 On 31 May 1941, "Abdiel" sailed from Alexandria for Sfakia, Crete with the light cruiser (Captain G. Grantham) and three destroyers.During the following night these ships removed 4,000 troops from Crete.Between December 1942 and April 1943 "Abdiel", in cooperation with the minelaying submarine and "Abdiel"s sister ship , laid several minefields with about 2,000 mines in the Strait of Sicily.