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John Laughland (UK)

John Laughland was one of 226 crew members of the British Navy sloop Kite, which sank as a result of an enemy submarine attack while escorting convoy JW 59 to Murmansk in August 1944. John Laughland 's name is listed among the ship's missing and presumed dead sailors and officers.

HMS Kite, previously involved in convoy escort and anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic and the Normandy Landing operation, became an escort ship in the Northern Convoys in 1944. On 21 August 1944, as part of the JW 59 convoy, the ship was sunk by two torpedoes of the U-344 submarine off the coast of Greenland. Out of 226 crew members only 10 sailors managed to escape and return to Great Britain.

A participant in the Second World War and the Northern Convoys, John Laughland was born in Birmingham, UK and was one of four children in his family. His father, later to become an engineer, served during the First World War in a Scottish infantry regiment in Mesopotamia (Iraq).

In 1944 John served on HMS Kite as a Leading Writer and perished on 21 August 1944 at the age of 19.

In 2012 John's sister received the Arctic Star Medal, which is awarded to British military and civilian sailors for their participation in the Northern (Arctic) Convoys. John Laughland’s sister, who will soon be 102, wears the medal every year on Remembrance Sunday. 

John Laughland 's story was shared with us by his nephew, also John Laughland, who was named by his father in honour of his fallen brother.

 

 

HMS Kite

HMS Kite, a British Black Swan-class sloop, was launched in October 1942.

On 15 August 1944, the ship joined the escort of convoy JW 59 to Murmansk and the White Sea with the British sloops Mermaid and Peacock, destroyer Keppel, aircraft carriers Vindex and Striker.

At 06:30 on 21 August, 220 miles southwest of Bear Island, HMS Kite reduced her speed to 6 knots (11 km/h) to untangle her ‘foxers’ (acoustic trawls towed astern). The decision to do this, rather than cut the cables and abandon them, was made by the temporary commander, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, a submariner. At this speed the Kite was a mere sitting duck and was hit by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-344.

The ship was struck on the starboard side and immediately tilted. The stern broke off, stayed afloat for a few seconds, and then sank. The bow stayed afloat for a minute and then sank at a steep angle.

At 07:30 the destroyer HMS Keppel stopped to pick up survivors. Only 14 of the 60 survivors were rescued from the icy water, five of whom died on board HMS Keppel and were buried at sea.

U-344 was sunk the next day by a single Swordfish patrol aircraft from the aircraft carrier Vindex.

Until recently it was believed that the number of crew members who survived and returned to Britain was 9. In November 2008, Navy News revealed that a tenth survivor, John Taylor, had returned to Britain (after being reported missing) in a USAAF Liberator.

On 21 August 2004 – the 60th anniversary of Kite’s sinking – a memorial stone was unveiled in the Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens in remembrance of all those who perished aboard HMS Kite.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Kite_(U87)

https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/3327.html

https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-18SL-Kite.htm

https://www.trevorwright.com/Memorials/HMS_Kite/hms_kite.pdf