Allied Warships

HMS Huddersfield Town (FY 197)

ASW Trawler

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeASW Trawler
Class[No specific class] 
PennantFY 197 
Built bySmiths Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched21 Aug 1933 
CommissionedOct 1939 
End service 
History

Completed in March 1933.
Taken over by the Admiralty in August 1939.
Displacement: 399 tons.

Sold in 1945.
Renamed Leeds United in 1962.
Scrapped at Bruges, Belgium in September 1963.

 

Commands listed for HMS Huddersfield Town (FY 197)

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
1Lt.Cdr. (retired) James Geoffrey Clemons Gibson, RN2 Oct 1939late 1940

2Skr. John Henry Consadine, RNRmid 194112 Sep 1943
3Skr.Lt. Magnus Andrew Smith, RD, RNR12 Sep 1943early 1945
4Skr. Charles Barfoot Scott, RNRearly 1945

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Notable events involving Huddersfield Town include:


Sep 1939
Purchased by the Admiralty in September 1939 and converted to an A/S Trawler Escort. Armament:4.7in gun on bows, one 20mm Oerlikon gun either side of bridge, two 0.5 machine guns aft of bridge. Depth charge rails astern, port and starboard throwers. Also Asdic tracker and dome, plus radar. Anti magnetic degaussing gear. (1)

31 Dec 1940
HMS H 50 (Lt. M. Willmott, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Holyhead with HMS Huddersfield Town (Skr. R. Armstrong, RNR). (2)

28 May 1943

Towage of AFD 18 from Oban to Oran.

In the late evening of 28 May 1943 the Floating Dock AFD 18 departed Oban for Oran. The dock was being towed by the tug HMS Bustler.

Escort was provided by the sloop HMS Chanticleer (Lt.Cdr. R.H. Bristowe, DSO, RN) and the corvettes HMS Dianella (T/Lt. J.F. Tognola, RNR), HMS Lotus (Lt.Cdr. H.J. Hall, DSC, RD, RNR), HMS Poppy (T/Lt. D.R.C. Onslow, RNR) and HMS Starwort (Lt. A.H. Kent, DSC, RNR).

Cover during part of the passage was to be provided by the AA cruiser HMS Charybdis (Capt. G.A.W. Voelcker, RN) which departed Plymouth on 31 May.

The tow experienced difficulties and much delay.

This resulted in that some of the escorts had not enough fuel to reach Gibraltar and on 7 June they were all relieved by the destroyer HMS Boreas (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Jones, DSC, RN) and escort destroyer HMS Melbreak (Lt. G.E.C.G. Baines, RN) which had departed Gibraltar on 5 June. Later the corvette HMS Cyclamen (?) and the A/S trawlers HMS Huddersfield Town (A/Skr.Lt. J.H. Consadine, DSC, RNR) and HNoMS Molde also joined. These too had departed Gibraltar on 5 June.

AFD 18 towed by HMS Bustler and escorted by HMS Bulldog, HMS Cyclamen, HMS Huddersfield Town and HNoMS Molde finally arrived at Oran on 12 June 1943. HMS Melbreak meanwhile had parted company arriving at Gibraltar on 13 June.

28 Sep 1943
At 1630 hours (time zone -1), HMS Tantalus (Lt.Cdr. H.S. Mackenzie, DSO and Bar, RN), departed from Holy Loch for Portsmouth. She was escorted by HMS Huddersfield Town (A/Skr.Lt. J.H. Consadine, DSC, RNR). (3)

6 Jun 1944
Took part in operation Neptune (D-Day landings)giving A.S support to the U.S Bach (Utah). Escorted tug towing earth moving equipment to beach. Escorted hospital ship carrying the wounded back to England. Then resumed escort work in the Western Approaches. (1)

9 Jan 1945
HMS Huddersfield Town picks up 62 men from the American merchant Jonas Lie that was torpedoed and damaged by German U-boat U-1055 at the entrance to the Bristol Channel in position 51°45'N, 05°27'W.

A salvage attempt was undertaken despite the fact that the vessel had drifted into a minefield. The Jonas Lie finally foundered on 14 January 1945 after the salvage attempts failed.

Sources

  1. Personal communication
  2. ADM 173/16335
  3. ADM 173/18192

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


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