HMS BLACK SWAN U57
BLACK SWAN-Class Sloop ordered from Yarrow's of Scotstoun, Glasgow on 1st January 1938 under the 1937 Build Programme. The ship was laid down on 20th June 1938 and launched on 17th July 1939. She was the first RN ship to carry this name and build was completed on 27th January 1940.
After trials she was allocated to the Rosyth Escort Force, and in April she landed a party of Royal Marines and troops at Andalsnes and acted as A/A guard ship at the port. On 28th April, after having brought down at least four enemy aircraft, she was badly damaged by a bomb and had to return to the UK, for repairs at Falmouth. On 1st November she struck a mine which damaged her main engines, resulting in repairs at Dundee which lasted until May 1941
In June 1941 she joined the Western Approaches Command, but on 24th August, while escorting convoy BB 47, she was badly damaged by low-flying German aircraft off Milford Haven, and was in dock there for six weeks.
At the end of October 1941 she was allocated to the 37th Escort Group, and was employed with the Atlantic and Sierra Leone convoys. She refitted at Rosyth in June 1942, and returned to her group. During the North Africa invasion she escorted troop convoys to and from the Mediterranean, until February 1943.
On 2nd April 1943, while escorting convoy OS 45 from the UK to Freetown, she with the corvette HMS Stonecrop destroyed U 124.
In December 1943 she was assigned to the 5lst Escort Group of the Mediterranean Fleet, and in January 1944 sailed from the UK with a convoy. She remained in the Mediterranean until September 1944, when she was recalled to UK waters because of the increased U boat activity.
She refitted at Leith from January to March 1945, and in June sailed to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving at Shanghai on 27th September 1945. She remained on the Far East Station first with the 1st Escort Flotilla, then with the 3rd Frigate Flotilla, until November 1951.
In 1949 she took part in the Yangtze Incident when she, with others, went to aid of HMS Amethyst. HMS Black Swan suffered 12 men wounded and severe damage to her superstructure in a fierce engagement with Chinese batteries and fell back.
In June 1950, when the Korean War broke out, she was one of the first British ships in the operational area. Her first assignment was with the cruiser Jamaica she took part in the first naval action of the war off the east coast of Korea , in which 5 out of 6 North Korean E-boats were sunk. She completed three periods of about three months each off the Korean coast, and steamed some 4l,000 miles on operations.
She finally left Singapore for the UK on 26 November 1951, arriving at Devonport on 20th December. She was placed in reserve and scrapped at Troon on l3th September 1956.
An undated photo of HMS BLACK SWAN , which was taken in the period Circa 1942-1947 when she wore the pennant number U57
HMS BLACK SWAN U57
BLACK SWAN-Class Sloop ordered from Yarrow's of Scotstoun, Glasgow on 1st January 1938 under the 1937 Build Programme. The ship was laid down on 20th June 1938 and launched on 17th July 1939. She was the first RN ship to carry this name and build was completed on 27th January 1940.
After trials she was allocated to the Rosyth Escort Force, and in April she landed a party of Royal Marines and troops at Andalsnes and acted as A/A guard ship at the port. On 28th April, after having brought down at least four enemy aircraft, she was badly damaged by a bomb and had to return to the UK, for repairs at Falmouth. On 1st November she struck a mine which damaged her main engines, resulting in repairs at Dundee which lasted until May 1941
In June 1941 she joined the Western Approaches Command, but on 24th August, while escorting convoy BB 47, she was badly damaged by low-flying German aircraft off Milford Haven, and was in dock there for six weeks.
At the end of October 1941 she was allocated to the 37th Escort Group, and was employed with the Atlantic and Sierra Leone convoys. She refitted at Rosyth in June 1942, and returned to her group. During the North Africa invasion she escorted troop convoys to and from the Mediterranean, until February 1943.
On 2nd April 1943, while escorting convoy OS 45 from the UK to Freetown, she with the corvette HMS Stonecrop destroyed U 124.
In December 1943 she was assigned to the 5lst Escort Group of the Mediterranean Fleet, and in January 1944 sailed from the UK with a convoy. She remained in the Mediterranean until September 1944, when she was recalled to UK waters because of the increased U boat activity.
She refitted at Leith from January to March 1945, and in June sailed to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving at Shanghai on 27th September 1945. She remained on the Far East Station first with the 1st Escort Flotilla, then with the 3rd Frigate Flotilla, until November 1951.
In 1949 she took part in the Yangtze Incident when she, with others, went to aid of HMS Amethyst. HMS Black Swan suffered 12 men wounded and severe damage to her superstructure in a fierce engagement with Chinese batteries and fell back.
In June 1950, when the Korean War broke out, she was one of the first British ships in the operational area. Her first assignment was with the cruiser Jamaica she took part in the first naval action of the war off the east coast of Korea , in which 5 out of 6 North Korean E-boats were sunk. She completed three periods of about three months each off the Korean coast, and steamed some 4l,000 miles on operations.
She finally left Singapore for the UK on 26 November 1951, arriving at Devonport on 20th December. She was placed in reserve and scrapped at Troon on l3th September 1956.
An undated photo of HMS BLACK SWAN , which was taken in the period Circa 1942-1947 when she wore the pennant number U57