HMS Veryan Bay 1948 - 1951

Mediterrean Fleet and Detached Duty with Royal New Zealand Navy

Captains & First Lieutenants

Information provided by Roy (Jan) Ponsford

with additional information from the ships log compiled by Lt Cdr. G.B. Mason (retired)

 December 1948

Capain R.W. Welby

Lieutenant S. Mortensen

Flotilla Leader
 December 1948

Captain H.C.N. Rolfe

Lieutenant S. Mortensen

 Half Leader
 March 1949

Lieutenant S. Mortensen

Lieutenant D Parry-Price

Canteen Boat
 March 1949

Captain G.T. Lambert

Lieutenant S. Mortensen

 Half Leader
 June 1949

Captain G.T. Lambert

Lieutenant A.R.C. Jenks

 Flotilla Leader
 August 1949

Captain G.T. Lambert

Lieutenant D Parry-Price

 
 October 1949

Captain G.T. Lambert

Lieutenant Commander Cresswell

 
 March 1950

Commander J.F.R. Crews

Lieutenant Scott-Langley

 

 1948    
 December   Return from Trieste and Venice to Dockyard Malta

 1949    
 January  11 Sea exercises St. Paul's Bay
   12 Sea exercises Sliema Creek
   13 Sea exercises sailed for Port Said
   22 At Port Said
   24 Canal Transit
   25 At Port Tewfik
   26 Sailed for Aqaba
   27 Arrived Aqaba
  February  7 Sailed for Port Tewfik
   8 Arrived Port Tewfik Refuelled
   11 Sailed for Aqaba
   12 Arrived Aqaba
   19 Sailed for Suez
   20 Arrived Suez Canal Transit
   21 Arrived Port Said
   23 Sailed for Malta
   27 Arrived Malta.. Sliema Creek
 March  3 Sea exercises. Marsa Scholak
   4 Sea exercises. Sliema Creek
   9 Sea exercises. Marsa Scholak
   10 Sea exercises. Dockyard Palatoria Wharf
   15 Dockyard Boathouse Wharf
   23 No 3 Dry Dock
   28 Undock To Boathouse Wharf To Sea Exercises
 April  1 Dockyard Palatoria Wharf
  Sliema Creek
   14 Sea Exercises secured Sliema
   19 Sea Exercises sailed for Trieste
   22 Arrived Trieste with HMS Vanguard during visit, HRH Princess Margaret embarked for short passage to Battleship
 May  2 Klagenfurt
   6 Back at Trieste
   11 Sea exercises en route to Venice
   19

 

Arrived Venice
   23 Sailed for Malta
   26 Arrived Malta secured Sliema Creek
   30 Sea exercises Marsa Scholak
   31 Sea exercises Sliema Creek
 June  3 Sea exercises Sliema Creek
   13 Sea exercises Marsa Scholak
   14 Sea exercises, anchor off Sliema
   15 At Sliema Creek
  18  Self maintenance Iazzaretto Creek
   23 To sea on S/M Templar
 July  4 Sailed for Navarino
   8 Arrived Navarino for fleet regatta
   14 Sea exercises, sailed for Port Said
   17 Arrived Port Said
   21 Canal Transit
   22 At Port Tewfik
   26 Sailed for Aqaba
   27 Arrived Aqaba relieved HMS Chivalrous as guardship
 August  6 Journey to Petra
   7 At Aqaba
   8 Sailed for Qosior
   9 At Qosior
   10 Sailed for Ras Gharib
   11 At Ras Gharib
   14 Sailed for Aqaba
   15 At Aqaba
   19 Sailed for Suez on relief by HMS Childers
   20 Port Tewfik Canal Transit
   21 Port Said sailed for Malta. Branch Pipe lost overboard, Steering Failure
   25 Arrived Malta Sliema Creek.
   28 Board of Enquiry held
   29 Sailed for Gibraltar for refit
 September  2 At Gibraltar
   12 No.2 Dry Dock
 October  24 To sea for Engine and Gun trials.
   24 Into No 2 dock for Tilt trials
   25 No.44 berth
   28 At sea and on passage to Malta
 November  1 Sliema Creek
   14 Sea exercises. Marsa Scholak with HM Submarine Solent
   15 Sea exercises. Marsa Scholak
   16 Sea exercises. Sliema Creek
   24 Sea exercises. with Bulawayo Mine.Sweeper.
   25 Sea exercises. with Bulawayo R.A.S. then Sliema Creek
   29 Annual F.O.D.'s Inspection Sliema Creek
   30 F.O.D.'s Sea Inspection
 December  2 Sea exercise SWAT with flotilla. Sliema sea anchorage
   3 At Sliema Creek
   7 Sailed for Port Said
   11 Arrived Port Said.Canal Transit
  12  At Port Tewfik
   17 Arrived Aqaba relieved HMS Chevron
   30 Sailed for Port Tewfik
   31 At Port Tewfik

 1950    
 January  1 Canal Transit sailed for Malta
   6 Arrived Malta Sliema Creek
   12 Sea exercises Sliema Creek
   16 Dockyard Palatoria Wharf
   19 Sea exercises. Marsa Scholak
   20 Sea exercises. Sliema Creek
   27 F.O.D.'s Inspection and at sea Sliema
   28 Self Maintenance at Lazzaretto Creek
 February  11 Sliema Creek
   13 Sailed for Rhodes
   16 At Rhodes
   20 Sailed for Famagusta (harbour survey)
   27 Sailed for Heraklion
 March  1 At Heraklion
   6 Cut shore lines in bad storm and sailed for Pireas
   7 At Pireas
  10  Sailed for Navarino
   11 At Navarino
   14 Sailed for Malta
   16 Sea exercises Sliema Creek
   24 In Malta Dockyard No.2 Dry Dock
 April  5 At Boathouse Wharf
   11 Sea exercises trials. Marsa Scholak
   12 Sea exercises trials Marsa Scholak with HM Sloop Pelican and HMS Chieftan
   13 Sea exercises Dockyard Palatoria Wharf
   17 Sea exercises Dockyard Boathouse Wharf
   27 Sailed for Port Said with HMS St Austell Bay to New Zealand
 May  1 Port Said Canal Transit
   6 Arrived Massawa with HMS St Austell Bay
   7 Change for Asmara
   8 Massawa sailed for Aden
   10 Arrived Aden
   14 Sailed for Trincomlee
   24 Trincomlee
   28 Sailed for Christmas Island
   30 * Crossed The Line *
 June  3 Arrived Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)
   6 Sailed for Fremantle Western Australia
   10 Met St Austell Bay
   12 Arrived Fremantle all change for Perth
   14 Sailed for Hobart Tasmania programme rearranged due to Sydney Dockyard strike.
   23 Arrived Hobart Tasmania.
   26 Sailed for Auckland New Zealand.
 July  3 Arrived Auckland
   15 Sailed for Nelson
   17 At Nelson
   20 Sailed for Wellington
   21 Arrived Wellington windy city
   24 Sailed for Auckland
   26

Arrived Auckland

Veryan Bay and St Austell Bay in leaving Devonport Auckland (photo by Lt. Scott-Langley)

  August  1 Sailed for sea exercises Huraki Gulf with HMNZ Frigate Rotoiti
   2 Sea exercises with Bellona , Taupo ,Hawea
   3 Sea exercises, too rough, damage caused returned Auckland
   7 In Aukland Dry Dock replace A/S Dome
   9 Sail for Fitzroy
   11 At Fitzroy Open for visitors
   12 Port Abercrombie sea exercises
   18 At Auckland
   24 Sailed for Lyttleton
   26 Lyttleton change for Christchurch
 September  4 Sailed for Auckland
   6 Arrived Auckland
   8 Sailed for Gisborne
   9 At Gisborne struck jetty on arrival
   15 Sailed for Wellington
   16 At Wellington loading stores for Campbell Island
   19 Sailed for Campbell Island
   22 Arrived Campbell Island landed stores for Meteorology Station.
   24 Sailed for Bluff
   29

 

Sailed for West Coast Sounds

Five days were spent searching each and every sound, nothing was found. We were supposedly looking for human activity possibly (Russian)

 October  6 Sailed for Wellington
   7 Arrived Wellington sailed for Auckland
   9 Arrived Auckland
   10 At sea Hauraki Gulf
   11 At Auckland
   13 At sea Hauraki Gulf
   15 At Auckland
   28 Sailed for Cairns anchored overnight in Gulf awaiting possible return of absentees.
   29 No returnees, sailed for Cairns, dock strike still on so no call at Sydney
 November Arrived Cairns
   7 Sailed for Darwin
   12 Arrived Darwin
   14 Sailed for Singapore
   22 Arrived Singapore Dockyard fitting out for towing
   26 Sailed for Trincomlee with Boom Defence Vessel Barberry in tow.
 December  3 Arrived Trincomlee lost towing wire
   8

 Sailed for Aden

Barberry in Indian Ocean (Note heavy sea)

   18 Arrived Aden
   21 Sailed for Port Sudan
   24 Arrived Port Sudan
   25 Christmas Day in the Desert
   26 Sailed for Suez
   31 Arrived Suez put Barberry alongside


  1951  
 January   1 Suez Canal Transit resumed tow of Barberry
    4 Arrived Malta Dockyard
   10 Sea exercises with Cruisers Liverpool and Gambia
   11 At Sliema Creek
   25 Sea exercises Full Power Trials
   26 At Sliema Creek
   27 Self maintenance Lazzaretto Creek
 February   2 In Dockyard Somerset Wharf
  4   Commence Long Refit
   6 In No 4 Dry Dock
 March  1 -31 Refit continues, awaiting new shaft from U.K.
 April  4 Out of Dry Dock to Hamilton Wharf
   7 Present at review of fleet by HRH Princess Margaret
   10 Swinging compass Bighi Bay. To sea Engine & Gun functioning trials return to Hamilton Wharf
   11 To sea Full Power Engine trials, return to Hamilton Wharf
   12 At Clubhouse Wharf ammunition ship
   13 Sailed for England AT 1600
   14 Base of main refrigerator collapsed
   16

Arrived at Gibraltar 0200

0800 alongside South Mole to destore' frige'
0900 sailed for England

   21 Arrived Plymouth Sound, 1030 secured alongside No 1 Berth
   26 Ships Company Paid Off

Reported distance steamed during this period was 167,000 miles

of which 31,342 miles was to New Zealand and return.

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