H.M.S. Ulster

Picture on right:

Chris Clement far left middle row.  Others are Lt Boardman (navigator) CRS Woodland, LRO Swatten, LRO Woodcock, RO Hornby, RO McCarthy,
RO Stacey, RO Thornley, RO Weaver, RO Wood and RO Ford.

Date with scrap yard held up by weather

by, Mike Critchley

HMS ULSTER, a former destroyer with a long and distinguished career, had her date with a scrapyard postponed today because of the weather.

Ulster, which had a "busy war" and was awarded five' battle honours, was due to leave a backwater of the Tamar for a scrapyard at Inverkeithing, Fife.

Her battle honours were: English Channel, 1943; Adrlatlc 1944; Medlterranean 1944; Normandy 1944 and, Okinawa 1945.

The destroyer was built by Messrs Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend on Tyne. She was laid down on November, 12, 1941, launched November 9, 1942, and completed June. 30, 1943. On completion she was allocated to the Home Fleet.

On July, 27, she left Scapa for "Operation Governor" a diversionery operation designed to pin down enemy forces in Norway before the launching of the Sicilian campaign.

In Action

At the beginning of September she was temporarily detached to Plymouth Command. She left Plymouth on the 18th for the Biscay patrol.

On October 4, 1943, she took part in "Operation Tunnel", a patrol off the north coast' of Brittany, during which she was in action with five enemy destroyers of the Elbing class.

Ulster scored hits but was also hit and damaged and had a man killed, and some wounded. Later that month, she was based in Algiers and patrolled with HMS Grenville off the Yugoslavian coast.

On January 7, 1944, Ulster again with Grenville. was engaged in a sweep between Ancona and San Benedetto during which they shelled two trains near San Giorgio.

On February with the Urchin, she bombarded targets in the Anzio area during the amphibious landing east of Capo d' Anzio.

On Mar 8, she arrived at Algiers en route for Scapa where she was once more attached 10 the Home Fleet, joining The 251h Destroyer Flotilla.

In the Normandy landing she was among the destroyers which made the assault at Asnelles.

Early in December she was employed on anti-submarine operations in Northern Waters and on 16th, assisted in a U-boat hunt after the sinking of the frigate Bullen by U7755 off Cape Wrath.

On December, 16, Ulster left Liverpool with other ships escorting SS Rimutaka carrying the Duke of Gloucester to Australia to take up the appointment of Governor-General.

Ulster arrived at Fremantle on January, 22, 1945 having been allocated to the British Pacific Fleet, still as part of 25th Flotilla joining Task Force 113.

Landing

On April, while operating as part of the British Task Force 57, under Vice-Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, in support of The Okinawa landing, Ulster was damaged by a near miss from a bomb. And as she could not steam, was taken in tow for Leyte, with two men killed and one seriously wounded.

She left the Pacific in The middle of June and arrived at Chatham early in August 1945 for refit.

After The war Ulster completed a· refit at Chatham in July 1946 and was allocated to Rosyth Command for The Boys’ Training Flotilla. She continued to serve on training duties at Rosyth until November 1949 when she moved to Plymouth Command as an Air Training Target

In the summer of 1952 it was decided that she should reduced to Reserve pending conversion to a type 57 anti-submarine frigate.

In 1957 she was allocated to West Indies Station, as the Senior Naval Officer West Indies Flagship.

Ulster was refitted at Plymouth in 1958 and returned to West Indies Station in November.

Unrest
In February 1959, Ulster was at Grenada because of labour unrest there. She returned to Plymouth on October 23.

After a refit in May 1961, Ulster returned to the West lndies for one year.

Ulster left Devonport in April 1962 again for the West Indies.

At the end of 1963, Ulster was in Reserve at Plymouth awaiting a long refit. This was completed in October 1965 when she was allocated to the 2nd Frigate Squadron (Portland, Training Squadron), Home Fleet.

Early in 1966 she damaged her stern, so the complete stern was cut from HMS Urchin and filled to Ulster in Devonport Dockyard in June.

Ulster was allocated as Admiralty Surface Weapon Establishment (ASWE) Trials and Navigation Training Ship in July 1967.

Ulster was under repair early in '1971 and subsequently continued la serve as Navigation Training Ship from Portsmouth."

In 1977 she was towed to Plymouth where she was moored in the Tamar. Her final job in the Navy was to give youngsters from HMS Raleigh their first taste of life afloat.

Now, nearly 40 years after being built, Ulster is going for scrap.

Starboard MMk 10

Hi! Norrie. I'm just browsing the Navy News and saw the last Ulster reunion. Between '60 and '62 I was in Artful running out of Derry mostly. We were tied up alongside Ulster, just the once! I'd had a good Saturday night run ashore and came off at about 1 am. I was sat on the casing having a fag and the big red hand on the side of the funnel caught my attention.

I went below and made a 4 ft long 'toggle and two' out of cardboard. Back on Ulster I switched off the funnel illumination, up the funnel ladder and hung the 'fid' across the red hand, funnel illumination back on and went to bed in Artful.

At about 0800 there was a bit of a commotion. I went up top and there were a few Ulster crew being rollocked, a few submariners falling about laughing. The 'fid' was taken down and a short while later we had to move trot. We were never allowed back alongside Ulster. There were a couple of passing pleasure boats with people taking photos.

This is the first time I've admitted to anyone that it was me did the dastardly deed. Our skipper was Lt Cdr Whetstone, now Admiral [Retd.] He wasn't too pleased. Afterwards I realised it was a pretty stupid thing to do, what with the IRA stuff and trot sentries armed with Lanchesters. I don't know how I got away without being seen.

So who of the Ulster-men of 60-62 remember this? I can't remember the date. Does anyone have a photograph?

Apologies to any old salts, it wasn't meant to offend! Regards, Keith Hallam