Operations
These ships were primarily deployed to escort groups that were then used to provide anti-submarine cover to the convoys that they escorted. The four or more ships in an escort group, by operating together under a single commander, were able to use group tactics so that with the issue of a single short command the various ships of the group, often out of sight of each other, could be relied upon to act in a co-ordinated fashion.
A small number of Captains were converted to act as headquarters ships during Operation Neptune (the Normandy landings) and as coastal forces control frigates. Captains that operated with Coastal Forces (motor torpedo boats, motor gun boats and US Navy PT boats) sank at least two two-man submarines, and were involved in the destruction of at least 26 E-boats, one KFK patrol vessel (coastal escort vessels constructed so as to resemble a fishing-vessel), two minesweepers, and the shooting down of a Junkers Ju 88 aeroplane.
| Date | Submarine | Position sunk | Ships | Fate of submarine crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 1943 | U-841 | 59°57′N 31°06′W / 59.95°N 31.1°W / 59.95; -31.1 (U-841 sunk) | Byard | 27 lost and 27 survivors |
| 21 November 1943 | U-538 | 45°40′N 19°35′W / 45.667°N 19.583°W / 45.667; -19.583 (U-538 sunk) | Foley | 55, all hands Lost |
| 23 November 1943 | U-648 | 42°40′N 20°37′W / 42.667°N 20.617°W / 42.667; -20.617 (U-648 sunk) | Bazely, Blackwood, Drury | 50, all hands lost |
| 25 November 1943 | U-600 | 40°31′N 22°07′W / 40.517°N 22.117°W / 40.517; -22.117 (U-600 sunk) | Bazely, Blackwood | 54, all hands lost |
| 8 January 1944 | U-757 | 50°33′N 18°03′W / 50.55°N 18.05°W / 50.55; -18.05 (U-757 sunk) | Bayntun | 49, all hands lost |
| 26 February 1944 | U-91 | 49°45′N 26°20′W / 49.75°N 26.333°W / 49.75; -26.333 (U-91 sunk) | Affleck, Gore, Gould | 36 lost and 16 survivors |
| 1 March 1944 | U-358 | 45°46′N 23°16′W / 45.767°N 23.267°W / 45.767; -23.267 (U-358 sunk) | Affleck, Gore, Gould, Garlies | 50 lost and 1 survivor |
| 16 March 1944 | U-392 | 35°55′N 05°41′W / 35.917°N 5.683°W / 35.917; -5.683 (U-392 sunk) | Affleck | 52, all hands lost |
| 6 May 1944 | U-765 | 52°30′N 28°28′W / 52.5°N 28.467°W / 52.5; -28.467 (U-765 sunk) | Bickerton, Bligh, Aylmer | 37 lost and 11 survivors |
| 25 June 1944 | U-269 | 50°01′N 02°59′W / 50.017°N 2.983°W / 50.017; -2.983 (U-269 sunk) | Bickerton | 13 lost and 39 survivors |
| 29 June 1944 | U-988 | 49°37′N 03°41′W / 49.617°N 3.683°W / 49.617; -3.683 (U-988 sunk) | Duckworth, Cooke, Domett, Essington | 50, all hands lost |
| 18 July 1944 | U-672 | 50°03′N 02°30′W / 50.05°N 2.5°W / 50.05; -2.5 (U-672 sunk) | Balfour | 52 survivors |
| 21 July 1944 | U-212 | 50°27′N 00°13′W / 50.45°N 0.217°W / 50.45; -0.217 (U-212 sunk) | Curzon, Ekins | 49 all hands lost |
| 26 July 1944 | U-214 | 49°58′N 03°30′W / 49.967°N 3.5°W / 49.967; -3.5 (U-214 sunk) | Cooke | 48, all hands lost |
| 5 August 1944 | U-671 | 50°23′N 00°06′E / 50.383°N 0.1°E / 50.383; 0.1 (U-671 sunk) | Stayner | 47 lost and 5 survivors |
| 14 August 1944 | U-618 | 47°22′N 04°39′W / 47.367°N 4.65°W / 47.367; -4.65 (U-618 sunk) | Duckworth, Essington | 61, all hands lost |
| 24 August 1944 | U-445 | 47°21′N 05°50′W / 47.35°N 5.833°W / 47.35; -5.833 (U-445 sunk) | Louis | 52, all hands lost |
| 26 January 1945 | U-1051 | 53°39′N 05°23′W / 53.65°N 5.383°W / 53.65; -5.383 (U-1051 sunk) | Aylmer, Bentinck, Calder, Manners | 47, all hands lost |
| 27 January 1945 | U-1172 | 52°24′N 05°42′W / 52.4°N 5.7°W / 52.4; -5.7 (U-1172 sunk) | Tyler, Keats, Bligh | 52, all hands lost |
| 3 February 1945 | U-1279 | 61°21′N 02°00′E / 61.35°N 2°E / 61.35; 2 (U-1279 sunk) | Bayntun, Braithwaite | 48, all hands lost |
| 14 February 1945 | U-989 | 61°36′N 01°35′W / 61.6°N 1.583°W / 61.6; -1.583 (U-989 sunk) | Bayntun, Braithwaite | 47, all hands lost |
| 17 February 1945 | U-1278 | 61°32′N 01°36′E / 61.533°N 1.6°E / 61.533; 1.6 (U-1278 sunk) | Bayntun | 48, all hands lost |
| 27 February 1945 | U-1208 | 49°56′N 06°06′W / 49.933°N 6.1°W / 49.933; -6.1 (U-1208 sunk) | Duckworth, Rowley | 49, all hands lost |
| 26 March 1945 | U-399 | 49°56′N 05°22′W / 49.933°N 5.367°W / 49.933; -5.367 (U-399 sunk) | Duckworth | 46 lost and 1 survivor |
| 27 March 1945 | U-722 | 57°09′N 06°55′W / 57.15°N 6.917°W / 57.15; -6.917 (U-722 sunk) | Fitzroy, Redmill, Byron | 44, all hands lost |
| 27 March 1945 | U-905 | 58°34′N 05°46′W / 58.567°N 5.767°W / 58.567; -5.767 (U-905 sunk) | Conn | 45, all hands lost |
| 29 March 1945 | U-1169 | 49°58′N 05°25′W / 49.967°N 5.417°W / 49.967; -5.417 (U-1169 sunk) | Duckworth, Rowley | 49, all hands lost |
| 30 March 1945 | U-965 | 58°19′N 05°31′W / 58.317°N 5.517°W / 58.317; -5.517 (U-965 sunk) | Conn, Rupert, Deane | 51, all hands lost |
| 8 April 1945 | U-1001 | 49°19′N 10°23′W / 49.317°N 10.383°W / 49.317; -10.383 (U-1001 sunk) | Fitzroy, Byron | 45, all hands lost |
| 8 April 1945 | U-774 | 49°58′N 11°51′W / 49.967°N 11.85°W / 49.967; -11.85 (U-774 sunk) | Bentinck, Calder | 44, all hands lost |
| 15 April 1945 | U-1063 | 50°08′N 03°53′W / 50.133°N 3.883°W / 50.133; -3.883 (U-1063 sunk) | Cranstoun, Burges | 29 lost and 17 survivors |
| 15 April 1945 | U-285 | 50°13′N 12°48′W / 50.217°N 12.8°W / 50.217; -12.8 (U-285 sunk) | Grindall, Keats | 44, all hands lost |
| 21 April 1945 | U-636 | 55°50′N 10°31′W / 55.833°N 10.517°W / 55.833; -10.517 (U-636 sunk) | Bentinck, Bazely, Drury | 42, all hands lost |
| 29 April 1945 | U-286 | 69°29′N 33°37′E / 69.483°N 33.617°E / 69.483; 33.617 (U-286 sunk) | Cotton | 51, all hands lost |
| Date | Ship | Incident | Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 March 1944 | Gould | Torpedoed and sunk by U-358 south-west of Ireland in position 45°46′N 23°16′W / 45.767°N 23.267°W / 45.767; -23.267 (Gould sunk). | Loss of 123 hands. |
| 8 June 1944 | Lawford | Hit by a Glide bomb launched from a Luftwaffe aeroplane in her hull, port side midships, that blew out the bottom of the ship which quickly sank, off J1 Sector of Gold Beach on D-Day+2. | Loss of 26 hands. |
| 11 June 1944 | Halstead | Torpedoed by an E-boat in mid channel off Normandy that blew off her bow section, she was written off as a constructive total loss. | Loss of 27 hands. |
| 15 June 1944 | Blackwood | Torpedoed by U-764, the forward part of ship was blown off; the hulk sank at 04.10Hrs the next morning. | Loss of 60 hands. |
| 26 June 1944 | Goodson | Torpedoed by U-984 approximately 38 nautical miles (70 km) south of Portland Bill in position 50°00′N 02°48′W / 50°N 2.8°W / 50; -2.8 (Goodson sunk); badly damaged towed back to port and assessed as a constructive total loss. | No fatalities. |
| 22 August 1944 | Bickerton | Torpedoed by U-354 during Operation Goodwood in the Barents Sea; in position 72°42′N 19°11′E / 72.7°N 19.183°E / 72.7; 19.183 (Bickerton sunk) seriously damaged and ship abandoned, sunk by own forces. | Loss of 39 hands. |
| 1 November 1944 | Whitaker | Torpedoed by U-483 off Malin Head, near Loch Swilly, Ireland; she was seriously damaged, and towed back to Belfast. Declared a constructive total loss. | Loss of 92 hands. |
| 2 November 1944 | Mounsey | Torpedoed by U-295 outside the Kola Inlet but managed to limp back to Polyarnoe, where she was patched up by the Russians and managed to get back to Belfast before Christmas for permanent repairs. | Loss of 10 hands. |
| 6 December 1944 | Bullen | Torpedoed midships and sunk off Cape Wrath by U-775 in position 58°42′N 04°12′W / 58.7°N 4.2°W / 58.7; -4.2 (Bullen sunk). | Loss of 55 hands. |
| 25 December 1944 | Dakins | Hit a ground mine off the Belgium coast; she was towed into Antwerp where she was declared a constructive total loss. | No fatalities. |
| 26 December 1944 | Capel | Torpedoed by one of two torpedoes fired by U-486, she sank having had her bow blown off north-north-east of Cherbourg, in position 49°50′N 01°41′W / 49.833°N 1.683°W / 49.833; -1.683 (Capel sunk). | Loss of 76 hands. |
| 26 December 1944 | Affleck | Torpedoed off Cherbourg by one of two torpedoes fired by U-486, which seriously damaged her stern. She was towed back to port and assessed as a constructive total loss. | Loss of 9 hands. |
| 26 January 1945 | Manners | Torpedoed by U-1051 off the Isle of Man. She was towed back to Barrow-in-Furness and declared a constructive total loss. | Loss of 43 hands. |
| 15 April 1945 | Ekins | Hit two ground mines in the Scheldt Estuary, towed back to port and put into dry dock, when water was pumped out she broke her back and was written off as a constructive total loss. | No fatalities |
| 27 April 1945 | Redmill | Torpedoed by U-1105 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of Silgo Bay, Ireland in position 54°23′N 10°36′W / 54.383°N 10.6°W / 54.383; -10.6 (Redmill sunk) towed into Belfast with serious damage. Written off as a Constructive Total Loss. | Loss of 24 hands. |
| 29 April 1945 | Goodall | Torpedoed by U-286 outside the Kola Inlet 69°29′N 33°38′E / 69.483°N 33.633°E / 69.483; 33.633 (Goodall sunk). Goodall was the last ship of the Royal Navy sunk in the European theatre of World War II. | Loss of 98 hands. |
Collectively, the Captain class gained battle honours for service in Arctic (Russian Convoys), Atlantic, Biscay, English Channel, Normandy (D-Day on 6 June 1944 and subsequent related operations), North Foreland and Walcheren, they also during the course of World War II collectively destroyed more German submarines than any other Royal Navy ship class.
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