Cunard Line mercantile requisitioned in August
1939 for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. This ship was later
purchased outright,
converted for use as a Repair Ship and renamed H M S ARTIFEX. She remained in
service after 1945
for training duties and was placed in Reserve in 1955. She was sold for breaking-up in Italy in 1960.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
are recorded in the standard reference sources.
(Note : It is possible that 'OKINAWA
1945' was
awarded after WW2 but this has not been confirmed.)
H e r
a l d i c D a t a
(As HMS ARTIFEX)
Badge: On a Field
Gold, in front of three sledge hammers
an Anvil Black.
S u m m
a r y o f S e r v i c
e
1 9 3 9
August Hired for service as an Armed Merchant
Cruiser
September Under
conversion. 6" guns fitted.
(For details of the
service of this type of warships see ARMED MERCHANT CRUISERS by
K Poolman.)
October
1st Commissioned as HMS AURANIA.
November
On completion of conversion and work-up deployed for trade defence in
Atlantic
to
December
1 9 4
0 t o
1 9 4 1
Atlantic
Trade Defence deployment in continuation.
1 9 4
2
January Atlantic
trade defence in continuation.
to Selected for conversion
for use as Heavy Repair Ship.
October
November Purchased outright.
December Paid off and taken in hand for
conversion.
(Note: One source
states the conversion was undertaken by an Admiralty Team based at
Trincomalee, Ceylon and therefore may have been
carried out in Ceylon.
See ONE HUNDRED
YEARS OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTION by D K Brown.).
1 9 4 3
Under conversion
1 9 4 4
January Under
conversion.
to
July
August Commissioned as HMS ARTIFEX on
completion of conversion
September Post refit
trials and preparations for service in Pacific.
to
December
1 9 4 5
January Passage to join British
Pacific Fleet
to
February
March Joined British Fleet Train , (Task Force 112), and deployed at British Forward
Base in Manus,
. Admiralty Islands
Manus for support of ships of
Task Force 57 British Pacific Fleet.
19th Passage to Leyte for support of
operations by Task Force 57 ships against airfield
targets in
Sakishima-Gunto
Islands. (Operation ICEBERG TWO).
(Note: Slips of Task Group 112 sent to the US Base at Leyte included HM HQ Ship LOTHIAN.
Flagship of TG112, HM Depot Ship TYNE, Fleet Oilers
and Supply Ships for water,
armament and naval stores.)
April
Support duties at Leyte in continuation.
See THE
FORGOTTEN FLEET by John Winton, TASK FORCE 57 by Peter C Smith,
WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO) and OPERATION PACIFIC by E Grey for details of
ICEBERG TWO operations by RN ships.)
May
20th Took passage Manus for support of the
planned operations by Task Force 57 ships in Japanese
waters.
June Deployed at Manus for
Fleet Support. (See above references)
to
July
August Remained at Manus until RN
ships returned to Australia after their withdrawal from operations
with Task
Force 36.
(Note: See above references for details of this withdrawal
due to the lack of fuel from British
sources.)
September On release from British Pacific
Fleet returned to UK.
1 9 4 6
After arrival
in UK remained in commission and selected for training duties
Passage to Rosyth for training of Artificer Apprentices of HMS
CALEDONIA.
1 9 4 7
t o 1 9 5 4
Deployed at Rosyth for Artificer Apprentice
training.
1 9 5 5
Paid off
into Reserve Fleet and destored.
Remained at Rosyth as Tender to HMS CALEDONIA.
F i n a l P h a s e
HMS
ARTIFEX was laid up at Rosyth within HM Dockyard and placed on the Disposal
List. She was to BISCO
for demolition by
an Italian shipbreaker on 28th December 1960 and
towed from Rosyth to Spezia on 7th January 1961.
