HMS Wild Goose (U45)
{{short description|Sloop of the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = HMS Wild Goose IWM FL 9714.jpg | Ship caption = HMS Wild Goose in April 1943 }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = United Kingdom | Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}} | Ship name = HMS Wild Goose | Ship owner = | Ship namesake = | Ship ordered = 13 April 1940 | Ship builder = Yarrow Shipbuilders | Ship yard number = 1762 | Ship laid down = 28 January 1942 | Ship launched = 14 October 1942 | Ship acquired = | Ship commissioned = 11 March 1943 | Ship decommissioned = 1955 | Ship in service = | Ship out of service = | Ship struck = | Ship reinstated = | Ship honours =*Atlantic 1943–44
| Ship motto = Alert to evil | Ship badge = On a field white, a Wild Goose in Flight Proper | Ship identification=Pennant number U45/F45 | Ship fate = Scrapped 26 February 1956 | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = {{sclass|Black Swan|sloop|0}} sloop | Ship displacement = | Ship length = | Ship beam = | Ship draught = | Ship draft = | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = | Ship range = | Ship complement = | Ship sensors = | Ship EW = | Ship armament = | Ship armour = | Ship armor = | Ship aircraft = | Ship aircraft facilities = | Ship notes = }} |
HMS Wild Goose, pennant number U45, was a {{sclass|Black Swan|sloop|0}} sloop of the Royal Navy. 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).
Service history
She was built at Yarrow shipyards in Scotstoun, Glasgow. She was launched on 14 October 1942. She was adopted by the civil community of Worsley, Lancashire, as part of the Warship Week savings campaign in 1942.
On 22 May 1943, she was deployed on her first mission along with fellow sloops {{HMS|Wren|U28|2}}, {{HMS|Woodpecker|U08|2}}, {{HMS|Cygnet|U38|2}}, {{HMS|Starling|U66|2}} and {{HMS|Kite|U87|2}} on anti-submarine operations supporting the outward passage of Atlantic Convoy ONS 8.
On 18 December 1943, she was taken in hand for repair in Liverpool, redeploying at the end of January 1944.
On 31 January 1944, she sank {{GS|U-592||2}} with Starling and {{HMS|Magpie|U82|2}}, and later joined Woodpecker and Kite, taking part in the sinking of the German submarines {{GS|U-762||2}} (8 February 1944), {{GS|U-238||2}} & {{GS|U-734||2}} (9 February 1944), {{GS|U-424||2}} (11 February 1944) and {{GS|U-653||2}} (15 March 1944)
At the end of May 1944, she returned to Liverpool for more repairs, whilst here she was selected to take part in Operation Neptune to prevent U-Boat attacks on the D-Day invasion convoys. On 1 July 1944, she was released from Neptune and dispatched to Belfast for refit, completing in September 1944.
During February and March 1945, she was deployed to the English Channel, taking part in the sinking of {{GS|U-1279||2}} by the frigate {{HMS|Labuan|K584|2}}, {{HMS|Loch Fada|K390|2}} and sinking {{GS|U-683||2}} herself. Following VE day, on 6 May 1945, she was nominated for transfer to the British Pacific Fleet following her second refit. By the time the refit had completed in September 1945 the Japanese had surrendered and Wild Goose was therefore surplus to requirements and was Paid off and reduced to reserve status.
She was later recommissioned in 1946 and deployed to the Persian Gulf, spending the rest of her service career in the Middle East before finally decommissioning in 1955.
Wild Goose was sold for breaking up in February 1956, and arrived at the breakers at Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh on 26 February 1956.
Today
The ship's badge was saved from the breakers yard and donated to Liverpool National Maritime Museum. {{Citation needed|date=May 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Publications
- {{Cite Colledge2006}}
- {{cite book|last=Hague|first=Arnold|title=Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946|year=1993|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Kendal, England|isbn=0-905617-67-3}}
External links
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130624171237/http://www.mikekemble.com/walker/wildgoose.html Mike Kemble's Walker site]}}
- [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-18SL-WildGoose.htm Naval-History.net HMS Wild Goose]
{{Black Swan class sloop}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Goose}}
Category:Black Swan-class sloops
Category:World War II sloops of the United Kingdom
Category:Sloops of the United Kingdom