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H .
M . S . N E W P O R
T ( G 5 4 )
Ex USS SIGOURNEY (Type C - NEWPORT Class) built by
Bethlehem Steel at Fore River
and launched on
16 December 1917.
Build was completed on 14th May 1918
and the ship was held in Reserve in 1939. She was transferred under the UK/US
Lease Lend agreement in 1939 and was taken over at Halifax
on 26th September 1940, pending the arrival of RN
personnel. Commissioned on 5th
November 1940 as HMS NEWPORT the ship was ‘adopted’ by the civil
community of Newport, Monmouth following
a “WARSHIP WEEK“ National Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
VELEZ MALAGA 1704 - ATLANTIC 1941 -
ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942
- ARCTIC 1942
D e t a i
l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 0
October Prepared for transfer
November
26th Delivered to Royal
Canadian Navy at Halifax pending arrival of RN personnel.
December Prepared by RN personnel
for commissioning and Atlantic passage.
5th Commissioned into RN
service at Halifax and named HMS NEWPORT.
20th Arrived at Belfast on
passage to Plymouth.
1 9 4 1
January Slightly damaged in air
raid at Belfast.
After machinery
defect on passage in Irish Sea diverted to Milford Haven for repair.
Transferred to
commercial shipyard at Cardiff for completion of repair
work.
16th Taken in hand for
refit at HM Dockyard Devonport.
February Under refit and
modification to suit deployment for Atlantic escort duty
March Under refit.
Transferred to
Royal Norwegian Navy during refit.
Nominated for
service in Western Approaches Command based at Londonderry with
43rd Escort
Group.
S e r v i c e u n d e r R o y a l N o r
w e g i a n N a v y C o m m a n d
April On completion of
refit took passage to join Group
to
August
September Deployment with 43rd Escort
Group at Londonderry to be confirmed
October
23rd Commenced repair in
commercial shipyard at Liverpool.
Transferred to
7th Escort Group based in Liverpool.
(Note : This
Group included other Norwegian manned ships).
November Under repair.
On completion of
post repair trials joined Group.
December Deployed with Group for
convoy defence in North Atlantic
1 9 4 2
January Convoy defence in
continuation..
to (Note : As Battle
Honours ARCTIC 1942 and ENGLISH CHANNEL 1942 were awarded
February this period requires
further research.)
March Atlantic convoy escort
duty with 7th Escort Group in continuation
25th Sustained major
damaged in collision with HM Destroyer BEVERLEY whilst on escort duty.
Withdrawn from
service for repair at Liverpool.
April Under repair at
Liverpool.
13th Repair work
transferred to HM Dockyard Devonport for completion.
June Under repair in HM Dockyard Devonport.
Paid-off and
Royal Norwegian Navy personnel left ship.
Reverted to RN
total administration
S e r v i c e u n d e r R o y a l N a v
y C o m m a n d
July Under repair
to
August
September Repair completion
transferred to commercial shipyard at Southampton.
October Under repair at
Southampton.
to (Note : Work
included re-tubing of boilers.)
December Ship to be fully surveyed
ship to determine operational viability.)
Declared
unsuitable for further deployment as a convoy escort.
Nominated for use
as Air Target Ship.
1 9 4 3
January Repair essential for
deployment in new role continued with conversion required for new role.
to Main armament and
weapon equipment no longer needed removed.
April Re-commissioned and
manned by RN personnel..
May On completion of sea
trials joined Western Approaches Command for duty in new role.
June Deployed in Irish Sea
Station as Air Target Ship duty for training of air crews in shipping attacks
to by torpedo.
December
1 9 4 4
January Air Target Ship duties
in continuation in Irish Sea.
to
February
March Transferred to Rosyth
and deployed as Air Target Ship at Station in North Sea.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January North Sea Air Target
Ship duty in continuation.
to Nominated for
withdrawal from service.
June Passage to Rosyth
July
4th Paid-off and
de-stored.
Reduced to
Reserve status and Laid-up at Rosyth
August Placed on Disposal List.
P o s t W a r N o t e
HMS NEWPORT was sold to BISCO for demolition by M. Brechin, Shipbreakers at Granton after VJ Day and arrived in tow at the Shipbreaker’s yard near Edinburgh on 18th
February 1947.
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