HMS Whimbrel

January 10th, 2004 by JCB
Posted in History | No Comments »

RESEARCH AND

Battle of Atlantic

Liverpool’s decision to grant the Freedom of the City to Battle of Atlantic seafarers has been reinforced by a preservation group which is hoping to acquire HMS Whimbrel, one of the last surviving Black Swan class sloops, to be berthed at Liverpool as a memorial of that legendary struggle which kept Britain’s vital sea lanes open. The preservation group, led by retired Vice-Admiral Michael Gretton RN, has signed a memorandum of agreement to buy the ship after she was deemed surplus by the Egyptian Navy where she has served as ENS Tariq since being sold by the Admiralty in 1949.

Armed with 4in guns and a formidable array of anti-submarine weapons, HMS Whimbrel served with Escort Group 2, the flotilla of the legendary U-boat hunter Captain Johnny Walker and her war-time record makes her an ideal vessel for a memorial. Her service took her from the ice floes of northern Russia to the heat of the East Indies.

She was also present at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 that marked the end of the Second World War.

www.hmswhimbrel.org/

To support the HMS Whimbrel preservation project, contact:

conrad.waters @btopenworld.com