| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Escort carrier |
| Class | Avenger / Charger |
| Pennant | D 97 |
| Built by | Sun Shipbuilding (Chester, U.S.A.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 28 Dec 1939 |
| Launched | 18 Dec 1940 |
| Commissioned | 5 May 1942 |
| End service | |
| History | 15th September 1941. Aquired for the Royal Navy. Ex USN ship Rio Parana. To French navy as Dixmude in 1945 |
Commands listed for HMS Biter (D 97)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Capt. Edward Michael Conolly Abel Smith, RN | Jan 1942 | Jul 1943 |
| 2 | Capt. Lennox Albert Knox Boswell, DSO, RN | Jul 1943 | May 1944 |
| 3 | A/Capt. Alexander Noel Campbell Bingley, OBE, RN | May 1944 | ??? |
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Notable events involving Biter include:
11 Mar 1943
HMS Templar (Lt. D.J. Beckley, DSO, RN) conducted practice attacks in the Clyde area with HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN) and HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR) serving as the targets. These included night exercises. (1)
12 Mar 1943
HMS Templar (Lt. D.J. Beckley, DSO, RN) conducted practice attacks in the Clyde area with HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN) and HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR) serving as the targets. These included night exercises. (1)
13 Mar 1943
HMS Templar (Lt. D.J. Beckley, DSO, RN) conducted practice attacks in the Clyde area with HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN) and HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR) serving as the targets. These included night exercises. (1)
22 Mar 1943
During the night of 22/23 March 1943, HMS Universal (Lt. C. Gordon, RN), conducted exercises in the Clyde area. Practice attacks were made on HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN) which was escorted by HMS Bulldog (Lt.Cdr. E.J. Lee, RN) and HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR).
These were followed by exercises in which HMS Skate (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) A.W. Preston, RN) served as target for HMS Universal. (2)
22 Mar 1943
HMS Uproar (Lt. L.E. Herrick, DSC, RN) departed Holy Loch for Gibraltar. During the day she carried out exercises with HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN). Upon completion of these exercises she made rendez-vous with ORP Sokol (Lt.Cdr. J. Koziolkowski, ORP). They were escorted for the passage South through the Irish Sea by HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR).
En-route she was ordered to patrol about 200 nautical miles North-West of Cape Finisterre, Spain to intercept an outbound German blockade runner making this passage her 15th war patrol.
No log is available for this period so no map can be displayed. (3)
25 Apr 1943
German U-boat U-203 was sunk south of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in position 55°05'N, 42°25'W, by depth charges from a Swordfish aircraft (811 Sqn FAA/L) of the British escort carrier HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN) and by the British destroyer HMS Pathfinder (Cdr. E.A. Gibbs, DSO and 2 Bars, RN).
12 May 1943
German U-boat U-89 was sunk in the Northern Atlantic, in position 46°30'N, 25°40'W by a Swordfish aircraft (Sqdn. 811) from the British escort carrier HMS Biter (Capt. E.M.C. Abel Smith, RN), the British destroyer HMS Broadway (Lt.Cdr. E.H. Chevasse, RN) and the British frigate HMS Lagan (Lt.Cdr. A. Ayre, RNR).
19 Jan 1944
HMS Vampire (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted attack exercises in the Clyde area with HMS Biter (Capt. L.A.K. Boswell, DSO, RN). (4)
21 Jan 1944
HMS Vampire (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted exercises in the Clyde area with HMS Biter (Capt. L.A.K. Boswell, DSO, RN). (4)
1 Apr 1944
HMS Trenchant (Lt.Cdr. A.R. Hezlet, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Larne with aircraft from HMS Biter (Capt. L.A.K. Boswell, DSO, RN). (5)
Sources
- ADM 173/18216
- ADM 173/18348
- ADM 199/1825
- ADM 173/19334
- ADM 173/19058
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.