Dates: 1934 - 1950
HMS HARRIER (J71) was built by Messrs Thornycroft at Woolston, Southampton and was completed on 9 November 1934. (Click for a detailed deion of her Layout and Cross Section.) Commissioned at Chatham she served 1st MSF from Nov 1934; Nore Reserve Jan 1938; 5th MSF Sept 1939, 6th MSF April 1940, 1st MSF July 1941, 6th MSF Jan 1942 and 1st MSF Jan 1943 to June 1946.
At the outbreak of the Second World War she was based on Dover, and on 20 September 1939, towed the Corvette KITTIWAKE to Dover after she had been mined two miles east of the Goodwin Sands. On 2 February 1940, HARRIER also endeavoured to tow the Minesweeper SPHINX after she was, bombed 15 miles 000° from Kinnaird Head, but owing to rough weather, the tow parted three times and the SPHINX eventually turned turtle and sank.
At the beginning of April 1940, HARRIER was allocated to 6th Minesweeping Flotilla in the Dover Command and on 13 May, she towed SS BUSSUM (bombed near West Hinder Bank), to N Goodwin. On 25 May, HARRIER was sweeping ahead of a convoy off Zeebrugge when she was attacked by Junkers Ju88s. One 550lb bomb scored a direct hit on bridge structure passed through the forecastle and went out through the ship’s side, causing minor structural damage on the way. A second bomb missed but caused more serious damage, the mining effect fracturing machinery castings and reducing the speed to 10 knots. HARRIER shot down one of the Ju88s with her 0.5in machine guns. She spent seven weeks under repair in Sheerness Dockyard before returning to Harwich to resume East Coast minesweeping duties. Towards the end of February 1941, HARRIER was re‑deployed to Scapa Flow, but in the following month she was again transferred, this time to the Western Approaches Command, for ocean escort duties.
On 26 July 1941, HARRIER was one of the ships which rendered assistance to the ATLANTIC CITY in convoy OS1, which was torpedoed in 55° 42’N, 9° 58’ W. HARRIER was subsequently ordered to join the destroyer WALKER hunting a U‑boat in 55° 35’ N, 9° 36’ W.
At the beginning of August 1941, HARRIER arrived at Seidisfiord Iceland, and later that month took part in operations covering the first convoys to North Russia, remaining in those waters until October. On the way back to Scapa from Archangel with BRITOMART, HARRIER examined the harbours at Spitzbergen for any evidence of renewed German activity there. They entered Isfjord on 19th, and found an enemy meteorological party which had just arrived by air to establish a station. The party got away by air, but HARRIER captured some of their equipment.
At the beginning of November 1941, HARRIER proceeded to the Humber for a short refit and to be prepared for cold weather operations with the Home Fleet. She returned to service in the middle of December and on 22nd left Scapa with the cruiser ARETHUSA and other ships for Operation ’Anklet’, the raid on the Lofoten Islands, Norway, returning to Scapa on 1 January 1942.
Later in January, HARRIER proceeded to Hvalfjord, Iceland, whence she continued her escort duties with the N Russian convoys. On 17th January 1942, while acting as local escort to QP8, Harmatris was hit by a torpedo from U454 which passed underneath HARRIER. On 2 May 1942, she took part in the action with enemy destroyers which attacked the cruiser EDINBURGH which was trying to make Murmansk in tow of a Russian tug after having been torpedoed on 30 April, while escorting convoy QP11. EDINBURGH was again torpedoed despite the efforts of her escorts and subsequently sank. HARRIER, with NIGER and HUSSAR conveyed survivors to Polyarnoe.
She continued her escort duties with North Russian convoys throughout 1942 and 1943 and at the beginning of January 1944, was once more at the Humber for repairs. She returned to service with 1st Minesweeping Flotilla during the first week in March, the Flotilla being, at that time, based on Loch Ewe. Later she was transferred for operations off the north‑
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Harrier
" Anyone stationed at HMS Harrier around 1956 knew William (Billy) Gilmour who was from Stranraer. He married Sheila Hanson(from Plymouth) who was a NAFFI assistant while he was there in Sept 1956. He was on the subs so anyone any idea what he may have been doing at Harrier? How do I go about tracing which vessels he served on? Any help might be of importance in tracing this person. "
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" Hi- I have a silver plated wine cooler which has engraved on the front...."PRESENTED TO THE WARDROOM MESS FROM HMS HARRIER BY M21 SEPTEMBER 1956" and I would love to know more about the history around 1956(was the ship not scrapped that year?) and what M21 means.I am not from a naval background so ..."
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" HMS Harrier (RN school of aircraft direction and metereology, Kete, Pembrokeshire) The Mine Sweeper of the same name was scrapped in 1950 "
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" I’m looking for anyone who knew my dad Charles Hopkins who was at HMS Harrier 1956/57/58. He worked in the Naafi and was a PO at the time. I’ve been to the site of HMS Harrier which is now just a few patches of concrete in green fields outside the village of Dale Pembrokeshire. It was indeed a ..."
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