Dates: 1942 - 1956
H.M.S. Ness (K219)
Built by Henry Robb Ltd., Leith
Laid Down: 3rd September 1941
Launched: 30th July 1942
Commissioned: 22nd December 1942
Fate: Sold for scrap in September 1956
Displacement: 1,375 Tons
Eye Witness - The Ness remembered by one of the crew.
I was on board the Ness when the "mine sweeping" bit took place. In fact, although "Ness" was equipped with paravanes, she never did mine-sweep. Rather, this particular mine came out of a light mist during a Gibraltar convoy and appeared practically alongside just below the after Oerlikon sponson where I was standing, talking to the Coxswain. He attracted the attention of the lookout on the sponson and said, pointing directly down at this fearful object, "Oi, I’d report that if I wuz you."
The mine then ducked in and out of the mist while "Ness" went from using a couple of rifles until every light weapon on board was in action including a Strip Lewis gun manned by an artificer who was stone blind without his glasses which, of course, he was not wearing.
The firing went on into the first dog watch with those coming off the afternoon watch taking their turns as though at a country fair. The Senior Officer finally ordered the ship to break it off and rejoin, the mine simply disappearing. (Your correspondent probably wouldn’t know the communication details as I would, a telegraphist.)
The ship was certainly on the Freetown run but towards the end of 1944 it got a message from Admiralty telling it that there were no U-boats within 2,000 miles and for the convoy to disperse and proceed independently. "Ness" and the corvette "Cyclamen" were immediately left behind in the wake of the departing merchantmen who cranked on far more knots than were available to their escort. (There was also a French corvette whose sole claim to fame was that it carried live stock on the upper deck to help out with the menu.)
The ship then came home to Portsmouth, took on about an 80% replacement crew, many straight out of basic training, and went from there to the infamous Tobermory HMS "Western Isles" where Admiral Stevenson and his merry man put the lot through their paces for three weeks. The ship then formed up with the 24th Escort running between Liverpool and Gibraltar and being based on Londonderry.
It was during one of these convoys that the depth charge attack mentioned ruined the ship. The convoy was just forming up outside Liverpool when she spuriously attacked a contact in shallow water without sounding action stations and without speeding up. Ten charges exploded practically under the ship which went straight up and came down out of action from the funnel aft. She subsequently broke down twice and we were left by the convoy to deal with the problems.
Scratch repairs were made in Gibraltar during a five day dry-dock period, all ammo coming off and going back on, only half of one watch getting a couple of hours ashore. The Admiral there noticed we were not wearing the right paint for the area so volunteers were called for to go over the side and re-paint, a damned dangerous job with the floor of the dry dock 90 feet below. We got a "Well Done" {"Bravo Zulu" today) as we staggered out to join the home-coming convoy.
I was with "Ness" until she paid off into Class B Reserve in 1946. She had limped out to South-East Asia and had played a desultory role in the Indonesian insurrection. Ironically, she wasn’t there long enough to qualify for the Naval General Service Medal (SE Asia 45-46 clasp) but I had carried despatches ashore to Army HQ and did receive the medal on that basis. I had been armed with a pistol and five rounds, feeling like John Wayne and probably looking damned foolish.
Ted Burke (Telegraphist (S) RN, LCdr RCN retired.)
The first H.M.S. Ness was launched on 5th January 1905 and broken up in 1919. The picture is of this vessel taken around 1908.
Notes on River Class Frigates
The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 an
