HMS EDINBURGH SERVICE HISTORY BY DATE
.07.39 | CS.2, Home Fleet. | |
03.09.39 | CS.18, Home Fleet with BELFAST, SHEFFIELD & AURORA. | |
08.09.39 | Left Scapa to cruise between Iceland & the Faroes with HOOD, RENOWN, BELFAST and 4 destroyers. | |
15.09.39 | Arrived Sullom Voe. | |
18.09.39 | Left Sullom Voe for patrol, returning to Scapa on 20th. | |
26.09.39 | Sailed with NELSON, RODNEY, HOOD, RENOWN, ARK ROYAL, NEWCASTLE, 4th & 8th DFs as cover foe CS.2 & 7th DF escorting the damaged S/M SPEARFISH home from North Sea. | |
01.10.39 | TRansferred to CS.2 Humber Force on relief in CS.18 by SUFFOLK. | |
08.10.39 | Left Rosyth with CS.2 (GLASGOW, SOUTHHAMPTON) in unsuccessful attempt to intercept GNEISENAU, KOLN & 5 destroyers off the Norwegian coast. Returned to Scapa on the 10th. | |
11.10.39 | At Rosyth, sailed on the 12th. | |
16.10.39 | Suffered splinter damage from near-misses by 3-5oolb bombs during air attacks on ships at Rosyth. | |
23.10.39 | Left Rosyth escorting. | |
30.10.39 | to 03.11.39 Repairs at Rosyth. Left on 6th & returned on 9th. | |
12.11.39 | Left Rosyth for the Humber, arriving on the 13th. | |
17.11.39 | Back at Rosyth. | |
23.11.39 | Left Rosyth to search the Fair Isle Channel with SOUTHHAMPTON, AURORA & 3 destroyers after the loss of RAWALPINDI. On 24th joined the crusier line west of Bergan. Search abandoned 02.12.39. | |
06.12.39 | Left Rosyth, returned on the 11th, left 13th & arr. at Scapa the same day. | |
18.12.39 | Left Scapa for Portsmouth, leaving there on 22nd. | |
23.12.39 | Arr. Rosyth to boiler-clean to 29th & left on 30th. | |
07.01.40 | With GLASGOW left Rosyth to meet a convoy, returning 12th. | |
17.01.40 | Left Rosyth. | |
26.01.40 | Left Scapa. | |
31.01.40 | Arr. Rosyth with GLASGOW, 4 destroyers & S/M SEAL. | |
04.03.40 | Left Rosyth. | |
.04.40 | to 20.10.40 Refit on rge Tyne. Now CS.18. | |
01.11.40 | Arrived Scapa. | |
30.11.40 | Left Freetown. | |
.12.40 | On patrol of Iceland with HOOD and 4 destroyers. | |
24.01.41 | Left Scapa with BIRMINGHAM & 3 destroyers to join AURORA & NAIAD escorting 5 merchant ships escapiong from Sweden. In the afternoon took over the escort of 3 of them while AURORA & NAIAD searched for two others which were found at 1600. All arrrived Kirkwall 25th. | |
28.01.41 | Arrived Scapa. | |
.02.41 | Relieved ROYAL SOVEREIGN in the ocean escort of the Canadian troop convoy TC.9. | |
02.03.41 | Left with the Home Fleet as cover for the Lofoten Is. raid. On 3rd detached with NIDERIA while 200 mls from the Lofotens to give close cover to the raiding force. Met force on its withdrawal in Vest fiord at 1300 on the 4th. Arrived Scapa on the 6th. | |
01.04.41 | Arrived Gibraltor. Back at Scapa on the 29th. | |
07.05.41 | With BIRMINGHAM, MANCHESTER & 4 destroyers directed to the German weather ship MUNCHEN, located in the Arctic by destroyers. MUCHEN was scuttled but code books were removed by SOMALI before she sank. | |
23.05.41 | Ordered to leave an Atlantic patrol to join the search for the BISMARK. During the search Edinburgh intercepted the German ss Lech. On 25th searching to the south of BISMARK's track near RODNEY. When the CinC turned north-east as a result of faulty information, EDINBURGH's captain continued the search towards France. Search abandoned on 26th due to fuel shortage. On the receipt of the success of ARK ROYAL's Swordfish attack the ship was put on an interception course but when the CinC signalled that no action would take place until next morning (27th), EDINBURGH turned for Londonderry to refuel. | |
03.06.41 | Arrived Iceland. Denmark Starits patrol during 06.41. | |
29.06.41 | Left the Clyde. | |
11.07.41 | With NELSON, MANCHESTER, ARETHUSA & a convoy for Malta, left the Clyde, arrived Gibraltor on 19th & reinforced Force H for Op. Substance | |
21.07.41 | Convoy of 7 ships left Gib. On 23rd most of the escort turned back at the Narrowsbut EDINBURGH, ARETHUSA, MANXMAN, COSSAK, MAORI & SIKH stayed with convoy as through escort | |
24.07.41 | Convoy attacked by Italian MAS boats which hit Sydney Star who managed to reach Malta. At daybreak EDINBURGH< ARETHUSA and MANXMAN went on ahead & arrived Malta about 1530.After unloading stores these ships sailed to rejoin Force H at the Narrows at 1830. Rejoined on 25th & with 7 empty ships from Malta, sailed for Gib., arriving on 27th. | |
17.08.41 | Arr. Freetown & in that area for a month, leaving on 17.09.41 | |
24.09.41 | At Giib. for Op. Halberd (Malta Convoy) with PRINCE OF WALES, KENYA, SHEFFIELD, EURYALUS & 9 destroyers to reinforce Force H. | |
27.09.41 | Force H and most of the escort turned back at the Narrows leaving the convoy with EDINBURGH, HERMOINE & the above 3 cruisers and destroyers. Later that evening air attacks sunk Imperial Star. | |
28.09.41 | Convoy arrived Malta, the escort sailed for Gib. as soon as they were unloaded and arriving on 30th. | |
11.41 | Norhtern patrol and Russian convoys. | |
15.01.42 | to 03.42 Repairs at North Shields. | |
08.03.42 | Left Scapa fo Northern Patrol. | |
22.03.42 | Left Scapa for Russian convoys PQ.13 and QP9. | |
01.04.42 | Left Scapa. On 3rd met US TF.39 (WASHINGTON, WASP, TUSCALOOSA, WICHITA & 8 destroyers) with 4 destroyers & escorted it to Scapa. | |
05.04.42 | Arr. Scapa to relieve Home Fleet untis for Op. Ironclad (Madagascar). | |
08.04.42 | With NORFOLK & 2 destroyers as close escort to PQ.14. Ran into heavy pack ice near Jan Mayan Island and 16 out of 24 ships turned back. Remainder with EDINBURGH arrived Murmansk on the 19th. (Edinburgh carried steel plates for repair of TRINIDAD there). | |
28.04.42 | Left Murmansk with QP.11 of 13 ships, FORESIGHT, FORESTER and a minsweeper and two Russian destroyers. | |
30.04.42 | An attack by U.436 on EDINBURGH was unsuccessful but a later one by U.456 scored 2 torpedo hits. One exploded in a fuel tank under the quarterdeck, the other blew the stern off, wrapping the quarterdeck around X and Y turrets. Detached with FORSIGHT and FORESTER and ship taken in tow but eventually managed 8 knots under her own power. All main guns in local control. | |
01.05.42 | Attacked by German destroyers HERMANN SCHOEMANN, Z.24 & Z.25 which had been driven from QP.11 by the remaining escort. EDINBURGH and her consorts were reinforced by GOSSAMER, HARRIER, HUSSAR & NIGER and engaged the Germans but both FORSIGHT and FORESTER were damaged. EDINBURGH severely damaged HERMANN SCHOEMANN causing her to be scuttled, before being hit on the port side abreast the hangar by a torpedo, flooding 'A' boiler room and cutting the electrical suppy. | |
With no power, unable to steer and with serious flooding, the ship was abandoned and sunk by FORESIGHHT with 3 torpedoes. The crew of HERMANN SCHOEMANN were rescued by Z.24 and the submarine U.88. |