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Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Corfu (F 86)

25 Nov 1939
At 1200Z/25, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) is commissioned at Belfast. (1)

14 Dec 1939
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) conducted gunnery trials in Belfast Lough on completion of which course was set for Portsmouth. (2)

16 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 0900Z/16, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Portsmouth from Belfast. (2)

27 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) conducted D/F calibration trials off Portsmouth. (2)

28 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) proceeded from The Solent to Portland. (2)

29 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) conducted gunnery exercises off Portland. (2)

30 Dec 1939 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) conducted gunnery exercises off Portland. These included night gunnery exercises.

Around 2145Z/30, she departed Portland for the Clyde. (2)

1 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1015Z/1, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from Portland. (3)

2 Jan 1940
Around 1635Z/2, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Iceland / east of Faeroer Islands. (3)

6 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 0245Z/6, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Scapa Flow from patrol. She was forced to leave patrol due to a bad leak in the starboard condenser. (3)

7 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1545Z/7, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde. Shipyard assistance for the repairs to the starboard condenser were required. (3)

9 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from Scapa Flow. (3)

11 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) proceeded up river from Greenock to Glasgow. (3)

27 Jan 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
With the repairs completed, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) proceeded down river from Glasgow to Greenock. (3)

1 Feb 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 2315Z/1, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Iceland / Faeroer gap. (4)

11 Feb 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1450Z/11, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (4)

15 Feb 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 0030Z/15, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She is ordered to patrol south of Iceland / east of Faeroer Islands. (4)

24 Feb 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1430Z/24, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (4)

27 Feb 1940
Around 1500A/27, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Iceland / east of Faeroer Islands. (4)

10 Mar 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1500A/10, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (5)

20 Mar 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1545A/20, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Iceland / east of Faeroer Islands. (5)

2 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1600A/2, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (6)

5 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1600A/2, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Iceland / Faeroer gap. (6)

8 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) is ordered to return to Greenock. (6)

10 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 0900A/10, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) returned to Greenock from patrol. (6)

12 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1300A/12, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Iceland / east of Faeroer Islands. (6)

25 Apr 1940
Around 1445A/25, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (6)

28 Apr 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1730A/28, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol south of Iceland. (6)

11 May 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1345A/11, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (7)

24 May 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) proceeded up river to Glasgow and is docked in the Elderslie Dry Dock. (7)

25 May 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) is undocked and proceeded down river to Greenock. (7)

1 Jun 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 2145A/1, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for the Northern Patrol. She was ordered to patrol to the west and south/west of Ireland. (8)

14 Jun 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1830A/14, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Greenock from patrol. (8)

27 Jun 1940
Around 1045A/27, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) departed Greenock for Freetown via Dakar. Given the French capitlation the stopover at Dakar was later cancelled.

She was to join the South Atlantic Station / Freetown Escort Force. (8)

7 Jul 1940
Around 0915N/7, HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) arrived at Freetown from Greenock. (9)

19 Jul 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
It was decided to sent the majority of the crew of the heavily damaged HMS Corfu (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) back to the U.K. The crew that remained were to be able to get her underway and to man two of her 6" guns.

HMS Corfu had meanwhile been taken in hand for temporary repairs which were expected to take months.

On 1 August 1940 it was decided that full repairs were to be made at Calcutta, India. (10)

Light cruiser HMS Aurora (12)

20 Jan 1941 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1030A/20, the light cruiser HMS Aurora (Capt. W.G. Agnew, RN) and destroyers HMS Escapade (Cdr. R.E. Hyde-Smith, RN), HMS Eclipse (Lt.Cdr. I.T. Clark, RN), HMS Echo (Cdr. S.H.K. Spurgeon, DSO, RAN), HMS Electra (Cdr. S.A. Buss, MVO, RN) departed Scapa Flow to proceed to Liverpool and escort the new battleship HMS Prince of Wales (Rear Admiral L.H.K. Hamilton, DSO and Bar, RN) from there to Rosyth.

The departure of the battleship is however delayed and in the evening they were ordered to return to Scapa Flow where they arrived around 0845A/21th. (11)

6 Oct 1941 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS Aurora (Capt. Sir W.G. Agnew, RN, now flying the flag of A/Admiral J.C. Tovey, KCB, DSO, RN, C-in-C Home Fleet) departed the Seidisfiord around 1000/6 for Scapa Flow where she arrived around 1030/7.

A/Admiral Tovey and his staff were then disembarked. (12)

18 Jul 1943 (position 0.00, 0.00)
Around 1300/18, the light cruiser HMS Aurora (Commodore W.G. Agnew, CB, RN) and the destroyers HMS Troubridge (Capt. C.L. Firth, MVO, RN), HMS Tumult (Lt.Cdr. N. Lanyon, RN), HMS Quilliam (Capt. S.H. Carlill, DSO, RN), HMS Offa (Lt.Cdr. R.F. Leonard, RN), ORP Piorun (Cdr. S.T. Dzienisiewicz), HMS Ilex (Lt.Cdr. V.A. Wight-Boycott, OBE, RN) and HMS Echo (Lt.Cdr. R.H.C. Wyld, RN) departed Malta for a sweep along the south coast of Calabria. No shipping was sighted. One aircraft was shot down by HMS Ilex.

Around 1045/19, HMS Troubridge, HMS Tumult, HMS Quilliam, HMS Offa and ORP Piorun were detached to hunt a reported U-boat.

HMS Aurora, HMS Ilex and HMS Echo returned to Malta around 1420/19.

HMS Troubridge, HMS Tumult, HMS Quilliam, HMS Offa and ORP Piorun returned to Malta around 0145/20. (13)

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