next deployment was for Operation Torch, in which she escorted capital ships in preparation for the invasion of North Africa. Once the invasion had started on 8 November, she was deployed to prevent any interference from Axis ships in the Mediterranean. She remained in the Mediterranean Sea until June 1943, when more problems with her feedwater tanks required a major re-fit in the Thames commercial shipyard in the United Kingdom. After the re-fit, she operated from Scapa Flow escorting Arctic convoys through the long Arctic nights of late 1943. From 1944, she patrolled the English Channel in preparation for the Normandy Landings. In this capacity, she closely co-operated with the Canadian Tribal-class destroyers and . For the invasion, she patrolled the channel and guarded against German surface ships in the Southwest Approaches and the Bay of Biscay area. On 9 June, a German destroyer group was found off Brittany and engaged by Ashanti, Huron, Haida, as well as , , and the Polish destroyers and in the Battle of Ushant. The Kriegsmarine ship was driven ashore and wrecked, was severely damaged and , the ex-Dutch destroyer Gerard Callenburgh, was sunk. Her last action in the war was prevention of the evacuation of German personnel from France. On 5 August 1944, she engaged a German convoy off the Île d'Yeu and sank two escort minesweepers and a Patrol Vessel. Haida was damaged in the engagement. Ashanti was then taken in for an extensive and expensive re-fit and played no further part in the fighting. Other Royal Navy Tribal-class destroyers were sent to Asia to fight against the Empire of Japan. Fate Ashanti had survived North Atlantic gales, technical trouble, the Norwegian Campaign, running aground, Arctic convoys, the invasion of North Africa, U-boat attacks, aircraft attacks, and some of the toughest destroyer fighting of the Second World War. Yet by the end of the war it was clear that she had out-lived her usefulness. She was paid-off and went into reserve after VJ Day. In 1947, she was put on the disposal list and used for ship target trials. On 12 April 1948 she arrived at West of Scotland Shipbreakers for demolition. Notes References Further reading External links uboat.net HMS Ashanti (F 51) - Tribal-class Destroyer, including Convoy Escort Movements Tribal-class destroyers (1936) of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Clyde 1937 ships World War II destroyers of the United