Navy | The Royal Navy |
Type | ASW Trawler |
Class | [No specific class] |
Pennant | T 88 |
Built by | Cochrane & Sons Shipbuilders Ltd. (Selby, U.K.) |
Ordered | |
Laid down | |
Launched | 11 Sep 1934 |
Commissioned | Jan 1939 |
End service | |
History | Completed in October 1934. Sold in 1945. |
Commands listed for HMS Amber (T 88)
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 | Boatswain Harold William Clark, RN | 25 Aug 1939 | 21 Jun 1940 |
2 | A/S.Lt Peter le Mesurier Andrew, RNR | 21 Jun 1940 | 14 Jan 1941 |
3 | Skr. Walter Kirman, RNR | 14 Jan 1941 | May 1941 |
4 | T/Lt. Stanley Barrie, RNR | May 1941 | 9 Mar 1942 |
5 | T/Lt. Charles Rowland Eardley Childers, RNVR | 9 Mar 1942 | 20 Dec 1943 |
6 | T/Lt. John Griffiths Cameron, RANVR | 20 Dec 1943 | mid 1944 |
7 | T/Lt. Robert Edward William Wakefield, RNVR | mid 1944 | late 1944 |
8 | T/Lt. Peter Buckley-Jones, SANF(V) | late 1944 | Jan 1945 |
9 | T/Lt. Clifford Arthur Lines, RNVR | Jan 1945 |
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Notable events involving Amber include:
23 Sep 1939
HMS Snapper (Lt. W.D.A. King, RN) conducted exercises off Alexandria. These exercises included an A/S exercise with HMS Moonstone (Lt. W.J.H. Moorman, RN), HMS Amber (Boatswain H.W. Clark, RN) and later with HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. J.S.M. Richardson, RN). (1)
27 Sep 1939
HMS Snapper (Lt. W.D.A. King, RN) conducted exercises off Alexandria. These exercises included an A/S exercise with HMS Jade, HMS Amber (Boatswain H.W. Clark, RN) and later with HMS Grimsby (Capt. A.S. Russell, RN) and HMS Deptford (Cdr. C.A.E. Stanfield, RN). (1)
23 Oct 1939
HMS Defender (Lt.Cdr. St.J.R.J. Tyrwhitt, RN) conducted exercises off Alexandria. HMS Amber (Boatswain H.W. Clark, RN) who was on patrol off Alexandria obtained an A/S contact and attacked it with depth charges. HMS Defender was ordered to investigate. She too then obtained an A/S contact and twice attacked with depth charges. Oil was brought to the surface. (2)
3 Aug 1940
At 1224C/3, HMAS Hobart (Capt. H.L. Howden, RAN), departed Berbera to patrol off Cape Guardafui as it was thought that an Italian merchant vessel or even raider had departed Massawa and had evaded the Perim patrol during the night of 1 / 2 August. It was thought the enemy was posing as the Greek merchant vessel (tanker) Petrakis Nomikos (7020 GRT, built 1914).
The ship was not sighted an HMAS Hobart returned to Berbera around 1840C/5. On her arrival back at Berbara it was found that the Varsova and HMS Shoreham (Cdr. G.P. Claridge, RN) had departed for Aden while the transport Jehangir (British, 3566 GRT, built 1924), sloop HMAS Parramatta (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Walker, MVO, RAN) and A/S trawler HMS Amber (A/S.Lt P.le M. Andrew, RNR) had arrived from Aden.
HMAS Hobart was to remain at Berbera to provide cover for landing and evactuation operations. (3)
18 Mar 1941
Convoy AN 21.
This convoy departed Alexandria and Port Said in two sections on 18 March 1941.
The Alexandria section was made up of the transports; Anglo-Canadian (British, 5288 GRT, built 1928), Bankura (British, 3185 GRT, built 1912), Barpeta (British, 3194 GRT, built 1914), City of Roubaix (British, 7108 GRT, built 1922), Havre (British, 2073 GRT, built 1905), Marie Maersk (British (tanker), 8271 GRT, built 1928) Pancration (Greek, 2012 GRT, built 1920), Peter Maersk (British, 5476 GRT, built 1932), Prodromus (Greek (tanker), 877 GRT, built 1906), Queen Adelaide (British, 4933 GRT, built 1936) and Teti (Greek, 2747 GRT, built 1903).
Escort was provided by the destroyers HMS Decoy (Cdr. E.G. McGregor, DSO, RN) and HMAS Waterhen (Lt.Cdr. J.H. Swain, RN).
The Port Said section was made up of the transports; Homefield (British, 5324 GRT, built 1919), Mount Olympus (Greek, 6692 GRT, built 1920) and Trajanus (Dutch, 1712 GRT, built 1930).
Escort was provided by the corvette HMS Hyacinth (T/Lt. F.C. Hopkins, RNR).
The two section merged at sea, most likely on 19 March.
At some point the AA cruiser HMS Coventry (Capt. D. Gilmour, RN) joined. She parted company with the convoy around 0800C/21.
Around 1600C/21, while north of Crete, the tanker Marie Maersk was attacked by the air and was on fire. HMAS Waterhen went to her assistance. Several of the crew had been killed or were missing and the remainder had abandoned ship. A salvage party from HMAS Waterhen was put on board and they took the ship to Suda Bay with the assistance of the A/S trawler HMS Amber (Skr. W. Kirman, RNR). HMAS Vampire rejoined the convoy around 2100C/22.
The convoy arrived at Piraeus on 22 March 1941.
25 Jul 1945
HMS Upshot (Lt. A.J. Boyall, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Plymouth with HMS Gweal (T/Lt. H. Hilton, RNVR), HMS Thirlmere (T/Lt. H.O. Olsen, RNR), HMS Amber (T/Lt. C.A. Lines, RNVR) and another vessel [unable to read the name in the log of HMS Upshot]. (4)
Sources
- ADM 173/16103
- ADM 199/389
- Report of proceedings of HMAS Hobart for August 1940
- ADM 173/20193
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.