Allied Warships

HMS Cape Portland (FY 246)

ASW Trawler

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeASW Trawler
Class[No specific class] 
PennantFY 246 
Built byCochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched17 Sep 1936 
CommissionedJan 1940 
End service 
History

Completed in October 1936.
Taken over by the Admiralty on 29 September 1939.
Displacement: 490 tons.
Armament: 1 4" gun, 2 .5" AA (1x2), 2 MG AA.

Lent to the Portugese Navy on 8 October 1943.
Returned on 6 August 1944.
Sold in 1945.
Scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1965.

 

Commands listed for HMS Cape Portland (FY 246)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/S.Lt. Bernard George Abbott Savage, RNR24 Jan 19406 May 1940
2T/Lt. Olman Todd Harrison, RNR6 May 19406 Dec 1940
3S.Lt. John Vernon Lobb, RANVR6 Dec 1940Jan 1941
4T/Lt. Awdry Leopold Cole, RNVRJan 1941Feb 1941

5Lt. Alan Branson, RNRFeb 19417 Jul 1942
6T/Lt. Keir Francis Rasmussen, RNR7 Jul 19428 Oct 1943

7T/Lt. Douglas Oscar Denton, RNVR25 Sep 1944

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Notable events involving Cape Portland include:


22 Jan 1943
HMS Cape Portland (Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR) picks up two survivors from the Swedish merchant Neva that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-358 in the scattered convoy UR-59 in position 61°35'N, 14°15'W.

6 Jul 1943
HMS P 511 (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Saladin (Lt. A.A. Diggens, DSC, RN), HMS Hugh Walpole (T/Lt. J. Mackenzie, RNR), HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR), HMS Fame (Capt. R. Heathcote, DSO, RN) and HMS Moyola (Lt.Cdr. H.N. Lawson, RD, RNR). (1)

10 Jul 1943
HMS H 34 (T/Lt. R.L. Willoughby, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Hugh Walpole (T/Lt. J. Mackenzie, RNR), HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR), HMS Forester (Lt.Cdr. J.A. Burnett, DSC, RN), HMS Vansittart (Lt.Cdr. T. Johnston, RN) and HMS Rother (Lt.Cdr. R.V.E. Case, DSC, RD, RNR). (2)

11 Jul 1943
HMS H 34 (T/Lt. R.L. Willoughby, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Forester (Lt.Cdr. J.A. Burnett, DSC, RN), HMS Vansittart (Lt.Cdr. T. Johnston, RN), HMS Hugh Walpole (T/Lt. J. Mackenzie, RNR), HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR), HMS Saxifrage (T/Lt. J. Renwick, DSO, RNR) and HMS Rother (Lt.Cdr. R.V.E. Case, DSC, RD, RNR). (2)

12 Jul 1943
HMS P 511 (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMS Vansittart (Lt.Cdr. T. Johnston, RN), HMS Saxifage (T/Lt. J. Renwick, DSO, RNR), HMS Hugh Walpole (T/Lt. J. Mackenzie, RNR) and HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR). (1)

28 Sep 1943

Operation Alacrity.

The object of this operation was to land at the Azores (Portugese territory) and establish air bases there.

Negotiations with the Portugese were still ongoing to effect this through diplomatic ways and eventually this succeeded and the airbases were established with Portugese consent.

For this operations three convoys left the U.K., these were the following;
Convoy UA 1.
This convoy departed the Clyde on 28 September 1943 and was made up of the following transports / tankers Corfell (British, 1802 GRT, built 1934), Dux (Norwegian, 1590 GRT, built 1934) and Empire Garden (British (tanker), 8966 GRT, built 1920) which were to proceed to Horta and the Corfirth (British, 1803 GRT, built 1934) and Crane (British, 785 GRT, built 1937) as well as the landing ship HMS LST 13 (Lt.Cdr. R.A. Crozier, RD, RNR) which were to proceed to Angra. The Corfith and HMS LST 13 were however unable to sail with the convoy and remained behind.

Escort for this convoy was made up of the destroyer HMS Volunteer (Lt.Cdr. G.J. Luther, RN), corvette HMS Lavender (Lt. L.G. Pilcher, RNR), A/S trawlers HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. K.F. Rasmussen, RNR), HMS Saon (T/Lt. J.C. Payne, RNVR), HMS Vascama (T/Lt. H.A.R. Twomey, RNR) and the M/S trawlers HMS Bruray (T/Lt. G.H. Clark, DSC, RNVR), HMS Hayling (T/Lt. G.F. Bryant, RNVR), HMS Mangrove (T/Lt. J.K.M. Warde, RNVR) and HMS Whalsay (T/Lt. F.J.S. Crawford, RNVR).

Convoy UA 2.
This convoy departed the Clyde on 30 September 1943 and was made up of the following transports Empire Outpost (British, 6978 GRT, built 1943) and Scottish Monarch (British, 7004 GRT, built 1943). The landing ships HMS Bachaquero (Lt.Cdr. P.G. Britten, RD, RNR) and (RFA) Dewdale (8265 GRT, built 1941) were also part of this convoy.

Convoy UA 2 was escorted by the destroyers HMS Havelock (Cdr. R.C. Boyle, DSC, RN), HMS Warwick (Cdr. Y.M. Cleeves, DSO, DSC, RD, RNR), corvettes HMS Buttercup (T/Lt. R.J. Jonckheere, RNR), HMS Godetia (T/Lt. M.A.F. Larose, RNR), A/S trawlers HMS Kingston Agate (Lt. J. Simms, RNR), HMS Kingston Amber (T/Lt. R. Adams, RNR), HMS St. Elstan (Lt. R.M. Roberts, RNR) and HMS Vizalma (T/Lt. B. James, RNVR).

Convoy UA 3.
This convoy departed Liverpool on 2 October 1943 and was made up of the troop transport Franconia (British, 20175 GRT, built 1923). She was escorted by the destroyers HMS Inconstant (Cdr. R.H. Mills, RN) and ORP Garland (Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) S. Biskupski). These ships were fist to proceed to Belfast Lough were the destroyers were to be fuelled and then on 3 October 1943 they were to rendezvous with the escort carrier HMS Fencer (Capt. E.W. Anstice, RN) and the destroyers ORP Burza (Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) F. Pitulko) and HMS Whitehall (Cdr. C.L.de H. Bell, RD, RNR) coming from the Clyde which they had departed also on 3 October 1943. The destroyers HMS Wrestler (Lt. R.W.B. Lacon, DSC, RN) and HMS Viscount (Lt.Cdr. L.E. Woodhouse, RN) joined coming from Londonderry which they had departed also on 3 October 1943.

The convoys arrived near the Azores on or around 8 October 1943. [Further research is required regarding the exact movements of the convoys and the ships in it.]

19 Nov 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Campbeltown with HMS St. Kenan (T/Lt. J.B. Newland, RNVR) and HMS Cape Portland (T/Lt. D.O. Denton, RNVR). (3)

Sources

  1. ADM 173/17926
  2. ADM 173/17796
  3. ADM 173/19423

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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