|
Date of Arrival |
Place |
Date of Departure |
Orders, Remarks etc |
|
6.1.42 |
Murmansk |
? |
|
|
HEBE, Bramble and Hazard
rendezvoused with PQ7 and brought this convoy into Murmansk on
12 Jan.1942 |
|
24.1.42 |
At sea |
|
Harrier and Speedwell
form part of eastern local escort for QP6 (6 ships) from 24/1
until 25/1. Bramble and HEBE joined on 25/1 and remained until 28/1
when the convoy dispersed. |
|
31.1.42 |
Scapa |
4.2.42 |
3/2 Arrangements can be
made for HEBE to be taken in hand for refit by the Humber Grazing Dock
Company, Immingham, completes 14/3 |
|
6.2.42 |
Humber |
14.3.42 |
|
|
16.3.42 |
Rosyth |
18.3.42 |
|
|
19.3.42 |
Scapa |
20.3.42 |
|
|
Out of refit HEBE
proceeded to Scapa and was ordered to overtake Convoy PQ13 (19
ships). On her way to Seidisfiord with the destroyer FURY she had
mechanical trouble but reached Iceland on 22 March. |
|
22.3.42 |
Seidisfiord |
? |
|
|
5.4.42 |
Iceland |
? |
|
|
8.4.42 |
|
|
HEBE and Speedy joined PQ14 (26 ships) on 8/4 from Reykjavik |
|
10.4.42 |
|
|
On the night of 10/4 the
convoy met heavy ice which was further south than usual, consisting of
growlers from which it was impossible to extricate itself due to dense
fog. The convoy was delayed and scattered and 16 merchant ships
together with Speedy and HEBE, which were damaged by the ice, put back
to Iceland. |
|
15.4.42 |
Iceland |
? |
From PQ14 |
|
19.4.42 |
Akureyri |
? |
|
|
21.4.42 |
Reykjavik |
25.4.42 |
22/4 From Blenheim: HEBE
should be docked for permanent repairs to plates and rivets below
water line. Temporary repairs are being carried out by Blenheim,
estimated completion 23/4
23/4 From Rear Admiral
(D) Home Fleet: Request ACIC will sail HEBE for Scapa as soon as
temporary repairs have been completed. |
|
28.4.42 |
Scapa |
28.4.42 |
|
|
30.4.42 |
Humber |
27.4.42 |
3/5 HEBE taken in hand Doigs, Grimsby. Provisional completion 25/5 |
|
29.5.42 |
Scapa |
31.5.42 |
Left Scapa with SPEEDY for
Greenock |
|
1.6.42 |
Greenock |
3.6.42 |
|
|
9.6.42 |
Gibraltar |
12.6.42 |
On 12/6 HEBE and Speedy
joined the convoy (Operation Harpoon) for Malta. |
|
It was clear that unless something could be done, and done quickly,
the Malta’s harbours would be closed permanently and no supplies would
be able to be landed by sea. It was decided that the next convoy
leaving Gibraltar would include four the fleet sweepers, SPEEDY, HEBE,
RYE and HYTHE, which had been brought from the UK and the remaining
six motor launches of the 3rd M/S M/L Flotilla, MLs 121 134 135 168
459 and 462.
|
|
12.6.42 |
On 12/6 the convoy
(Harpoon) left Gibraltar for Malta, six merchant vessels escorted by
the AA cruiser CAIRO, nine destroyers and the minesweepers. The four
fleet sweepers were henceforth to be designated the 17th MS Flotilla
under the command of Cdr. Doran in SPEEDY.
During the passage the
convoy was repeatedly attacked by aircraft and Italian surface ships
and four of the supply ships and the destroyer BEDOIN were sunk or had
to be abandoned. |
|
15.6.42 |
On the 15 June when the
convoy was 30 miles south of Pantellaria two Italian 6" cruisers and
several destroyers appeared. The destroyer BEDOUIN led out the fleet
destroyers to meet the enemy while CAIRO four 'Hunt' Class destroyers
and the minesweepers made off. BEDOUIN and PARTRIDGE were disabled;
the other destroyers hit one of the enemy ships. CAIRO and the 'Hunts'
joined in the surface action when the convoy had been protected by
smoke, but then more dive bombers arrived overhead and sank the
CHANT; KENTUCKY was hit and taken in tow by HEBE.
Extracts from diary of Lt J A Pearson on Rye:
0230 Enemy coastal forces
attack convoy – repulsed.
0622 Convoy attacked by
Italian navy (two 8 inch cruisers and two destroyers)
0623 Cairo returns fore
and smoke screen laid.
0709 Attack by Ju88 dive
bombers
0720
Second attack by Ju88’s
0735 Merchantman sunk
0845 Italian navy again
opens fire on convoy.
0924 Three Italian
cruisers and two destroyers opened fire.
1038 Dive bombing resumes
1218 Rye and HEBE try to
sink the damaged Kentucky with depth charges and gunfire.
1325
(Rye and HEBE some 25
miles astern of the convoy) Italian cruisers open fire on HEBE and
Rye. 8-inch
shell passes through CO of HEBE’s cabin. HEBE dumps confidential
books.
(On hearing of the attack,
Hardy, taking his three fleet destroyers with him, steered the AA
cruiser
Cairo
to the minesweeper’s
assistance. The Italian cruisers came into sight at around 1400 but
turned away to the west.)
1910 Convoy being dive
bombed.
1945 Hurricanes from
Malta drive off enemy.
2339 Speedy, HEBE, Rye
and Hythe (17th MSF) stream sweeps to lead convoy into
Malta. Sometime about midnight there had been E-boats buzzing around –
everybody taking pot-shots at them…very dark… port 0.5 inch gunner
shouts out – “Sir, an E-boat alongside port side, can’t depress my
guns enough to open fire” ….. then a voice from the ‘E-boat’ alongside
… “Please, it’s only us, your ML (one of the six minesweeping motor
launches) – everybody takes us for an E-boat and this is the only safe
place”.
Source:
http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/malta3.htm |
|
16.6.42 |
Malta |
? |
0800 HEBE mined off St
Elmo |
|
17.6.42 |
Malta |
|
Taken in hand Malta, mine
damage repairs |
|
|
Heebie Jeebies
Her name in Grecian
Goddess' terms
Implies in myth she can restore
Old sailors to the bloom of youth-
A human treasure lost in war.
But sailors whom I'd known at home
When telling me about their ship,
Sighed, "Hebe's just a minesweeper
Deployed on any forlorn trip."
"We came to Malta days ago
When convoy 'Harpoon' almost failed,
With only two ships getting through
Out of a laden six that sailed.
But Malta is no 'Journey's End'
And sailors still on board agree,
The Hebe is no better off-
In harbour than she is at sea."
"She lies beneath a screen of smoke
Obscured from German bombing raids,
But every time the cloud bank drifts-
Her chance of preservation fades:
Since Hebe is the trapped quarry
Of a U-Boat and Stuka chase;
And Malta's future obviously-
Is hopeless as a naval base".
While the Hebe
was in Malta my father (Bill Taylor) bumped into an old friend, John
Snook, who was in the R.A.F., and it seems that occasionally they
would reminisce about days gone by. John a retired teacher,
published his own poems under the publisher's name of Koons and in
his book Malta Siege Verse 1941/1942/1943 he wrote a poem entitled
Heebie Jeebies.
In a prologue to this poem he
wrote
"I knew two sailors who came to Malta on board H.M.S. Hebe escorting
the remains of a convoy code named 'Harpoon' which reached the
island in June 1942. While in Grand Harbour, with two merchantmen
that had also survived the voyage, the Hebe was almost enveloped by
a smoke screen.
After meritorious service mine sweeping and escorting Mediterranean
convoys for months in most hazardous waters, Hebe was sunk by enemy
action in the Adriatic Sea off Bari. Over thirty members of her
crew were lost including one of the sailors I knew. The other man
survived and when I met him recently he was enjoying a happy
retirement in the little west of England town where he and I were
born."
John was a
lovely old chap and in 1990, the year of publication, signed a copy
of the book for my father "To Bill Taylor. 'Survivor of the Hebe'.
Sadly both have now died, my father in May 1999 and John in the
summer of 2005.
Source: Rob Taylor, son of Bill Taylor, Stoker HMS
Hebe
|
|
13.8.42 |
On 17/8 the 17th MSF of Speedy (Lt Cdr J G Brooks DSC),
HEBE (Lt Cdr G Mowatt RD), Hythe and Rye were at Malta under the
overall command of Commander M/S Malta, Commander H S (Jake) Jerome
also in Speedy.
Early that morning the fleet minesweepers and ML’s
left Malta to sweep into Malta the three remaining ships of the
original convoy of fourteen that had taken part in ‘Operation
Pedestal’. The fourth, Ohio, lay immobile some way behind. Commander
Jerome in Speedy sent Rye and two ML’s to help Ohio while the rest
escorted the three merchant ships the last few miles into Malta.
|
|
14.8.42 |
During the morning, Speedy, HEBE and Hythe joined Rye who was towing
Ohio, and the three sweepers set up a protective screen around Ohio
and her helpers. Shortly afterwards a tug arrived to take over the
tow.
From the log of Lt. Pearson, commanding officer
HMS Rye:
0855 SPEEDY sighted to eastwards. (SPEEDY with 3ML`s, HEBE and HYTHE
were to join up with RYE and OHIO).
0900 OHIO taken in tow by destroyer LEDBURY. RYE passes tow wire to
LEDBURY; Tow commenced and proceeding well.
0940 PENN secured alongside OHIO`s starboard side to help with
steering.
1040 Heavy dive-bombing lasting ten minutes.
1059 OHIO out of control after bombing. BRAMHAM proceeds alongside
OHIO; helps RYE re-rig tow wire which had parted during the
bombing.
1245 BRAMHAM`s wires part. RYE ordered to slip tow and screen ahead.
Tug from Malta on way to help. (SPEEDY, HEBE and HYTHE meanwhile
set up a protective screen round the ships).
PENN and BRAMHAM alongside OHIO; Malta tug towing from ahead
and RYE sweeping ahead.
Source:
http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/malta3.htm |
|
15.8.42 |
Early the following morning the 17th
Flotilla entered harbour to be followed at midday by Ohio. |
Life for the men of the minesweepers at Malta was, like that for all
at Malta, service or civilian, hard and dangerous. Food was severely
rationed. Stan Jaques (on HMS Rye) has recalled life at that time...
...."rations were so
low that when we were sweeping we were allowed to draw a couple of
tins of steak extra for the ship’s company, and this was a real
luxury. There were no crockery replacements and so we had to toss up
for the empty jam-jar which became available now and again. Another
facet of life was that the crews of the minesweepers were to be
formed into Defence Platoons, in case Malta was invaded. They even
tried Pongoes (soldiers) giving us drill, but they had to give this
up as a bad job as their drill was different to ours and it always
ended up as a shambles. There were always runs ashore, but it was
usually the case of Jack (the sailors) and the troops organising
themselves with football and water polo etc. And always the noise of
aircraft and bombs".....
The ships of the 17th MSF continued their routine
of daily sweeping at the same time as the enemy attempted to keep
the channels closed with fresh minelaying at night.
Source: http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/malta3.htm |
|
15.9.42 |
On this day the 17th MSF cleared five mines and in this
month their total bag topped 300. But finally things began to get
easier. With great support from the air the sweepers no longer faced
the prospect of being bombed or machine gunned as they worked, and the
minelaying aircraft became much less. Although the worst was over,
there were still plenty of moored mines to deal with.
|
|
Nov 1942
|
HEBE stayed on and played her part in keeping Malta's harbour open. It
is likely that following operation 'Torch' in November 1942 (which
brought Allied Armies to the N. African shore) she was then deployed
to deal with mines in other ports, and also to act as an escort
vessel.
|
|
20.12.42 |
Sub Lt Kempson and Sub Lt Manning of 826 Albacore Squadron force
landed in the sea, killing Manning. Kempson was rescued after
surviving in a dinghy for 9 days. He was found 51 miles southeast of
Malta and was picked up by HMS HEBE.
|
