| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Corvette |
| Class | Flower |
| Pennant | K 69 |
| Built by | Harland & Wolff Ltd. (Belfast, Northern Ireland) |
| Ordered | 19 Sep 1939 |
| Laid down | 22 May 1940 |
| Launched | 17 Sep 1940 |
| Commissioned | 1 Nov 1940 |
| End service | |
| History | HMS Heather is not listed as active unit in the July 1945 Navy List Sold to be broken up for scrap on 22 May 1947 and scrapped at Grays. |
Commands listed for HMS Heather (K 69)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Cdr. (retired) James Geoffrey Clemons Gibson, RN | 15 Oct 1940 | May 1942 |
| 2 | T/Lt. William Leslie Turner, RNR | May 1942 | 3 Mar 1945 |
| 3 | Lt. Ernest Maitland Quarrie, RNR | 3 Mar 1945 | mid 1945 |
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 Heather include:
19 Nov 1940
HMS H 34 (Lt. L.W. Napier, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Heather (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, RN) and HMS Rumba (T/Lt. N.E. Hendy, RNVR). (1)
21 Nov 1940
HMS H 34 (Lt. L.W. Napier, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Heather (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, RN) and HMS Rumba (T/Lt. N.E. Hendy, RNVR). (1)
22 Nov 1940
HMS H 34 (Lt. L.W. Napier, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Star of India (Cdr.(Retd.) S.F. Russell, RN) and HMS Heather (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, RN). (1)
3 Dec 1940
Convoy HX 93
This convoy departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 December 1940 and arrived at Liverpool on 18 December 1940.
The convoy was made up of the following merchant vessels; Baron Napier (British, 3559 GRT, built 1930), Bello (Norwegian (tanker), 6125 GRT, built 1930), Carras (Greek, 5234 GRT, built 1918), Harpagon (British, 5719 GRT, built 1935), Lancastrian Prince (British, 1914 GRT, built 1940), Manchester Citizen (British, 5343 GRT, built 1925), Salabangka (Dutch, 6586 GRT, built 1920) and Scottish Star (British, 7224 GRT, built 1917).
On departure from Halifax the convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Aurania (A/Capt. I.W. Whitehorn, RN).
A/S escort in the local approaches was provided until /4 by the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine (Capt. L.W. Murray, RCN) and the auxiliary patrol vessels HMCS French (A/Skr. W. Philpott, RCNR) and HMCS Husky (T/Lt. H. Freeland, RCNR).
On 4 December the Bello was ordered to return to Halifax as she could not keep up with the convoy.
On 5 December the convoy SHX 93, coming from Sydney, Nova Scotia which it had departed on 4 December, mergex with convoy HX 93. Convoy SHX 93 was made up of the following merchant vessels; Anthea (British, 5186 GRT, built 1924), Dux (Norwegian, 1590 GRT, built 1934), Eleni (Greek, 5655 GRT, built 1918), Rupert de Larrinaga (British, 5358 GRT, built 1930), Wanstead (British, 5486 GRT, built 1928) and Welsh Trader (British, 4974 GRT, built 1938).
These ships had no escort.
On 7 December the convoy BHX 93, coming from Bermuda which it had departed on 1 December, merged with convoy HX 93. Convoy BHX 93 was made up of the following merchant vessels; Adula (British (tanker), 8040 GRT, built 1937), Benedick (British (tanker), 6978 GRT, built 1928), Derrymore (British, 4799 GRT, built 1938), Donacilla (British (tanker), 8113 GRT, built 1939), Dunkeld (British, 4944 GRT, built 1937), Elona (British (tanker), 6192 GRT, built 1937), La Paz (British, 6548 GRT, built 1920), Logician (British, 5993 GRT, built 1928), Lulworth Hill (British, 7628 GRT, built 1940), Lunula (British (tanker), 6363 GRT, built 1927), Mahronda (British, 7926 GRT, built 1925), Queen Victoria (British, 4937 GRT, built 1936), Tasmania (British, 6405 GRT, built 1935), Titus (Dutch, 1712 GRT, built 1930), Tosari (Dutch, 7029 GRT, built 1919), Traveller (British, 3963 GRT, built 1922) and Tuscan Star (British, 11449 GRT, built 1930).
Convoy BHX had been escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Maloja (A/Capt. V. Hammersley-Heenan, RN). This ship parted company after the convoy had merged.
On 8 December 1940 the merchant vessel Anthea collided with the Dutch merchant vessel Maasdam (8812 GRT, built 1921) in position 48°44'N, 46°37'W and sank as a result of the colission. At that time the Anthea had straggled from the convoy in the bad visibility.
On 11 December the battleship HMS Rodney (Capt. F.H.G. Dalrymple-Hamilton, RN) took over the escort of the convoy from HMS Ausonia. HMS Rodney was detached on the 13th after the destroyers HMS Matabele (Cdr. R.St.V. Sherbrooke, DSO, RN), HMS Electra (Cdr. S.A. Buss, MVO, RN), HMS Escapade (Cdr. R.E. Hyde-Smith, RN) and HMS Brilliant (Lt.Cdr. F.C. Brodrick, RN) had arrived from Scapa Flow to escort her back to Scap Flow.
Also on the 13th the destroyers HMS Achates (Lt.Cdr. Viscount Jocelyn, RN), HMS Active (A/Cdr. E.C.L. Turner, RN), HMS Antelope (Lt.Cdr. R.T. White, DSO, RN) and corvettes HMS Heather (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, RN) and HMS Picotee ( Lt.Cdr. N.C.H. Scallan, RNR) joined on the 13th. HMS Achates and HMS Heather were detached on the 16th. The A/S trawlers HMS Lady Madeleine (T/Lt. P.H. Potter, RNR) and HMS Norwich City (Ch.Skr. P. Newman, RNR) also joined later.
The bulk of the convoy arrived at Liverpool on 18 December.
15 Dec 1940
Convoy SC 16.
This convoy departed Halifax on 15 December 1940 for Liverpool where it arrived on 31 December 1940.
Upon departure from Halifax the convoy was made up of the following merchant ships: Aeas (Greek, 4729 GRT, built 1915), Anglo Peruvian (British, 5457 GRT, built 1926), Ashby (British, 4868 GRT, built 1927), Boltonhall (British, 4824 GRT, built 1935), Erica (Norwegian, 1592 GRT, built 1919), Frumenton (British, 6675 GRT, built 1930), Hartington (British, 5496 GRT, built 1932), Loke (Norwegian, 2421 GRT, built 1915), Lorca (British, 4875 GRT, built 1931), Pandias (Greek, 4981 GRT, built 1912), Scottish Standard (British (tanker), 6999 GRT, built 1921), Shaftesbury (British, 4284 GRT, built 1923), Sirikishna (British, 5458 GRT, built 1936), Spind (Norwegian, 2197 GRT, built 1917) and Swinburne (British, 4659 GRT, built 1917).
On departure from Halifax the convoy was not escorted. It was joined the next day, the 16th, by the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign (Capt. H.B. Jacomb, RN).
The battleship parted company with the convoy on 23 December 1940.
On 29 December the destroyers HMS Active (A/Cdr. E.C.L. Turner, RN), HMS Antelope (Lt.Cdr. R.T. White, DSO, RN), HMS Georgetown (Lt.Cdr. A.G. Poe, RN), corvettes HMS Heather (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, RN), HMS Picotee ( Lt.Cdr. N.C.H. Scallan, RNR) and the A/S trawler HMS Lady Madeleine (T/Lt. P.H. Potter, RNR) joined the convoy. The destroyers parted company the next day while the other escorted remained with the convoy until it arrived at Liverpool.
29 Aug 1942
HMS H 43 (Lt. J.C.Y. Roxburgh, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Pelican (Cdr. G.V. Gladstone, RN), HMS Sennen (Lt.Cdr. R.S. Abram, RN), HMS Narcissus (Lt. W.G.H. Bolton, RNR), HMS Heather (T/Lt. W.L. Turner, RNR) and FFS Renoncule. (2)
2 Mar 1943
HMS H 44 (Lt. P.S. Beale, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Vanessa (Lt. C.E. Sheen, RN), HMS Whitehall (Cdr. C.L.de H. Bell, RD, RNR), HMS Heather (T/Lt. W.L. Turner, RNR) and HNoMS Rose. (3)
22 Jan 1944
HMS H 44 (Lt. P.N. Joyce, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Clematis (T/Lt. R.H. Farrands, DSC, RNR) and HMS Heather (T/Lt. W.L. Turner, RNR). (4)
29 Feb 1944
HMS H 44 (Lt. P.N. Joyce, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Campanula (T/Lt. I. Bull, RNVR), HMS Heather (T/Lt. W.L. Turner, RNR), HMCS Lunenburg (T/Lt. D.L. Miller, RCNVR), HMCS Prescott (A/Lt.Cdr. W. McIsaac, RCNVR), a href=/allies/warships/ship/807.html>HMCS Camrose (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.R. Pavillard, RCNR) and HMCS Snowberry (T/Lt. J.A. Dunn, RCNVR). (5)
Sources
- ADM 173/16308
- ADM 173/17252
- ADM 173/17814
- ADM 173/17812
- ADM 173/18513
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.