|
DATE OF ARRIVAL |
LOCATION |
DATE OF DEPARTURE |
ORDERS, REMARKS ETC |
During January two groups
of discharged merchant ships have been brought round from the White
Sea ports to Kola Inlet to await convoy, GLEANER (Lt Commander J G
Hewitt DSC) being the Senior Officer on both occasions. I like the
practical way he goes about this work and the initiative he displays
while maintaining W/T silence. People who chatter by W/T are just
asking for trouble with enemy air bases so close. No names, no pack
drill but some of our visiting escorts are not apparently as much
alive to this as they might be, at any rate not until they get a blast
about it. One of the occasions mentioned above that I especially liked
was on the night of 8th/9th January when GLEANER
led his group of six merchant ships for eight hour in thick fog right
into harbour without any assistance, a good piece of work. His British
and American charges were much impressed….
28th
Report of SBNO North Russia |
|
? |
Dvina Bar |
9.1.44 |
|
|
11.1.44 |
Kola Inlet |
17.1.44 |
|
|
? |
Dvina Bar |
29.1.44 |
|
|
30.1.44 |
Kola Inlet |
? |
|
|
? |
Dvina Bar |
3.2.44 |
|
|
3.2.44 |
GLEANER and Seagull
cleared the channel for RA56 (39 ships) from 3 – 5/2, and Halcyon,
Hussar and Speedwell accompanied until 10/2 when they . |
|
? |
Kola Inlet |
15.2.44 |
|
|
? |
Archangel |
18.2.44 |
|
|
? |
Kola Inlet |
25.2.44 |
|
Owing to the return to UK
with RA57 of minesweepers normally stationed in North Russia, the
local escort for the White Sea section of JW57 was, for the first
time, an all Russian one, the Senior Officer being Rear Admiral Kolchin (recently promoted). It had been arranged that GLEANER and
Seagull would accompany the Russians to assist in effecting a meeting
then return to Kola Inlet. On Sunday 27th February it was
learned quite casually that Kolchin had intentions of sailing 24 hours
earlier than the pre-arranged time and without the British ships. (The
lad is quite a grown man now, thank you, and is able to stand on his
own feet.) As the convoy’s route was being constantly altered, all of
which tended to shorten it and alter the
ETA, this plan of
Kolshin’s, who was as yet unaware of the above, left much to be
desired. I imagine too that VAD in Black Prince would hardly welcome
15 assorted Russian ships stooging about rather lost in his vicinity
at night, although being on the old route the probability is that they
would have missed the convoy altogether, thanks be.
Report of SBNO North Russia |
|
2.3.44 |
At sea |
10.3.44 |
GLEANER and Seagull
provided ocean escort for RA57 (33 ships). One merchantman was sunk by
U703, but three U boats were sunk and two damaged thanks to the
presence of aircraft from the escort carrier Chaser.
GLEANER and
Seagull were the last minesweepers to be stationed in Northern Russia.
Since 1941, such vessels had provided Local Eastern Escorts for the
convoys and also assisted the Soviet authorities in running the feeder
convoys to and from Murmansk, Archangel and other ports in the area.
The work of the minesweepers had been a lonely and thankless task
spent in a desolate theatre with an ally who seemed to place little
value on their presence. Yet, the work of the minesweepers, which went
largely unnoticed compared to the greater events out at sea, was
extremely important to the smooth running of the convoy cycle.
Source: Convoy! Paul Kemp |
|
10.3.44 |
Aultbea |
10.3.44 |
|
|
11.3.44 |
Scapa |
11.3.44 |
By 9/3 Jason, Harrier
(SO), Speedwell and Hussar had been joined by Britomart, GLEANER (from
11/3), Halcyon, Salamander and Seagull and the 1st MSF
proceeded to carry out minesweeping exercises (in preparation for D
Day) |
|
12.3.44 |
Leith |
22.3.44 |
|
|
? |
Rosyth |
22.3.44 |
|
|
23.3.44 |
Cromarty |
2.4.44 |
|
|
11.4.44 |
Dundee |
11.4.44 |
|
|
24.4.44 |
Harwich |
1.5.44 |
|
|
6.5.44 |
Harwich |
13.5.44 |
|
|
14.5.44 |
Portsmouth |
20.5.44 |
MS1: GLEANER damaged and
being surveyed at Portsmouth |
|
21.5.44 |
Southend |
22.5.44 |
|
|
23.5.44 |
Humber |
7.6.44 |
Taken in hand 26/5
Grimsby. Docking and repairs. Estimated date of completion 6.6.44 |
|
? |
Southend |
8.6.44 |
|
|
? |
Portsmouth |
9.6.44 |
To carry out searching
sweep from F I MS6 H |
|
|
Southend |
9.6.44 |
|
|
9.6.44 |
GLEANER was escorting the
convoy ETC4 as she sailed for France following repairs at Grimsby.
|
|
10.6.44 |
France NETF |
? |
With the 1st
Minesweeping Flotilla she then continued to sweep for mines and
perform whatever duties were necessary while the Allied Armies were
built up to stay in France. |
|
20.6.44 |
Portsmouth |
8.7.44 |
|
|
14.7.44 |
Harwich |
? |
|
|
? |
Portsmouth |
22.7.44 |
|
|
? |
Harwich |
12.8.44 |
From N O i/c Harwich
GLEANER will be ready to sail August 3rd |
|
4.8.44 |
Southend |
? |
|
|
? |
ANCXF |
5.8.44 |
|
|
16.8.44 |
Portsmouth |
21.8.44 |
GLEANER to be taken in
hand by Green and Lilley Weir, Tilbury |
|
25.8.44 |
GLEANER was damaged by a
near‑miss mine while sweeping with the Flotilla off Le Havre. With her
engines out of action she had to be towed to the Thames for repair.
Serious though this was, it did remove her from the scene of a tragedy
which occurred two days later (see
Friendly Fire) |
|
? |
Tilbury |
11.10.44 |
9/9 GLEANER taken in
hand, date of completion 9/10 |
|
13.10.44 |
Nore |
13.10.44 |
|
|
? |
Harwich |
17.10.44 |
|
|
By November 1944 the 1st
Flotilla was operating from Harwich and GLEANER spent virtually the
remainder of her working life employed as a minesweeper with the
flotilla. (It is quite possible that she occasionally performed escort
duties, but the widening of swept areas and eventually the paramount
need to remove all mines from the sea kept her and her sisters very
busy). |
|
7.11.44 |
Harwich |
11.11.11 |
|
|
20.11.44 |
Harwich |
28.11.44 |
Intend taking GLEANER in
hand Ipswich 21/11, completion date 26/11 |
|
7.12.44 |
Harwich |
14.12.44 |
|
|
17.12.44 |
Harwich |
21.12.44 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23.12.44 |
Harwich |
30.12.44 |
|
