Allied Warships

HMS Northern Sky (4.41)

ASW Trawler

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeASW Trawler
Class[No specific class] 
Pennant4.41 
Built byDeschimag (Bremerhaven, Germany) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched 
CommissionedSep 1939 
End service 
History

Completed in October 1936.
Taken over by the Admiralty for use as armed boarding vessel on 1 September 1939, became an ASW trawler in early 1942.
Displacement: 655 tons.
Armament: 1 4" gun.

Returned to her owner in September 1945.
Scrapped at Dunston in 1964.

 

Commands listed for HMS Northern Sky (4.41)

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. James Maddock Roche, RNR5 Sep 19391 Dec 1939
2Lt. John Evelyn Bromley, RNR1 Dec 1939Mar 1941
3T/Lt. Richard Alfred Harman, RNVRMar 1941mid 1942
4T/Lt. Eric Graham Baird, RNVRmid 19424 Aug 1942
5T/Lt. Ole Bernard Egjar, RNR4 Aug 194212 Nov 1943
6Lt. John Hollis Linggard, RNVR12 Nov 194325 Mar 1944
7T/Lt. George Otto Thompson Dawson Henderson, RNVR25 Mar 1944Jan 1945
8T/Lt. Stanley George Reynolds Morgan, RNVRJan 1945

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Notable events involving Northern Sky include:


12 Apr 1940
Around 1840A/12, HMS Suffolk (Capt. J.W. Durnford, RN), departed Greenock with about 250 Marines on board which were to be taken to the Faeroer Islands.

The destroyers HMS Havant (Lt.Cdr. A.F. Burnell-Nugent, RN) and HMS Hesperus (Lt.Cdr. D.G.F.W. MacIntyre, RN) had arrived at Thorshavn on this day to inform the Governor of the Faroes Islands that a garrison of Royal Marines would be garrisoned there to repel a possible German invasion. The destroyers then went out to sea to await the arrival of HMS Suffolk. They made rendezvous at 1450A/13 and arrived at Thorshavn around 1630A/13.

The armed boarding vessels HMS Northern Foam (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Houchen, RNR) and HMS Northern Sky (Lt. J.E. Bromley, RNR) which were already waiting there then went alongside HMS Suffolk to take over the Marines.

The operation was completed late in the evening of the 13th when HMS Suffolk departed for the Vestfjord area near Narvik, Norway. HMS Havant and HMS Hesperus departed for Scapa Flow arriving there around 1030A/14. HMS Northern Sky resumed duties with the Northern Patrol. HMS Northern Foam remained at Thorshavn for the moment. (1)

28 Oct 1940
The battlecruisers HMS Hood (Capt. I.G. Glennie, RN, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral W.J. Whitworth, CB, DSO, RN), HMS Repulse (Capt. W.G. Tennant, CB, MVO, RN), aircraft carrier HMS Furious (Capt. T.H. Troubridge, RN), light cruisers HMS Southampton (Capt. B.C.B. Brooke, RN), HMS Dido (Capt. H.W.U. McCall, RN), HMS Phoebe (Capt. G. Grantham, RN), destroyers HMS Somali (Capt. C. Caslon, RN), HMS Eskimo (Cdr. St. J.A. Micklethwait, DSO and Bar, RN) and HMS Mashona (Cdr. W.H. Selby, RN), HMS Punjabi (Cdr. J.T. Lean, DSO, RN), HMS Douglas (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G. Crossley, RN), HMS Keppel (Lt. R.J. Hanson, RN), HMS Vimy (Lt.Cdr. D.J.B. Jewitt, RN) and the escort destroyer HMS Cleveland (Lt.Cdr. W.S. Clouston, RN) departed Scapa Flow at 1430A/28 with orders to proceed to the Denmark Strait as a ship thought to be a German armed merchant cruiser had been reported in the North-Atlantic in position 56°46'N, 25°44'W steering east-north-east.

HMS Vimy and HMS Cleveland were detached around midnight and returned to Scapa Flow at 1000A/29.

The British ships encountered very heavy weather and several ships sustained damage.

Damage to HMS Dido was of such extent that she was forced on the 29th to proceed to the Faroes for repairs. She arrived at Scapa Flow at 0040/1 escorted by HMS Keppel.

At 0445A/30, light cruiser HMS Southampton encountered the Finnish merchant vessel Bore X. (5058 GRT, built 1939). HMS Southampton turned her over to armed boarding vessel HMS Northern Sky (Lt. J.E. Bromley, RNR) around 0900A/31 which escorted the merchant vessel to Kirkwall.

HMS Hood, HMS Repulse, HMS Furious, HMS Somali, HMS Eskimo, HMS Mashona, HMS Punjabi and HMS Douglas, returned to Scapa Flow around 1400A/31.

HMS Southampton returned to Scapa Flow shortly before midnight on 31 October.

HMS Phoebe returned to Scapa Flow around 0815A/1.

31 May 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Northern Sky (T/Lt. O.B. Egjar, RNR), HMCS Pictou (T/Lt. P.T. Byers, RCNR), HMCS Bittersweet (T/Lt. F.B. Brooks-Hill, RCNVR) and HMCS Eyebright (T/Lt. H.L. Quinn, RCNVR). (2)

14 Aug 1944
HMS United (Lt. M.D. Hutley, RNR), HMS Upright (Lt. J.A.L. Wilkinson, RN) and HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) departed Rothesay under escort of HMS Milford (Lt.Cdr. G.G. Slade, RN).

The next day HMS United and HMS Upright set off for St.Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. They were escorted by HMS Northern Sky (T/Lt. G.O.T.D. Henderson, RNVR). (3)

5 Dec 1944
HMS Vitality (Lt. K.S. Renshaw, DSC, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Campbeltown with HMS Coldstreamer (T/Lt. A.L. Kerr, RNVR), HMS Northern Sky (T/Lt. G.O.T.D. Henderson, RNVR) and HMS Royal Marine (T/S.Lt. L.N. Holmes, RNVR). (4)

Sources

  1. ADM 53/113277 + ADM 199/361 + ADM 199/376
  2. ADM 173/17782
  3. ADM 173/19285
  4. ADM 173/19424

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


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