Allied Warships

HMS Grecian (J 352)

Minesweeper of the Auk class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeMinesweeper
ClassAuk 
PennantJ 352 
Built bySavannah Machinery and Foundry Co. (Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A.) 
Ordered2 Dec 1941 
Laid down7 Sep 1942 
Launched10 Mar 1943 
Commissioned22 Sep 1943 
End serviceJan 1947 
History

Returned to the United States Navy in January 1947.
Transferred to Turkey in January 1947 and renamed Edincik.

 

Commands listed for HMS Grecian (J 352)

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
1A/Cdr. (emergency) Charles Duncan Alexander Irvine, RN28 Sep 194319 Apr 1945
2T/A/Cdr. Charles Robertson Fraser, DSC, RNR19 Apr 19455 Sep 1946

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Grecian include:


27 Apr 1944
In the morning, the battleship HMS Rodney (Capt. R.O. Fitzroy, RN), conducted maneuvering exercises in the Clyde area with the minesweepers HMS Grecian (A/Cdr.(Emgy.) C.D.A. Irvine, RN), HMS Gorgon (T/A/Lt.Cdr. F. Mugford, RNR) and HMS Gazelle (Lt. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN).

In the afternoon 4.7 AA gunnery exercises were carried out by HMS Rodney. (1)

30 Apr 1944
In the morning, the battleship HMS Rodney (Capt. R.O. Fitzroy, RN), conducted maneuvering exercises in the Clyde area with the minesweepers HMS Grecian (A/Cdr.(Emgy.) C.D.A. Irvine, RN) and HMS Gazelle (Lt. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN).

In the afternoon gunnery exercises were carried out by HMS Rodney. (1)

2 Jun 1944
Around 1930B/2, ' Bombardment Force D ', made up of the battleships HMS Warspite (Capt. M.H.A. Kelsey, DSC, RN), HMS Ramillies (Capt. G.B. Middleton, CBE, RN), heavy cruiser HMS Frobisher (Capt. J.F.W. Mudford, RN), light cruisers HMS Mauritius (Capt. W.W. Davis, RN, flying the flag of Rear-Admiral W.R. Patterson, CB, CVO, RN), HMS Arethusa (Capt. H. Dalrymple-Smith, RN), HMS Danae (Capt. J.R.S. Haines, RN), ORP Dragon (Kmdr.por. (Cdr.) S.T. Dzienisiewicz), destroyers HMS Saumarez (Capt. P.G.L. Cazalet, DSC, RN), HMS Swift (Lt.Cdr. J.R. Gower, RN), HNoMS Stord (Lt.Cdr. S.V. Storheill), HNoMS Svenner (Lt.Cdr. T. Holte), frigates HMS Holmes (Lt. D.B.G. Dumas, RN), HMS Rowley (Lt.Cdr. F.J.G. Jones, RD, RNR) and minesweepers HMS Catherine (A/Cdr. L.C. Windsor, RN), HMS Cato (Lt. R.W.E. Harris, RN), HMS Combatant (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.L. Barwell, RN), HMS Gazelle (Lt. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN), HMS Gorgon (T/A/Lt.Cdr. F. Mugford, RNR), HMS Grecian (A/Cdr.(Emgy.) C.D.A. Irvine, RN), HMS Pique (T/Lt. W.J.C. Fuller, RNR) and HMS Steadfast (T/A/Lt.Cdr. R. Mowbray, RNR) departed the Clyde for operation Neptune, the landings in Normandy, France.

6 May 1945

Operation Cleaver.

Entry of a naval surface force into the Skagerrak and Kattegat.

The following forces took part in this operation;
' Force 5 ' which was made up of the light cruisers HMS Birmingham (Capt. H.W. Williams, RN), HMS Dido (Capt. R.F. Elkins, OBE, RN) and the destroyers HMS Zephyr (Capt. J.H. Allison, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Zealous (Cdr. R.F. Jessel, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Zest (Lt.Cdr. R.B.N. Hicks, DSO, RN) and HMS Zodiac (Lt.Cdr. H.R. Rycroft, DSC, RN).
This force departed Rosyth in the evening of the 6th.

' Force 6 ' which was made up of the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk (Capt. J.G.Y. Loveband, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral R.R. McGrigor, CB, DSO, RN) and the destroyers HMS Scourge (Lt.Cdr. C.G.H. Brown, DSC, RN, with Capt. P.G.L. Cazalet, DSC, RN on board), HMS Savage (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Malins, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Obedient (Lt.Cdr. H. Kirkwood, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Offa (Lt.Cdr. E.M. Thorpe, DSO, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. R.E.D. Ryder, VC, RN), HMS Zambesi (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Palmer, RN) and HMS Carysfort (Lt.Cdr. L.St.G. Rich, DSO and Bar, RN). This force departed Scapa flow early the 7th except to joined the escort carriers HMS Queen (A/Capt. K.J. D'Arcy, DSO, RN), HMS Searcher (Capt. J.W. Grant, DSO, RN), HMS Trumpeter (A/Capt. K.S. Colquhoun, RN) which had still been at sea after operation Judgement together with the escort carrier HMS Campania (Capt. C.B. Alers-Hankey, DSC, RN) and the destroyers HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Franks, DSO, DSC, OBE, RN), HNoMS Stord (Lt.Cdr. H. Øi) and ORP Piorun (Lt.Cdr. J. Tchorznicki, ORP). The cruisers and the destroyers joined the escort carriers around 1000B/7.

HMS Campania, HMS Obdurate, HNoMS Stord and ORP Piorun then parted company.

And the 40th Minesweeping Flotilla made up of HMS Catherine (Cdr. K.H. Fraser, RN), 6541 HMS Cynthia (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.L. Chatwin, RNVR), HMS Elfreda (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L. Jolly, RNVR), HMS Grecian (T/A/Cdr. C.R. Fraser, DSC and Bar, RNR) and HMS Gazelle (Lt.Cdr. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN), HMS Maenad (Cdr. C.E. Duggan, RD, RNR), HMS Steadfast (T/A/Lt. A.H. Hall, RNVR) and HMS Tattoo (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) F.G. Rogers, RD, RNR). They departed Rosyth of the 6th.

Force 5 and the 40th M/S Flotilla arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark on 9 May. The 40th M/S Flotilla swept Force 5 through the minefields.

Force 6 returned to Scapa Flow on 10 May. (2)

11 May 1945

Operation Kingdom.

The object of this operation was to transport the Norwegian Crown Prince, together with Norwegian Government officials and military commanders and also members of the Allied Shaef mission (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force).

For this operation the heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire (Capt. G.M.B. Langley, OBE, RN), fast minelayers HMS Apollo (Capt. J.A. Grindle, CBE, RN), HMS Ariadne (Capt. F.B. Lloyd, OBE, RN), destroyers HMCS Iroquois (Capt. K.F. Adams, RCN), HMS Savage (Lt.Cdr. C.W. Malins, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Campbell (Lt. B.W. Meaden, RN), escort destroyer HNoMS Arendal departed Rosyth around 1630B/11. They arrived at Oslo in the afternoon of the 13th.

The were swept in by the minesweepers HMS Catherine (Cdr. Kenneth Hillam Fraser, RN), 6541 HMS Cynthia (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.L. Chatwin, RNVR), HMS Elfreda (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L. Jolly, RNVR), HMS Grecian (T/A/Cdr. C.R. Fraser, DSC and Bar, RNR) and HMS Gazelle (Lt.Cdr. J.D. Sutcliffe, RN), HMS Maenad (Cdr. C.E. Duggan, RD, RNR), HMS Steadfast (T/A/Lt. A.H. Hall, RNVR) and HMS Tattoo (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) F.G. Rogers, RD, RNR) which had come from Copenhagen. (3)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/120409
  2. ADM 199/1440
  3. ADM 53/121219 + ADM 199/1440

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


Return to the Allied Warships section