HMS TETCOTT CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

1944

KEY

Official Movement Orders

Tetcott Archive Primary Sources (Diaries, letters etc)

Admiralty War Diaries

Other Sources

  < 1943    1945 > 

 N.B. This chronology is a working document, being added to and amended constantly as and when new information comes to light

 JANUARY 1944

1st–6th At ALEXANDRIA

6th PORT SAID (Departure ?)

? ALEXANDRIA (Departure 6/1)

7th ALEXANDRIA to PORT SAID

? PORT SAID (Departure 7/1)

8th–12th PORT SAID to NAPLES

13th–14th At NAPLES (Patrol off CAPRI)

15th NAPLES to TORRE ANNUTZIATA (Leave to POMPEII)

16th TORRE ANNUTZIATA to NAPLES

17th NAPLES to SALERNO

18th At SALERNO (Invasion Exercise) - From LST1 War Diary - Underway at 08:37 from anchorage in the Gulf of Salerno in company with LST351, LST326, LST381, HMS LST63 and HMS LST33 with HMS TETCOTT as convoy commander.  Steaming at various courses and speeds in preparation for invasion exercises. At 14:00 held General Quarters drill and loading drill with army personal for small boats.  Held another drill at 17:00. 

19th SALERNO to NAPLES

20th NAPLES to SALERNO

21st SALERNO to SHINGLE BEACH for ANZIO INVASION - Our third invasion – where our task was to lead minesweepers in close to the beach to sweep the assault anchorage before the merchant ships arrived.  We expected, but did not meet, attack from shore batteries and the actual landing was achieved without much opposition - Deployed under overall US Navy command and sailed as part of Force X

22nd ANZIO to NAPLES

23rd–25th NAPLES to SHINGLE BEACH (A/S Patrol) & Back to NAPLES

25th Deployed with HM Destroyers JERVIS, JANUS, LAFOREY, LOYAL, INGLEFIELD, TENACIOUS and KEMPENFELT, HM Escort Destroyers BEAUFORT, BRECON, URCHIN and WILTON as screen for HM Cruisers ORION, SPARTAN, HM Anti-Aircraft Ship ULSTER QUEEN

26th–27th NAPLES to MALTA

29th At MALTA - Escorted an empty supply convoy back to GIBRALTAR

29th–31st MALTA to GIBRALTAR

31st  TETCOTT relieves ANTHONY as escort (with ATHERSTONE) to USS GENERAL A E ANDERSON in Straits of Gibraltar

 FEBRUARY 1944

Transferred to Adriatic for convoy escort duty and support of military operations

1st GIBRALTAR to ORAN - GENERAL A E ANDERSON (US troopship) escorted by TETCOTT and ATHERSTONE

2nd–3rd ORAN to CASABLANCA 

4th Off CASABLANCA to GIBRALTAR

5th–9th At GIBRALTAR.  Boiler cleaning

10th–11th GIBRALTAR to ALGIERS

11th ALGIERS (Departure 12/2)

12th PHILLIPEVILLE (Departure 13/2)

13th PHILLIPEVILLE to SYRACUSE

? SYRACUSE (Departure 14/2)

14th SYRACUSE to TARANTO

15th TARANTO to MALTA (Lt NAYLOR joined)

16th At MALTA

? MALTA (Departure 16/2)

17th MALTA to ALGIERS (Lt DAVENPORT handed over to Lt NAYLOR)

18th–19th At ALGIERS

20th  Lt DAVENPORT Left ship at 07:15 Left ALGIERS for PHILLIPEVILLE, TARANTO, SYRACUSE, NAPLES

? PHILLIPEVILLE (Departure 21/2)

22nd NAPLES (Departure 22/2)

25th ALGIERS (Departure 1/3)

25th–1st May At ALGIERS

MARCH 1944

1st Left ALGIERS - Escort to UGS 33A with HMS PRIMULA, WOLBOROUGH, PROTEA and SHARPSHOOTER

2nd ALGIERS (Departure 2/3)

3rd PHILLIPEVILLE (Departure 3/3)

4th MALTA (Departure 5/3)

6th AUGUSTA (Departure 7/3)

? ALEXANDRIA (Departure (8/3)

8th-11th Escort to Convoy UGS 33 (Departed Hampden Roads 13 February 1944, arrived Port Said 12 March 1944) 120 MV's

10th ALEXANDRIA (Departure 13/3)

14th HAIFA (Departure 31/3)

 APRIL 1944

 1st ALEXANDRIA (Departure 21/5)

 MAY 1944

22nd PORT SAID (Departure 22/5)

23rd -27th Escort to Convoy XIF 15 (Port Said to Taranto) 5 MV's

27th TARANTO (Departure 28/5)

28th-1st June Escort to Convoy IXF 15 (Taranto to Port Said) 4MV's

 JUNE 1944

1st PORT SAID (Departure 5/6)

5th-10th Escort to Convoy XIF 16 (Port Said to Taranto) 5 MV's

10th TARANTO (Departure 11/6)

11th-16th Escort to Convoy IXF 16 (Taranto to Port Said) 4 MV's

16th PORT SAID (Departure 21/6)

21st-27th Escort to Convoy MKF 32 (departed Port Said 21 June 1944, arrived Liverpool 4 July 1944) 13 MV''s

25th MALTA (Departure 25/6)

27th GIBRALTAR (Departure ?)

30th ALGIERS (Departure 1/7)

 JULY 1944

3rd NAPLES (Departure 4/7)

4th  Escort to convoy SNF26 with BEAUFORT, CROOME, DELHI and USS HERBERT C JONES

7th ORAN (Departure 7/7)

8th ALGIERS (Departure 12/7)

14th NAPLES (Departure 14/7)

16th ALGIERS (Departure 21/7)

23rd NAPLES (Departure ?)

25th ALGIERS (Departure 26/7)

28th BIZERTA (Departure 28/7)

28th-30th Escort to Convoy KMF 33 (departed Clyde 18 July 1944, Arrived Port Said 31 July 1944) 29 MV's

AUGUST 1944

1st PORT SAID (Departure 6/8) - Noted as being escort to Convoy XIF 19 (from 28 July to 3rd August), but clashes with escort to KMF 33

7th PORT SAID (Departure 7/8)

7th-11th Escort to Convoy XIF 19A (Port Said to Taranto) 2 MV's

11th TARANTO (Departure 11/8)

11th-15th Escort to Convoy IXF 19 (Taranto to Port Said) 5 MV's

15th PORT SAID (Departure ?)

19th-23rd Escort to Convoy XIF 20 (Port Said to Taranto) 6 MV's

23rd TARANTO (Departure 24/8)

24th-28th Escort to Convoy IXF 20 (Taranto to Port Said) 6 MV's

27th ALEXANDRIA (Departure 3/9)

? PORT SAID (Departure 3/9)

SEPTEMBER 1944

Provided naval gunfire support and convoy escort during re-occupation of Aegean islands. Deployed to intercept craft evacuating personnel and stores

1st Accidental death of AB P D Sullivan, P/JX 386842, HMS TETCOTT

3rd-7th Escort to Convoy MKF 34 (Departed Port Said 3 September 1944, arrived Liverpool 14 September 1944) 24MV's

6th MALTA (Departure 14/9)

15th BRINDISI (Departure 16/9)

? BARI (Departure 16/9)

17th ANCONA (Departure ?)

19th ANCONA (Departure 19/9)

? ANCONA (Departure 21/9)

23rd BRINDISI (Departure 23/9)

25th BRINDISI (Departure 25/9)

? BARI (Departure 26/9)

27th BRINDISI (Departure 27/9)

30th BRINDISI (Departure ?)

 OCTOBER 1944

October - December - Deployed in Adriatic and off coast of Greece during allied re-occupation. Provided naval support to military operations (Operation MANNA).

8th-11th Escort to Convoy KMF 35 (Departed Clyde 1 October 1944, arrived Port Said 11 October 1944) 19 MV's

11th PORT SAID (Departure 11/10)

18th ALEXANDRIA (Departure 22/10)

22nd PORT SAID (Departure 22/10)

23rd ALEXANDRIA (Departure 1/11)

26th Carried out bombardment of Melos with HM Cruiser AURORA, HM Destroyer TYRIAN and Seafires of 899 Sqn. from the escort carrier KHEDIVE

 NOVEMBER 1944

1st ALEXANDRIA (Departure 4/11)

6th PORT SAID (Departure 16/11)

16th-23rd Escort to Convoy MKF 36 (Departed Port Said 16 November 1944, arrived Liverpool 30 November 1944) 18 MV's

21st ALGIERS (Departure 24/11)

24th ORAN (Departure 25/11)

 DECEMBER 1944

1st NAPLES (Departure 3/12)

4th TARANTO (Departure 7/12)

8th PIRAEUS (Departure 9/12)

13th ALEXANDRIA (Departure 16/12)

17th ALEXANDRIA (Departure ?)

20th PORT SAID (Departure 21/12)

22nd PIRAEUS (Departure 3/1)

  < 1943    1945 >