HMS Meon (K269)

HMS Meon was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War. The vessel was used primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic, but also took part in the Invasion of Normandy. After the war, the ship was converted to a headquarters vessel but never re-entered service. She was named for the River Meon in the United Kingdom.

Meon was ordered on 24 January 1942. The ship was laid down on 31 December 1942 by A. & J. Inglis at Glasgow and launched 4 August 1943. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 31 December 1943.

War service
After commissioning and trials, Meon sailed with convoy ON 220 to Canada. Once there she was recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 7 February 1944. After working up with her new Canadian crew, she joined convoy escort group 9 in May 1944. Following the ship's arrival in Londonderry to join the group, the vessel spent until October 1944 in the waters around the United Kingdom. It was during this period that Meon participated in Operation Neptune, the sea component of the invasion of Normandy and was present on D-day.

Arriving at Halifax on 19 October 1944, Meon joined local convoy escort group 27 and was named Senior Officer's ship. She remained with the group until the end of March 1945, when the vessel returned to the United Kingdom and was handed back over to the Royal Navy at Southampton on 23 April 1945. The ship did not see any more service for the remainder of the war.

Postwar service
Following the war, Meon was converted into a combined operations headquarters ship. The vessel however never re-entered service with the Royal Navy and never saw any use at all in its new capabilities. The ship lay idle at Harwich until being sold to Hughes Bolckow Ltd and being broken up at Blyth, Northumberland in 1966.

Publications

 * Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron. (2002) Warships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002. 3rd Edition. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing Limtied. ISBN 1-55125-072-1
 * Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron. (2002) Warships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002. 3rd Edition. St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing Limtied. ISBN 1-55125-072-1