HMT Islay

HMT Islay (T172) was a British Royal Navy Isles-class armed trawler of the Second World War.

History
United Kingdom
NameHMT Islay
BuilderSmiths Dock Company, South Bank, Middlesbrough
Laid down18 November 1940
Launched10 April 1941
Commissioned17 June 1941
FateSold October 1946
France
NameSainte Anne
FateDisappeared 15 March 1950
General characteristics
Class and typeIsles-class naval trawler
Displacement545 long tons (554 t)
Length164 ft (50 m)
Beam27 ft 8 in (8.43 m)
Draught11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) (mean)
Propulsion1 triple expansion reciprocating engine, 1 shaft, 850 ihp (634 kW)
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement40
Armament
  • 1 × 12-pounder gun
  • 3-4 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns
  • 30 × depth charges

On 28 June 1942, Islay picked up 19 survivors from the British merchant steamer Zealand, which had been hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-97 in the Mediterranean Sea to the southwest of Haifa and had sunk with the loss of 14 crew members and gunners.[1]

On 10 August 1942, Islay sank the Italian submarine Scirè in Haifa Bay while under the command of Lieutenant Commander John Ross of North Shields, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. Scirè was carrying 11 Decima Flottiglia MAS commandos, who were intending to attack shipping in Haifa harbour by means of human torpedoes.[2] Royal Air Force aircraft and coastal artillery also were involved in the sinking, which had been facilitated by Ultra intelligence.[3] Scirè had previously launched human torpedo attacks on British naval units in Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt.

In October 1946, the ship was sold into commercial service. Operating under the French flag as Sainte Anne, she disappeared without trace in the Mediterranean Sea after a last communication while off the Balearic Islands on 15 March 1950.[4]

References

  1. "Zealand (British Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net".
  2. "Scire' 2008 Archaeological Survey" (PDF). IANTD Expeditions. 28 September 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. "Marina Militare". www.marina.difesa.it. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010.
  4. "Sainte Anne (6111898)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 17 January 2020.


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