Sold for Scrap 1946
Type: Destroyer
Class: I
Penant: D 03
Built by: John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland)
Ordered: 14 Nov, 1935
Laid down: 16 Mar, 1936
Launched: 26 Nov, 1936
Commissioned: 3 May, 1937
History: Sold to be broken up for scrap on 29 October 1946.
Events involving Icarus include:
29 Nov, 1939
The German submarine U-35 was sunk in the North Sea, in position 60.53N, 02.47E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Icarus, HMS Kingston and HMS Kashmir.
13 Mar, 1940
The German submarine U-44 was hit by a mine around 13 March 1940, in minefield Field No 7. laid on 3 March 1940 by the British destroyers HMS Express, HMS Esk, HMS Icarus and HMS Impulsive.
10 Apr, 1940
on 10 April 1940 the German merchant ship Alster was captured by the British destroyer HMS Icarus (D 03) (LtCdr W.N. Petch) in the Vestfjord, north of Bodö and was escorted to Britain by the British trawler HMS Ullswater (SubLt D.R. Stavert). The vessel was renamed Empire Endurance by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). NOTES:- Empire Endurance. History: built as German Alster for Norddeutscher Lloyd, Bremen. On 18 March 1940 taken over by Kriegsmarine and used as troop transport in operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway.
31 Aug, 1940
On 31 August 1940 a group of destroyers sailed from Immingham on a minelaying mission off the Dutch coast. The minelayers were from the 20th Destroyer Flotilla and consisted of the destroyers HMS Express, HMS Esk, HMS Icarus, HMS Intrepid and HMS Ivanhoe. The minelayers were escorted by members of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla consisted of the destroyers HMS Kelvin, HMS Jupiter and HMS Vortigern. Aireal reconnaissance detected a German force and the ships of the 20th and 5th DF were ordered to intercept, beliving wrongly that the German ships were part of an invasion force. HMS Express struck a mine and was badly damaged, HMS Esk went to her assistance and hit mine and sank immediately, HMS Ivanhoe also went to her assistance and hit a mine and was badly damaged, so much so she she had to be sunk by HMS Kelvin. The following day they were joined by the light cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Galatea and while returning to base HMS Galatea struck another mine and was slightly damaged off Cleaner Shoal Buoy near the Humber light vessel.
6 Mar, 1944
The German submarine U-744 was sunk at 1830hrs on 6 March 1944 in the North Atlantic, in position 52.01N, 22.37W, after being torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS Icarus, then after unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port, by depth charges from HMS Icarus, the Canadian frigate HMCS St. Catharines, Canadian corvettes HMCS Fennel, HMCS Chilliwack, Canadian destroyers HMCS Chaudiere, HMCS Gatineau and the British corvette HMS Kenilworth Castle.
21 Jan, 1945
The German submarine U-1199 was sunk in the English Channel near the Scilly Isles, in position 49.57N, 05.42W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Icarus and the British corvette HMS Mignonette.