HMS Woodcock in June 1943
History
United Kingdom
Name	Woodcock
Namesake	Woodcock
Ordered	13 April 1940
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan
Laid down	21 October 1941
Launched	26 November 1942
Commissioned	29 May 1943
Identification	Pennant number: U08
Fate	Scrapped 28 November 1955
General characteristics
Class and type	Modified Black Swan-class sloop
Displacement	1,350 tons
Length	283 ft (86 m)
Beam	38.5 ft (11.7 m)
Propulsion	Geared turbines two shafts
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h) at 4,300 hp (3,200 kW)
Complement	192 men
Armament	6 × QF 4 in Mk XVI anti-aircraft guns 12 × 20 mm anti-aircraft guns

HMS Woodcock was built by Fairfields at Govan; laid down on 21 October 1941, launched on 26 November 1942, and completed 29 May 1943. She was the fifth Royal Naval vessel to carry this name.

Construction and career

On completion, she joined the 2nd Support Group and operated in the Atlantic Ocean until May 1944, sinking the German submarine U-226 on 6 November 1943. She then moved to the English Channel in May 1944, intending to take part in the Normandy landings. However, she collided with the destroyer HMS Venus on 27 May 1944, and repairs took until December 1944.

The work included changes to fit her for service in the Pacific Ocean, and she joined the British Pacific Fleet at Manus 5 March 1945. She was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945) when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed on board the battleship USS Missouri.

Woodcock remained in the Pacific Ocean until late 1946 when she returned to the UK to be put into reserve at West Hartlepool. She was sold for breaking up in November 1955 and was scrapped at Rosyth.

See also

• Black Swan-class

References

Further reading

• Blair, Clay Gardiner (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. New York: Modern Library. ISBN 0-679-64033-9.
• Gardiner, Robert Gardiner (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Conway Maritime Press. p. 456. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Gardiner, Robert Gardiner (1996). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. US Naval Institute Press. p. 675. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Hague, Arnold (1993). Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946. Kendal, England: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-67-3.