HMS Ardent (H41) - Early Career

Early Career

Ardent was deployed throughout June to September 1930, carrying out exercises and taking part in Fleet visits programmes. By October, however, her continued deployment was in question due to the recurrence of a number of defects. She put into the Royal Dockyard at Malta on 31 October to undergo repairs. She was not taken in hand for a survey until 1 December. By January 1931, her complement was reduced in anticipation of a long programme of repairs, which eventually lasted until September. During this time, she was paid off and reduced to the reserve. With the completion of repairs, Ardent was nominated to be recommissioned and to subsequently rejoin the 3rd Flotilla. She was recommissioned on 4 November, and after a period of working up rejoined the flotilla in December.

1932-1933 was spent carrying out Fleet Exercises and Visits Programmes as well as Flotilla exercises and independent visits. She also took part in combined exercises with the Home Fleet at Gibraltar each year in Spring. Ardent returned to the UK in January 1934 to undergo another refit. She was paid off in February and subsequently recommissioned to rejoin the flotilla. She spent March-July 1934 working up and on duties in home waters, before taking passage to Malta to rejoin the flotilla. The rest of the year was spent in the Mediterranean, in deployments and exercises. 1935 was much the same, with a brief visit to the Coronation Review at Spithead in June with the Mediterranean Fleet.

Ardent continued to deploy with the flotilla throughout 1936, but by August the Italian military operations in Abyssinia, and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War caused an increased state of readiness amongst the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet. On 8 September, Ardent and other ships of the flotilla were deployed on non-intervention patrols off the Spanish coast, and provided assistance to British citizens in Spain. She returned to Malta on 17 October. After carrying out a few exercises off Malta, Ardent resumed her Spanish patrols, including providing humanitarian aid to refugees, on 29 November. These activities would keep her occupied throughout December and into 1937.

In January-February 1937, she was deployed as the Senior Naval Officer’s ship at Barcelona. In March, Ardent returned to the UK, and on 14 March was taken in hand at Sheerness for a long refit. The refit lasted until March 1938, and included the installation of anti-submarine detection equipment (ASDIC/Sonar). After the refit had been completed Ardent was nominated to serve with the Devonport Local Flotilla, along with her sister destroyers Codrington and Achates, along with the older destroyer Broke. After post refit trials in April, Ardent was recommissioned with a reduced complement to serve with the Plymouth Command. She served with this command as a training and emergency destroyer, and on 24 September her complement was increased as a result of the Munich crisis. She was also prepared for war service. By October, the crisis seemed to have abated, and on 11 October her complement was again reduced and she resumed her local flotilla duties. On 17 October, she entered Devonport Dockyard for repairs. She was back in service on 15 November and in December she was deployed at Devonport for boy's training, whilst remaining ready for emergency duty. This was how she would spend the first half of 1939. In July, she was again undergoing repair, and in August she was moved to her war station with the 18th Destroyer Flotilla, for convoy defence and anti-submarine patrol in the English Channel. On 23 August, with war looming, she was joined with a full complement and prepared for war.