HMS Stanley

HMS Stanley (I73)

After having two of her four stacks removed

Navy Royal Navy

Type: Destroyer

Class: Town Class

Pennant: I 73

Built by: Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. (Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

Laid down: 25 Sep, 1918

Launched: 18 Feb, 1919

Commissioned: 23 Oct, 1940

Complement: 145

Lost: 19 Dec, 1941 (Lt. Cdr. D. B. Shaw, RN., OBE) in position (c 38° 12' N.; 17° 23' W.) on station astern of the convoy reported the presence of another U-boat. Half an hour later German U-574 (Gengelbach) scored a direct hit with 1 torpedo ; HMS Stanley exploded and sank with the loss of all, but 25 of her crew. After 12 minutes, HMS Stork gained revenge by sinking the submarine U-574 (Gengelbach).; 16 survivors were picked up.

History:

Former Name:
USS McCalla decommissioned and became HMS Stanley of the Royal Navy 23 October 1940 at Halifax as one of the overage destroyers transferred to England in exchange for bases in the West Indies.
She was designated for service in the Fourth "Town" Flotilla and departed Halifax 1 November. At St. John's on the 5th, when the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer attacked a convoy underway for the United Kingdom, sinking six ships, HMS Stanley was dispatched to escort the convoy back to Nova Scotia. She rendezvoused with ships 60 miles out and escorted 15 vessels to Trinity Harbour. Delayed further for repairs, she finally got underway 14 December, arriving at Plymouth, England, 2 January 1941.

After reconstruction she was ready for service by August, Stanley was assigned first to the Western Approaches Command and then to the 40th Escort Group. One of her first convoys took her to Freetown, Sierra Leone, escorting ships carrying troops and equipment for Commonwealth units in the Middle East. On the return voyage she escorted a merchant convoy, departing 30 November. At Gibraltar in mid December she joined convoy HG 76, departing 14 December for Britain. On the 17th one of the auxiliary carrier HMS Audacity aircraft sighted a submarine 22 miles on the port beam of the convoy. HMS Stanley and four other escorts quickly established contact, sank the enemy, U-131, and picked up 47 survivors. The next day, HMS Stanley, with HMS Blankney, scored another success, sinking U-434 and picking up 42 of her crew.

17 Dec, 1941
The German submarine U-131 was sunk north-east of Madeira, Portugal, in position 34.12N, 13.35W, by depth charges and gunfire from escort destroyers HMS Exmoor and HMS Blankney, British destroyer HMS Stanley, HMS Pentstemon and HMS Stork, and by depth charges from a Martlet aircraft (Sqdn. 802) of aircraft carrier HMS Audacity.

18 Dec, 1941
The German submarine U-434 was sunk in the North Atlantic north of Madeira, Portugal, in position 36.15N, 15.48W, by depth charges from escort destroyer HMS Blankney and the British destroyer HMS Stanley.
USS McCalla (i) (DD 253)

Navy	Royal Navy
Type:	Destroyer
Class:	Town Class
Pennant:	I 73
Built by:	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. (Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)
Laid down:	25 Sep, 1918
Launched:	18 Feb, 1919
Commissioned:	23 Oct, 1940
Complement:	145
Lost:	19 Dec, 1941 (Lt. Cdr. D. B. Shaw, RN., OBE) in position (c 38° 12' N.; 17° 23' W.) on station astern of the convoy reported the presence of another U-boat. Half an hour later German U-574 (Gengelbach) scored a direct hit with 1 torpedo ; HMS Stanley exploded and sank with the loss of all, but 25 of her crew. After 12 minutes, HMS Stork gained revenge by sinking the submarine U-574 (Gengelbach).; 16 survivors were picked up.
History: Former Name:	USS McCalla decommissioned and became HMS Stanley of the Royal Navy 23 October 1940 at Halifax as one of the overage destroyers transferred to England in exchange for bases in the West Indies. She was designated for service in the Fourth "Town" Flotilla and departed Halifax 1 November. At St. John's on the 5th, when the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer attacked a convoy underway for the United Kingdom, sinking six ships, HMS Stanley was dispatched to escort the convoy back to Nova Scotia. She rendezvoused with ships 60 miles out and escorted 15 vessels to Trinity Harbour. Delayed further for repairs, she finally got underway 14 December, arriving at Plymouth, England, 2 January 1941. After reconstruction she was ready for service by August, Stanley was assigned first to the Western Approaches Command and then to the 40th Escort Group. One of her first convoys took her to Freetown, Sierra Leone, escorting ships carrying troops and equipment for Commonwealth units in the Middle East. On the return voyage she escorted a merchant convoy, departing 30 November. At Gibraltar in mid December she joined convoy HG 76, departing 14 December for Britain. On the 17th one of the auxiliary carrier HMS Audacity aircraft sighted a submarine 22 miles on the port beam of the convoy. HMS Stanley and four other escorts quickly established contact, sank the enemy, U-131, and picked up 47 survivors. The next day, HMS Stanley, with HMS Blankney, scored another success, sinking U-434 and picking up 42 of her crew. 17 Dec, 1941 The German submarine U-131 was sunk north-east of Madeira, Portugal, in position 34.12N, 13.35W, by depth charges and gunfire from escort destroyers HMS Exmoor and HMS Blankney, British destroyer HMS Stanley, HMS Pentstemon and HMS Stork, and by depth charges from a Martlet aircraft (Sqdn. 802) of aircraft carrier HMS Audacity. 18 Dec, 1941 The German submarine U-434 was sunk in the North Atlantic north of Madeira, Portugal, in position 36.15N, 15.48W, by depth charges from escort destroyer HMS Blankney and the British destroyer HMS Stanley. USS McCalla (i) (DD 253)