Allied Warships
HMS Erne (U 03)
Sloop of the Black Swan class
HMS Erne arriving at Algiers. Photo from Imperial War Museum (IWM), A-15632
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Sloop |
| Class | Black Swan |
| Pennant | U 03 |
| Built by | Furness Shipbuilding Ltd. (Haverton Hill-on-Tees, U.K.) : Richardson Westgarth |
| Ordered | 21 Jun 1939 |
| Laid down | 21 Sep 1939 |
| Launched | 5 Aug 1940 |
| Commissioned | 26 Apr 1941 |
| End service | |
| History | Became a RNVR Drill ship on 4 June 1952 being renamed Wessex. |
Commands listed for HMS Erne (U 03)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Henry Maxwell Darell-Brown, RN | 27 Feb 1941 | mid 1941 | |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Evelyn David John Abbot, RN | 17 Mar 1942 | Nov 1943 | |
| 3 | Lt. Richard Walgate, RNR | Nov 1943 | Dec 1943 | |
| 4 | Lt.Cdr. Walter Raleigh Hickey, RNR | Dec 1943 | 18 Jun 1945 | |
| 5 | Lt.Cdr. James Arbouin Burnett, DSC, RN | 18 Jun 1945 | 15 Jun 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 Erne include:
30 Apr 1941
While still at the builders yard (4 days after commissioning) HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. H.M. Darell-Brown, RN) is heavily damaged by a near miss during a German air attack. Repairs were only completed in June 1942.
31 Jul 1942
German U-boat U-213 was sunk in the North Atlantic south-east of the Azores, in position 36°45'N, 22°50'W by depth charges from the British sloops HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, RN), HMS Rochester (Cdr. C.B. Allen, RN) and HMS Sandwich (Lt.Cdr. H. Hill, RNR).
29 Aug 1942
HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, RN) scuttles the Dutch merchant Zuiderkerk with depth charges. The Zuiderkerk was torpedoed and damaged by German U-boat U-566 west-north-west of Lisbon, Portugal in position 40°20'N, 16°02'W.
18 Sep 1942
HMS H 43 (Lt. B.J.B. Andrew, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Anemone (Lt.Cdr. P.G.A. King, RD, RNR), HMS Chelsea (Lt.Cdr. J.E.R. Wilford, RNR), HMS Sandwich (Lt.Cdr. H. Hill, RD, RNR), HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, RN) and two other vessels [unable to read these names in the log of HMS H 43]. (1)
27 Mar 1943
HMS H 44 (Lt. P.S. Beale, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Keppel (Lt.Cdr. R.B.S. Tennant, RN), HMS Bergamot (Lt. R.T. Horan, RNR), HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, DSC, RN) and HMS Clare (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Stewart, DSC, RD, RNR). (2)
28 Mar 1943
HMS H 44 (Lt. P.S. Beale, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. E.D.J. Abbot, DSC, RN), HMS Clare (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Stewart, DSC, RD, RNR), HMCS Shediac (Lt. J.O. Every-Clayton, RCNR), HMCS St. Laurent (Lt.Cdr. G.H. Stephen, OBE, DSC, RCNR), HMCS Kenogami (T/Lt. J.L. Percy, RCNVR) and HMCS Battleford (T/Lt. F.A. Beck, RCNVR). (2)
21 Jan 1944
HMS H 34 (Lt. R.L. Jay, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. W.R. Hickey, RNR). (3)
22 Jan 1944
HMS Unbending (Lt. J.D. Martin, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises in Lough Foyle with HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. W.R. Hickey, RNR) and HMS Churchill (Lt. A.C.D. Leach, RN). (4)
23 Jan 1944
HHMS Unbending (Lt. J.D. Martin, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises in Lough Foyle with HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. W.R. Hickey, RNR), HMCS Fennel (A/Lt.Cdr. W.P. Moffat, RCNVR) and HMS Vanoc (Lt.Cdr. P.R. Ward, RN). (4)
27 Jan 1944
HMS H 34 (Lt. R.L. Jay, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Erne (Lt.Cdr. W.R. Hickey, RNR) and HMS Churchill (Lt. A.C.D. Leach, RN). (3)
Sources
- ADM 173/17253
- ADM 173/17814
- ADM 173/18491
- ADM 173/19199
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.