HMS Kite (U87)

HMS "Kite" (U87) was a Modified "Black Swan"-class sloop of the Royal Navy, 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-boats 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 24 June 1943 "U-449" was sunk near Cape Ortegal, Spain by the sloops HMS|Wren|U28|6, HMS|Woodpecker|U08|6, "Kite" and HMS|Wild Goose|U45|6.
* 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 HMS|Woodcock|U90|6.
* 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 Newfoundland by HMS|Starling|U66|6, "Woodcock" and "Kite".
* On 9 February 1944 "U-238" was sunk south-west of Ireland by "Kite", HMS|Magpie|U82|6 and "Starling".

On 20 August 1944 "Kite" was escorting the aircraft carriers HMS|Vindex|D15|6 and HMS|Striker|D12|6, 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 "foxers" (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, 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 HMS|Keppel|D84|6, HMS|Peacock|U96|6 and HMS|Mermaid|U30|6). Five of the rescued died on board "Keppel", leaving only nine to make it to shore. As of 2004, there are two living survivors.

"U-344" was sunk the next day by depth charges from Swordfish planes from "Vindex".

External links

* [http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/kite.html Mike Kemble's memorial site]

The U boats sunk in the 6 in 1 patrol were as follows:U592 - 31 January (Type VIIC)U762 - 8 February (Type VIIC)U734 - 9 February (Type VIIC)U238 - 9 February (Type VIIC)U424 - 11 February (Type VIIC)U264 19 February (Type VIIC)

The U334 was sunk by one 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.