HMS Starling (U66)

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HMS Starling, pennant number U66, was a Modified Black Swan-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She was active in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War and was the most successful anti-submarine warfare vessel of the Royal Navy, being credited with the destruction of fourteen U-boats.

Construction

Template:Stack Starling was ordered on 18 July 1941 under the 1940 Supplementary War Building Programme; she was laid down by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan, Scotland, on 21 October 1941. She was launched on 14 October 1942, and commissioned on 1 April 1943, with a build time of 17 months and 10 days.<ref>Elliott p141</ref>

Service history

Starling joined Western Approaches Command in April 1943 under the command of Captain Frederic John Walker, leader of the 2nd Support Group (2SG). This was a flotilla of six sloops not tied down to convoy protection, but free to hunt down U-boats wherever found. The other ships of the group were Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS, and Template:HMS.

Starling's first patrol in May 1943 was uneventful; There were several major convoy battles during the month, but none involving 2 SG. Starlings first success came on 1 June 1943, when the group's first U-boat was detected: fortuitously on a fine day and identified by Lt. Earl Howe Pitt. This event was dubbed another "Glorious First of June" by Walker.<ref>Wemyss p.63</ref> Over a 15-hour period the group found, tracked and destroyed Template:GS, in the longest hunt of the Atlantic campaign up to that point.

On their return to Liverpool, Starling and 2SG were assigned to "Operation Musketry", an attempt, in concert with Coastal Command, to interdict the U-boat transit routes across the Bay of Biscay. On 24 June 1943 the group was successful in destroying two U-boats; Starling destroyed Template:GS, but was damaged when she rammed the U-boat to dispatch it. She was forced to return to Britain for repairs, under the temporary command of Cdr. DEG Wemyss of Wild Goose, Walker having stayed with the group.<ref>Wemyss p.70</ref>

In October, on returning to the group, Starling was involved in the battle around convoy ON 207. No successes were recorded, though the convoy battle saw three U-boats destroyed, with no ships lost.<ref>Blair p436-7</ref>

In November 1943, in operations around HX 264, Starling and 2 SG accounted for two more U-boats, Template:GS and Template:GS.<ref>Blair p440</ref>

In December, while in support of SL 140/MKS 31, Starling attacked and damaged Template:GS, forcing it to abandon its attack.

File:Out With U-boat Killer Number 1; the Second Escort Group's Success. 26 January To 25 February 1944, on Board HMS Starling. With the 2nd Escort Group, Commanded by Captain F J Walker, Cb, Dso and Two Bars, on His Most Rec A21988.jpg

Captain Walker on board Starling during an anti-submarine operation in January or February 1944

In January 1944, supporting convoy SL 147/MKS 38, Starling shared in the destruction of Template:GS.<ref>Blair p488</ref>

In February she took part in the famous "Six in one trip" episode, where 2 SG destroyed six U-boats over a two-week period. Starling shared in the destruction of four of these; Template:GS on 31 January, Template:GS and Template:GS on 9 February, and Template:GS on 19 February.<ref>Blair p498</ref>

In March 1944, Starling and 2 SG, accompanied by escort carrier Vindex, sought and destroyed Template:GS, a U-boat on weather-reporting duty in the North Atlantic. Later that month, while supporting Murmansk convoy JW 58, Starling met and destroyed Template:GS in transit to the North Atlantic.<ref>Blair p516</ref> She had no other success, though three U-boats were destroyed in attacks on JW 58.

In May the group responded to an attack on Template:USS by Template:GS. Though starting from 300 miles away Walker, in an inspired piece of work, divined where to search and after a three-day search gained contact. An 18-hour hunt brought U-473 to the surface, where she was sunk by gunfire.<ref>Wemyss p101</ref><ref>Blair p511</ref>

File:Depth charges explode astern of HMS STARLING of the 2nd Escort Group in the Atlantic, January 1944. A21992.jpg

Depth charges detonate astern of the sloop Starling

In June Starling was part of "Operation Neptune" in support of the Normandy landings, and was instrumental in preventing any attacks on the invasion fleet. In all fifteen U-boats were destroyed in attempts to attack the invasion fleet, though Starling herself had no success.

In July Starling suffered her heaviest blow when Capt. FJ Walker died of a cerebral haemorrhage, brought on by overwork and exhaustion.

Under her new captain, Cdr. NW Duck, Starling and 2 SG had another successful patrol in the Bay of Biscay in August when four U-boats were destroyed; Starling took part in three of these actions, against Template:GS, Template:GS, and Template:GS.<ref>Blair p608-13</ref>

In September Starling moved to 22EG, under Cdr. GWE Castens, but the U-boat war had changed character, and Starling saw little further success. The campaign became a hunt for single raiders operating in the shallow coastal waters, where a U-boat could hide among the wrecks on the sea bottom. Hunts for these "lone wolves" was a slow and tedious business, though merchant ship losses were kept to a minimum.

In January 1945 Starling, with ships of 22EG, attacked a promising target in the North Channel: They were credited, following examination of German records in the post-war period, with the destruction of Template:GS. However this assessment was re-evaluated in 1991, and the credit was withdrawn; the attack was deemed to have been on a non-sub target.<ref>Blair p631</ref>

With the end of the war in Europe Starling was earmarked for duty in the Pacific, but while re-fitting for this the war there ended. In September 1945 Starling paid off, and in October went into reserve.

Post-war service

In 1946 Starling was re-activated for service with Template:HMS, the Royal Navy's Navigation Training School. She was modified as a Navigation training ship and remained in service for the next ten years.

In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.<ref>Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden</ref>

During her last year in commission, she visited the Norwegian fjords and the U-boat base at Kiel. Her final voyage was a call at Bootle Liverpool to attend a farewell celebration provided by the local authority and Captain Walker's widow took passage on the final sailing from Bootle to Portsmouth where she paid off.<ref>served on her 1958-59.</ref>

Battle honours

• Biscay 1943
• Atlantic 1943–45
• Arctic 1944
• Normandy 1944<ref>HMS Starling: Battle Honours at britainsnavy.co.uk; retrieved 8 July 2020</ref>

Successes

Starling participated in the sinking of fourteen U-boats:

Date	U-boat	Type	Location<ref>Locations per Kemp; other sources may differ</ref>	Notes
2 June 1943	Template:GS	Type VIIC	North Atlantic Template:Coord	sunk, depth charges and gunfire from Starling.<ref>Kemp p122</ref>
24 June 1943	Template:GS	Type XB	N Atlantic, NW of Cape Ortegal Template:Coord	sunk, gunfire, ramming, by Starling.<ref>Kemp p126</ref>
6 November 1943	Template:GS	VIIC	N Atlantic, east of Cape Race Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Starling, Template:HMS and Template:HMS.<ref>Kemp p156</ref>
6 November 1943	Template:GS	Type IXC/40	North Atlantic Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Starling and Template:HMS.<ref>Kemp p156</ref>
31 January 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	N Atlantic, south-west of Cape Clear Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Starling, Wild Goose and Template:HMS.<ref>Kemp p166</ref>
9 February 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Atlantic Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Wild Goose and Starling.<ref>Kemp p167-8</ref>
9 February 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Atlantic, south-west of Cape Clear Template:Coord	sunk, d/c, hedgehog, by Kite, Magpie and Starling.<ref>Kemp p167-8</ref>
19 February 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	North Atlantic Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Woodpecker and Starling.<ref>Kemp p171</ref>
15 March 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	North Atlantic Template:Coord	found by Swordfish A/825 from Template:HMS, d/c by Starling and Wild Goose.<ref>Kemp p177</ref>
29 March 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Atlantic, north of Faroes Template:Coord	sunk, by Starling, Magpie.<ref>Kemp p179-80</ref>
6 May 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Atlantic, west of Cape Clear Template:Coord	sunk, d/c, gunfire by Starling, Template:HMS and Wild Goose.<ref>Kemp p187-8</ref>
31 July 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	English Channel, west of the Scilly Isles Template:Coord	sunk, d/c by Starling and the frigate Template:HMS.<ref>Kemp p207</ref>
6 August 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Atlantic, west of St. Nazaire Template:Coord	sunk, Squid, d/c by Starling and Loch Killin.<ref>Kemp p208</ref>
11 August 1944	Template:GS	VIIC	Bay of Biscay, west of La Rochelle Template:Coord	sunk, d/c, air attack by Starling and Sunderland P/461.<ref>Kemp p209</ref>

During the war the Starling was credited, along with the sloops Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS, and frigate Template:HMS, with sinking the Template:GS in the North Channel on 16 January 1945. The British Admiralty withdrew this credit in a post-war reassessment.<ref>Blair (2000), 630-631.</ref>

In popular culture

• StarlingTemplate:'s service in the Arctic convoys (fictionalised as "HMS Sparrow") is described in the prologue to children's adventure novel The Salt-stained Book by Julia Jones (2011).

Sources

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Arnold Hague : The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 (2000). Template:ISBN (Canada); Template:ISBN (UK).
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Warlow, B : Battle Honours of the Royal Navy (2004) Template:ISBN
• Wemyss, DEG : Relentless Pursuit: The Story of Capt. FJ Walker CB.DSO***RN, U-Boat Hunter and Destroyer (2003) Cerberus Publishing Template:ISBN (First published in 1955)

Burn, Alan (1993). The Fighting Captain. Template:ISBN.

Publications

• {{#invoke:template wrapper|{{#if:|list|wrap}}|_template=cite book

|_exclude=case, year, _debug
| last1 = Colledge
| first1 = J. J. 
| author-link1= J. J. Colledge
| last2 = Warlow
| first2 = Ben
| date = 2006
| orig-date = 1969
| title = Ships of the Royal Navy: {{#if:|The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy|The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy}}
| edition = Rev.
| location = London
| publisher = Chatham Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-86176-281-8

}}

• Template:Cite book

External links

• HMS Starling on naval-history.net
• HMS Starling at uboat.net
• HMS Starling at britainsnavy.co.uk