Allied Warships

HMS Redmill (K 554)

Frigate of the Captain class

HMS Redmill (K 554) after being torpedoed, assisted by HMS Rupert (K 561). Photo courtesy of K.R. MacPherson

Navy	The Royal Navy
Type	Frigate
Class	Captain
Pennant	K 554
Built by	Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard Inc. (Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)
Ordered	10 Jan 1942
Laid down	14 Jul 1943
Launched	2 Oct 1943
Commissioned	30 Nov 1943
End service
History	Assigned USN penant DE 89 but not named. On 27 April 1945 HMS Redmill (Lt. John Richard Alured Denne, RN) was torpedoed by the German submarine U-1105 west of Ireland in position 54º23'N, 10º36'W. She was hit by a Gnat torpedo and had 60 feet of her stern missing. She was towed to Lisahally and declared a total loss. Returned to the US Navy on 20 January 1947 and scrapped. Hit by U-boat A total loss on 27 Apr 1945 by U-1105 (Schwarz).
U-boat Attack	See our U-boat attack entry for the HMS Redmill
Former name	DE 89

Commands listed for HMS Redmill (K 554)

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	Lt. John Richard Alured Denne, RN	3 Dec 1943	mid 1945

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Notable events involving Redmill include:

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.

12 Sep 1944
Around 1545B/12, HMS Rodney (Capt. R.O. Fitzroy, RN), departed Plymouth for Scapa Flow. She is being escorted by the destroyers HMS Skate (Lt. J.H. Macalister, RNVR), HMS Scimitar (Lt. P. Archer-Shee, RNVR) and HMS Saladin (T/A/Lt.Cdr. P.G.C. King, RNVR).

At 0740B/13, the escort was relieved by the frigates HMS Fitzroy (A/Lt.Cdr. A.J. McCullogh Miller, DSC, RNVR), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) and HMS Deane (Lt. V.A. Hickson, DSO, RN).

HMS Rodney arrived at Scapa Flow around 1445B/14. Before entering gunnery exercises had been carried out. (1)

25 Sep 1944
Around 0915A/25, the escort carrier HMS Fencer (A/Capt. W.W.R. Bentinck, OBE, RN) departed Belfast for Scapa Flow. She was escorted by the frigates HMS Deane (Lt. V.A. Hickson, DSO, RN) and HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) until 0105A/26, when the destroyers HMS Offa (Lt.Cdr. R.C. Biggs, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN) and HMS Obedient (Lt.Cdr. H. Unwin, DSC and Bar, RN) took over. These destroyers had departed Scapa Flow around 1900A/25.

HMS Fencer, HMS Offa and HMS Obedient arrived at Scapa Flow around 0900A/26. (2)

10 Oct 1944
HMS Torbay (Lt. C.P. Norman, DSO, RN) proceeded from the Clyde area to Larne where she conducted A/S exercises off Larne with ships from the 21st Escort Group which was made up of the frigates HMS Byron (Lt.Cdr. K.G.L. Southcombe, RN), HMS Conn (Lt.Cdr. R. Hart, DSC and Bar, RN, Senior Officer of the group), HMS Deane (Lt. V.A. Hickson, DSO, RN), HMS Fitzroy (A/Lt.Cdr. A.J. McCullogh Miller, DSC, RNVR), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) and HMS Rupert (Lt. P.C.S. Black, RN).

On completion of the exercises HMS Torbay entered Larne harbour while the frigates arrived at Belfast later the same day. (3)

5 Mar 1945
HMS Vampire (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Gibraltar with HMS Odzani (A/Lt.Cdr. J.N. Burgess, RANVR), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) and aircraft. (4)

27 Mar 1945
German U-boat U-722 was sunk in the North Atlantic near the Hebrides, in position 57°09'N, 06°55'W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Fitzroy (Lt.Cdr. O.G. Stuart, RCNVR), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) and HMS Byron (Lt. J. Burfield, DSC, RN).

23 Apr 1945
At Loch Alsh, HMS Trespasser (Lt. L.E. Herrick, DSC, RN) and HMS Tactician (Lt.Cdr. L.N.A. Jewell, DSC, MBE, RN) conducted A/S exercises with HMS Philante (Cdr. M.J. Evans, OBE, RN) and ships from Escort Group 23 which were most likely the following; HMS Conn (Lt.Cdr. R. Hart, DSC and Bar, RN), HMS Byron (Lt. J. Burfield, RN), HMS Deane (A/Lt.Cdr. E.L. Cook, DSC, RN), HMS Fitzroy (Lt.Cdr. O.G. Stuart, RCNVR), HMS Redmill (Lt. J.R.A. Denne, RN) and HMS Rupert (Lt. P.C.S. Black, RN). (5)