uboat.net

  Front page - Fighting the U-boats - Allied Warships

Follow us on Twitter
@uboatnet

Notable events involving Puffin include:

25 Oct 1939
German U-boat U-16 was scuttled in the English Channel near Dover, in position 51°09'N, 01°28'E, after hitting a mine. Its loss was earlier credited to depth charge attacks carried out by the British ASW trawler HMS Cayton Wyke (Ch/Skr. D.F. Noble, RNR) and the patrol vessel HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN) in the afternoon on 24 October, but the U-boat was probably not damaged during these attacks.

20 Nov 1939
HMS H 44 (Lt. H.A.V. Haggard, RN) conducted exercises off Portland with HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN). (1)

21 Nov 1939
HMS L 27 (Lt. P.J. Cowell, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Portsmouth with HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN) and HMS Conqueror (Capt.(Retd.) E.T.R. Chambers, RN). (2)

30 Nov 1939
HMS H 28 (Lt. D.E. Mansfield, RN) conducted practice attacks off Portland on HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN). (3)

30 Nov 1939
HMS H 44 (Lt. H.A.V. Haggard, RN) conducted exercises off Portland with HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN). (1)

30 Nov 1939
HMS H 50 (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) J.R.G. Harvey, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Portland with HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN). (4)

7 Dec 1939
HMS H 31 (Lt. P.R. Ward, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Portland with HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN) and HMS Conqueror (Capt.(Retd.) E.T.R. Chambers, RN). (5)

22 Dec 1939

Convoy TC 2.

This convoy of troopships departed Halifax on 22 December 1939 for the Clyde where it arrived on 30 December 1939.

The convoy was made up of the following troopships / liners; Almanzora (British, 15551 GRT, built 1914, carrying 1284 troops), Andes (British, 25689 GRT, built 1939, carrying 1358 troops), Batory (Polish, 14287 GRT, built 1936, carrying 806 troops), Chrobry (Polish, 11442 GRT, built 1939, carrying 1045 troops) Orama (British, 19840 GRT, built 1924, carrying 935 troops), Ormonde (British, 14982 GRT, built 1917, carrying 1269 troops) and Reina del Pacifico (British, 17702 GRT, built 1931, carrying 1455 troops).

A/S escort was provided on leaving Halifax the Canadian destroyers HMCS Fraser (Cdr. W.N. Creery, RCN), HMCS Ottawa (Capt. G.C. Jones, RCN), HMCS Restigouche (Lt.Cdr. W.B.L. Holms, RCN), HMCS St. Laurent (Lt.Cdr. H.G. de Wolf, RCN) and the British destroyer HMS Hunter (Lt.Cdr. L. De Villiers, RN). These destroyers remained with the convoy until 24 December 1939 when they set course to return to Halifax.

Ocean Escort was provided by the British battleship HMS Revenge (Capt. E.R. Archer, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral L.E. Holland, CB, RN) [Rear-Admiral Holland had hoisted his flag shortly before departure], French battlecruiser Dunkerque (Capt. M.J.M. Seguin and the French light cruiser Gloire (Capt. F.H.R. de Belot).

On 26 December, the battleship HMS Resolution (Capt. O. Bevir, RN), which was on passage from the Clyde to Halifax provided additional cover for the convoy. before she continued her passage to Halifax.

When the convoy approached the British isles, the destroyers HMS Somali (Capt. R.S.G. Nicholson, DSO, DSC, RN), HMS Bedouin (Cdr. J.A. McCoy, RN), HMS Eskimo (Cdr. St.J.A. Micklethwait, RN), HMS Matabele (Cdr. G.K. Whitmy-Smith, RN), HMS Mohawk (Cdr. J.W.M. Eaton, RN), HMS Fearless (Cdr. K.L. Harkness, RN), HMS Firedrake (Lt.Cdr. S.H. Norris, DSC, RN), HMS Fury (Cdr. G.F. Burghard, RN), HMS Imperial (Lt.Cdr. C.A.de W. Kitcat, RN) and HMS Impulsive (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Thomas, RN) departed Greenock on the 25th to join the convoy on the 28th. On the 26th two more destroyers departed Greenock, these were HMS Kashmir (Cdr. H.A. King, RN) and HMS Kingston (Lt.Cdr. P. Somerville, DSO, RN). These destroyers also joined the convoy on the 28th.

On the 29th the French battlecruiser Dunkerque and the light cruiser Gloire parted company with the convoy. They were escorted by the destroyers HMS Fearless, HMS Firedrake and HMS Fury until they were relieved by the French large destroyers Mogador (Cdr. P. Maerte), Volta (Cdr. C.V.E. Jacquinet), Le Triomphant (Cdr. M.M.P.L. Pothuau), Le Fantasque (Capt. P.A.B. Still), and Le Terrible (Cdr. A.E.R. Bonneau).

Four more escorts joined the convoy on the 29th. These were the minesweepers HMS Jason (Lt.Cdr. D.H. Fryer, RN), HMS Gleaner (Lt.Cdr. H.P. Price, RN) and the patrol vessels HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, DSC, RN) and HMS Shearwater (Lt.Cdr. P.F. Powlett, RN).

The convoy arrived safely in the Clyde area in the morning of 30 December 1939. (6)

7 Feb 1940
HMS H 34 (Lt. E.F. Balston, RN) and HMS Unity (Lt. J.F.B. Brown, RN) depated the Nore for Portsmouth. They were escorted by HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr. Hon. J.M.G. Waldegrave, RN). (7)

18 May 1940

Operation Quixote.

Cutting of underwater telephone lines between Scandinavia and the U.K.

On 18 May 1940 the auxiliary M/S trawlers HMS Cape Melville (Ch.Skr. A. Flaws, RNR), HMS Grampian (Lt.Cdr. A. Longmuir, RNR), HMS James Lay (Skr. W.H. Makings, RNR), HMS Milford Princess (T/Skr. J.W. Cook, RNR), HMS Milford Queen (T/Skr. F.J. Burgess, RNR) and HMS Pelton (Skr. J.A. Sutherland, RNR) departed Harwich to cut underwater telephone cables. They were escorted by the patrol vessel HMS Puffin (Lt.Cdr.(Emgy.) D.F. Beattie, RN). Cover for the operation was provided by the destroyers HMS Jackal (Cdr. T.M. Napier, RN), HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) and HMS Javelin (Cdr. A.F. Pugsley, RN).

26 Mar 1945
HMS Puffin (T/A/Lt.Cdr. A.S. Miller, RNZNVR) rammed and sank a German Seehund midget submarine off Lowestoft. (8)