HMS Activity (D94)

HMS Activity was an escort carrier that served with the Royal
Navy of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. After
the war, she was sold into merchant service as the MV
Breconshire, serving for over 20 years until scrapped in 1967.

Contents
History
Royal Navy
Merchant Navy
See also HMS Activity underway in the Firth of Forth,
References October 1942.
History

History United Kingdom

Name: HMS Activity

Royal Navy Builder: Caledon Shipbuilding &

Engineering Company,
HMS Activity was built at Caledon shipyards in Dundee. When
Dundee
construction started in 1940 she was intended to become the
refrigerated cargo ship Telemachus for the Alfred Holt Line.[1] In Laid down: 1 February 1940
February 1941, she was taken over by the Ministry of War Launched: 30 May 1942
Transport and renamed Empire Activity. In January 1942, she was Commissioned: 29 September 1942
requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion to an escort carrier,
Decommissioned: 20 October 1945
now named HMS Activity and carrying pennant number D94.
Following her launch in May 1942 and completion in August of
Renamed: Empire Activity February
that year, Activity worked up at Lamlash before going to Rosyth
1941
for rectification of defects. Entering service on 1 January 1943, Honours and Atlantic 1944, Arctic 1944-
Activity operated as a deck landing training carrier until October awards: 45
1943, when she was sent to Liverpool for a refit before entering Fate: Sold into merchant service
active service.[2] as Breconshire 25 March
1946.
After her refit, Activity took part in convoy escort duties in the
North Atlantic. Activity embarked 819 Naval Air Squadron on 12 General characteristics
January 1944, and began escort duties on 29 January as part of the
Displacement: 14,250 long tons (14,480 t)
Second Escort Group. Activity was involved in the escort of
fully loaded
convoys OS 66, KMS 40, ON 222, NS 28, SL 147, MKS 38,
HX 277, KMS 43 and MKF 29 in the period to March 1944.
Length: 512 ft 9 in (156.29 m)
Following this, Activity moved to the Arctic, escorting convoy JW Beam: 66 ft 6 in (20.27 m)
58 to Murmansk. Her aircraft—together with those from Tracker— Draught: 25 ft (7.6 m)
Installed power: 12,000 hp (8,900 kW)
were responsible for the sinking of U-boat U-288, and U-355, as Propulsion: 2 × diesel engines
well as damaging U-362, U-673 and U-990. The return convoy— 2 × screws
RA 58—reached its destination without loss.[2]
Speed: 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
In May 1944, Activity spent some time at a shipyard on the Clyde Complement: 700
for defect rectification before rejoining the Second Escort Group
Armament: 2 × 4 in (100 mm) guns
for escort duties. Activity escorted convoys OS 78, KMS 52,
SL 158, MKS 49, OS 78, KMS 52, AL 159, MKS 50, SL 162,
20 × 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-
MK 53, KMF 33, MKF 33, OS 86, KMS 60, SL 167 and
aircraft autocannons
MKS 58.[2] Aircraft carried: 10
Aviation facilities: 1 × lift, 42 ft × 20 ft (12.8 m
In August 1944, Activity was designated as a ferry carrier. She
transported aircraft, personnel and supplies to Trincomalee,
× 6.1 m)
Ceylon, arriving on 23 October 1944 and returning via Gibraltar, 1 × catapult
where she joined convoy MKF 36 back to the United Kingdom.
Activity spent some time in a Clyde shipyard in December 1944 for
defect rectification, after which she was reallocated to the East
Indies Fleet and given a new pennant number, R301. She sailed
with convoy KM 39 on 29 January 1945, arriving in Colombo on
20 February.[2] Whilst en route to Sydney, Activity rescued the 92
survivors from SS Peter Silvester, an American liberty ship which
had been sunk by U-862 on 6 February 1945,[3] the last Allied ship
sunk by enemy action in the Indian Ocean. Survivors from Peter
MV Breconshire, 1958
Silvester were landed at Fremantle and Activity then continued her
journey to Sydney.[2]

Activity departed Sydney on 24 March, bound for Colombo for Name: Breconshire
duty ferrying aircraft from Cochin to Colombo. After the end of Port of registry: United Kingdom
the war, Activity was sent to Singapore to support the reoccupation In service: September 1946
of Singapore. She loaded ex-POWs and other passengers and
Out of service: April 1967
sailed for Trincomalee on 15 September. Activity arrived home on
the Clyde on 20 October 1945, and was then de-stored and placed Fate: Scrapped
in the Reserve Fleet. She was placed in the Category B Reserve on General characteristics
30 January 1946, and sold to Glen Lines on 25 March 1946 for
conversion to a merchant ship.[2]
Tonnage: 9,061 grt
Length: 512 ft 8 in (156.26 m)
Beam: 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Merchant Navy
Draught: Ship power=12,000 hp
Activity was converted to a Glenearn class merchant ship by
(8,900 kW)
Palmers of Hebburn-on-Tyne, and renamed Breconshire, entering
service with Glen Line in September 1947. She was the second Propulsion: 2 × diesel engines
Glen Line ship to be named Breconshire. She measured 2 × screws
9,061 gross register tons. She remained in service until April 1967,
Speed: 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
sailing from Kobe to Mihara for scrapping, arriving there on 24
April 1967.[4]

See also
List of escort aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy
 List of World War II ships

References
1. "HMS Activity" (http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Activity.html). Fleet Air Arm Archive. Retrieved
23 November 2008.
2. "A History of HMS Activity" (http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/ACTIVITY.htm). Royal Navy
Research Archive. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
3. "HMS Activity (D 94)" (http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3295.html). U-boat.net. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
4. "GLEN LINE FLEET" (http://www.red-duster.co.uk/GLEN11.htm). Red Duster. Retrieved 23 November 2008.

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This page was last edited on 22 March 2019, at 18:35 (UTC).

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