View source for HMS Dasher (D37)

{{short description|1942 Avenger-class escort carrier of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Dasher|Rio de Janeiro (ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
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{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = HMS Dasher.jpg
| Ship caption = HMS ''Dasher'' (note that this image appears to be reversed: the bridge was on the starboard side.)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
| Ship name = HMS ''Dasher''
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship awarded =
| Ship builder = [[Sun Shipbuilding]]
| Ship yard number =189, USMC hull #62
| Ship laid down = 14 March 1940
| Ship launched = 11 April 1941
| Ship christened =
| Ship acquired = Delivered USMC 22 November 1941
| Ship commissioned = 2 July 1942
| Ship recommissioned =
| Ship decommissioned =
| Ship in service =
| Ship out of service =
| Ship renamed = Built as ''Rio de Janeiro'', renamed ''Dasher'' 2 July 1942
| Ship reclassified =
| Ship refit =
| Ship captured =
| Ship struck =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship fate = Sunk by internal explosion 27 March 1943
| Ship homeport =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class = {{sclass|Avenger|escort carrier}}
| Ship displacement = 8,200 tons
| Ship length = {{cvt|492|ft|3|in|m}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|66|ft|3|in|m}}
| Ship draught = {{cvt|23|ft|3|in|m}}
| Ship power = {{cvt|8500|bhp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = *4 × [[William Doxford & Sons]] diesels
* 1 × shaft
| Ship speed = {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range =
| Ship endurance =
| Ship complement = 555
| Ship sensors =
| Ship armament = *3 × [[4"/50 caliber gun|4&nbsp;inch DP, AA guns]] in single mounts
* 15 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft cannons]] in single or twin mounts
| Ship armour =
| Ship aircraft = 15
| Ship aircraft facilities = *Hangar {{convert|190|ft|abbr=on}} x {{convert|47|ft|abbr=on}}
* one {{convert|42|ft}} x {{convert|34|ft}} lifts
* 9 arrestor wires
| Ship motto =
| Ship nickname =
| Ship honours =
| Ship notes =
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Dasher'' (D37)''' was a British [[Royal Navy]] [[aircraft carrier]], of the {{sclass|Avenger|escort carrier|4}}, converted merchant vessels, and one of the shortest-lived [[escort carrier]]s. She served in the [[Second World War]] and sank on 27 March 1943.

==Design and description==
The ''Avenger''-class escort carriers were converted [[U.S. Maritime Commission]] (USMC) [[Type C3-class ship|type C3]] [[United States|American]] [[merchant ship]]s. Their design was based on the [[United States Navy]]{{'}}s {{sclass|Long Island|escort carrier|4}} (AVG1). To differentiate between the two classes, the Royal Navy ships were prefixed with a 'B' (BAVG).<ref name=co78>Cocker (2008), p.78.</ref><ref name=po29/>

HMS ''Dasher'' (BAVG4) was built by the [[Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.|Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]], [[Chester, Pennsylvania]]. The ship was originally named ''Rio de Janeiro'', intended for passenger/cargo service with [[Moore-McCormack Lines]], laid down as yard hull 189, USMC hull 62 on 14 March 1940, launched on 11 April 1941.<ref>{{cite web|last=Colton |first=Tim |title=Sun Shipbuilding |publisher=ShipbuildingHistory |date=March 28, 2014 |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/sun.htm |access-date=13 October 2021}}</ref> She was converted to an [[escort aircraft carrier]] in the [[Tietjen & Lang Dry Dock Company|Tietjen & Lang]] shipyards [[New Jersey]] and commissioned into the [[Royal Navy]] on 2 July 1942.<ref name=po38>Poolman (1972), p.38.</ref>

''Dasher'' had a complement of 555 men and an [[Length overall|overall length]] of {{cvt|492|ft|3|in}}, a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|66|ft|3|in}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{cvt|23|ft|3|in|m}}.<ref name=co78/> She displaced {{convert|8200|LT|t|lk=on}} at normal load and {{convert|9000|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. Propulsion was provided by four [[diesel engine]]s connected to one shaft giving {{cvt|8500|bhp|lk=on}}, which could propel the ship at {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name=co79>Cocker (2008), p.79.</ref>

Aircraft facilities were a small combined [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]]–flight control on the [[starboard]] side and above the {{cvt|410|ft|adj=on}} long wooden [[flight deck]], one [[Elevator#Aircraft elevators|aircraft lift]] {{cvt|43|by|34|ft}}, one [[aircraft catapult]] and nine [[Arresting gear|arrestor wires]]. Aircraft could be housed in the {{cvt|190|by|47|ft|adj=on}} half [[hangar]] below the flight deck.<ref name=po29>Poolman (1972), p.29.</ref><ref name=co79/> Armament comprised three single-mounted [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|4-inch]] [[dual-purpose gun]]s, two forward and one aft, and fifteen [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm cannon]] on single or twin mounts.<ref name=co79/> She had the capacity for 15 aircraft which could be a mixture of [[Grumman Martlet]] or [[Hawker Sea Hurricane]] [[fighter aircraft|fighters]] and [[Fairey Swordfish]] [[torpedo bomber]]s.<ref name=co79/>

==Service history==
[[File:The Royal Navy during the Second World War A13684.jpg|thumb|Inside the galley, sailors being served at the cafeteria counter]]
The ship was transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned into RN service as HMS ''Dasher'' (D37) on 2 July 1942. She participated in [[Operation Torch]], with her [[sister ship]] {{HMS|Biter|D97|2}}, carrying Sea Hurricanes of [[804 Naval Air Squadron]]. After aircraft ferry duties in the [[Mediterranean]], ''Dasher'' sailed to the [[River Clyde|Clyde]] in March 1943 and, having had her flight-deck lengthened by {{cvt|42|ft|m}}, she embarked Fairey Swordfish aircraft. She escorted one convoy successfully, but shortly after leaving with the second, ''Dasher'' suffered engine trouble and turned back. Shortly after getting to the [[Firth of Clyde]] on 27 March 1943, she suffered a major internal explosion and sank.<ref name=co79/>

===Loss===
[[File:HMS Dasher memorial and plaque.JPG|left|thumb|The memorial at Ardrossan seafront]]
Various possible causes have been suggested, including one of her aircraft crashing onto the flight deck and igniting petrol fumes from leaking tanks. Much of what happened remains unknown. The death toll, 379 out of 528 crewmen, despite rapid response and assistance from ships and rescue craft from [[Brodick]] and [[Lamlash]] on the [[Isle of Arran]] and from [[Ardrossan]] and [[Greenock]] on the Scottish mainland, was amongst the highest in British home waters. Many escaped from the ship but died of [[hypothermia]] or of burns suffered when escaped fuel ignited on the water. Most of the dead were buried at Ardrossan or Greenock.

The British blamed the bad design of the stowage and handling, while the US blamed the disaster on poor RN petrol-handling procedures. There were merits in both arguments, but thereafter the stowage on her British-operated sister ships was reduced from {{cvt|75000|-|88000|gal|L}} down to {{cvt|36000|gal|L}}, and the USN reduced theirs also but not as drastically.<ref>Brown, DK. ''Nelson to Vanguard'', 2000, Chatham Publishing, pp. 64-65</ref>

The government of the time, eager to avoid damage to morale and anxious to avoid any suggestion of faulty US construction, tried to cover up the sinking. The local media were ordered to make no reference to the tragedy.

There were rumours that the authorities ordered the dead to be buried in an [[Unmarked grave|unmarked]] [[mass grave]], but none had been found {{As of|2021|lc=y}}, and the Royal Navy said that a mass unmarked grave would have been against [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] policy and that all sources relating to the sinking of HMS ''Dasher'' are in the public domain.<ref name=pym>{{Cite news |title=The secrecy behind a wartime disaster at sea |last1=Pym |first1=Hugh |last2=Baker |first2=Felicity |website=BBC News |date=11 November 2021 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59233709}}</ref>

A witness said in 2021 that survivors had told her that there was a mortuary where they were taken to identify about fifty bodies laid out, "just dumped". People living nearby saw the bodies over a high wall, "then they all disappeared".<ref name=pym/>

Furious relatives protested and some of the dead were returned to their families for burial. The survivors were ordered not to talk about what happened. This policy subsequently attracted much criticism.<ref name=pym/> There are now memorials to those lost at both Ardrossan and Brodick.

The wreck site lies approximately halfway on the [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry route between Ardrossan and Brodick and is a controlled site under the [[Protection of Military Remains Act]].

[[Teak]] boards from the flight deck of ''Dasher'' washed up on the beach at Ardrossan in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmsdasher.co.uk/intro.html |title=Introduction |work=HMS Dasher website, www.hmsdasher.co.uk |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> They were riddled with tubes made by burrowing [[Shipworm|teredo worms]]. A section of this wood featured in the "Flotsam and Jetsam" exhibition in the [[Millennium Dome]] and another piece is held by the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre in [[Saltcoats]].

There has been speculation that one corpse from the sinking was used during the British deception [[Operation Mincemeat]] ("[[The Man Who Never Was]]"). The case is argued by authors John and Noreen Steele in their 2002 book ''The Secrets of HMS Dasher'', however, this theory was disproved in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/08/12/cause-of-fatal-wartime-explosion-on-aircraft-carrier-in-clyde-finally-revealed|title = Cause of fatal wartime explosion on aircraft carrier in Clyde finally revealed| date=11 August 2011 |access-date = 23 January 2023}}</ref>

Contrary to Steeles claim that ''Dasher'' sank quickly after the incident, several eye witnesses reports at the time reported the hull of an aircraft carrier being beached for salvage and recovery on the shore north of Ardrossan the following day.

HMS ''Dasher'' was subsequently towed into the Clyde and scuttled during the following days by the Admiralty further covering the accident.

These accounts debunk the Steeles published theory of events which, over time have been broadly accepted by many as a factual account of ''Dashers'' loss.

An archaeological dig was undertaken in October 2012 to ascertain whether there was a mass grave within Ardrossan Cemetery containing bodies from ''Dasher''. No evidence was found that the ground in the area searched had been disturbed.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last=Cocker|first=Maurice|year=2008|title=Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-0-7524-4633-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Poolman|first=Kenneth|year=1972|title=Escort Carrier 1941–1945|publisher=Ian Allan|location=London|isbn=0-7110-0273-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Syrett|first=David|year=1994|title=The defeat of the German U-boats: the Battle of the Atlantic|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|location=Columbia, S.C|isbn=978-0-87249-984-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/defeatofgermanub00syre}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Steele|first=John|author2=Steele, Noreen|year=2010|title=The American Connection to the Sinking of HMS Dasher |publisher=North Shore Publishing|isbn=978-0953263714}}
* {{cite book|last=Steele|first=John|author2=Steele, Noreen|year=2002|title=The Secrets of HMS Dasher|publisher=Argyll Publishing|isbn=978-1902831398}}

==External links==
{{commons category|HMS Dasher (D37)}}
* [http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/08/12/cause-of-fatal-wartime-explosion-on-aircraft-carrier-in-clyde-finally-revealed Article of The Shetland Times on the cause of the explosion]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/74100 Ardrossan CWGC Cemetery record]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/74262 Greenock CWGC Cemetery record]
* [http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/142000 Chatham CWGC Cemetery record]
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3260.html Uboat.net]
* [http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?63719 www.wrecksite.eu]

{{coord|55|36|38|N|5|00|06|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title|format=dms}}

{{Avenger class escort carrier}}
{{Type C3-P&C ships}}
{{Type C3 ships}}
{{MARCOMships}}
{{WWII US ships}}
{{March 1943 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasher (D37)}}
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company]]
[[Category:Ships built in Chester, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Avenger-class escort carriers]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in March 1943]]
[[Category:1943 disasters in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Firth of Clyde]]
[[Category:Protected wrecks of Scotland]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by non-combat internal explosions]]
[[Category:Aircraft carrier fires]]
[[Category:Explosions in 1943]]
[[Category:History of North Ayrshire]]
[[Category:History of Inverclyde]]
[[Category:Explosions in Scotland]]
[[Category:1943 in Scotland]]
[[Category:March 1943 events in the United Kingdom]]