Donald Macintyre (naval officer)
Encyclopedia
Donald MacIntyre
This page is about the Victoria Cross recipient. For others of similar name see Donald MacIntyreMajor General Donald Macintyre VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and...
Donald George Frederick Wyville Macintyre DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Two Bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(26 January 1904 – 23 May 1981) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer during the Second World War and a successful convoy escort commander.
Following the war, he was also an author of numerous books on British naval history.
Early career
Macintyre joined the Navy in 1926, serving in his first year in a destroyer with the Mediterranean fleet before transferring to the Fleet Air ArmFleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
(FAA) to train as a pilot. He served seven years with the FAA, first in , then on the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
, then in with the Home fleet. In 1935 an accident left him unfit to fly, and he returned to surface vessels.
He was given command of Kingfisher
HMS Kingfisher (L70)
HMS Kingfisher was a Royal Navy patrol vessel and the lead ship of the s....
, an anti-submarine patrol vessel, and was attached to the Anti-Submarine School at Portland.
In 1937 he took command of his first destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, Defender
HMS Defender (H07)
HMS Defender was a D-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935. She was temporarily deployed in the Red Sea during late 1935 during the Abyssinia Crisis,...
, and was again stationed in the Far East, seeing action during the Amoy crisis in 1938. In 1939 he returned to Britain to take command of the destroyer Venomous, joining a Channel flotilla as war broke out.
Beginnings
In 1939, not long after the declaration of war, Macintyre and Venomous were on escort duty in the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
with a destroyer flotilla led by (Captain T Halsey), escorting troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
s from Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In January 1940 he took command of the Hearty, which was commissioned and renamed Hesperus
HMS Hesperus (H57)
HMS Hesperus was an H-class destroyer originally ordered by the Brazilian Navy with the name Juruena in the late 1930s, but was bought by the Royal Navy after the beginning of World War II in September 1939.-Description:...
, (to avoid confusion with another destroyer, the Hardy
Hardy
-Canada:* Port Hardy, British Columbia* Hardy Island Marine Provincial Park, British Columbia-United States:* Hardy, Arkansas* Hardy, California* Hardy, Iowa* Hardy, Kentucky* Hardy, Nebraska* Hardy, Virginia* Hardy, Mississippi* Hardy County, West Virginia...
). Hesperus was very similar to other "H"-class destroyers, but had been modified with such peculiarities as unfamiliar markings on the gun-sights and no director sight; being one of six vessels originally built for the Brazilian navy. His first operation with her was in conjunction with (Commander Burnell-Nugent) which was to assist in the occupation of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
.
In April 1940, he, with Hesperus, was involved in the Norwegian campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
, seeing action at Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
and Mo
Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana is a town in the municipality of Rana, Nordland, Norway, located just south of the Arctic Circle and in the region Helgeland. The town is called "Mo i Rana" to distinquish it from other places named Mo - most notably the town of Mosjøen, also in Helgeland - though locally the town is...
. Hesperus suffered bomb damage from two near misses at the latter location; after which she was docked in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
for repairs.
Macintyre and Hesperus were transferred to the Atlantic, working alongside ; the two ships spent most of that years' winter battling severe weather, before Macintyre was moved to take command as SOE (senior officer escort) of Walker, handing Hesperus over to Commander AA Tait in March 1941. Walker was lead ship and Macintyre was the senior officer of the 5th Escort Group
5th Escort Group (Royal Navy)
5th Escort Group was a British formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic.-Formation:5th Escort Group was formed in March 1941, one of the earliest escort groups to be set up....
in the North Atlantic.
Three U-boat commanders
Macintyre's first action as SOE, was with convoy HX 112 as part of a major battle which resulted in the destruction of two U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s, U-100 and U-99 commanded by Joachim Schepke
Joachim Schepke
Lieutenant-Commander Joachim Schepke was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was the seventh recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded by the Third Reich to recognise extreme...
and Otto Kretschmer
Otto Kretschmer
Flotilla Admiral Otto Kretschmer was a German U-boat commander in the Second World War and later an admiral in the Bundesmarine. From September 1939 until being captured in March 1941, he sank 47 ships, a total of 274,333 tons. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak...
, for the loss of five ships. Kretschmer, complete with his binoculars, was among the survivors of his boats' sinking who were picked up by Walker. Macintyre 'liberated' the binoculars and used them throughout the rest of the war. With the loss of U-47 and her skipper Günther Prien
Günther Prien
Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...
earlier that month, the elimination of three leading U-boat aces saw the end of the "Happy Time", a period of U-boat ascendancy; for the rest of the year, the escorts would have the upper hand.
Move
As a result of Luftwaffe attention, during which Macintyre's car was "written off", it was decided to move the escort ships from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to the relative safety of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. On his first voyage up the River Foyle
River Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...
to the port, Macintyre was horrified to find that the pilot that he had embarked for the short trip would not use the conventional methods of navigation, preferring to steer instead for 'Mother Murphy's white cow' or 'Paddy Monaghan's byre'.
Marriage and Iceland
Macintyre and EG 5 continued their escort duty for the rest of the year, serving on the North Atlantic and Gibraltar routes until the winter of 1941, when both Macintyre and the group were exhausted; EG 5 was disbanded. After a refit, which included the installation of radar, Walker was assigned to the Home Fleet at Hvalfjord in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, as an escort to capital ships. It was during this period Macintyre married Monica Strickland, on 11 November 1941 at Brompton Oratory in South Kensington, London.
In February 1942, Macintyre was posted to the US Naval base at Argentia, near Placentia
Placentia
Placentia may refer to:* Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace* Placentia, California, United States* Placentia, Italy* Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada* Battle of Placentia* Placentia Bay, the name of two ships of the Royal Navy...
in Newfoundland, as British liaison officer. It was only after his arrival that he discovered Placentia had been the location for the first Roosevelt/Churchill meeting which had resulted in the Atlantic Charter
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement first issued in August 1941 that early in World War II defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. It was drafted by Britain and the United States, and later agreed to by all the Allies...
. He encountered an example of American 'can-do' as far as building the base was concerned. One night, on the return trip to his quarters following a ('dry') mess dinner, he was astonished to find that the road from his accommodation to the mess had disappeared as it had out-lived its usefulness.
Whilst in Iceland, the US Navy repair ship Prairie
USS Prairie (AD-15)
USS Prairie was a built just before the start of World War II for the U.S. Navy. Prior to U.S. entry into World War II, Prairie cruised between Atlantic ports from Colon, C.Z. to Argentia, Newfoundland...
was badly damaged by a fire which had started on the wooden jetty to which she was moored. Macintyre's chief concern were the two British corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s which were moored close to the Prairie and their deck armament of depth charges. The fire was extinguished and the Prairie was replaced.
The Hesperus re-visited
In June Macintyre returned to destroyer operations, assuming command of Hesperus once more, and in charge of the Escort Group B2Escort group B2
B-2 Escort Group was a British formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic....
, part of the re-organized Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
(MOEF). For the rest of 1942, the B-2 Group was on North Atlantic escort duty.
Unsuccessful attacks were carried out on two U-boats in October 1942 while escorting convoy ONS 138. The boats were part of a pack of at least four. U-620 was the first to be depth-charged, but without result. The other, U-301, evaded the escort group's attack by diving deep. The ships of the group spent two days keeping the U-boats under (where they were less effective), allowing the convoy to escape.
The Canadians
Macintyre was often frustrated by the inexperience and lack of training in the Canadian navyRoyal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
(RCN). The gargantuan expansion of that service might explain the situation. On one occasion while still commanding Walker, an accompanying Canadian warship was unable to communicate when the battery on her signal lamp gave out and no spare was available. On another, a Canadian ship due to meet Macintyre in Argentia arrived with 'We Want Leave' painted on her superstructure. More seriously, depth charges were found to be rusted into their housings, primed and armed.
Tragedy and triumph
The autumn of 1942 saw near continuous gales around Iceland. It was in such weather that a crew member was swept overboard. The conditions were too bad to lower a boat, but an officer went over the side. Despite getting the man halfway up the ships' hull, his strength gave out and the sailor slipped from his grasp, never to be seen again.Among a stream of official signals sent while the escort group was still at sea, Macintyre received a personal message informing him that he had become a father on Guy Fawkes Day (5 November). He beat his First-Lieutenant by "a short head".
U-357
On the next homeward-bound convoy in late December, Macintyre had sanctioned the loading of a large number of Christmas turkeys in the bow section of Hesperus, a decision he was to regret.On 26 December, while escorting convoy HX 219, Hesperus and Vanessa engaged U-357. The encounter ran throughout the day with both ships firing patterns of depth charges without success. At one point Macintyre saw a periscope just 50 yards from his ship. Contact was nevertheless lost and then found again. With the onset of darkness, Hesperus received a message from Vanessa that the U-boat had surfaced and that she intended to ram it. But, following some frantic manoeuvring by both vessels, Vanessa could only manage a glancing blow on the German.
Hesperus stepped in. Both the destroyer and the U-boat employed every trick in the book in an attempt to out-wit the other. Hesperus kept her two signal searchlights on the U-boat's conning tower which probably distracted the German skipper into making a fatal error, i.e. crossing the British destroyers' bow. Hesperus rammed the U-boat, cutting it almost in half, leaving only a spreading pool of oil and a handful of survivors.
The celebrations were somewhat tempered when it was discovered that Hesperus had sustained significant damage to her bows and her extra cargo had been reduced to a sodden mess. Repairs in dry-dock in Liverpool, lasting three months, were required.
U-191
Hesperus returned to sea in April 1943 with a new weapon, (HedgehogHedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
) and new officers, so a period of training was required. However, very little time was available. The northerly sailing convoy, ONS 4, needed an escort; that task fell to the B2 Group which now consisted of two destroyers, Hesperusand Whitehall and five corvettes.
On 23 April Hesperus detected a U-boat on the surface less than 10 miles away. On closing the German (which had crash-dived), it was decided to use Hedgehog. The order to fire was followed by an embarrassing silence as the safety-pins had not been removed; this was soon realised and a pattern of depth charges were fired instead, including one that weighed considerably more (one ton), than the standard weapon. Unfamiliar sounds were then heard via the ASDIC (Sonar), Hedgehog was tried once more, this time with more success. U-191 was sunk with all hands.
Ice
Over the 29 April, on the way to Newfoundland, the convoy found itself negotiating icebergs with the help of Hesperus radar and searchlights. Miraculously, the ships did not suffer any casualties.Routine in harbour
Hesperus adopted two ports as her home base: Argentia and Liverpool. St Johns was also used occasionally. Macintyre always appreciated the opportunity of a hot bath and being able to sleep in a bunk that remained stationary once harbour was safely reached.Argentia was an all-male base; American officers would visit from their 'dry' ships. They would often be entertained by the Hesperus officers singing (in the original German), 'Zumba Za'. On one occasion in Liverpool, civilians in reserved occupations, who were visiting for their duty-free gin, were told quite seriously by the navigating officer that a passage had been arranged for them on the next convoy trip. The offer was not taken up.
Macintyre could usually get away to his wife and child when his ship was in Liverpool between convoys.
SC 129
B2 Group left Argentia with the slow convoy SC 129 on 5 May 1943. Six days later, two ships in the convoy were torpedoed in daylight by U-402German submarine U-402
German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
, the first sinkings (in nine months) in a convoy that Macintyre was involved with. He was understandably very unhappy (see para three of 'Successes' below), but revenge had to wait until that night when Hesperus damaged U-223 which only just managed to return to St Nazaire.
U-186
Mcintyre left U-223 thinking she was sinking, to another ship; on his way back to the convoy, the ASDIC on Hesperus picked up another contact which turned out to be U-186. After a number of depth-charge attacks, the concussion of an underwater explosion was felt, oil and debris was seen reaching the surface.No more U-boats were confirmed sunk while Group B-2 were escorting SC 129, although there were several sightings, radar and ASDIC contacts. Macintyre in Hesperus was faced with a dilemma; his own ship was very short of depth charges, the other destroyer in the escort group, Whitehall, was low on fuel. Other ships in the group (the corvettes), could not catch a U-boat on the surface, but by 16 May, the convoy had moved out of the danger area.
A new group
In April 1944, Macintyre left Hesperus (very reluctantly), to assume command of Bickerton, an American-built ship. He would also take charge of the 5th Escort Group, then forming in BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. After a working-up period, the group began operations on 21 April, supporting the escort of convoy ONS 233. Having found themselves under-used, the group was re-deployed, carrying out an abortive sweep for a single U-boat before joining the escort aircraft carrier Vindex
HMS Vindex
HMS Vindex has been the name of more than one Royal Navy ship., a mixed seaplane and landplane carrier acquired in 1915 and sold in 1920 , a Nairana class aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943 and sold in 1947...
and the 9th Escort Group on the 26th.
U-765
In the early morning of 5 May, following a lengthy hunt, the half-group (the other half were kept with Vindex), were sent to an area known to contain a U-boat which was on weather-reporting duty. With the use of direction-finding equipment and aircraft from Vindex, the search area was reduced. Having found his target, Macintyre then decided to use the 'creeping' attack method pioneered by Captain 'Johnnie' WalkerFrederic John Walker
Captain Frederic John Walker, CB, DSO and three Bars, RN was a British Royal Navy officer noted for his exploits during World War II...
. This involved the use of a second ship, (in this case the frigate HMS Bligh
HMS Bligh (K467)
HMS Bligh was a Buckley class Captains class frigate active during World War II. She was named after William Bligh, commander of at the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary War, and commander of the Bounty....
), to do the actual attacking while the first ship (Bickerton), controlled things such as the ASDIC tracking.
A series of depth charge explosions were rewarded with the sight of a badly damaged U-boat breaking the surface. Bickerton moved in to administer the coup-de-grace, but she was beaten to it by a Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
from Videx which dropped two more depth charges on the hapless German vessel. A handful of survivors were taken prisoner.
Upon questioning the prisoners, it was realised that U-765 was to have been relieved, (by, it was later discovered, U-736
German submarine U-736
German submarine U-736 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 29 November 1941 by F. Schichau of Danzig...
). It was decided to repeat the attack, but it was unsuccessful.
D-Day
Before and after D-Day (6 June 1944), Macintyre, Bickerton and the 5th Escort Group were part of the RNRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's contribution to the invasion of France by patrolling in the relatively shallow waters of the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
. On the 15th, the group were investigating the sighting of a U-boat using its schnorkel breathing device. HMS Mourne, a ship well known to Mcintyre, was the victim of an acoustic torpedo. After several hours of searching, there was no sign of the U-boat. The subject of the hunt could well have escaped retribution amongst the plethora of wrecks which litter the floor of the English Channel.
U-269
On the night of 25 June, after investigating a contact which turned out to be another wreck, Bickerton was hurrying to catch up with the rest of the group when she detected an echo, subsequently identified as U-269. Mcintyre had been asleep in his cabin beneath the bridge and initially took some convincing that the target was genuine. All doubt was swept aside when, after a look at the plotting table, it became apparent that the target had moved some distance. Bickerton moved into the attack and fired a pattern of depth charges. The U-boat was forced to the surface where it was immediately engaged by Bickertons guns. The crew abandoned ship - the U-boat sank. It was all over within 10 minutes.Sinking
Bickerton was sent north to Scapa FlowScapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
in July 1944 to join the Home Fleet once more. On 18 August she was acting as part of the screen for the cruiser Kent
HMS Kent
Eleven ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Kent, after the county of Kent and the Duke of Kent.*HMS Kent was a 46-gun fourth-rate launched in 1652 as the Kentish Frigate, renamed Kent in 1660, and wrecked in 1672....
and two aircraft carriers, Nabob
HMS Nabob (D77)
HMS Nabob was a Bogue-class escort aircraft carrier which served in the Royal Navy during 1943 and 1944. The ship was built in the United States as USS Edisto but did not serve with the United States Navy.She was laid down on 20 October 1942, launched 22 March 1943, and transferred under...
and Trumpeter
HMS Trumpeter (D09)
The USS Bastian was an escort aircraft carrier built by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Washington, laid down on 25 August 1942 and launched 15 December 1942...
in the southern Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. Nabob was torpedoed without warning; Macintyre had just given the order for all screening ships to deploy their CAT noise-makers (to seduce any acoustic torpedoes away from the ships), when Bickerton was also hit. Most of the stern, including the quarter-deck, had disappeared. Due to the importance attached to saving Nabob and the proximity of the German-held Norwegian coast, it was decided to sink Bickerton with a torpedo from a destroyer. Macintyre was transferred to the Aylmer
HMS Aylmer (K463)
HMS Aylmer was a Buckley class Captain class frigate during World War II. The ship was named after Matthew Aylmer, commander of at the Battle of Barfleur in 1692 during the War of the Grand Alliance....
.
The end
Macintyre was taken off sea duty. With hindsight he acknowledged that he was "ready for this". The change in the nature of anti-submarine warfare, with U-boats switching to lone-wolf attacks in coastal areas, required different tactics and was "best left to fresher men". Macintyre sensed it was "Time to go" and returned to aviation, ending the war as commander of a Naval air station.Later career
Macintyre left the Navy after the war, forging a successful career as a historian and author. He published an autobiography, U-Boat Killer, in 1956, and followed it with 15 books on various aspects of naval history.Successes
Macintyre was a highly successful U-boat killer, a soubriquet he took as the title of his autobiography. He was responsible for the destruction of five U-boats during the Second World War, making him one of the highest scoring ASWAnti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
commanders.
He was also an equally successful escort commander, taking seriously the "fateful instructions that" 'the safe and timely arrival of the convoy' "was our main objective".
Over a two year period with B-2, Macintyre commanded the escorts for 28 convoys, a total of 1100 ships, with the loss of just two. The vast majority (99.8%), arrived safely, a record of which Macintyre was justifiably proud, although he was "in a fury" at the loss of the two ships when escorting SC 129.
Awards
Macintyre was also highly decorated for his service, winning the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
with two bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
and the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
.
Books by Captain Macintyre
- Jutland (1958) Norton ISBN B0006AVGJ8
- Narvik (1960) Norton ISBN B006AWG2E
- The Thunder of the Guns: A Century of Battleships (1960) W.W.Norton ISBN B0007DS5L6
- Fighting Admiral (1961) Evans Bros ISBN B0007IVI9C
- The Battle of the Atlantic (1961) Macmillan ISBN B0007DX5MU
- Admiral Rodney (1963) Norton ISBN B0007H7MCA
- Wings of Neptune: The Story of Naval Aviation (1964) W.W.Norton ISBN B0007DUB0U
- Fighting Under The Sea (1965) Evans Bros ISBN B0007IW5YO
- The Battle for the Pacific (1966) Norton ISBN B0007DT452
- Trafalgar: Nelson's Great Victory (1968) ISBN 0718813944
- Aircraft Carrier: The Majestic Weapon (1968) Ballantine Books Inc. (no ISBN)
- The Naval War Against Hitler Scribner (1971) ISBN 0684123754
- The Privateers (1972) ISBN 0236154982
- Sea Power in The Mediterranean (1972) ISBN 0213994569
- The Adventure of Sail, 1520-1914 (1974) ISBN 0236176412
- Famous Fighting Ships (1975) ISBN 0600354865
- Famous Sea Battles (1977) ISBN 0600380661