Q&A · 1:16:14-1:17:18

Starling's solo and shared submarine kills

HMS Starling stands out with four solo and eleven joint kills, illustrating why Black Swan totals depend on how shared attacks are counted.

Question

Which Black Swan-class sloop had the largest submarine kill count?

Short answer

HMS Starling is the example given, with four confirmed solo kills and eleven joint kills; the ranking depends on how shared attacks are credited.

Notes

HMS Starling is credited here with four confirmed solo submarine kills and eleven joint kills. Her totals provide an example, without establishing a definitive ranking for every Black Swan. How much credit each ship receives for a joint attack changes the comparison. The class also helped locate submarines and directed Flower, Castle, River, and Bay-class escorts onto contacts. Those contributions could matter even when another vessel delivered the attack, making a simple list of individual sinkings an incomplete measure of the sloops' work.