HMS Black Swan (L57)

HMS "Black Swan" (U57, later F57), named after the Black Swan, was the name ship of the "Black Swan"-class of sloops of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down by Yarrow Shipbuilders on 20 June 1938, launched on 7 July 1939, and commissioned on 27 January 1940.

On 2 April 1943 "Black Swan" and the corvette HMS|Stonecrop|K142|6 sank the top-scoring U-boat "U-124" off the coast of Portugal.

During 1943, HMS "Black Swan" for a short time saw action near Iceland to provide escort against the U-Boat threat. After which she served in the Mediterranean, on Malta and Adriatic convoy protection duties. From there, HMS "Black Swan" passed through the Suez Canal en-route to the Asia / Far East and Pacific theatres against the Japanese forces. The ship was on active duties as far as Australia and the Philippine Islands.

At the cease of hostilities in 1945, HMS "Black Swan" followed the cruiser HMS|Belfast|C35|6 into Shanghai and were the first Royal Navy warships to liberate the British concentration camps run by the Japanese.

In 1949 she took part in the Yangtze Incident, when she, with others went to aid of "HMS Amethyst". "Black Swan" suffered 12 men wounded, and severe damage to her superstructure in a fierce engagement with Chinese batteries, and fell back. Overall the failed relief effort cost 46 killed and 64 injured.

The sloop was scrapped in 1956.