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HMS Kite (U87)
Encyclopedia
HMS Kite (U87) was a Modified Black Swan-class
sloop
of the Royal Navy
, commanded by Lt Cmdr Segram RN and once commanded by the famous U-boat
hunter Captain Frederic John Walker
. She was one of several ships of that class that took part in the famous "six in one trip" in 1943 (in which six U-boat
s were sunk in one patrol).
She was built at Cammell Laird
shipyard, Birkenhead
, on the banks of the river Mersey
(she was to later to be based across the river in Gladstone Dock, Bootle
). She was launched
on 13 October 1942 and commissioned
on 1 March 1943.
She took part in the sinking of five U-boats together with several sister ships:
On 20 August 1944 Kite was escorting the aircraft carriers and , which in turn were escorting convoy JW-59 to Northern Russia when the convoy was sighted in the Barents Sea
by German aircraft. Soon a pack of U-boats attacked the convoy and one U-boat was sunk by Fairey Swordfish
aircraft from one of the carriers. Two more were sunk by other destroyers.
At 06:30 on 21 August, Kite slowed to 6 knots (10 km/h) to untangle her "foxer
s" (anti acoustic torpedo noise makers, towed astern). The decision to do so, rather than severing the foxers' cables and abandoning them, was made by her temporary commander, Lt Comdr Campbell, a submariner. At that speed Kite was a sitting duck, and she was hit by two torpedoes from U-344 (commanded by Oberleutnant Ulrich Pietsch) and sank.
Of Kite's crew of 10 officers and 207 ratings, 60 survived the attack, but from the freezing Arctic water only 14 sailors were picked up alive by . Five of the rescued died on board HMS Keppel leaving only nine to make it to shore. As of 2004, there were two living survivors. See note below (2009).
U-344 was sunk the next day by depth charge
s from a single Swordfish plane, piloted by Gordon Bennett, from Vindex.
U-592 - 31 January (Type VIIC)
U-762 - 8 February (Type VIIC)
U-734 - 9 February (Type VIIC)
U-238 - 9 February (Type VIIC)
U-424 - 11 February (Type VIIC)
U-264 19 February (Type VIIC)
The U-334 was sunk by a single patrolling Swordfish from Vindex, piloted by Gordon Bennett, which dropped out of the cloud, surprising the U Boat on the surface, a single depth charge exploded beneath the U boat, sending her down with all hands.
James Payne was a crew member aboard the Kite. HMS Kite was commanded by Lt Cmdr Segram RN, and on a couple of occasions when Starling was in for repairs, by Captain FJ Walker RN, the leader of the 2nd Support Group, took over Kite as his lead ship. Reg Holmes and Lionel Irish were the final two members to cross the bar, Holmes on 14th March 2009 and Lionel Irish on 30th June, also 2009.
Black Swan class sloop
The Black Swan class and Modified Black Swan class were two classes of sloop of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. Thirteen Black Swans were launched between 1939 and 1943, including four for the Royal Indian Navy; twenty-four Modified Black Swans were launched between 1942 and 1945, including...
sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
of the 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...
, commanded by Lt Cmdr Segram RN and once commanded by the famous U-boat
U-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...
hunter Captain Frederic John Walker
Frederic 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...
. She was one of several ships of that class that took part in the famous "six in one trip" in 1943 (in which six U-boat
U-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 were sunk in one patrol).
She was built at Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
shipyard, Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, on the banks of the river Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
(she was to later to be based across the river in Gladstone Dock, Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
). She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 13 October 1942 and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 1 March 1943.
She took part in the sinking of five U-boats together with several sister ships:
- On 24 June 1943 U-449 was sunk near Cape Ortegal, Spain by the sloops , , Kite and .
- On 30 July 1943 U-462 was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a Handley-Page Halifax aircraft and Wren, Kite, Woodpecker, Wild Goose and .
- On 30 July 1943 U-504 was sunk near Cape Ortegal by Kite, Woodpecker, Wren and Wild Goose.
- On 6 November 1943 U-226 was sunk east of NewfoundlandDominion of NewfoundlandThe Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
by , Woodcock and Kite. - On 9 February 1944 U-238 was sunk south-west of Ireland by Kite, and Starling.
On 20 August 1944 Kite was escorting the aircraft carriers and , which in turn were escorting convoy JW-59 to Northern Russia when the convoy was sighted in the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
by German aircraft. Soon a pack of U-boats attacked the convoy and one U-boat was sunk by Fairey 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...
aircraft from one of the carriers. Two more were sunk by other destroyers.
At 06:30 on 21 August, Kite slowed to 6 knots (10 km/h) to untangle her "foxer
Foxer
Foxer, was the codename for a British built acoustic decoy, used to confuse German acoustic homing torpedoes like the G7es torpedo during the Second World War. A US version codenamed FXR was deployed in 1943. A Canadian version was also built called the CAT...
s" (anti acoustic torpedo noise makers, towed astern). The decision to do so, rather than severing the foxers' cables and abandoning them, was made by her temporary commander, Lt Comdr Campbell, a submariner. At that speed Kite was a sitting duck, and she was hit by two torpedoes from U-344 (commanded by Oberleutnant Ulrich Pietsch) and sank.
Of Kite's crew of 10 officers and 207 ratings, 60 survived the attack, but from the freezing Arctic water only 14 sailors were picked up alive by . Five of the rescued died on board HMS Keppel leaving only nine to make it to shore. As of 2004, there were two living survivors. See note below (2009).
U-344 was sunk the next day by depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s from a single Swordfish plane, piloted by Gordon Bennett, from Vindex.
Six in One
The U boats sunk in the 6 in 1 patrol were as follows:U-592 - 31 January (Type VIIC)
U-762 - 8 February (Type VIIC)
U-734 - 9 February (Type VIIC)
U-238 - 9 February (Type VIIC)
U-424 - 11 February (Type VIIC)
U-264 19 February (Type VIIC)
The U-334 was sunk by a single patrolling Swordfish from Vindex, piloted by Gordon Bennett, which dropped out of the cloud, surprising the U Boat on the surface, a single depth charge exploded beneath the U boat, sending her down with all hands.
James Payne was a crew member aboard the Kite. HMS Kite was commanded by Lt Cmdr Segram RN, and on a couple of occasions when Starling was in for repairs, by Captain FJ Walker RN, the leader of the 2nd Support Group, took over Kite as his lead ship. Reg Holmes and Lionel Irish were the final two members to cross the bar, Holmes on 14th March 2009 and Lionel Irish on 30th June, also 2009.