Black
Swan-Class Sloop ordered under the 1939
Programme from Furness
Shipbuilders on 21st June 1939 and
laid down on 22nd
September that year. The ship was launched on
5th August 1940 by Mrs Furness
and was the 6th RN ship to carry this
name.
It was introduced in 1813 for a 6th Rate and had
previously been used
for a Trawler sold in 1922 to Spain.
Build was completed on 26th April 1941 but four
days later the ship was
badly damaged in an air raid on the shipyard and
after repair in a Tyneside
shipyard entered service on 21st June 1942. She
was adopted by the
civil community of Bootle, Lancashire following
a successful WARSHIP
WEEK campaign for National Savings.
B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
NORTH
AFRICA 1942 - ATLANTIC 1942-45 - SICILY
1943
H
e
r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a Field Blue, an
erne rising white.
M
o t t o
Surtout:
'Above all'
D
e t a i l s o f W a
r
S e r v i c e
(for more ship
information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search
1 9 4 1
April
Contractors trials and commissioned for service
in 43rd Escort Group
26th
Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials.
30th
Sustained major damage during air raid at
Belfast.
May
Passage to Tyne for repair in commercial
shipyard
June
Under repair.
to
(See THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC by D Macintyre
for details of convoy defence
December
tactics and SEEK AND STRIKE by W Hackmann for
weapons data).
1 9 4 2
January
Under repair.
to
May
June
Post repair trials and prepared for work-up.
21st
On completion took passage to Tobermory.
July
Took passage to join 45th Escort Group at
Londonderry on completion of work-up
Sailed from Clyde as part of escort for outward
Convoy OS35 with ships of Group
during passage to Freetown
31st
Took part in sinking of U213 with HM Sloops
SANDWICH and
ROCHESTER in
position 36.54N 22.50W, east of
Azores in defence of OS35.
None of the crew of U213 survived.
(For details see U- BOATS DESTROYED by P Kemp
and HITLER’S U-BOAT WAR
by C Blair.)
August
Atlantic convoy defence in continuation.
Deployed with Group for escort of return convoy
from Freetown
September
Nominated for escort of military convoys to
Gibraltar prior to allied landings in North
Africa (Operation TORCH – See Naval Staff
History and RELUCTANT ENEMIES by
W Tute.)
October
Deployed as part of escort for convoy to
Gibraltar.
(Note: Part of preparation for TORCH)
November
Transferred to 43rd Escort Group based at Gibraltar for convoy defence.
8th
Deployed for support
of allied landings in
North Africa.
(For details see
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by Corelli
Barnett
BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser and above
references )
December
Support and escort duties in western Mediterranean in continuation.
1 9
4 3
January
Western Mediterranean deployment in
continuation.
Deployed with escort for Convoy GUF3 from Oran
to Gibraltar
February
Deployed with escort for Convoy GUF4 from Oran
to Gibraltar.
On release from Gibraltar deployment transferred
to 44th Escort Group.
Took passage to Londonderry.
25th
Deployed with Group as part of escort for
outward convoy KMF10A during passage
from Clyde to Algiers.
March
4th
Detached from MKS10A on arrival at Algiers
April
Group deployment in continuation for defence of
convoys on Gibraltar route
14th
Sustained structural damage by collision at
Gibraltar with mercantile ss EMPIRE
MINNOW.
Taken in hand for repair by HM Dockyard,
Gibraltar
May
Resumed convoy defence duties with Group on
completion of repair.
June
Nominated for escort of military convoys prior
to allied landings in Sicily.
(Operation HUSKY - See above references
26th
Deployed as part of escort for outward Convoy
during passage to
Sicily
(Note: This was part of preparation for HUSKY)
July
5th
Detached from KMS18 and joined Support Force
East for support of landings
in Sicily. (See BRITISH INVASION FLEETS and
Naval Staff History.)
21st
Deployed as part of escort for US military
convoy GUS10X during passage from
Tripoli to Hampton |Roads, USA.
August
13th
Detached from GUS10X on arrival at Hampton
Roads.
September
2nd
Deployed with escort for inward Convoy HX255
during Atlantic passage to
Clyde from Halifax.
Nominated for refit in Belfast commercial
shipyard.
12th
Taken in hand for refit.
October
Under refit
to
Nominated for service in 10th Escort Group
November
(Note: Fit of HEDGEHOG anti-submarine mortar and
Radar Type 271 during this
period to be confirmed. See RADAR AT SEA by D
Howse and above 1941
references for details of development.)
December
Carried out post refit trials on completion of
shipyard work
1 9
4 4
January
Resumed operational service for Atlantic convoy
defence with Group based at
Londonderry.
February
Atlantic convoy defence with Group in
continuation.
to
Nominated for transfer to Mediterranean.
March
April
Passage to Mediterranean for escort of convoys
between Gibraltar and Port Said.
May
Mediterranean convoy defence in continuation.
to
June
July
Under repair at Taranto.
to
(Note: This ship appears to have had poor
availability which may have been due to
August
structural damage caused during air raid in
1941).
September
12th
On completion resumed convoy defence duty in
Mediterranean.
October
Mediterranean convoy defence in continuation.
to
November
December
Taken in hand for repair in Alexandria.
(Note: One source suggests this repair was
needed because of standard of work
done at Taranto).
1 9
4 5
January
Passage to Malta for completion of repair by HM
Dockyard.
Ship grounded on arrival in Malta and sustained
further damage.
Passage to Falmouth for repair.
February
Under repair at Falmouth.
March
On completion of shipyard work prepared for
work-up and took passage to
Tobermory.
April
Work-up
at Tobermory for convoy defence in English
Channel.
(Note: German SCHNORKEL fitted submarines were
concentrating attacks on focal points
of convoy routes and additional escorts were
deployed to supplement defence of the
re-routed Atlantic mercantile traffic). Deployed
at Portsmouth for Channel convoy
defence. (See HOLD THE NARROW SEA by
P Smith). After VE Day nominated
for service in Pacific. Prepared for foreign
service.
May
After VE Day nominated for service with British
Pacific Fleet
Prepared for foreign service
June
Took passage to join British Pacific Fleet.
July
Passage to Mediterranean to work-up for Pacific
Fleet duties.
August
Passage to Colombo,
1lth
Arrived at Colombo.
20th
Passage to join Fleet in Japanese waters.
P o s
t W a r N o t e s
HMS
ERNE remained with the British Pacific
Fleet assisted in the repatriation of allied
nationals in the Far East until
the end of 1945 and returned to
Plymouth on 19th
February 1946 to reduce to Reserve. She was
selected for use as RNVR Drill
Ship for
the Solent Division and was renamed HMS WESSEX
at Southampton after conversion by
HM Dockyard Portsmouth for these duties
at Portsmouth. After the RNVR headquarters
moved ashore this Sloop was placed
on the
Disposal
List in 1965
and sold to BISCO on 27th October 1965 for
breaking-up by General Navigation
and Storage at Antwerp. The ship arrived in tow
at the breaker’s yard
later that year.
Addendum
CONVOY
ESCORT MOVEMENTS
of HMS
ERNE
by
Don Kindell
These
convoy lists have not been cross-checked with
the text above
|
|
|
|
|
Date
convoy sailed
|
Joined
convoy as escort
|
Convoy No.
|
Left
convoy
|
Date
convoy arrived
|
|
|
|
|
|
21/07/42
|
22/07/42
|
OS
035
|
12/08/42
|
10/08/42
|
14/08/42
|
14/08/42
|
SL
119
|
05/09/42
|
04/09/42
|
19/09/42
|
20/09/42
|
OS
041
|
01/10/42
|
01/10/42
|
23/09/42
|
04/10/42
|
SL
123
|
10/10/42
|
14/10/42
|
25/10/42
|
26/10/42
|
KMS
002G
|
12/11/42
|
12/11/42
|
21/11/42
|
21/11/42
|
MKS
002
|
24/11/42
|
03/12/42
|
03/12/42
|
05/12/42
|
MKS
003X
|
08/12/42
|
19/12/42
|
30/12/42
|
31/12/42
|
GUF
003
|
01/01/43
|
13/01/43
|
01/01/43
|
05/01/43
|
CF
010A
|
08/01/43
|
08/01/43
|
18/01/43
|
18/01/43
|
GUS
003
|
22/01/43
|
07/02/43
|
07/02/43
|
07/02/43
|
MKS
007
|
14/02/43
|
17/02/43
|
25/02/43
|
02/03/43
|
KMF
010A
|
04/03/43
|
04/03/43
|
06/03/43
|
06/03/43
|
MKF
010A
|
14/03/43
|
14/03/42
|
31/03/43
|
01/04/43
|
KMS
012G
|
12/04/43
|
16/04/43
|
10/04/43
|
14/04/43
|
MKS
011
|
23/04/43
|
16/04/43
|
24/06/43
|
26/06/43
|
KMS
018B
|
06/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
13/06/43
|
07/07/43
|
UGS
010
|
09/07/43
|
10/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
18/07/43
|
KMS
020
|
20/07/43
|
20/07/43
|
27/06/43
|
20/07/43
|
UGS
011
|
21/07/43
|
unknown
|
22/07/43
|
25/07/43
|
GUS
010X
|
27/07/43
|
13/08/43
|
21/08/43
|
21/08/43
|
UT
001
|
21/08/43
|
04/09/43
|
02/09/43
|
08/09/43
|
HX
255
|
15/09/43
|
16/09/43
|
01/02/44
|
01/02/44
|
KMF
028A
|
08/02/44
|
08/02/44
|
03/03/44
|
03/03/44
|
KMF
029A
|
15/03/44
|
17/03/44
|
20/03/44
|
21/03/44
|
MKS
044
|
01/04/44
|
01/04/44
|
17/04/44
|
17/04/44
|
KMS
047
|
23/04/44
|
27/04/44
|
17/04/45
|
17/04/45
|
KMF
043
|
21/04/45
|
23/04/45
|
08/04/45
|
19/04/45
|
HX
349
|
23/04/45
|
23/04/45
|
09/05/45
|
09/05/45
|
VWP
150
|
10/05/45
|
10/05/45
|
11/05/45
|
11/05/45
|
VWP
152
|
12/05/45
|
12/05/45
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Note
on Convoys)