HMS Magpie (U82)

HMS "Magpie" (U82) was a Royal Navy Modified Black Swan class sloop launched in 1943 and broken up in 1959. She was the seventh Royal Navy ship to bear the name. The ship was the only vessel commanded by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who took command on 2 September 1950.

Commissioned on 30 August 1943, during October-November 1943 "Magpie" was part of the 2nd Search Group in the North Atlantic.

On 31 January 1944 on North Atlantic convoy escort duties, the "Magpie" along with the sloops HMS|Starling|U66|6 and HMS|Wild Goose|U45|6 intercepted and sank, by depth charges, German submarine "U-592" which was on its way to France for repairs.

The following month saw "Magpie" involved in destroying "U-238" and "U-734". After serving as an escort during the D-Day amphibious Allied landings in Normandy, "Magpie" served in British coastal waters, operating from Greenock as an escort to the Gibraltar convoys.

Along with others in the Black Swan class she was officially reclassified as a frigate in 1947. Magpie did duty in Trieste following riots there over the city’s future, this being a bone of contention between Italy and Yugoslavia.

On 3 March 1955 "Magpie" left Portsmouth to steam to the 7th Frigate Squadron at Simonstown, South Africa. Due to be relieved at the Cape Station by her sister ship HMS Sparrow, boiler problems meant the crew were changed. "Magpie’s" crew returned to the UK on the "Sparrow". In 1958 "Magpie" had her tour of duty at the Cape Station finally completed; she sailed back for the UK for paying off, and was broken up by Hughes Bolkcow, Blyth, Northumberland on 12 July 1959.

HMS "Magpie" stood in for the moving shots of HMS|Amethyst|F116|6 in the film "Yangtze Incident" in 1957.