Harry Charles Birnie
{{short description|Scottish naval officer}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox military person
|name = Harry Charles Birnie
|image =
|image_size =
|alt =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1882|10|1|df=yes}}
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|3|9|1882|10|1|df=yes}}
|birth_place = New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire
|death_place = North Atlantic
|placeofburial =
|placeofburial_label =
|placeofburial_coordinates =
|nickname =
|allegiance = United Kingdom
|branch = Royal Naval Reserve
|serviceyears = 1904–1919
1940–1943
|rank = Commodore
|servicenumber =
|unit =
|commands = {{Plainlist|
- HM Torpedo Boat 82
- {{HMS|Fairy|1897|6}}
- HMS P-57
}}
|battles = World War I
World War II
- Atlantic War
- SC convoys
- Convoy SC 121 {{KIA}}
|awards = Distinguished Service Order
|relations =
|laterwork = Sea captain
}}
Harry Charles Birnie, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DSO|RD}} (1 October 1882 – 9 March 1943) was a Scottish sea captain and naval officer. His peacetime seafaring career was spent with the Cunard Line. He also served in the Royal Navy in both World Wars, being killed in action while in command of a merchant convoy in the North Atlantic in 1943.
Early life
Birnie was the son of Reverend C. Birnie, MA, and Katherine Birnie,{{cite web | url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2498497/BIRNIE,%20HARRY%20CHARLES | title=Casualty Details - Birnie, Harry Charles | work=Commonwealth War Graves Commission | access-date=14 April 2014}} of New Aberdour, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Cunard service
Birnie served as a junior officer on {{RMS|Campania||2}}, under Sir Arthur Henry Rostron. On 26 April 1907, Rostron and Birnie are said to have observed a sea monster. Rostron wrote about the episode in his autobiography,{{Cite book |first=Arthur |last=Rostron |title=Home from the Sea |pages=45–47 |publisher=Macmillan |year=1931}} while Birnie confirmed the account several years later.{{Cite encyclopedia |first=Senan |last=Molony |url=http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/captain-rostrons-monster.html |title=Rostron's Monster |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Titanica |date=16 December 2010 | access-date=14 April 2014}}
During the inter-war years, Birnie returned to the Cunard Line, eventually reaching the rank of captain at a young age. He made numerous Atlantic crossings in command of the {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|2}}, {{RMS|Berengaria||2}} and {{RMS|Aquitania||2}}.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92626280 |title=Cunard Captain Missing |newspaper=The Examiner |location=Launceston, Tasmania |date=25 March 1943 |access-date=15 April 2014 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}
Naval service
=World War I=
While employed by the Cunard Line, Birnie was also a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, having been commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1904,{{London Gazette |issue=27689 |date=24 June 1904 |page=4036 |nolink=yes }} and promoted to lieutenant on 12 December 1907.{{London Gazette |issue=28090 |date=17 December 1907 |page=8777 |supp=y |nolink=yes }}
During World War I, Birnie served in the Royal Navy, commanding HM Torpedo Boat 82 in 1915, and the destroyer {{HMS|Fairy|1897|2}} in the North Sea in 1916–1917.{{cite web |url=http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RNR_officersB.html |title=Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) Officers 1939–1945 (Baber to Byron) |first1=Hans |last1=Houterman |first2=Jeroen |last2=Koppes |work=unithistories.com |year=2010 |access-date=15 April 2014}}
On 18 November 1917, while in command of the patrol boat HMS P-57, Lieutenant-Commander Birnie sank a German submarine, {{Ship|SM|UC-47||2}}, off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, initially by ramming it at near full-speed, then dropping depth charges. He received the Distinguished Service Order for this exploit in February 1918, while the Admiralty awarded a "kill" bonus of £1,000 to be shared by the crew of HMS P-57.{{Cite web |url=http://www.divernet.com/wrecks/p298385-rammed!.html |title=Kendall McDonald, "Rammed!". Divernet. |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=21 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921124142/http://www.divernet.com/wrecks/p298385-rammed!.html |url-status=dead }}{{London Gazette |issue=30536 |date=19 February 1918 |page=2301 |supp=y |nolink=yes }}
=World War II=
During World War II, Birnie served from 1940 onwards, holding the rank of acting-commodore (2nd class) and attached to {{HMS|Eaglet|shore establishment|6}}. He commanded several convoys, carrying men and materiel across the Atlantic; including Convoys ON 50,{{Cite web |url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/on/index.html?onz.php?convoy=50!~onzmain |title=Convoy ON 50, December 24, 1941 - 3 January 1942 |work=convoyweb.org.uk |access-date=15 April 2014}} UR 32,{{Cite web |url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/ur32.html |title=Convoy UR 32, United Kingdom to Reykjavik, Iceland, July 11–16, 1942|work=warsailors.com |access-date=15 April 2014}} ON 162,{{Cite web |url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/on162.html |title=Convoy ON 162, Liverpool to New York, January–February 1943 |work=warsailors.com |access-date=15 April 2014}} and SC 121.{{Cite web |url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/sc121.html |title=Convoy SC 121, New York to Liverpool, February 23 - March 14, 1943 |work=warsailors.com |access-date=15 April 2014}} In December 1942, Birnie was mentioned in despatches: "For outstanding devotion to duty during two years' arduous service as [a] commodore of convoys."{{London Gazette |issue=35823 |date=15 December 1942 |page=5462 |supp=y |nolink=yes }}
Death
In February and March 1943, Birnie was in command of Convoy SC 121 from New York to Liverpool, sailing in the Norwegian merchant ship Bonneville. On 9 March 1943, the Bonneville was struck by a torpedo, apparently fired by the {{Ship|German submarine|U-405||2|up=yes}}. Birnie was amongst those lost. He initially stayed on Bonneville after she was hit, but eventually he and one of his staff jumped overboard from the after end of the ship. Some other survivors on a raft saw them in the water but were unable to maneuver the raft to them.{{Cite web |url=http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/bonneville.html |title=M/S Bonneville |work=warsailors.com |access-date=15 April 2014}} It was reported that this convoy was to be his last.
He is memorialised on the Liverpool Naval Memorial{{Cite web |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2048704/LIVERPOOL%20NAVAL%20MEMORIAL |title=Liverpool Naval Memorial |work=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |access-date=15 April 2014}} for sailors of the Royal Navy Reserve who were lost at sea during World War II. There is also a headstone commemorating him at the New Aberdour Old Churchyard.{{cite web |url=http://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=824021 |title=New Aberdour Old Churchyard |work=twgpp.org |access-date=15 April 2014 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307070220/https://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=824021 |url-status=dead }}
Trinity House
Birnie was an Elder Brother of Trinity House, a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom responsible for maritime safety. As part of his functions, he served as a nautical assessor in the British courts, including in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.{{Cite web |title=The Steamer Phillip T. Dodge v. Dominion Bridge Company, Limited (1935 UKPC 55) |url=http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKPC/1935/1935_55.pdf |work=bailii.org |access-date=15 April 2014}}
References
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Category:British Merchant Navy officers
Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Category:Members of Trinity House
Category:Military personnel from Aberdeenshire
Category:Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I
Category:Royal Naval Reserve personnel
Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I
Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II
Category:Royal Navy personnel killed in World War II
Category:Scottish military personnel killed in action