HMS Walney (Y04)

HMS "Walney" (Y04), launched in 1930 as USS "Sebago", was a "Banff" class sloop. She was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1941 and lost in 1942 in Operation Reservist, an attack on Oran that formed part of Operation Torch. Her captain, Frederick Thornton Peters, won the Victoria Cross for gallantry during this operation.

Career

Transfer and commissioning

She was originally the United States Coast Guard Cutter "Sebago", built by General Engineering and Dry Dock in 1930 and passed to the Royal Navy in 1940 under the Lend-Lease Agreement. She was renamed HMS "Walney" when commissioned on being delivered on 12 May.

With the convoys

"Walney" joined the Londonderry Sloop Division in June, and was assigned to escort the passage of the Atlantic convoys. In July she was deployed in the Western Approaches and on 24 July was deployed as part of the escort for a convoy from St. John's, Newfoundland to the United Kingdom. On 14 August "Walney" put into a Liverpool shipyard to undergo modifications to fit her for service as an escort. She returned to the Western Approaches on 9 September and was transferred to the 41st Escort Group to help defend convoys between the United Kingdom and West Africa. Her first deployment came a few days later on 12 September, when she was deployed as an escort for Convoy OS-6, consisting of 29 merchants on passage to Bathurst. "Walney" was detached during the convoy's passage through the Atlantic, and joined HMS "Hartland" in escorting the merged convoys SL-88 from Freetown and HG-74 from Gibraltar to Liverpool. This joint convoy comprised 37 ships. She was detached from this convoy on 18 October and sailed to Belfast. She arrived on 20 October and underwent a refit. On its completion on 31 October, "Walney" rejoined the 41st Group. "Walney" deployed again with "Hartland" on 7 November, when they escorted the 41 merchants of convoy OS-11 on their passage to Bathurst. They were detached on arrival and sailed to Freetown. By 30 November they were escorting the 29 merchants of convoy SL-94 from Freetown to Liverpool. Again, after arriving in the UK on 20 December, "Walney" sailed for Belfast. She arrived two days later on 22 December and underwent another refit, this time involving the fitting of Huff-Duff equipment. She deployed again on 4 January, rejoining the Western Approaches Command. The following day she departed as an escort to Bathurst for the 56 merchants of convoy OS-16, and on arrival sailed to Freetown and together with "Hartland" departed on 27 January escorting the 26 merchants of convoy SL-99 to the UK. Arriving on 16 February, she was under repair at Belfast from 17 February and resumed convoy escort duties on 26 February.On 3 March "Walney" was involved in a minor collision with the SS "Empire Dolphin". The "Walney" was damaged above the waterline, but remained operational. She deployed the next day with the "Hartland" as an escort for the 54 merchants of convoy OS-21 on passage from West Africa to Liverpool. She was detached after the arrival of the local escort at Freetown, and the two sloops escorted the 30 merchants of convoy SL-104 to Liverpool. They arrived on 12 April, with "Walney" being detached to sail to Chatham Dockyard. She was under refit there from 20 April, which lasted until 10 July. On the completion of refit trials she rejoined the 41st Group at Londonderry. She was then assigned to escort the 40 merchants of convoy OS-32 to West Africa from Liverpool. She was detached at Freetown on 8 July, and again with "Hartland", escorted the 33 merchants of convoy SL-116 back to the UK. Again with "Hartland" she escorted convoy OS-38 to Africa, followed by the returning SL-122 back to Liverpool, arriving on 6 October. During "Walney"’s deployment, no merchants had been lost in transit through the Atlantic. In recognition of her efforts, "Walney" was awarded the battle honour ATLANTIC 1941-42.

Special duty

After her arrival in Londonderry, she was nominated for special duties during the planned North African landings (Operation Torch). From 13 October she was prepared for the task of breaking into Oran harbour. She sailed from the Clyde on 26 October, in company with the "Hartland", as part of the escort for the military convoy MKF-1 to Gibraltar. On arrival in November, the two sloops embarked troops to carry out a landing inside the harbour (Operation Reservist). The operation commenced on 8 November, but rapidly ran into trouble. The "Walney", leading the "Hartland" into the harbour came under heavy fire from shore defences. She rammed the outer, and then the inner booms but was sunk.

On board the "Walney" at the time were 200 men of the 6th Armored Division and a 35-strong US Naval contingent, with six US Marines. The "Walney" was struck repeatedly by shells from the French sloop "La Surprise", setting the "Walney" on fire and finally capsizing her. Only 14 of her crew survived, one officer and 13 ratings. 81 of her crew and most of the troops being carried went down with the ship.

References

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* [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-16CGC-Walney.htm HMS Walney's career]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/48.html HMS Walney's history]