Navy | The Royal Navy |
Type | Sloop |
Class | Black Swan |
Pennant | L 57 / U 57 |
Built by | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. (Scotstoun, Scotland) |
Ordered | 1 Jan 1938 |
Laid down | 20 Jun 1938 |
Launched | 7 Jul 1939 |
Commissioned | 27 Jan 1940 |
End service | |
History | Scrapped 13 September 1956. |
Commands listed for HMS Black Swan (L 57 / U 57)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
Commander | From | To | |
1 | Capt. Albert Lawrence Poland, DSC, RN | 15 Sep 1939 | 25 Oct 1940 |
2 | Cdr. Harold Pitcairn Henderson, RN | 25 Oct 1940 | Nov/Dec 40 |
3 | Lt. George Henry Murray, RNVR | Nov/Dec 40 | 26 Apr 1941 |
4 | Cdr. Thomas Arthur Charles Pakenham, RN | 26 Apr 1941 | 5 Mar 1943 |
5 | Lt.Cdr. (retired) Rodney Charles Vesey Thomson, RN | 5 Mar 1943 | 26 Mar 1945 |
6 | Lt.Cdr. Alexander Douglas Colin Inglis, RN | 26 Mar 1945 | 1 Oct 1946 |
You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.
Notable events involving Black Swan include:
1 Nov 1940
HMS Black Swan (Cdr. H.P. Henderson, RN) is damaged by a mine in the Firth of Forth. Repairs at Dundee took till mid-April.
3 Jun 1941
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. G. Quint, RNN(R)) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS Lightning (Cdr. R.G. Stewart, RN) and HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (1)
5 Jun 1941
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. G. Quint, RNN(R)) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS Stork (Lt. G.T.S. Gray, DSC, RN) and HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (1)
7 Jun 1941
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. G. Quint, RNN(R)) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS Jupiter (Lt.Cdr. N.V.J.P. Thew, RN), HNoMS Bath (Lt.Cdr. C.F.T. Melsom), HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) and HMS Stork (Lt. G.T.S. Gray, DSC, RN). (1)
10 Jun 1941
HrMs O 14 (Lt.Cdr. G. Quint, RNN(R)) conducted A/S exercises at / off Scapa Flow with HMS Lance (Lt.Cdr. R.W.F. Northcott, RN), HMS Hambledon (Lt.Cdr. J.R. Barnes, RN) and HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (1)
3 Oct 1941
HMS H 50 (Lt. E.T. Stanley, RN) conducted exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (2)
22 Feb 1942
HMS Clyde (Cdr. D.C. Ingram, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Gibraltar with HMS Fowey (Lt.Cdr. R.M. Aubrey, RN), HMS Bluebell (Lt.Cdr. R.E. Sherwood, RNR), HMS Stonecrop (A/Lt.Cdr. J.V. Brock, RCNVR), HMS Myosotis (Lt. G.P.S. Lowe, RNVR), HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) and HMS Carnation (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Houchen, OBE, RNR). (3)
7 Aug 1942
HMS P 37 (Lt. E.T. Stanley, DSC, RN) conducted exercises off Gibraltar together with HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) and HMS Carnation (Lt. A. Branson, RNR). (4)
31 Aug 1942
HMS H 32 (Lt. J.R. Drummond, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Folkestone (Cdr.(Retd.) J.G.C. Gibson, OBE, RN), HMS Wellington (Lt.Cdr. W.F.R. Segrave, RN) and HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (5)
31 Aug 1942
HMS H 43 (Lt. J.C.Y. Roxburgh, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Harvester (Cdr. A.A. Tait, DSO, RN), ORP Piorun (Cdr. T. Gorazdowski), HMS Fowey (Lt.Cdr. R.M. Aubrey, RN) and HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN). (6)
25 Oct 1942
HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) picks up 34 survivors from the British merchant Empire Star that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-615 two days earlier north of the Azores in position 48°14'N, 26°22'W. The sloop rescued 27 more survivors from the same ship the next day and landed the survivors in Liverpool on 30 October.
22 Dec 1942
HMS H 34 (Lt. G.M. Noll, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Fowey (Cdr.(Retd.) L.B.A. Majendie, RN), HMS Carnation (Lt. A. Branson, RNR), HMS Black Swan (Cdr. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN), HMS Tango (T/Lt. J. Hunter, RNR), USS Spencer, USS Badger and HMCS Trillium (T/Lt. P.C. Evans, RCNR). (7)
3 Feb 1943
HMS H 44 (Lt. I.S. McIntosh, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Carnation (Lt. A. Branson, RNR), HMS Aubretia (Lt. G.D. Fowler, RNR), HMS Black Swan (Capt. T.A.C. Pakenham, RN) and HMS La Malouine (T/Lt. V.D.H. Bidwell, RNR). (8)
21 Mar 1943
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P. Angell, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, RN), HMS Stonecrop (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Smythe, RD, RNR), HMS Campion (Lt.Cdr. A. Brown, RNVR) and HMS Bryony (T/Lt. T. Hand, RNR). (9)
22 Mar 1943
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P. Angell, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, RN), HMS Bryony (T/Lt. T. Hand, RNR) and other vessels of the Escort Group of which HMS Black Swan was the leader. (9)
24 Mar 1943
HMS H 34 (Lt. J.P. Angell, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, RN) and her Escort Group and later with HMS Bryony (T/Lt. T. Hand, RNR) and HMS Oribi (Lt.Cdr. J.C.A. Ingram, RN). (9)
2 Apr 1943
German U-boat U-124 was sunk west of Oporto, in position 41°02'N, 15°39'W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Stonecrop (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Smythe, RNR) and the British sloop HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr. R.C.V. Thomson, RN).
24 Oct 1943
HrMs O 9 (Lt. J.B.M.J. Maas, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory together with HMS Versatile (Lt.Cdr. G.S. Corlett, DSC, RN), HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, RN) and HMS Minalto (A/Skr.Lt. A.G. Day, RNR). (10)
1 Nov 1943
HrMs O 9 (Lt. J.B.M.J. Maas, RNN) participated in A/S exercises off Tobermory together with HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, RN) and HMS Watchman (Lt.Cdr. G.H.D. Williams, RN). (10)
9 Oct 1944
HMS Vulpine (T/Lt. P.S. Thirsk, DSC, RNR) conducted special A/S trials off Holyhead with HMS Black Swan (Cdr.(Retd.) R.C.V. Thomson, DSC, RN) and HMS PC 74 (A/Lt.Cdr. A. Richardson, RNR). (11)
18 Apr 1945
HMS Volatile (Lt. F.R. Lawrence, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMCS Kootenay (A/Lt.Cdr. W.H. Willson, DSC, RCN), HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr. A.D.C. Inglis, RN), HMS Stork (Lt.Cdr. D.E. Mansfield, RN) and another vessel [unable to read the name in the logbook of Volatile]. (12)
24 Apr 1945
HMS Volatile (Lt. F.R. Lawrence, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMCS Kootenay (A/Lt.Cdr. W.H. Willson, DSC, RCN) and HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr. A.D.C. Inglis, RN). (12)
25 Apr 1945
HMS Volatile (Lt. F.R. Lawrence, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Tobermory with HMCS Kootenay (A/Lt.Cdr. W.H. Willson, DSC, RCN) and HMS Black Swan (Lt.Cdr. A.D.C. Inglis, RN). (12)
Sources
- File 2.12.03.6387 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
- ADM 173/16794
- ADM 173/17180
- ADM 173/17383
- ADM 173/17216
- ADM 173/17252
- ADM 173/17244
- ADM 173/17813
- ADM 173/17792
- File 2.12.03.6372 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
- ADM 173/19459
- ADM 173/20331
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.