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Another evening in March 1940 we had just anchored in the Clyde. A few of us were standing on the quarterdeck when "Tubby Cock" pointed out a large two funnelled liner in the gloom of the wintery day. He told us it was the Queen Elizabeth just up from the builders yard. No-one believed him but a week later all the national newspapers were splashed with enormous headlines - "Queen Elizabeth arrives safely in New York, having crossed from the UK in record time!" Then I realized that I had seen the two Queens commencing their maiden voyages as way back in 1936, I saw the Queen Mary come up the Clyde from her builders - John Brown of Clydebank. On her way she grounded slightly off Bowlin.

We were then told that HMS Hardy was going to take part in a mine laying expedition off the Norweigian coast just south of Ofotfjord. British intelligence had learnt that German ore carriers were loading ore brought by rail via Narvik from Sweden and then making the journey south hugging the Norwegian coast, inside the International three mile limit and getting safely though to the Skagerrak, a no-go area for British ships.

For the first time in the war Britain was going to break International Rules with a friendly power and lay a minefield off her shore inside the three mile limit. The object was to force enemy transports outside the minefield and capture them.

Before setting forth we spent a few days in Lamlash in the Isle of Arran and Firth of Clyde practicing boarding ship, either with grapling irons or a hook type ladder, although we were a bit dubious about how we would manage with the real thing.

About the 8th April 1940 five of our Flotilla, the Hardy; Hunter; Hotspur; Havock and Hostile, accompanied by a number of Class One Minelaying Destroyers steamed well out into the stormy Atlantic heading for a spot off the coast of Northern Norway. The Class One boats were loaded with contact mines. As dawn broke they went in close ashore, stern first and commenced laying the mines. The weather had improved as we were now in the lee of the Lofoten Islands and the operation was over in an hour. Immediately the British Government informed the Norewgian Ambassador in London about the operation.

Our boats then commenced patrolling on the northern side of the minefield to warn Norwegian fishing boats to keep clear. There was also a printed sheet in Norwegian showing a rough map and explanation which was given to the fishing boats.The Captain's Secretary,Paymaster-Lieutenant Stanning, fancied his chance at conversing in the local tongue and made efforts to explain to any fisherman we stopped about the minefield. The men, bearded and wrapped up in woollens, nodded their heads vacantly and then made off straight across the minefield,luckily with no ill effects! One doubts whether any of them could read or write.

As soon as we were out of the shelter of the Lofoten islands, we were at the mercy of the raging North Atlantic weather making it most uncomfortable for all the destoyers. There were two watch cruising stations and very little sleep for those off watch.Some time that night we picked up with Renown and settled down to single line formation, the Hardy leading the destoyers, she astern of the battle cruiser.

Dawn- "Action Stations!"; the alarm bells rattling away through the ship and it was still quite dark when we closed up at the tubes; the Communication No reported to the Bridge that we were closed up and cleared away.

We were huddled there, wet and cold with nasty waves washing onboard. Suddenly the Engineer Commander stepped from a doorway in the after superstructure, and but for the quick action of some of our Tubes crew he would have been washed away. Grabbing him they hauled him to safety. We did not know at the time that he was a sick man and had been confined to his bunk.

As it began to get lighter, we were hoping to stand down and get below for a hot drink, but then a message came through from the Bridge that two unknown ships had been sighted fine on the starboard bow. Minutes later another message:"Two enemy ships in sight!" and with that the Renown opened fire with salvos from her twin fifteen inch guns. It was some minutes before the enemy ships replied and by then we could pick out the distant flashes as their guns fired. Then the five "H" boats turned out of line to starboard in order to build up a torpedo attack. We could now see splashes in the water where enemy shells were dropping. At one time shrapnel was hitting the Hardy, sounding for all the world like hailstones rattling on a galvanised roof. We reached a speed of twenty seven knots; the boats were taking a terrific pounding from the heavy seas. In the end the attack was abandoned and we returned in line under the protection of the Renown. Heavy enemy fire was being concentrated on her and in one instance a heavy calibre shell tore through the Admiral's Quarters aft without exploding. She also suffered damage to some of her superstructure.

The next news from the Bridge was that the after ememy ship had stopped and was on fire. This sounded good as we now had a "sitting duck" but for some reason Admiral Whitworth in the Renown concentrated his fire on the leading ship. In a matter of minutes the second ship had extinquished the fire and was under way again. Then, to ruin any chance of a possible victory, the weather deteriorated with a heavy snow storm coming on and visibility down to zero. For some time after, The Renown gave pursuit and occasionally we heard sounds of her twin fifteen inch guns firing. Eventually all contact was lost. The enemy ships were Sharnhorst and Hipper.

During the action the Destoyers did not have much chance with their single 4.7 weapons, as it was extreme range and exceptionally rough and heavy seas. When day light came we did not know what was happening. We fell out from Action Stations and resumed 2 Watch Cruising. But then rumour became reality and we were told we were going up Ofotfjord towards Narvik.

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