HMT Islay (T172)

For other uses, see Islay (disambiguation).
History
Name: HMT Islay
Builder: Smiths Dock Company, South Bank, Middlesbrough
Laid down: 18 November 1940
Launched: 10 April 1941
Commissioned: 17 June 1941
Fate: Sold, October 1946
General characteristics
Class & type: Isles-class trawler
Displacement: 545 long tons (554 t)
Length: 164 ft (50 m)
Beam: 27 ft 8 in (8.43 m)
Draught: 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) (mean)
Propulsion: 1 triple expansion reciprocating engine, 1 shaft, 850 ihp (634 kW)
Speed: 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement: 40
Armament:
  • 1 × 12-pounder gun
  • 3-4 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns
  • 30 × depth charges

HMT Islay (T172) was a British Royal Navy Isles class armed trawler of the Second World War.

While under the command of C H L Clarke RNR, on 28 June 1942, the Islay picked up 19 survivors from the British merchant steamer SS ''Zealand'' which had been hit by two torpedoes from U-97 to the southwest of Haifa. 14 crew members and gunners were lost.[1] On 10 August 1942 she sank the Italian submarine Scirè in Haifa bay whilst under the command of Lieutenant Commander John Ross of North Shields, Tyne and Wear who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. The Scirè was carrying 11 Decima Flottiglia MAS commandos, who were intending to attack shipping in Haifa harbour by means of human torpedoes.[2] RAF aircraft and coastal artillery were involved in the sinking, which had been facilitated by Ultra inntelligence.[3] The Scirè had previously launched human torpedo attacks on British naval units in Gibraltar and Alexandria.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1862.html
  2. ↑ http://www.iantdexpeditions.com/notizie/2008/scireen.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.marina.difesa.it/documentazione/editoria/Pagine/BollettinodArchivio.aspx


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