Black Swan class sloop (1938)

The Black Swan-class sloop of war HMS Starling (U66) underway in 1943.

The Black Swan-class was a class of sloop of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. A total of forty-eight Black Swan-class sloops were built (40 for the Royal Navy and 8 for the Royal Indian Navy).

Like corvettes, sloops of that period were specialized convoy-defence vessels, except that sloops were larger, faster, possessed much superior anti-aircraft fire control via the Fuze Keeping Clock and a heavy armament of high angle 4 inch guns while retaining excellent anti-submarine capability. They were designed to have a longer range than a destroyer at the expense of a lower top speed, while remaining capable of outrunning surfaced Type VII and Type IX U-boats.

In World War II, Black Swan-class sloops sank 29 U-boats. The most famous sloop commander was Captain Frederic John Walker. His sloop HMS Starling became one of the most successful submarine hunters, taking part in the sinking of eleven U-boats.

Specifications

• Type: Sloop
• Service Period: 1939-1967
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 300 feet (91.44 meters)
  • Beam: 39 feet (11.89 meters)
  • Draft: 11 feet (3.35 meters)
  • Displacement: 1,350 tons (Standard); 1,950 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 192
• Propulsion: 2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 x Parsons geared turbines, 2 x shafts, 4,300 hp (3,210 kW)
• Range: 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 kilometers) at 12 knots (22.22 km/h)
• Speed: 20 knots (37.04 km/h)
• Armament:
  • 6 x QF 4"/45-caliber Mk.XVI dual purpose naval guns (3x2)
  • 4 x QF 2-pdr anti-aircraft guns (2x4)
  • 12 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft cannons (6x2)
  • 110 x mines

Unit Run

Royal Navy

• HMS Erne (U03) - transferred to Bundesmarine, renamed BMS Graf Spee
• HMS Chanticleer (U05)
• HMS Actaeon (U07) - transferred to Bundesmarine, renamed BMS Hipper
• HMS Woodpecker (U08)
• HMS Lark (U11)
• HMS Amethyst (U16)
• HMS Flamingo (U18)
• HMS Snipe (U20)
• HMS Crane (U23)
• HMS Waterhen (U25)
• HMS Wren (U28)
• HMS Whimbrel (U29) - transferred to Egyptian Navy in November 1949, renamed El Malek Farouq
• HMS Mermaid (U30) - transferred to Bundesmarine, renamed BMS Scharnhorst
• HMS Wryneck (U31)
• HMS Trial (U32)
• HMS Opossum (U33)
• HMS Partridge (U37)
• HMS Cygnet (U38)
• HMS Hind (U39)
• HMS Modeste (U42)
• HMS Wild Goose (U45) - transferred to Egyptian Navy in November 1949, renamed Tariq
• HMS Pheasant (U49)
• HMS Nonsuch (U54)
• HMS Black Swan (U57)
• HMS Hart (U58) - transferred to Bundesmarine, renamed BMS Scheer
• HMS Star (U59)
• HMS Alacrity (U60)
• HMS Steady (U61)
• HMS Lapwing (U62)
• HMS Nereide (U64)
• HMS Starling (U66) - turned to museum ship in 1965
• HMS Redpole (U69)
• HMS Sparrow (U71)
• HMS Magpie (U82) - transferred to Vietnam, renamed VNS Pham Ngu Lao
• HMS Wild Swan (U83) - transferred to Vietnam, renamed VNS Trần Hưng Đạo
• HMS Nymphe (U84) - transferred to Vietnam, renamed VNS Dai Ky
• HMS Kite (U87) - transferred to Vietnam, renamed VNS Trần Khánh Dư
• HMS Woodcock (U90)
• HMS Peacock (U96)
• HMS Ibis (U99)

Royal Indian Navy

• HMIS Cauvery (U10)
• HMIS Jumna (U21)
• HMIS Narbada (U40)
• HMIS Jhelum (U41)
• HMIS Kistna (U46)
• HMIS Godovari (U52)
• HMIS Sind (U53)
• HMIS Sutlej (U95)