ABDIEL was the first of a brand new class of warship, the Abdiel class of Fast Minelayers. The first four ships, ABDIEL, LATONA, MANXMAN and WELSHMAN were completed between April and August 1941.
The fast minelayers of 2,650 tons standard displacement were designed to have a full speed of 39.75 knots and a capacity of 156 mines. Gun armament comprised two twin four-inch HA/LA guns forward and one twin four-inch mounting aft. A four barrel pompom on the after superstructure and two multiple barrelled 0.5 inch machine guns on either side of the bridge.
The machinery consisted of geared turbines developing 72,000 bhp at 250 revolutions driving two shafts and supplied with super-heated steam by four boilers situated in two boiler rooms. The 39.75 knots to obtained in standard conditions and 36 knots in deep draught. The fuel capacity was 700 tons . The estimated endurance was 5,500 nm at 15 knots but experience showed it to be nearer 3,500nm at 15 knots. Handling characteristics were more likened to a light cruiser than that of a destroyer.
ABDIEL was rushed into service before her acceptance trials were completed.
This was to lay mines off Brest against a possible break-out by the newly arrived German heavy ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Some 300 mines were laid during these operations. ABDIEL resumed her acceptance trials, but these were soon interrupted. ABDIEL was ordered to take on stores for Malta. With the Cruiser Dido and destroyers Kelly, kipling, Kelvin, Jackal and Jersey they proceeded to Gibraltar and then to Malta to unload stores (mostly torpedoes for the submarines based there) and then onto Alexandria to join the Mediterranean Fleet. Arriving there on the 30th April 1941.
ABDIEL arrived in the Mediterranean at a critical moment. Greece had been invaded and the Luftwaffe was generally in command of the air. In a fast deteriorating situation she displayed her virtuosity being employed in every form of troop and store carrying, including the evacuation of Crete. She was involved in the garrisoning of Cyprus and the relief of the Australian troops defending besieged Tobruk. She also laid mines on 21st May 1941 in the western approaches to the Gulf of Patras. Within a few hours the minefield accounted for two large German transports from a convoy carrying part of an armoured division on its way to Greece. Two Italian escorts were also sunk.
ABDIEL, and later accompanied by her sister ship LATONA, were involved in a series of high speed dashes from Alexandria to Tobruk and back on the relief of the Australian 9th Division. These were carried out during the monthly moonless periods ; four runs in each of the months of August and September.
ABDIEL repeated the performance in October. LATONA on westward bound on her fourth run of the month was hit by a bomb which exploded in the engine room. On fire and loaded with ammunitions, the ship was abandoned and sunk by one of the accompanying destroyers.. During the first week of November ABDIEL spent six days in ferrying the 5th Indian Division from Haifa to Cyprus returning on each occasion with elements of the 50th Division. In the middle of November ABDIEL completed the final relief run to Tobruk carrying the Polish General Sikorski to Alexandria on the return leg.
Towards the end of December 1941 ABDIEL loaded a full set of mines at Haifa and on 29th December sailed to join the Eastern Fleet. She made a fast passage to Colombo. One incident occurred towards the end of a first watch (20.00 – midnight).
Suddenly the whole sky and sea was lit up by a bright light streaking downwards to the horizon from left to right, trailing sparks as it went. The watch keepers were sure that it was a very large meteorite. But our reactions were tuned from experiences in the Eastern Med. The Action Station Alarm button had already been pressed before the Meteorite light had died away.
It so easily could have been an enemy starshell or flare dropped from above. There was much grumbling amongst the men as action stations were almost immediately closed down. Those about to take the middle watch were particularly incensed, because it was hardly worth their while to go back to their hammocks.
From Colombo ABDIEL was engaged in laying defensive minefields in sheltered bays and safe anchorages in the Andaman Islands. On the final day of operations whilst operating in a shallow bay, the starboard propeller touched a sandbank just as the last mines had been laid. The ship returned to Colombo on one propeller and was soon accommodated in the floating dock where the starboard propeller was removed. ABDIEL then proceeded to Durban where she was ‘dry docked’.
The propeller shaft was removed, bent A frame straightened and the propeller replaced. She then proceeded to the UK for a refit, loading a cargo of Bullion en route at Cape Town.
During the refit the 0.5 machine guns were removed and seven 20mm Oerlikon guns added to the close range armament.
ABDIEL returned to the Mediterranean and was soon engaged in mine laying operations. She contributed to the mine laying operations against Italian convoy traffic on the Italian routes inside the flanking barrages between the Gulf of Tunis and Sicily. ABDIEL laid mines on 6th January, 3rd and 7th February. On the 9th February a convoy runs onto the barrage laid by ABDIEL. The destroyer Maeestrale was damaged and Corsaro sinks when she comes to her assistance. Additional mines were laid by ABDIEL on 27th February and 5th and 8th March. In response to supplies being transported to the German and Italian armies in Tunisia, ABDIEL lays more mines on the 5th and 7th of April.
Prior and during the landings on Sicily and later on Italy, ABDIEL acts as a communication ship for the high command. In an improvised operation ‘Slapstick’, the 12th Cruiser Squadron comprising Aurora, Penelope, Siribus & Dido, ABDIEL and the US cruiser Boise land the 1st Airborne Division at Taranto. The German S-boats S 54 and S 61 left Taranto in the evening of the Italian surrender, having dropped a number of mines into the harbour undetected. ABDIEL is sunk by one of these mines on 10th September 1943 with heavy losses among the 400 troops on board.
