The NZ Division, of the Royal Navy. HMS Leith

HMS LEITH completed at Devonport and, after trials with a local crew,
commissioned there 10th. July 1934 with a Chatham crew for service on the
New Zealand Station, for which she sailed on 13th.August 1934 , after a
courtesy visit to the port of Leith, arriving on station at Auckland 13th.
November1934 . HMS LEITH”s duty in New Zealand waters comprised visits to
the principal ports, and also regular courtesy calls and cruises to Fiji,
Samoa and adjacent island groups, the ship being based at Auckland.

A new crew for HMS LEITH was sent out to Wellington, and the ship
re-commissioned there 17th. December 1936, after which she conveyed the
Commissioner for the Gilbert & Ellice Islands to the Phoenix Islands where
due proclamation of British sovereignty was made during the second week of
February 1937. Quite why this was necessary at so late a date is unknown.
The following six months were taken up with extended cruises amongst the
South West Pacific islands, the ship not returning to Auckland until 18th
September 1937.
Further cruising in 1st. February1938 was interrupted by the need to go to
Sydney NSW for work on defective shaft bearings, presumably beyond the
resources of the Auckland Dockyard, this being done during a six week visit
5th.June.1938. On completion, further island cruising, including carrying
the Queen of Tonga on Royal visits to outlying islands, preceded HMS LEITH
returning to Auckland at the end of September.1938.
HMS LEITH re-commissioned at Wellington with a further Chatham crew 27th
July 1939 and, on the outbreak of war, proceeded to Jervis Bay and thence to
Singapore where she came under the orders of Commander-in- Chief, China
Station, operating out of Penang until 7th. November 1939. From Penang, HMS
LEITH sailed for home, being diverted from Gibraltar to Freetown to pick up
the homeward convoy SL 14, leaving Freetown 26th. December 1939 and arriving
at Penarth for refit 13th January 1940.
On completion of refit 2nd. February 1940, HMS LEITH proceeded to Liverpool
to join Western Approaches Command, principally handling the UK/Gibraltar
convoy traffic involving 4 to 5 days out from Liverpool before exchanging to
an inward bound convoy. This pattern continued until mid July 1940 when HMS
LEITH transferred to Rosyth only to burn out No 1 boiler within days,
involving a month”s repair at Belfast until 12th. August 1940, after which
the ship returned to her Liverpool base and became involved in North
Atlantic convoys in addition to the Gibraltar traffic, making a through
passage to Sydney Nova Scotia in November 1940.
During April 1941 HMS LEITH escorted Irish Sea convoys, and then undertook a
lengthy refit at Avonmouth from 17th.April-6th.June 1941, after which the
ship joined the Newfoundland Escort Force which had just been formed.
Service here was brief, two convoys only, for HMS LEITH then returned to the
Gibraltar passage in August1941, in which operational area she was to remain
for much of the rest of the war.

With the re-organisation of Western Approaches Command, HMS LEITH joined 38
Escort Group based on Londonderry, transferring to 41 Escort Group in
August1943, prior to which she had taken part in Operation Torch, escorting
the follow-up stores convoy KMS 2 and then operating along the North African
coast in the early months of 1943.
Service with 41 EG transferred HMS LEITH to the Freetown route, operating
with the OS and SI convoy series until August1944 when 41 EG transferred
from Western Approaches to the Mediterranean Fleet to be based at Gibraltar.
LEITH was, in fact, feeling the effect of strenuous service and in September
1944 commenced an extended refit at Gibraltar that lasted until January1945,
the ship then returning to Portsmouth to rejoin 38 EG, by now based on that
port. HMS LEITH operated thereafter in the Channel as a local escort for the
large convoys now again using that passage to the UK, involving her in
continuous running until June 1945 when she paid off to reserve at Rosyth.

Put up for sale as part of the post-war disposals, HMS LEITH was sold for
commercial service as BYRON 25th.November 1946, later being re-named
FRIENDSHIP. Normally this would have been the end of her naval association.
However, in an unusual move, the Royal Danish Navy purchased the ship in
1949 and re- commissioned her as the survey ship GALATHEA, in which guise
she served on until sold for breaking up in 1955.

source info :

Sloops 1926 – 1946 by Arnold Hague., (1993)., World Ship Society, 28 Natland
Road, Kendal, LA9 7LT., ISBN 0 905617 67 3 .

Battle Honours : Atlantic., North Africa (Operation Torch)

Hope this is of help

regards

Thomas Worboys

>My Father-in-law, Gordon FOOTE, now age 94, was an Electrical Artificer on
>HMS Leith in 1935 when it sailed from New Zealand for a three month cruise
>of various Pacific Islands showing the British flag. He also was a diver
>(in those days with brass and copper helmet, canvas suit and lead weighted
>boots). He would like to know what became of the ship and if there are any
>old shipmates out there?
>TIA
>Margaret
>
>>