Dates: 1943 - 1944
H.M.S. Nene (K270)
Built by Smiths Dock Co., South Bank-on-Tees
Laid Down: 20th June 1942
Launched: 9th December 1942
Commissioned: 8th April 1943
Fate: Transferred to RCN on 4th June 1944 as HMCS Nene (K270). Returned to the RN on 11th June 1945. Scrapped in August 1955
Displacement: 1,375 Tons
Commanding Officers:
Cdr. John Dudley Birch, RD, RNR
28th January 1943 – 6th March 1944
T/A/Lt.Cdr. R.F.J. Maberley, RNVR
6th March 1944 – 28th March 1944
T/A/Lt.Cdr. E.R. Shaw, RCNR
28th March 1944 – 8th June 1945
T/A/Lt.Cdr. H.V.P. Bates, RNR
8th June 1945 – still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List
Noteable events involving Nene include:
23rd August1943
On the 23th August 1943 the 40th Escort Group (Cdr. Dallison), consiting of the sloops H.M.S. Landguard, H.M.S. Bideford, H.M.S. Hastings and the frigates H.M.S. Exe, H.M.S. Moyola and H.M.S. Waveney were deployed on a u-boat hunt off Cape Ortegal. The whole operation was covered by the British light cruiser H.M.S. Bermuda.
On the 25th August the Canadian 5th Support Group (Cdr. Tweed), consiting of the British frigates H.M.S. Nene, H.M.S. Tweed and the Canadian corvettes HMCS Calgary, HMCS Edmundston and HMCS Snowberry were deployed to relieve the 40th Escort Group. While this was in progress the ships were attacked at 1415 hrs by 14 Dornier Do-217’s and 7 Ju-88’s. with the new German weapon, the Henschel Glider Bombs, (the "Hs293 A-1"). Designed by the German Professor Herbert Wagner. H.M.S. Landguard and H.M.S. Bideford were the first of the Allied and R.N. ships to be attacked and damaged by them. This being the first time of their being brought into action against Allied ships. Several sailors were injured on H.M.S. Bideford and one sailor was killed.
Another two days later on the 27th August 1943 the Canadian 5th Support group was relieved by the 1st Support group (Cdr. Brewer) consisting of the sloops H.M.S. Pelican, H.M.S. Egret and the frigates H.M.S. Jed, H.M.S. Rother, H.M.S. Spey and H.M.S. Evenlode. Also the covering cruiser H.M.S. Bermuda was relieved by the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabaskan and the British destroyer H.M.S. Grenville.
These ships were also attacked by the Germans. This time with 18 Dornier Do-217’s also carring Henschel Glider Bombs. HMCS Athabaskan was heavily damaged and H.M.S. Egret was sunk with the loss of 194 of her crew. After this loss the u-boat hunt was blown off.
20th November 1943
The German submarine U-536 was sunk in the North Atlantic north-east of the Azores, in position 43?50’N, 19?39’W, by depth charges from the British frigate H.M.S. Nene (Cdr. J.D. Birch, RNR) and the Canadian corvettes HMCS Snowberry (Lt. J.A. Dunn, RCNVR) and HMCS Calgary (A/Lt.Cdr. H.K. Hill, RCNVR).
24th February, 1944
The German submarine U-257 was sunk in the North Atlantic, in approximate position 47?19’N, 26?00’W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigate HMCS Waskesiu (Lt.Cdr. J.P. Fraser, RCNR) and the British frigate H.M.S. Nene (Cdr. J.D. Birch, RNR).
H.M.S. Nene was the only ship in the Royal Navy to have had this name.
Notes on River Class Frigates
The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-sub Marine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic.
The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy, with some serving in the other Allied navies; the Royal Australian Navy, the Free French Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy. Ten ships built in Canada were assigned to the United States Navy to cover for a shortage of suitable convoy escorts until American built ships became available. In the event, only two were commissioned in the UNITED STATES NAVY, the remaining eight were commissioned in the RN and RCN.
After World War II they found employment in many other navies the world over; several RCN ships were sunk as breakwaters.
River class ships were designed by naval engineer William Reed to have the enduran
