Allied Warships
HMS Stork (L 81 / U 81)
Sloop of the Bittern class
HMS Stork as seen during the Second World War.
| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Sloop |
| Class | Bittern |
| Pennant | L 81 / U 81 |
| Built by | William Denny & Brothers (Dumbarton, Scotland) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 19 Jun 1935 |
| Launched | 21 Apr 1936 |
| Commissioned | 10 Sep 1936 |
| End service | |
| Loss position | |
| History | Scrapped in June 1958. Commanding Officers: Cdr. Alfred Charles Behague, RN Lt. Gordon Thomas Seccombe Gray, DSC, RN Cdr. Frederic John Walker, RN Cdr. Godfrey Noel Brewer, RN HMS Stork in Dockyard Control Cdr. George William Emil Castens, RN (retired) Lt.Cdr. Donald Emberton Mansfield, RN Hit by U-boat |
Commands listed for HMS Stork (L 81 / U 81)
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| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | Cdr. Alfred Charles Behague, RN | 4 Sep 1939 | Nov 1940 | |
| 2 | Lt. Gordon Thomas Seccombe Gray, RN | Nov 1940 | Sep 1941 | |
| 3 | Cdr. Frederick John Walker, RN | Sep 1941 | 1 Aug 1942 | |
| 4 | Cdr. Godfrey Noel Brewer, RN | 1 Aug 1942 | Feb 1943 | |
| 5 | Cdr. (retired) George William Emil Castens, RN | 24 Apr 1943 | 13 Jul 1944 | |
| 6 | Lt.Cdr. Donald Emberton Mansfield, RN | 13 Jul 1944 | Oct 1945 ? | |
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Noteable events involving Stork include:
27 Sep 1941
HMS Stork (Cdr. F.J. Walker, RN) picks up 32 survivors from the British merchant Cervantes that was torpedoed and sunk the previous day by the German submarine U-124 north-northeast of the Azores in position 48º37'N, 20º01'W.
17 Dec 1941
The German submarine U-131 was sunk north-east of Madeira, Portugal, in position 34º12'N, 13º35'W, by depth charges and gunfire from the British escort destroyers HMS Exmoor (Lt.Cdr. L.StG. Rich, RN) and HMS Blankney(Lt.Cdr. P.F. Powlett, DSC, RN), the British destroyer HMS Stanley (Lt.Cdr. D.B. Shaw, OBE, RN), the British corvette HMS Pentstemon (Lt.Cdr. J. Byron, RNR (retired)) and the British sloop HMS Stork (Cdr. F.J. Walker, RN), and by depth charges from a Martlet aircraft (Sqdn. 802) of the British escort carrier HMS Audacity (Cdr. D.W. Mackendrick, RN). (see map)
19 Dec 1941
The German submarine U-574 was sunk in the North Atlantic near Punta Delgada, in position 38º12'N, 17º23'W, by ramming and depth charges from the British sloop HMS Stork (Cdr. F.J. Walker, RN).
HMS Stork also picks up 14 survivors from the British merchant Ruckinge that was torpedoed and damaged, finally sunk by gunfire from the British covette HMS Samphire (Lt.Cdr. F.T. Renny, RNR), by the German submarine U-108 west of Lisbon, Portugal in position 38º20'N, 17º15'W. (see map)
14 Apr 1942
The German submarine U-252 was sunk at 2230hrs on 14 April 1942 in the North Atlantic south-west of Ireland, in approximate position 47º00'N, 18º14'W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Stork (Cdr. F.J. Walker, DSO, RN) and the British corvette HMS Vetch (T/A/Lt.Cdr. H.J. Beverley, DSC, RNR). (see map)
30 Aug 1943
The German submarine U-634 was sunk in the North Atlantic east of the Azores, in position 40º13'N, 19º24'W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Stork (Cdr. G.W.E. Castens, (retired), RN) and the British corvette HMS Stonecrop (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Smythe, RNR). (see map)