World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseOriginally laid down as the refrigerated cargo ship Telemachus for the civilian firm Alfred Holt Line, the ship was taken over by the British Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Activity. In Jan 1942, her ownership again changed, this time taken over by the British Admiralty, which dictated that she was to be rebuilt as escort carrier HMS Activity. After post-trial repairs, she began operating as a deck landing training carrier on 1 Jan 1943. In Oct 1943, she sailed to Liverpool, England, United Kingdom for a refitting to prepare her for front line service, which involved convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic until Aug 1944; during this period her aircraft shared credit in the sinking of German submarines U-288 and U-355, as well as the damaging of three others. In May 1944, she received repairs at the Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom, briefly interrupting her role as a convoy escort vessel. In Aug 1944, she was designated a ferry carrier, making one round trip to Trincomalee, Ceylon with aircraft and personnel on board. In Dec 1944, she again entered the Clyde for repairs. On 29 Jan 1945, she departed Britain with convoy KM 39 with the new pennant number R301, destined for her new assignment with the East Indies Fleet; en route, she rescued 92 survivors of the American liberty ship Peter Silvester which had been sunk by German submarine U-862 on 6 Feb. She spent the remainder of the war ferrying aircraft in the Indian Ocean region. After the war ended, she sailed to Singapore to receive and transport Allied prisoners of war. She was decommissioned from service upon arrival at the Clyde. In 1946, she was sold to the civilian firm Glen Lines, converted to become a merchant vessel (by Palmers of Hebburn-on-Tyne, England), and began her civilian career in Sep 1947 with the new name Breconshire. Breconshire would remain in civilian in service until Apr 1967.

Escort Carrier Activity (D94/R301) Interactive Map

Photographs

Activity Operational Timeline

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