With many thanks to Frank Shipp, a former Signalman T.O. on HMS Rushen Castle, for letting me have a copy of the attached extract from the Admiralty Movement Books covering the ship's movements from when she left the Tyne on 27 February 1944, right up to 22 February 1946, three days after which my father, Eric Clubb, left the ship to return to the Merchant Navy.

The record confirms that Rushen Castle did arrive in Liverpool on 8 May 1945 (VE Day).  In his book, "Really Not Required", Colin Warwick describes Rushen Castle's return to Gladstone Dock on that sunny afternoon shortly after the radio announcement that the war with Germany had ended.

"All the escort ships in harbour had received a signal to the effect that no firing of signal rockets, flares etc would take place.  The disappointed base staff were cheered by the fact that Rushen Castle would not have received this signal, as she was still in the lock gates.  Their hopes were justified, and we did the celebration honours with everything available."

This was Frank Shipp's last voyage in Rushen Castle - his next posting was to Simon's Town in South Africa.

(Added 17 July 2006)

An assessment of HMS Rushen Castle's movements as set out in the attached document indicates she may possibly have escorted 20+ convoys rather than the 18 referred to in the "Ship's History from the Castle Class Corvette (Frigate) Association".  In addition to the twelve convoys listed in "HMS Rushen Castle in the National Archives" and the one convoy mentioned in the attached extract from the Admiralty Movement Books (namely, OS.118/KMS.92), with reference to Convoy Web, it seems possible she also had a hand in escorting the following convoys:

OS.75/KMS.49 - see Convoy Web
OS.79/KMS.53 - see Convoy Web
OS.83/KMS.57 - see Convoy Web
OS.87/KMS.61 - see Convoy Web
OS.102/KMS.76 - see Convoy Web 

Added to which, Mike Holdoway of Convoy Web has mentioned he has a record of Rushen Castle escorting OS.108/KMS.82 (with Fowey as SO Escort) - see Convoy Web.  Rushen Castle seems to have left Liverpool on the correct day, 1 February 1945, but instead of arriving in Gibraltar with the remainder of the convoy on 9 February 1945, she appears to have returned to Liverpool, arriving on 7 February 1944.

SL.157/MKS.48 - see Convoy Web - but not listed as Escort
SL.161/MKS.52 - see Convoy Web
SL.165/MKS.56 - see Convoy Web
SL.169/MKS.60 - see Convoy Web

These will need to be followed up through the National Archives.

(Amended 4 January 2007)