Navy | The Royal Navy |
Type | Frigate |
Class | River |
Pennant | K 637 |
Built by | Charles Hill & Sons Ltd. (Bristol, U.K.) : Bellis & Morcom |
Ordered | 11 Sep 1942 |
Laid down | 14 Apr 1943 |
Launched | 11 Sep 1943 |
Commissioned | 7 Jan 1944 |
End service | |
History | Scrapped in June 1957. |
Commands listed for HMS Taff (K 637)
Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.
Commander | From | To | |
1 | T/Lt.Cdr. Aislabie Harrison, RNR | 1 Nov 1943 | 23 May 1944 |
2 | Cdr. Gerald Anthony Gore Ormsby, RN | 23 May 1944 | 9 Jun 1945 |
3 | A/Lt.Cdr. Michael Elijah Impey, DSO, DSC, RN | 9 Jun 1945 | 2 Nov 1945 |
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Notable events involving Taff include:
1 Feb 1944
HMS Varangian (Lt. S.J. Fovargue, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Taff (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR). (1)
2 Feb 1944
HMS Varangian (Lt. S.J. Fovargue, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Taff (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR). (1)
6 Feb 1944
HMS Varangian (Lt. S.J. Fovargue, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMS Taff (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR) and HMS Fort York (T/Lt. E.W. De la Mare, RNR). (1)
3 Mar 1944
Convoy KMF 29A.
This convoy departed the Clyde on 3 March 1944 for Alexandria.
It was made up of the troop transport Strathnaver (British, 22283 GRT, built 1931). Also part of the convoy were the escort carriers HMS Atheling (Capt. R.I. Agnew, OBE, RCN), HMS Begum (A/Capt. J.E. Broome, DSC, RN) and the aircraft transports HMS Athene (T/A/Cdr. C.H. Moulton, RNR) and HMS Engadine (Capt. W.T. Fitzgerald, RD, RNR). These ships were ferrying aircraft.
Escort was provided by the light cruiser HMS Nigeria (Capt. S.H. Paton, RN), sloop HMIS Cauvery (A/Cdr. A.W. Beeton, RIN) and the frigates Cranstoun (Lt. E.W. Rainey, RN), HMS Deane (Lt. V.A. Hickson, DSO, RN), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN), HMS Findhorn (Lt.Cdr. J.C. Dawson, RD, RNR), HMS Lossie (Lt.Cdr. A.F. MacFie, OBE, RNR), HMS Shiel (Lt. H.P. Crail, DSC, RNR), HMS Spey (Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN) and HMS Taff (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR).
Around 0800Z/6, the sloop HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. W.R. Hickey, RNR) joined the convoy.
Around 1800Z/6, the frigates HMS Cranstoun, HMS Deane and HMS Redmill parted company with the convoy.
During the night of 9/10 March, HMS Nigeria fuelled at Gibraltar and then rejoined the convoy.
Around 1000A/11, HMS Erne parted company with the convoy to proceed to Algiers.
At 0137B/13, HMS Nigeria parted company with the convoy to proceed ahead of it to Port Said.
Around 1710A/13, the light cruiser HMS Phoebe (Capt. C.P. Frend, RN) joined the convoy.
Around 0600B/16, HMS Phoebe parted company with the convoy to proceed to Alexandria.
The convoy arrived at Port Said late in the afternoon of the 16th.
28 Mar 1944
Convoy AJ 2.
This convoy departed Aden on 28 March 1944.
It was made up of the transport; Aronda (British, 9031 GRT, built 1941).
The escort carriers HMS Atheling (Capt. R.I. Agnew, OBE, RCN), HMS Begum (A/Capt. J.E. Broome, DSC, RN) and aircraft transports HMS Athene (T/A/Cdr. C.H. Moulton, RNR) and HMS Engadine (Capt. W.T. Fitzgerald, RD, RNR) were also part of this convoy.
On departure from Aden they were escorted by the destroyer HMS Racehorse (Cdr. J.J. Casement, DSC, RN), sloop HMIS Cauvery (A/Cdr. A.W. Beeton, RIN) and the frigates HMS Lossie (Lt.Cdr. A.F. MacFie, OBE, RNR), HMS Spey (Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, RN) and HMS Taff (T/Lt.Cdr. A. Harrison, RNR).
At 0500E/2, the destroyer HMAS Nizam (Cdr. C.H. Brooks, RAN) joined coming from Addu Atoll.
The convoy arrived at Colombo on 4 April 1944.
1 Sep 1944
The British merchant Troilus is torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-859 about 300 nautical miles north-east of Socotra Island in position 14°10'N, 61°04'E. Later HMS Nadder (T/A/Lt.Cdr. P.E. Kitto, RNR) and HMS Taff (Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, DSO, DSC, RN) together pick up 95 survivors and landed them at Aden on 10 September.
15 Sep 1944
Around 0530C/15, HMS Templar (Lt. T.G. Ridgeway, RN) departed from Aden bound for Suez.
On departure A/S exercises were carried out with ships of Force 66. Force 66 was made up of the following ships; escort carriers HMS Begum (A/Capt. J.E. Broome, DSC, RN), HMS Shah (A/Capt. W.J. Yendell, RN), sloops HMIS Godavari (A/Cdr. A.B. Goord, RIN, HMIS Cauvery (A/Cdr. A.W. Beeton, RIN) and the frigates HMS Lossie (Lt.Cdr. A.F. MacFie, OBE, RD, RNR), HMS Parrett (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) T. Hood, RNR) and HMS Taff (Cdr. G.A.G. Ormsby, DSO, DSC, RN).
On completion of the exercises Force 66 set course to proceed to Kilindini / Mombasa. (2)
Sources
- ADM 173/19347
- ADM 173/18990
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.