HMS Erne (U03)
Encyclopedia
HMS Erne (U03) was a Black Swan-class
sloop
laid down by Furness Shipbuilding at Barrow-in-Furness
on 21 September 1939, launched on 5 August 1940 and commissioned on 3 April 1941.
She took her name like others in her class from birds, in this case a White-tailed Eagle
, also known as the Erne.
On 31 July 1942, depth charges from the three British sloops Erne, (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, RN), Rochester (Cdr. C.B. Allen, RN) and Sandwich (Lt.Cdr. H. Hill, RNR) sank the German submarine U-213
in the North Atlantic east of the Azores
, in position 36º45'N, 22º50'W.
On 29 August 1942, Erne, still under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Abbot, scuttled the Dutch merchant Zuiderkerk with depth charges. The German submarine U-566 had torpedoed the Zuiderkerk west-north-west of Lisbon, Portugal in position 40º20'N, 16º02'W. A torpedo had caused extensive flooding of the forward holds, which forced the 56 crew members and twelve passengers to abandon ship in the early morning. Leith
picked up the survivors.
In December 1943 Lt.Cdr. Walter Raleigh Hickey, RNR assumed command, holding it until 18 June 1945. His replacement was Lt.Cdr. James Arbouin Burnett, RN, who held command until 15 June 1946.
Black Swan class sloop
The Black Swan class and Modified Black Swan class were two classes of sloop of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. Thirteen Black Swans were launched between 1939 and 1943, including four for the Royal Indian Navy; twenty-four Modified Black Swans were launched between 1942 and 1945, including...
sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
laid down by Furness Shipbuilding at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
on 21 September 1939, launched on 5 August 1940 and commissioned on 3 April 1941.
She took her name like others in her class from birds, in this case a White-tailed Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
, also known as the Erne.
World War II
On 30 April 1941, while Erne, (Lt.Cdr. H.M. Darell-Brown, RN) was still at the builders yard (4 days after commissioning), a near miss during a German air attack caused heavy damage. Repairs took until June 1942.On 31 July 1942, depth charges from the three British sloops Erne, (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, RN), Rochester (Cdr. C.B. Allen, RN) and Sandwich (Lt.Cdr. H. Hill, RNR) sank the German submarine U-213
German submarine U-213
German submarine U-213 was a Type VIID mine-laying U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.-Training:Laid down on 1 October 1940 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, the boat was commissioned on 30 August 1941 with Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff in command...
in the North Atlantic east of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, in position 36º45'N, 22º50'W.
On 29 August 1942, Erne, still under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Abbot, scuttled the Dutch merchant Zuiderkerk with depth charges. The German submarine U-566 had torpedoed the Zuiderkerk west-north-west of Lisbon, Portugal in position 40º20'N, 16º02'W. A torpedo had caused extensive flooding of the forward holds, which forced the 56 crew members and twelve passengers to abandon ship in the early morning. Leith
HMS Leith (U36)
HMS Leith was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.-Construction, commissioning and early service:...
picked up the survivors.
In December 1943 Lt.Cdr. Walter Raleigh Hickey, RNR assumed command, holding it until 18 June 1945. His replacement was Lt.Cdr. James Arbouin Burnett, RN, who held command until 15 June 1946.