H. M. S. A
L L I N G T O N
C A S T L E (
K 6 8 9)
“CASTLE” Class Corvette ordered on 9th December from
Fleming and Ferguson of Paisley, Glasgow under the 1942 Emergency Programme and
to be built as a FLOWER Class Frigate and named AMARILIS. Later the contract was changed for build of the new
design CASTLE Class Corvette bearing the name ALLINGTON CASTLE. The ship was
laid down on 27th July 1943 and launched on 29th February 1944 as H.M.S. ALLINGTON
CASTLE. The error recognised June 1944 and she was formally renamed ALLINGTON
CASTLE, a castle near Maidstone in
Kant. No previous RN warship had carried this name. Build
was completed en 19th June 1944.The ship was ‘adopted’ by the civil community of Alsager, Cheshire, but
not as part of the National Savings WARSHIP WEEK campaigns held during 1941 -
42.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
ATLANTIC 1944-45 ARCTIC
1944-45
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field White, on a cross couped
Red, a pheon Gold
(Note: Based on the Arms of the Wyatt family who owned the
land at one time.)
D e t a i l s o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 4 4
June Contractors trials and commissioned
for service.
Allocated for service in 8th
Escort Group.
19th Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
21st Taken
in hand fbr repair of defects.
30th On completion of trials and storing took
passage to Tobermory.
July Carried out work-up at for operational
service.
17th Joined Group and
deployed for convoy escort in NW Approaches and Irish Sea.
23rd Deployed in Clyde.
August
1st Passage to Londonderry to join escort for
Gibraltar route convoy.
18th Arrived at Gibraltar.
Return passage to Clyde
as escort to inward convoy..
Detached from convoy on
arrival and returned to Londonderry.
(Note: Slight damage by fire reported on
16th August.)
September Nominated for detached service with Home
Fleet for escort of Russian convoy.
12th Passage
to Loch Ewe to join convoy.
15th Deployed
with HM Destroyers KEPPEL, BULLDOG, WHITEHALL HM Corvette BAMBOROUGH
CASTLE as dose Escort for Russian Convoy JW60 from Loch
(Note: Home Fleet ships
providing cover and support included HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carrier CAMPANIA. HM Destroyers MARNE, METEOR, MILNE, MUSKETEER,
SAUMAREZ, SAVAGE, VOLAGE, ALGONQUIN (RCN) and SIOUX (RCN).
(For details
of all Russian convoy operations including names of mercantiles
being escorted, see
ENGAGE THE
ENEMY MORE CLOSELY, by C Barnett, RUSSIAN CONVOYS by B
Schoefield, CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by R A
Ruegg, ARCTIC CONVOYS by R Woodman
and CONVOY! by P Kemp.)
23rd Detached from JW60 on arrival at Kola
Inlet after an uninterrupted passage,
despite attempts by
GRIMM
U-BOAT Group and aircraft to locate the convoy.
29th Joined
dose Escort fbr return convoy RA 60 from Kola
29th
Interception by U-Boat Groups GRIMM and ZORN failed.
During independent
attack by U310 two mercantiles were sunk.
(Note: Sinking of U921 by aircraft from HMS CAMPANIA after an earlier
attack by SWORDFISH
aircraft
Is not confirmed by post war analysis.
See
HITLER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair and U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.).
October
4th Detached from RA60 with
close Escort during passage to Loch Ewe.
5th Arrived in Clyde.
13th Deployed with
escort of UK-Gibraltar convoy.
23rd At
Gibraltar.
30th Passage
to UK with return convoy.
November
8th Arrived in Clyde.
Transferred to 20th
Escort Grew with H M Destroyers KEPPEL, BEAGLE, BULLDOG and
WESTCOTT, HM Sloops
CYGNET, LAPWING and HM Corvette BAMBOROUGH CASTLE.
28th Passage to Aultbea to join escort for Russian Convoy.
29th Joined Russian Convoy JW62 with HM
Frigates BAHAMAS, LOCH ALVIE, SOMALILAND,
TAVY, TORTOLA, HM Canadian Frigates MONNOW, NESS, PORT COLBOURNE, ST
JOHN,
.
STORMONT, HM Corvettes
BAMBOROUGH CASTLE, TUNGSTEN (Norwegian) and
EGLANTINE.
December
1st HM Cruiser BELLONA, HM Escort Aircraft
Carriers CAMPANIA, NAIRANA. HM Destroyers
BEAGLE, BULLDOG,
CAESAR, CAMBRIAN, CAPRICE, CASSANDRA, KEPPEL,
OBEDIENT, ONSLAUGHT, ONSLOW, ORIBI, ORWELL and WESTCOTT joined RW 62
to
supplement
escort.
(Note: Although threat by German Battleship T1RP1TZ had been removed
after attack by the RAF
additional escorts from Home Fleet were provided by Hone
Fleet because of the threat
to Russian convoys by aircraft and submarines.
7th Detached from JH62 at Kola Inlet after
uninterrupted passage.
(Note: U-Boats of
STOCK Group failed to make contact.
Attempts
by single U-Boats were unsuccessful. See above references.)
9th Sailed from
Kola Inlet with other escorts to carry out anti-submarine operation against U-Boats
assembled
to carry out concerted attacks on departing ships.
(Note: U367 was sunk by HMS BAMB0ROUGH CASTLE during anti-submarine operation.)
See U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
10th Joined escort for return Convoy RA62
after departure from Kola Inlet.
11th HMS CASSANDRA hit by torpedo from U365
and returned to Kola Inlet for repair.
12th HM Norwegian Corvette TUNSBERG CASTLE
sank after striking mine 110 miles NW Kola.
(See above
references.)
Air attacks on convoy failed and
two enemy aircraft destroyed.
13th U365 sunk by two SWORDFISH aircraft
from 813 Squadron embarked in HMS CAMPANIA.
(See
U-BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp.)
17th RCN escorts and HMS LOCH ALVIE detached
from RA62.
20th Arrived in Clyde after RA62 reached
Loch Ewe.
30th Joined Convoy JW63 as escort during
passage to Kola Inlet with HM Destroyers KEPPEL.
WALKER and WESTCOTT, HM Sloops CYGNET,
LAPWING, LARK, H M Corvettes
BAMBOROUGH CASTLE and ALNWICK CASTLE.
1 9 4 5
January
1st HM Cruiser DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft
Carrier VINDEX, HM Destroyers MYNGS, SAVAGE,
SCOURGE, SERAPIS, ZAMBESI, ZEBRA,
ALGONQUIN (RCN), SIOUX joined JW63 to
supplement escort.
. 8th Detached from JW63 on arrival at Kola
Inlet after uninterrupted passage.
11th Joined return convoy RA63 en departure
from Kola Inlet as escort with same snipe as deployed with
JW63
(Note: Convoy forced to shelter due to
severe weather NE of Faroes.)
24th
Sailed from Faroes with re-assembled Convoy
RA63.
. 26th Detached from RA63 after arrival at Loch
Ewe.
27th Arrived In Clyde.
28th
Deployed as escort for Escort Aircraft Carrier during Deck Landing
Training
. 29th Taken in hand for repair by Henderson
shipyard, Glasgow.
March
9th
Resumed convoy defence duties and deployed for Local Escort.
12th
Joined Convoy JW65 at Loch Ewe as Close Escort during passage to Kola
Inlet with HM Corvettes
ALNWICK CASTLE,
BAMBOROUGH CASTLE, LANCASTER CASTLE, CAMELLIA
. HONEYSUCKLE,
,OXLIP, HM Destroyers
MYNGS, STORD (Norwegian) and HM Sloop
LAPWING.
(Note: HM Cruiser
DIADEM, HM Escort Aircraft Carrier CAMPANIA, HM Destroyers
ONSLAUGHT, OPPORTUNE, ORWELL, SCORPION,
ZAMBESI, SIOUX (RCN) and
HM
Corvette FARNHAM CASTLE were also deployed to
reinforce escort.
15th
HM Escort Aircraft
Carrier TRUMPETER escorted by HM Destroyers
SAVAGE and SCOURGE
joined
to provide increased air cover.
17th
Patrol line of U-Boats of HAGEN Croup off Bear Island failed to sight
convoy due to poor
visibility.
20th
Convoy under U-Boat attacks during snow storms which prevented air
operations from the two
carriers.
HMS LAPWING hit by
torpedo from U968.
(Note: This Sloop
later sank.
See above
references and WARSHIP LOSSES IN WW2 by D. Brawn.)
Two mercantiles were also torpedoed, one being sunk and the
other beached later
. 21st Detached from JU65 after arrival at Kola
Inlet.
23rd Deployed
with other escorts to carry cut attacks on known assembly of U-Boats.
(Note: Convoy
re-routed through swept passage in Russian minefield which avoided the awaiting
submarines.
Anti-submarine operations were carried out by escorts in the assembly
area before joining
return convoy RA65.)
On completion of operations joined
RA65 as escort for return passage with same escorts as for
JW65
30th Remained with RA65 when Home Fleet ships detached.
April
1st Detached from RA65 with Corvettes en
arrival at Scapa Flow.
Deployed
for convoy defence and anti-submarine operations In
NW Approaches.
18th Passage to Clyde from Scapa Flow.
20th Deployed in Irish Sea in continuation.
(Note: SCHNORKEL fitted
U-Boats were extensively deployed in coastal waters.
See
OTHER'S U-BOAT WAR by C Blair, SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackman
and HOLD
THE NARROW SEA by P Smith.)
May
12th Passage to Scapa Flew from Clyde.
14th Returned to Clyde.
(Note: After VE Day,
Western Approaches escorts were depleted to meet surrendering U-Boats at
sea and also in ports in Norway.
See
HITLERS U-BOAT WAR and U-BOAT WAR IN THE ATLANTIC (HMSO) for
details
on U-Boat operations in 1945.)
17th Nominated for reduction to Reserve status
. 21st Took passage from Clyde to Sheemess for transfer to Reserve.
P o s t W a
r N o t e s
HMS ALLINGTON CASTLE was nominated
for further service in June 19t5 but could not be brought out of Reserve
for deployment in the Fishery Protection Squadron until the
manning situation allowed. The ship was recommissioned
at Sheemess in January 1946 and was
based at Fleetwood. She was deployed in Home Waters for patrol duties until
1948 and laid-up in Reserve at Harwich. After that Division closed, this ship,
reclassified as a Frigate, was transferred to West
Hartlepool where
she remained until 1958. Placed on the Disposal
List as part of Defence Review in 1957 she was sold to BISCO for demolition by by T Young at Sunderland where she arrived in tow on 20th
December 1958.
Special Acknowledgement
This
revised issue has been made possible by receipt of details of Ship Movements supplied
by the Archivist of THE
CASTLE
CLASS CORVETTES ASSOCIATION and also information from THE NAVAL HISTORICAL
COLLECTORS AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. The information
kindly forwarded has confirmed many of the
dates in the former
issue and filled in many gaps. This assistance is
greatly acknowledged.
