Service history HMS Martin (G44)

1 service history

1.1 convoy pq17
1.2 convoy pq18
1.3 loss

service history
convoy pq17

martin escort home fleet during ill-fated convoy pq 17, sailing scapa on 30 june , cruising off bear island, arriving @ scapa flow on 11 july. martin left scapa flow on 15 july seidisfjord , left there on 20 july in company marne, middleton , blankney archangel loaded replenishments escorts , merchant ships. arrived @ kola inlet on 24 july , archangel days later. martin sailed archangel on 14 august , joined cruiser uss tuscaloosa. after calling @ kola inlet, whence sailed on 24 august in company marne , onslaught, martin sank german minelayer ulm , took 54 prisoners-of-war. arrived @ scapa flow on 30 august, having survived minor collision vidette on day.

convoy pq18

martin sailed scapa flow on 4 september join escorts of convoy pq 18. in convoy part of force b , , joined convoy cruiser scylla, , escort aircraft carrier avenger southwest of jan meyen island on 9 september. pq 18 heavily attacked aircraft , lost ten ships, sunk, torpedo bomber attacks , 2 others u-boat, out of original convoy of 40 ships. on 16 september, martin scylla , rest of destroyers transferred westbound convoy, pq 14. convoy escaped air attack, lost 3 ships out of fifteen u-boats, in addition sank 2 of escort , fleet oiler. martin arrived @ scapa flow on 27 september survivors 4 merchant ships.

loss

martin allocated escort group force h in operation “torch”, landings in north africa. sailed scapa flow on 30 october part of escort force h , , after fuelling @ gibraltar on 5 november re-joined force h - covering force landings @ algiers , oran, on 8 november. task of force h guard against action italian fleet, during landings. martin torpedoed u-431 under command of wilhelm dommes on morning of 10 november result of blew , sank in position 37°53′n 003°57′e / 37.883°n 3.950°e / 37.883; 3.950. survivors 4 officers , 59 ratings picked destroyer quentin.