HMS Stanley (I 73)
British Destroyer
| Name | HMS Stanley (I 73) | ||
| Type: | Destroyer (Town) | ||
| Tonnage | 1,190 tons | ||
| Completed | 1919 - Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, Quincy MA | ||
| Owner | The Admiralty | ||
| Homeport | |||
| Date of attack | 19 Dec 1941 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-574 (Dietrich Gengelbach) | ||
| Position | 38° 12'N, 17° 23'W - Grid CF 6814 | ||
| Complement | 161 officers and men (136 dead and 25 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HG-76 | ||
| Route | Gibraltar (14 Dec) - UK | ||
| Cargo | |||
| History | Built as USS McCalla (DD 253) of the Clemson-class for the US Navy and decommissioned on 30 Jun 1922. On 18 Dec 1939, she was recommissioned and transferred to the Royal Navy at Halifax as HMS Stanley (I 73) on 23 Oct 1940. She was assigned the 4th Flotilla and left St. Johns on 5 November, after the German raider Admiral Scheer attacked the convoy HX-84, to escort the fleeing ships of the convoy back to Nova Scotia. She met the ships 60 miles out and brought 15 merchants safely to Trinity harbour. After some repairs, the destroyer finally left for the UK on 14 December, arriving at Plymouth on 2 Jan 1941. She was reconstructed and returned to service in August, joining first the Western Approaches Command and then the 40th Escort Group. The first voyages took the destroyer to Freetown as escort of a troop convoy and after escorting the convoy SL-94 she arrived at Gibraltar, where she joined the 36th Escort Group. | ||
| Notes on event | At 04.15 hours on 19 Dec 1941 the HMS Stanley (I 73) (LtCdr D.B. Shaw, RN, OBE) was hit by two of three torpedoes from U-574, while on station astern of convoy HG-76 and immediately sank about 330 miles west of Cape Sines, Portugal. The U-boat was sunk 12 minutes after the attack by HMS Stork (L 81), which later picked up the survivors from HMS Stanley (I 73) together with HMS Samphire (K 128). While escorting convoy HG-76, the HMS Stanley (I 73) participated in the sinking of U-131 (Baumann) on 17 December and U-434 (Heyda) on 18 December. | ||
| On board | We have details of 139 people who were on board. | ||
If you can help us with any additional information on this vessel then please contact us.
Media links
|
As an Amazon Associate uboat.net earns a commission from qualifying purchases.