HMS Byron (K508)

HMS "Byron" was a British Captain class frigate (US built as a "Buckley" class escort) of World War II. Named after Vice-Admiral The Honourable John Byron whose frequent encounters with bad weather in ensuing years won him the sobriquet, “Foul Weather Jack”.

Commanding Officers were Lt K C L Southcombe RN October 1943 and Lt J Burfield RN February 1945.

Actions

During World War II, HMS "Byron" earned battle honours for service in the English Channel, the Arctic, and the Atlantic in 1944 and in the North Sea in 1944 and 1945. In the course of these operations, she participated in the destruction of two German U-boats: U-722 on March 27, 1945 off the Hebrides, in position coord|57|09|N|06|55|W, by depth charges in company with HMS|Fitzroy|K553|6 and HMS|Redmill|K554|6; and, teaming with HMS "Fitzroy", U-1001 on April 8, 1945 south-west of Land's End, in position coord|49|19|N|10|23|W, by depth charges.

General Information

*Pennant (UK): K 508
*Hull number (US): DE 79
*Built by: Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard Inc. (Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

External links

* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5650.html Uboat.net page for HMS Byron]
* [http://uboat.net/boats/u722.htm Uboat.net page for U-722]
* [http://uboat.net/boats/u1001.htm Uboat.net page for U-1001]
* [http://www.captainclassfrigates.co.uk/ captainclassfrigates.co.uk]

Notes

References

* "The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War" by Donald Collingwood. published by Leo Cooper (1998), ISBN 085052 615 9.
* "The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts" by Bruce Hampton Franklin, published by Chatham Publishing (1999), ISBN 086176118X.
* "German U-Boat Losses During World War II" by Axel Niestle, published by United States Naval Inst (1998), ISBN 1557506418.