HMS Black Swan (L57)
Black Swan in April 1945
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Black Swan |
| Builder: | Yarrow Shipbuilders |
| Laid down: | 20 June 1938 |
| Launched: | 7 July 1939 |
| Commissioned: | 27 January 1940 |
| Identification: | Pennant number L57/U57/F57 |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1956 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Black Swan-class sloop |
| Displacement: | 1,250 tons |
| Length: | 299 ft 6 in (91.29 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) |
| Draught: | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Range: | 7,500 nmi (13,900 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 180 |
| Armament: |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: | British Pacific Fleet (1945) |
| Operations: |
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| Victories: | U-124 (2 April 1943) |
HMS Black Swan, named after the black swan, was the name ship of the Black Swan-class sloops of the Royal Navy. This class was admired for its sea-going qualities.
Black Swan was laid down by Yarrow Shipbuilders on 20 June 1938, launched on 7 July 1939, and commissioned on 27 January 1940.
The Black Swan class was a lengthened version of the earlier Egret-class sloops. The main gun armament consisted of six QF 4 inch Mk XVI anti-aircraft guns in three twin turrets, with the fourth 4 inch turret of the Egret class removed to allow addition of a quadruple barrel 2-pounder pom-pom short-range anti-aircraft gun. Anti submarine armament consisted of depth charge throwers with 40 depth charges carried.
When completed, Black Swan was not fitted with the planned quadruple pom-pom, but with two quadruple Vickers .50 machine gun mounts fitted instead. The pom-pom was installed in May 1941, and the ineffective machine guns replaced by a single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon in September that year. The Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon and two more 20 mm cannon were fitted in June 1942, and a further three cannon were fitted in 1943. The ship's depth charge complement was increased to 110 during the war.
Black Swan was initially deployed on convoy escort missions along the British east coast, before the Norwegian Campaign caused Black Swan to be attached to the Home Fleet, where it was used to provide anti-aircraft cover to the Allied landings at Åndalsnes. Black Swan was heavily engaged by German bombers before being hit by a bomb which passed through the ship before exploding, on 27 April 1940.
After repair, in June Black Swan returned to escort duty in the North Sea, before being damaged by a mine on 1 November 1940. This time, the ship was under repair until May 1941, when it was transferred to Western Approaches Command, escorting convoys in the Irish Sea. Black Swan was again slightly damaged by bombing in August that year and was transferred to Londonderry as part of the 37th Escort Group, escorting convoys to and from Gibraltar.
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Wikipedia