Home Fleet
Volage completed her trials and she was commissioned on 26 May 1944 into the 26th Destroyer Flotilla (26DF) of the Home Fleet. She joined the Fleet at Scapa Flow and commenced active service on August with her flotilla on an exercise for a planned operation (Operation Offspring) off Norway. (During one exercise, oiling from HMS Howe, the two ships locked together and Volage suffered superficial damage.) On 10 August, 26DF escorted other warships for air attacks on shipping and shore targets between Lepsoy and Haramsa islands, Norway.
From 17 to 23 September, Volage joined the screen for a strong force providing cover for Convoy JW60, en route to Kola Inlet, northern Russia and repeated the role for the return convoy RA60 to Loch Ewe between 29 September and 3 October. The escort had been assembled in case of attack by the German battleship Tirpitz but Tirpitz had been disabled by an air attack some days before and the outward passage was uneventful. On the return, however, two merchant ships were lost to U-310.
During the rest of October 1944, Volage was included in the escort for aircraft carriers on two anti-shipping and one reconnaissance operation off Norway.
Read more about this topic: HMS Volage (R41)
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