passed them, performed work-ups in december 1941 prepare return convoy duty, did later month.

in march 1942, viscount adopted civilian community of chislehurst , sidcup in kent in warship week national savings campaign. in april 1942, reassigned 6th escort group, in joined corvettes rose , potentilla , royal norwegian navy corvettes hnoms andenes , hnoms eglantine. in may 1942, escorted convoy sc 83 group. june–july 1942, had had type 271 surface warning radar , hedgehog antisubmarine mortar installed.

on 13 august 1942, viscount part of escort of convoy ons 122 when came under series of sustained attacks german submarines of lohs group. on 23 august, intercepted communications 1 of submarines, got fix on location, detected asdic after submerged, , attacked it. time attacks on ons 122 ended, had lost 4 ships , escorts had damaged 2 german submarines.

in october 1942, viscount part of escort of convoy sc 1 cw, came under attack 10 german submarines of wotan (wōden) group. on 15 october, while defending convoy, viscount detected submarine u-607 on radar , attacked unsuccessfully. viscount rammed , sank submarine u-661 @ 53°42′00″n 035°56′00″w / 53.70000°n 35.93333°w / 53.70000; -35.93333 (u-615 sunk), went down loss of entire crew of 44. viscount suffered significant damage in ramming , had detach convoy , proceed united kingdom repairs.

1943–1945

viscount s repairs completed in february 1943, , rejoined 6th escort group month in time join escort of convoy ons 165, came under attack german submarines of taifun ( typhoon ) group. in defense of convoy, depth charged , rammed submarine u-201 in north atlantic @ 50°50′00″n 040°50′00″w / 50.83333°n 40.83333°w / 50.83333; -40.83333 (u-201 sunk). u-201 sank loss of entire crew of 49, , viscount again suffered significant damage, requiring repairs lasted through april 1943.

in may 1943, viscount returned north atlantic convoy duty. while escorting convoy ons 6 6th escort group on 8 may 1943, got radio direction-finding fix on german submarine , closed it, sighting @ range of 7,000 yards (6,400 m). submarine submerged, , viscount attacked depth charges, without success.

over course of summer of 1943, viscount detached operation derange, consisting of offensive antisubmarine operations in bay of biscay in aircraft , ships cooperated in attacks on german submarines transiting bay between bases in german-occupied france , atlantic shipping routes. in september 1943, took part in operation alacrity, joining escort aircraft carrier hms fencer, destroyers hms inconstant, hms whitehall, , hms wrestler, , polish navy destroyers orp garland , orp burza in forming 8th support group escort military convoys azores allies set air bases there. continued operations in support of alacrity october 1943.

viscount returned atlantic convoy duty in october 1943, continuing without further major incident weeks of 1945, when began convoy escort operations in british coastal waters. in order free crew members man newer, more modern escort ships, withdrawn operations in february 1945 , decommissioned in march 1945.