page_title: HMS Biter (D97)
section_title: Convoy HX 237
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Biter (D97) / Service history / Convoy HX 237
caption_attribution_description: A Royal Navy Grumman Wildcat fighter of 811 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, landing on the escort carrier HMS Biter (D97) after a successful action against a German Junker Ju 290. The German aircraft had been shadowing the convoy which HMS Biter was protecting.
context_page_description: HMS Biter was a Royal Navy escort carrier during the Second World War. She was laid down as a merchant ship at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard at Chester, Pennsylvania. Laid down on 28 December 1939, she was converted to an escort carrier and commissioned in the Royal Navy on 6 May 1942. She was returned to the United States in 1945 and subsequently lent to France.
context_section_description: Biter and her destroyers left Argentia on 5 May to join the home bound convoy HX 237, which was escorted by 2nd Canadian Escort Group. At first Abel Smith refused to place his support group in the convoy but was subsequently ordered to do so by the Admiralty. Fog prevented any flying until 07:30 on 7 May, when two Swordfish took off and located the convoy and provided an anti-submarine patrol. The carrier and escorts arrived an hour later. Two Martlets which until now had been idle took part in a patrol but lost the convoy and had to ditch beside a straggling merchant ship which rescued the crews. Ordered to close with the convoy by the Commander-in Chief (C-in-C) Western Approaches bad weather prevented any flying until after 16:00 on 10 May. The Swordfish responded to a sighting of a U-boat on the surface dropping two depth charges but was hit by anti-aircraft fire from the submarine. A second Swordfish had taken off to assist but could not find the U-boat or the convoy in the bad weather and was forced to ditch beside a straggling merchant ship. On 11 May, a Swordfish engaged another U-boat on the surface which initially fought back with her guns but was eventually forced to dive. The next morning, the patrolling Swordfish reported a U-boat sighting and was never heard from again. It was because of these last engagements that aircraft were ordered to fly in pairs, they were forbidden to fight it out with surfaced submarines and only to attack if it was diving. That afternoon a Swordfish sighted and attacked a U-boat diving only 6 mi (5.2 nmi; 9.7 km) from the convoy. The same U-boat—U-89—was located and sunk by two of the  escorts, HMS Broadway, a Town-class destroyer, and HMS Lagan, a River-class frigate. On 13 May, the convoy had come within range of RAF Coastal Command Consolidated Liberators and Short Sunderlands. Two Swordfish took off at dawn and discovered two surfaced U-boats, which were attacked by a patrolling Sunderland of No.423 Squadron RCAF from RAF Castle Archdale. Another U-boat was located by a Swordfish at 09:00 and attacked as she was diving with no visible effect. Two U-boats were engaged by aircraft and escorts and sunk; these were U-456, sunk by HMS Opportune and a Liberator of No. 86 Squadron from RAF Aldergrove, and HMS Lagan, and U-753, sunk by the Flower-class corvette HMCS Drumheller and HMS Lagan.
caption: Grumman Martlet landing on board
exif: {}