.gif)
HMS Tartar (F43)
Encyclopedia
HMS Tartar was a Tribal-class
destroyer
of the Royal Navy
that saw service in most of the naval theatres of World War II
. She had an eventful career, eventually receiving the nickname
'Lucky Tartar' due to her numerous escapes from dangerous situations. She managed to survive the War, and was one of only four of the sixteen Tribal class destroyers that operated with the Royal Navy to do so.
, at Wallsend
, Tyne and Wear
. She was laid down on 26 August 1936 and launched on 21 October 1937. She was completed and commissioned on 10 March 1939 and was equipped for use as a Flotilla leader
. On ordering, she had been allocated the pennant number
L43, but this was changed to F43 before completion.
in Liverpool Bay
on 1 June 1939. Tartar was one of the Home Fleet ships sent to the scene of the accident to assist in search and recovery efforts, and formed the Headquarters ship for rescue operations. Further work-up exercises revealed defects, and Tartar was under repair in Devonport Dockyard
until the end of July 1939, after which she joined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow
.
s and commerce raiders and anti-submarine patrols. On 24 November, she was deployed with other Home Fleet ships to search for the German light battleship
s Scharnhorst
and Gneisenau
after the sinking of HMS Rawalpindi
.
By December she was experiencing extensive leaking due to high speed operations in heavy weather conditions. This was a defect common to the Tribal class destroyers, and Tartar was under repair at the yards of Alexander Stephen and Sons
in Govan
on the River Clyde
until 29 December. January and February of the following year were spent escorting convoys to and from Norway
, and screening fleet units. In March, she and HMS Mohawk
escorted the RMS Queen Elizabeth
through the Western Approaches
on her maiden voyage, before moving to Rosyth
to carry out convoy escort duties.
In April, Tartar escorted convoys HN-24 and HN-25, with breaks to search for German warships operating in the North Sea
. She then supported allied operations off Norway, including escorting the damaged cruiser HMS Suffolk
and covering the evacuation of allied troops from Åndalsnes
and Molde
. She continued to operate off Norway until the end of May, at which point she returned to Scapa Flow. She was back in the North Sea in early June, escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal
and the battleship
HMS Valiant
. She also escorted a number of allied evacuation convoys, and carried out another unsuccessful search for the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after the sinking of HMS Glorious
.
Tartar then embarked in an anti-submarine patrol with HMS Bedouin
and HMS Mashona
. On 19 June she rescued survivors from a torpedoed Portuguese
merchant vessel
, and on 20 June, in company with Mashona, she seized control of the Swedish destroyers Romulus and Remus. After intense diplomatic activity they were later returned to Sweden. In the meantime, Tartar became the Leader of the 6th Flotilla whilst her sister HMS Somali
was under repair. Tartar herself needed repairs in mid July after sustaining damage to her rudder.
On 8 August she was temporarily assigned to Force H
whilst providing an escort for ships bound for Gibraltar
. On 5 September she was an escort for ships of the 1st Minelaying Squadron during minelaying in the Northern Barrage
. A further refit at Devonport followed in October, which included work to repair leaks from the water feeds and the replacement of the twin 4.7 inch gun mounting in "X" position with twin 4 inch HA mounting to improve anti-aircraft defence. This work lasted until December, when Tartar returned to Scapa Flow as the Leader of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
In January and February she was used to escort a number of minelaying operations in the North Sea. On 1 March she was one of the destroyers escorting the landing ships of Operation Claymore
to the Lofoten
Islands, and then provided support for the landing operations. On 3 March she sank the German merchantman at 61°55′N 5°07′E. Whilst carrying out this duty on 4 March, she intercepted the German trawler
Krebbs and captured her with a boarding party. An Enigma machine
and supporting documents were recovered and later transported to Bletchley Park
to assist decryption efforts. In May Tartar was deployed to defend the Atlantic convoys. During these duties, she was present at the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck
. After this, on 28 May Tartar was returning to Scapa Flow with HMS Mashona, when they came under heavy air attack west of Ireland
, and Tartars action report states: "...It is believed that all attacking aircraft were H.E. 111's. Occasionally a F.W. Condor
was seen shadowing astern. It is estimated that about 50 aircraft took part in the attacks over a period of 13 hours..." The Mashona was hit and badly damaged, eventually capsizing, but in return Tartar shot down an He 111 bomber. Tartar was able to rescue 14 officers and 215 ratings, and transported them to Greenock
. During this engagement " Tartar used her Fuze Keeping Clock
to aim her 4.7" guns and "...Every gun was used, the 4.7" in controlled fire and the 4" and close range weapons firing independently. 290 rounds of 4.7", 255 rounds of 4", 1,000 rounds of pom pom and 750 rounds of .5 machine gun ammunition were fired."
to obtain an Enigma coding machine and associated documentation. On 26 June she escorted the cruiser HMS Nigeria
and HMS Bedouin from Scapa Flow to the waters off Jan Mayen
. On 28 June the taskforce spotted the German weather ship Lauenburg
and a boarding party from Tartar seized control of the vessel, recovering important documentation. Tartar then sank the Lauenburg with gunfire. On 27 July she carried out reconnaissance of Spitsbergen
to assess the possibility of using the island as a refuelling base for Russian convoys
.
Tartar continued to operate in the Arctic Ocean
throughout August. On 2 August she destroyed the weather station
at Bear Island and evacuated Russian nationals to Murmansk
from the island. Tartar accompanied HMS Inglefield
while taking King George VI
to Scapa Flow. On 17 August she screened the battleship HMS Prince of Wales that was carrying Winston Churchill
back from his Atlantic Charter
meeting with President Roosevelt
. Shortly thereafter, HMS Prince of Wales overtook an eastbound convoy of 73 ships, turned around and passed through the convoy again so that the Prime Minister and the merchant ships could greet each other. When the Prince of Wales arrived on the River Clyde
, Tartar embarked the Prime Minister and took him to Greenock
for his return to London
.
On 20 August Tartar escorted the SS Empress of Australia and RFA Oligarch to Spitsbergen to establish a garrison. Having successfully achieved this, she then escorted the Empress of Australia to Murmansk, carrying members of the Russian and Norwegian populations of the island. She then underwent a refit, carried out by Green and Silley Weir, Royal Albert Dock
, London, which lasted from September until mid-October. The work included removing the original mainmast to improve gunnery arcs, shortening the after funnel, resiting depth charge positions and installing the Type 285 gunnery radar for main armament fire-control. She returned to Scapa Flow after the completion of these works and became the Leader of the 6th Flotilla.
January and February 1942 was spent escorting Russian convoys, including convoys PQ-7B, QP-5, PQ-12, PQ-13
and QP-9. On 8 March Tartar screened Home Fleet units carrying out an unsuccessful search for the German battleship Tirpitz
. During these operations, she sustained damage to her forward gun mounting due to high speed operations in rough weather. At the end of the month she travelled to Hull
and was under repair and refit at Brigham and Cowan's shipyard until June.
In August Tartar was assigned to support Royal Navy operations in the Mediterranean. She took part in Operation Pedestal
as part of the escort. The convoy came under air and submarine attacks from 11 August after it was sighted by the Italian submarine Uarsciek. On 12 August Tartar carried out depth charge
attacks to drive off the Italian submarine Granito, and together with HMS Lookout drove off the Italian submarine Emo. After HMS Foresight
was damaged in an air attack, Tartar took her in tow, and attempted to bring her to Gibraltar. On the way she was the target of an unsuccessful attack by U 73 on 13 August, and after that it was decided that attempts to save Foresight were hopeless. Tartar took off Foresight’s crew, then scuttled her with a torpedo
. After the culmination of Operation Pedestal, Tartar sailed to rejoin the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On her return in September, she formed part of the escort for Convoy PQ-18
and then Convoy QP-14. In October she returned to the Mediterranean to support Operation Torch
, the allied landings in North Africa. During this deployment, from 8 November to 30 November, she screened fleet units and convoys, and carried out anti-submarine patrols. She was then attached to Force Q at Algiers
, where she was assigned to intercept enemy supply convoys and escort allied convoys. She carried out these duties into February 1943, despite coming under attack on numerous occasions. On 28 April Tartar carried out an attack on E-boat
s near Marrettimo, Algeria
, and on 7 May she deployed with other destroyers of the Mediterranean Fleet to blockade the Cape Bon area to intercept craft attempting to evacuate enemy personnel from Tunisia
.
In June, she was supporting operations off Pantellaria, and in July was escorting convoys as part of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily
. On 11 July she rescued some 200 survivors from the hospital ship
which had been sunk by German air attack off the beach head. On 12 July Tartar sank the ammunition ship Baarn, which was on fire after being damaged in air attacks. On 13 July she took the damaged destroyer HMS Eskimo
in tow to Malta
, after Eskimo had been damaged by air attacks. In August she supported the Allied invasion of Italy
, by covering the landings at Calabria
, and later the landings at Salerno
. On 19 September Tartar provided gunfire support during a German counter-attack, and subsequently came under attacks from radio-controlled glider bombs. She returned to the UK at the end of October, and spent the last months of 1943, and January and February 1944 under refit at Devonport.
In March and April she deployed as the Leader of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla with the Plymouth Command
to carry out offensive patrols against coastal shipping off the French coast, as well as escorting allied convoys through the English Channel
. In May she provided cover with HMS Bellona
for HMS Apollo
, on a minelaying operation off the French coast in preparation for the Allied landings in Normandy. On 6 June she led the 10th Destroyer Flotilla into the English Channel to prevent German interference with the landings or the passage of convoys during Operation Neptune
.
On 9 June she and the flotilla were in action against German warships
. Though the German destroyers ZH1 and Z32 were sunk, Tartar was damaged by return fire. Her galley and bridge were hit and set on fire. Four men were killed and twelve wounded including Commander Jones. Her foremast hung over the side and all of the radar and communications were dead. She returned to Devonport briefly to undergo temporary repairs, before resuming operations in the English Channel. On 7 July she intercepted and engaged minesweepers
of the 46th German Flotilla off the Channel Islands
and sank the minesweepers M4601 and M4605. On 6 August Tartar, HMS Bellona, HMS Ashanti
, HMCS Haida
and HMCS Iroquois
attacked a convoy off Saint-Nazaire
, sinking the minesweepers M263 and M486, the Patrol Boat V414 and a coastal launch together with four small ships.
s to Gibraltar and then carried out exercises in the Mediterranean before departing for Trincomalee
, where she arrived on 20 April. She was initially deployed with the 10th Destroyer Flotilla as a screen for the ships involved in a sweep of the Andaman and Nicobar
areas. She then participated in bombardments of Car Nicobar
and Port Blair
, as well as covering Operation Dracula
, the allied landings at Rangoon.
Further deployments included screening duties and attacks on enemy shipping, during which time she came under repeated air attack, but without damage or casualties. She was then assigned to the planned Operation Zipper
, but it was never carried out. She spent the rest of the war on escort and screening duties until the Japanese surrender. She was present at the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
in Tokyo Bay
on 2 September.
on 7 September, and from there to the UK, where she arrived at Plymouth
on 17 November. She was paid off and placed in reserve
in early 1946 after having been de-stored. She was used as an Accommodation Ship for Reserve Fleet personnel before being placed on the Disposal List in 1947. Tartar was sold to BISCO
for breaking up on 6 January 1948, and arrived at J Cashmere's yard in Newport
, South Wales for demolition on 22 February. She had gained a total of twelve battle honours for her service in the war.
Tribal class destroyer (1936)
The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
that saw service in most of the naval theatres of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She had an eventful career, eventually receiving the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
'Lucky Tartar' due to her numerous escapes from dangerous situations. She managed to survive the War, and was one of only four of the sixteen Tribal class destroyers that operated with the Royal Navy to do so.
Construction and commissioning
Tartar was ordered on 12 June 1936 under the 1936 Naval Estimates, and was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd.Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
, at Wallsend
Wallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
. She was laid down on 26 August 1936 and launched on 21 October 1937. She was completed and commissioned on 10 March 1939 and was equipped for use as a Flotilla leader
Flotilla leader
A flotilla leader was a warship suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer...
. On ordering, she had been allocated the pennant number
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
L43, but this was changed to F43 before completion.
Pre-war
After commissioning she was assigned to the 2nd Tribal Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, and was later transferred to the re-designated 6th Destroyer Flotilla. A period of trials and exercises was interrupted by the sinking of HMS ThetisHMS Thetis (N25)
HMS Thetis was a Group 1 T-class submarine of the Royal Navy which served under two names. Under her first identity, HMS Thetis, she commenced sea trials on 4 March 1939. She sank during trials on 1 June 1939 with the loss of 99 lives...
in Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay
Liverpool Bay is a bay of the Irish Sea between northeast Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. The bay is a classic example of a region of freshwater influence...
on 1 June 1939. Tartar was one of the Home Fleet ships sent to the scene of the accident to assist in search and recovery efforts, and formed the Headquarters ship for rescue operations. Further work-up exercises revealed defects, and Tartar was under repair in Devonport Dockyard
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
until the end of July 1939, after which she joined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
.
Home Waters: the North Sea
On the outbreak of the Second World War, she carried out a number of activities with her flotilla, including screening major warships, intercepting blockade runnerBlockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
s and commerce raiders and anti-submarine patrols. On 24 November, she was deployed with other Home Fleet ships to search for the German light battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
and Gneisenau
German battleship Gneisenau
Gneisenau was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the second vessel of her class, which included one other ship, Scharnhorst. The ship was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel; she was laid down on 6 May 1935...
after the sinking of HMS Rawalpindi
HMS Rawalpindi
HMS Rawalpindi was a British armed merchant cruiser that was sunk during the Second World War.-Merchant service:...
.
By December she was experiencing extensive leaking due to high speed operations in heavy weather conditions. This was a defect common to the Tribal class destroyers, and Tartar was under repair at the yards of Alexander Stephen and Sons
Alexander Stephen and Sons
Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Govan in Glasgow, on the River Clyde.-History:...
in Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
on the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
until 29 December. January and February of the following year were spent escorting convoys to and from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and screening fleet units. In March, she and HMS Mohawk
HMS Mohawk (F31)
HMS Mohawk was a Tribal-class destroyer laid down by John I. Thornycroft and Company at Woolston, Hampshire on 16 July 1936, launched on 5 October 1937 and commissioned on 7 September 1938...
escorted the RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. Plying with her running mate Queen Mary as a luxury liner between Southampton, UK and New York City, USA via Cherbourg, France, she was also contracted for over twenty years to carry the Royal Mail as the second half of the two...
through the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
on her maiden voyage, before moving to Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
to carry out convoy escort duties.
In April, Tartar escorted convoys HN-24 and HN-25, with breaks to search for German warships operating in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. She then supported allied operations off Norway, including escorting the damaged cruiser HMS Suffolk
HMS Suffolk (55)
HMS Suffolk was a County class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK), with the keel being laid down on 15 November 1924...
and covering the evacuation of allied troops from Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...
and Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
. She continued to operate off Norway until the end of May, at which point she returned to Scapa Flow. She was back in the North Sea in early June, escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (91)
HMS Ark Royal was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design...
and the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Valiant
HMS Valiant (1914)
HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan on 31 January 1913 and launched on 4 November 1914...
. She also escorted a number of allied evacuation convoys, and carried out another unsuccessful search for the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau after the sinking of HMS Glorious
HMS Glorious (77)
HMS Glorious was the second of the cruisers built for the British Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, Lord Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Glorious was completed in late 1916...
.
Tartar then embarked in an anti-submarine patrol with HMS Bedouin
HMS Bedouin (F67)
HMS Bedouin was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. She was launched on 21 December 1937 by William Denny and Brothers....
and HMS Mashona
HMS Mashona (F59)
HMS Mashona was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service in the Second World War.She was built by Vickers Armstrong, with her machinery supplied by Parsons. She was authorised in the program year 1936...
. On 19 June she rescued survivors from a torpedoed Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
merchant vessel
Merchant vessel
A merchant vessel is a ship that transports cargo or passengers. The closely related term commercial vessel is defined by the United States Coast Guard as any vessel engaged in commercial trade or that carries passengers for hire...
, and on 20 June, in company with Mashona, she seized control of the Swedish destroyers Romulus and Remus. After intense diplomatic activity they were later returned to Sweden. In the meantime, Tartar became the Leader of the 6th Flotilla whilst her sister HMS Somali
HMS Somali (F33)
HMS Somali was a Tribal-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II.-History:She was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear....
was under repair. Tartar herself needed repairs in mid July after sustaining damage to her rudder.
On 8 August she was temporarily assigned to Force H
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany....
whilst providing an escort for ships bound for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. On 5 September she was an escort for ships of the 1st Minelaying Squadron during minelaying in the Northern Barrage
Northern Barrage
The Northern Barrage was the name given to an extensive series of defensive minefields laid by the British during World War II in order to restrict German access to the Atlantic Ocean. The barrage stretched from the Orkney to the Faroe Islands and on toward Iceland...
. A further refit at Devonport followed in October, which included work to repair leaks from the water feeds and the replacement of the twin 4.7 inch gun mounting in "X" position with twin 4 inch HA mounting to improve anti-aircraft defence. This work lasted until December, when Tartar returned to Scapa Flow as the Leader of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla.
In January and February she was used to escort a number of minelaying operations in the North Sea. On 1 March she was one of the destroyers escorting the landing ships of Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore was the codename for a British Commandos raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important center for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war industry. The landings were carried out on 4 March 1941,...
to the Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
Islands, and then provided support for the landing operations. On 3 March she sank the German merchantman at 61°55′N 5°07′E. Whilst carrying out this duty on 4 March, she intercepted the German trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
Krebbs and captured her with a boarding party. An Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
and supporting documents were recovered and later transported to Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
to assist decryption efforts. In May Tartar was deployed to defend the Atlantic convoys. During these duties, she was present at the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
. After this, on 28 May Tartar was returning to Scapa Flow with HMS Mashona, when they came under heavy air attack west of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Tartars action report states: "...It is believed that all attacking aircraft were H.E. 111's. Occasionally a F.W. Condor
Focke-Wulf Fw 200
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier to the Allies was a German all-metal four-engine monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner...
was seen shadowing astern. It is estimated that about 50 aircraft took part in the attacks over a period of 13 hours..." The Mashona was hit and badly damaged, eventually capsizing, but in return Tartar shot down an He 111 bomber. Tartar was able to rescue 14 officers and 215 ratings, and transported them to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. During this engagement " Tartar used her Fuze Keeping Clock
Fuze Keeping Clock
The Fuze Keeping Clock was a simplified version of the Royal Navy's High Angle Control System analogue fire control computer. It first appeared as the FKC Mk1 in destroyers of the 1938 Tribal class, while later variants were used on sloops, frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers and several...
to aim her 4.7" guns and "...Every gun was used, the 4.7" in controlled fire and the 4" and close range weapons firing independently. 290 rounds of 4.7", 255 rounds of 4", 1,000 rounds of pom pom and 750 rounds of .5 machine gun ammunition were fired."
Arctic Ocean
She resumed her duties with the Home Fleet in June, at which point she was attached to a small force whose aim was to capture a German weather shipWeather ship
A weather ship was a ship stationed in the ocean as a platform for surface and upper air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting. They were primarily located in the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans, reporting via radio...
to obtain an Enigma coding machine and associated documentation. On 26 June she escorted the cruiser HMS Nigeria
HMS Nigeria (60)
HMS Nigeria was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy completed early in World War II and served throughout that conflict. She was named for the British territory of Nigeria.-Home waters:...
and HMS Bedouin from Scapa Flow to the waters off Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
. On 28 June the taskforce spotted the German weather ship Lauenburg
German weather ship Lauenburg
The Lauenburg was a German weather ship used in the early years of the Second World War to provide weather reports for German shipping, particularly German U-boats...
and a boarding party from Tartar seized control of the vessel, recovering important documentation. Tartar then sank the Lauenburg with gunfire. On 27 July she carried out reconnaissance of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
to assess the possibility of using the island as a refuelling base for Russian convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
.
Tartar continued to operate in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
throughout August. On 2 August she destroyed the weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
at Bear Island and evacuated Russian nationals to Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
from the island. Tartar accompanied HMS Inglefield
HMS Inglefield (D02)
HMS Inglefield was an I-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy that served during World War II. She was the navy's last purpose-built flotilla leader. She was named after the 19th century Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield , and is so far the only warship to carry the name of that...
while taking King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
to Scapa Flow. On 17 August she screened the battleship HMS Prince of Wales that was carrying Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
back from his Atlantic Charter
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement first issued in August 1941 that early in World War II defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. It was drafted by Britain and the United States, and later agreed to by all the Allies...
meeting with President Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. Shortly thereafter, HMS Prince of Wales overtook an eastbound convoy of 73 ships, turned around and passed through the convoy again so that the Prime Minister and the merchant ships could greet each other. When the Prince of Wales arrived on the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, Tartar embarked the Prime Minister and took him to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
for his return to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
On 20 August Tartar escorted the SS Empress of Australia and RFA Oligarch to Spitsbergen to establish a garrison. Having successfully achieved this, she then escorted the Empress of Australia to Murmansk, carrying members of the Russian and Norwegian populations of the island. She then underwent a refit, carried out by Green and Silley Weir, Royal Albert Dock
Royal Albert Dock
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...
, London, which lasted from September until mid-October. The work included removing the original mainmast to improve gunnery arcs, shortening the after funnel, resiting depth charge positions and installing the Type 285 gunnery radar for main armament fire-control. She returned to Scapa Flow after the completion of these works and became the Leader of the 6th Flotilla.
January and February 1942 was spent escorting Russian convoys, including convoys PQ-7B, QP-5, PQ-12, PQ-13
Convoy PQ-13
PQ-13 was a British Arctic convoy which delivered war supplies from the Western Allies to the USSR during World War II. The convoy was subject to attack by German air, U-boat and surface forces and suffered the loss of five ships, plus one escort vessel...
and QP-9. On 8 March Tartar screened Home Fleet units carrying out an unsuccessful search for the German battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
. During these operations, she sustained damage to her forward gun mounting due to high speed operations in rough weather. At the end of the month she travelled to Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and was under repair and refit at Brigham and Cowan's shipyard until June.
The Mediterranean
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
as part of the escort. The convoy came under air and submarine attacks from 11 August after it was sighted by the Italian submarine Uarsciek. On 12 August Tartar carried out depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
attacks to drive off the Italian submarine Granito, and together with HMS Lookout drove off the Italian submarine Emo. After HMS Foresight
HMS Foresight (H68)
HMS Foresight was a Royal Navy F class destroyer. She operated as a fast minesweeper during World War II and was scuttled after being damaged in an aerial attack during Operation Pedestal, an attempt to bring supplies to Malta....
was damaged in an air attack, Tartar took her in tow, and attempted to bring her to Gibraltar. On the way she was the target of an unsuccessful attack by U 73 on 13 August, and after that it was decided that attempts to save Foresight were hopeless. Tartar took off Foresight’s crew, then scuttled her with a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
. After the culmination of Operation Pedestal, Tartar sailed to rejoin the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.
On her return in September, she formed part of the escort for Convoy PQ-18
Convoy PQ-18
Convoy PQ-18 was one of the Arctic convoys sent from Britain to aid the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The convoy departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942 and arrived in Arkhangelsk on 21 September 1942....
and then Convoy QP-14. In October she returned to the Mediterranean to support Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, the allied landings in North Africa. During this deployment, from 8 November to 30 November, she screened fleet units and convoys, and carried out anti-submarine patrols. She was then attached to Force Q at Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, where she was assigned to intercept enemy supply convoys and escort allied convoys. She carried out these duties into February 1943, despite coming under attack on numerous occasions. On 28 April Tartar carried out an attack on E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
s near Marrettimo, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, and on 7 May she deployed with other destroyers of the Mediterranean Fleet to blockade the Cape Bon area to intercept craft attempting to evacuate enemy personnel from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
. On 11 July she rescued some 200 survivors from the hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
which had been sunk by German air attack off the beach head. On 12 July Tartar sank the ammunition ship Baarn, which was on fire after being damaged in air attacks. On 13 July she took the damaged destroyer HMS Eskimo
HMS Eskimo (F75)
HMS Eskimo was a Tribal-class destroyer, laid down by the High Walker Yard of Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 5 August 1936...
in tow to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, after Eskimo had been damaged by air attacks. In August she supported the Allied invasion of Italy
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
, by covering the landings at Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, and later the landings at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
. On 19 September Tartar provided gunfire support during a German counter-attack, and subsequently came under attacks from radio-controlled glider bombs. She returned to the UK at the end of October, and spent the last months of 1943, and January and February 1944 under refit at Devonport.
Home waters: the English Channel
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. In the nineteenth century the holder of the office was known as Commander-in-Chief,...
to carry out offensive patrols against coastal shipping off the French coast, as well as escorting allied convoys through the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. In May she provided cover with HMS Bellona
HMS Bellona (63)
HMS Bellona was the name ship of her subgroup of light cruisers for the Royal Navy. She was a modified Dido-class design with only four turrets but improved anti-aircraft armament...
for HMS Apollo
HMS Apollo (M01)
HMS Apollo was an of the British Royal Navy, the eighth RN ship to carry the name. She served with the Home Fleet during World War II, taking part in the Normandy Landings before being transferred to the British Pacific Fleet...
, on a minelaying operation off the French coast in preparation for the Allied landings in Normandy. On 6 June she led the 10th Destroyer Flotilla into the English Channel to prevent German interference with the landings or the passage of convoys during Operation Neptune
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
.
On 9 June she and the flotilla were in action against German warships
Battle of Ushant (1944)
The Battle of Ushant, also known as the Battle of Brittany, occurred on the early morning of 9 June 1944 and was an engagement between a German destroyer flotilla, and an Allied destroyer flotilla off the coast of Brittany. The action came shortly after the initial Allied landings in Normandy...
. Though the German destroyers ZH1 and Z32 were sunk, Tartar was damaged by return fire. Her galley and bridge were hit and set on fire. Four men were killed and twelve wounded including Commander Jones. Her foremast hung over the side and all of the radar and communications were dead. She returned to Devonport briefly to undergo temporary repairs, before resuming operations in the English Channel. On 7 July she intercepted and engaged minesweepers
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
of the 46th German Flotilla off the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
and sank the minesweepers M4601 and M4605. On 6 August Tartar, HMS Bellona, HMS Ashanti
HMS Ashanti (F51)
HMS Ashanti was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Following the style of her sister ships she was named for an ethnic group, in this case the Ashanti people of the Gold Coast in West Africa. She served in the Second World War and was broken up in 1949...
, HMCS Haida
HMCS Haida (G63)
HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943-1963.Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship...
and HMCS Iroquois
HMCS Iroquois (G89)
-External links:** at Haze Gray and Underway*...
attacked a convoy off Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
, sinking the minesweepers M263 and M486, the Patrol Boat V414 and a coastal launch together with four small ships.
Far East
Tartar underwent another refit, from November until February 1945, after which she was assigned to serve with the Eastern Fleet. In March she escorted several escort aircraft carrierEscort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
s to Gibraltar and then carried out exercises in the Mediterranean before departing for Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, where she arrived on 20 April. She was initially deployed with the 10th Destroyer Flotilla as a screen for the ships involved in a sweep of the Andaman and Nicobar
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
areas. She then participated in bombardments of Car Nicobar
Car Nicobar
Car Nicobar is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of two local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands....
and Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
, as well as covering Operation Dracula
Operation Dracula
During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. When it was launched, the Imperial Japanese Army had already abandoned the city.-Background:...
, the allied landings at Rangoon.
Further deployments included screening duties and attacks on enemy shipping, during which time she came under repeated air attack, but without damage or casualties. She was then assigned to the planned Operation Zipper
Operation Zipper
During the Second World War, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it was never fully executed. Some of the proposed landings on Penang went...
, but it was never carried out. She spent the rest of the war on escort and screening duties until the Japanese surrender. She was present at the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
Japanese Instrument of Surrender
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist...
in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
on 2 September.
Post war
After the end of the war, Tartar sailed for PenangPenang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
on 7 September, and from there to the UK, where she arrived at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
on 17 November. She was paid off and placed in reserve
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
in early 1946 after having been de-stored. She was used as an Accommodation Ship for Reserve Fleet personnel before being placed on the Disposal List in 1947. Tartar was sold to BISCO
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
for breaking up on 6 January 1948, and arrived at J Cashmere's yard in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales for demolition on 22 February. She had gained a total of twelve battle honours for her service in the war.