HMS Leith (U36)

HMS "Leith" was a "Grimsby"-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.

Construction, commissioning and early service

"Leith" was ordered on 1 November 1932 under the 1931 Programme. She was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 6 February 1933, and was launched on 9 September 1933 that year by a Mrs Pipon. She was commissioned on 10 July 1934 and was initially assigned to the New Zealand Station, manned by the Chatham Port Division. "Leith" arrived at Auckland on 13 November 1934, and was deployed in the Pacific and locally in New Zealand waters. [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-18SL-Leith.htm Leith's career] ] She was recommissioned in December 1936 in order to continue to serve with the New Zealand Division and was again in July 1939. She had an active career in the Pacific, making numerous visits to Colonial possessions, and on one occasion taking Salote Tupou III, Queen of Tonga on a visit to outlying islands.

Wartime career

The Pacific and return to the UK

The outbreak of the Second World War saw "Leith" still in the Pacific. In September 1939 she sailed to Singapore to carry out contraband control duty on the China Station. During the passage she called at Jervis Bay, Australia. "Leith" was deployed at Penang to carry out contraband control, and also to carry out surveillance on enemy ships in Dutch East Indies ports. She was recalled from these duties in November and was ordered to sail to the UK to carry out convoy defence duties in Home Waters. She sailed from Penang on 7 November, travelling via the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. She arrived at Gibraltar, where she was diverted to go to Freetown to join as an escort for an Atlantic convoy. She joined convoy SL-14 at Freetown on 26 December, escorting it to the UK. On arrival "Leith" was deployed to escort convoys. On 10 January she was diverted to join the sloops HMS "Aberdeen" and "Bideford", and the destroyers HMS "Vidette", "Wanderer", "Warwick" and "Witch" in escorting the inbound convoy HG-14 into Liverpool. "Leith" was detached on 12 January and took passage for a refit at Penarth. The following day she was taken in hand by a commercial shipyard.

Covering the Western Approaches

After the completion of the refit in February she was nominate to serve with the Western Approaches Command. She joined the command at Liverpool on 2 February. On 11 February she joined the outbound convoy OG-18 with HMS "Bideford", and the destroyers HMS "Active" and "Versatile". "Leith" and "Bideford" were detached on 17 February and joined the inbound convoy HG-19, until 27 February. This pattern of convoy escort duties was followed throughout March to July. In July she was transferred to the Rosyth Escort Force for convoy defence in the North Western Approaches and North Sea. She was soon withdrawn from operational service to attend to a defect in her No 1 Boiler. She underwent repair at Belfast. After post repair trials she resumed services with the Western Approaches Command on 12 August with the 41st Escort Group based at Liverpool. Here she covered the final stages of convoys between Gibraltar and Freetown. On 28 August she picked up 27 survivors from the Finnish merchant SS "Elle" which had been sunk north-east of Ireland by "U-101". [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3894.html Uboat.net] ]

Convoy SC-7

In October she deployed with the sloop HMS "Folkestone" and the corvettes HMS "Bluebell" and "Heartsease" for the defence of the Atlantic convoys during the journey to the dispersal point of the outward convoys and for the final stage of the passage of the inward convoys. On 13 October she joined the outbound convoy OB-228 from Liverpool to its dispersal point. On 16 October she came under attack from "U-93". "Leith" sighted the submarine on the surface and forced her to submerge. "Leith" then carried out an unsuccessful search for her attacker with HMS "Heartsease". The escorts were detached from the convoy on 17 October and sailed to join the inbound convoy SC-7. On 18 October she rescued 19 survivors from the Estonian merchant "Nora" which had been torpedoed and sunk on 13 October by "U-103". Together with the sloops HMS "Scarborough" and "Fowey" and the corvettes "Bluebell" and "Heartsease" they attempted unsuccessfully to fight off the wolf pack attacks of a number of u-boats. "Leith" picked up survivors from three torpedoed merchants before joining the inbound convoy HX-79 which had also come under heavy u-boat attack. "Leith" gathered up three merchants and brought them into port.

The Atlantic convoys

She made a full transatlantic crossing and return in November, escorting an outbound and inbound convoy, before returning to her usual pattern in December, covering the Freetown and Gibraltar convoys. On 9 December she was part of the escort for convoy OG-47 on its way to Gibraltar. The convoy came under attack on 20 December by the Italian submarine "Mocenigo", which sank the SS "Manchester General". "Leith" was detached from the convoy on its arrival on 25 December and sailed with the an inbound convoy to Liverpool on 29 December. On her arrival she returned covering the convoys through the Western Approaches throughout January to April 1941. On 17 April she began a refit at Avonmouth which lasted until May, when she was nominated for convoy defence based in Newfoundland.

"Leith" sailed to join the Newfoundland Escort Force based at St. John's on 6 June. She deployed with them throughout July and into August. She returned in August to redeploy with the Western Approaches Command. On 20 August she deployed with the destroyers HMS "Gurkha" and "Lance", and the corvette HMS "Zinnia" and the other corvettes of the 5th Escort Group in the defence of the outward convoy OG-71, consisting of 21 ships from Liverpool on passage to Gibraltar. The Norwegian destroyer HMNoS "Bath" had been sunk the previous day, along with three merchants. The convoy continued to be attacked after the reinforcements arrived, despite constant anti-submarine operations. HMS "Zinnia" and four other merchants were sunk on 22 August. The rest of the convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 25 August. "Leith" returned to Liverpool in September, escorting convoy HG-72.

The African coast

In October "Leith" was at Belfast, before joining the 43rd Escort Group for escort of convoys between UK and Freetown, being based at Londonderry. She spent the next couple of months escorting convoys before sailing on 28 November as an escort for a convoy to West Africa. She returned in January 1942 and from 17 January underwent repairs to her underwater equipment at Londonderry. She returned to service on 31 January. Further escort duties took "Leith" along to African coast to Bathurst and back again. Her next major engagement came in August, when she was part of convoy SL-119, consisting of 29 merchants. The convoy was detected and its position reported by "U-214" on 25 August. The Wolf pack Blücher was ordered to carry out a concentrated attack. "Leith" carried out searches for u-boats and rescued the crew of the torpedoed merchant SS "Zuiderkerk". After the arrival of the convoy, "Leith" underwent the replacement of her underwater dome for her sonar outfit at Greenock. After this was completed by October, she returned to Belfast.

Refits and the English Channel

Also in October "Leith" was nominated to escort the military convoys for the allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch). She escorted a stores convoy late in October and spent November and December escorting convoys through the western Mediterranean. She carried these duties out until March 1943 when she return with her group to the UK. 1943 and the first half of 1944 was spent on the Freetown route. In August she returned to the Mediterranean, undergoing an extensive refit at Gibraltar in September owing to her deteriorated condition after an extended period in active service in the Atlantic. The refit lasted until December, and in January 1945 she returned to the UK and joined the 38th Escort Group based at Portsmouth. She escorted convoys through the English Channel in February and Marc, and in April escorted the Dutch minelayer "Van der Zann" as she laid mines in the English Channel. After VJ Day in May "Leith" was nominated to be reduced to the reserve. She sailed to Rosyth in June where she was paid off, and laid up the following month.

Post war

"Leith" was placed on the disposal list and sold in 1946 into merchant service. She was renamed "Byron", and later "Friendship" in 1948. She was then acquired by the Royal Danish Navy in 1949 and renamed HMDS "Galathea". She was used for hydrographic duties, and was sold for scrapping at Odense in 1955.

References

*Colledge
* [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-18SL-Leith.htm HMS Leith's wartime career]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3894.html HMS Leith at Uboat.net]