Stanley Darling DSC, RANVR

Born  17 Aug 1907Bellerive, Tasmania, Australia
Died  18 Nov 2002(95)Sydney, Australia

Ranks

15 Apr 1927 S.Lt.
1 Apr 1929 Lt.
1 Apr 1937 Lt.Cdr.
30 Jun 1945 Cdr.
31 Dec 1952 Capt.

Retired: 1961


Decorations

7 Nov 1944 DSC
14 Nov 1944 Bar to DSC
21 Aug 1945 2nd Bar to DSC (1)
11 Jun 1960 OBE

Warship Commands listed for Stanley Darling, RANVR


ShipRankTypeFromTo
HMS Loch Oskaig (FY 175)Lt.Cdr.ASW Trawler18 Oct 194030 Sep 1941
HMS Inchmarnock (T 166)Lt.Cdr.MS Trawler23 Dec 194115 Aug 1942
HMS Clarkia (K 88)Lt.Cdr.Corvette30 Aug 194212 Oct 1943
HMS Loch Killin (K 391)Lt.Cdr.Frigate22 Nov 194322 Jun 1945
HMS Loch Lomond (K 437)Lt.Cdr.Frigate27 Jun 1945Sep 1945

Career information

CAPTAIN STANLEY DARLING, O.B.E., D.S.C. and 2 Bars, V.R.D., R.A.N.R. Captain Walker 's Second Escort Group (R.N.) of Anti-submarine Frigates justly earned their fame as a deadly and greatly feared submarine killer group, and an Australian Naval Officer, Lieut. Commander S. Darling, was perhaps the Group's most skillful hunter of the skulking U-boats. Born in Bellerive, Tasmania, in 1907, Stanley Darling was educated at Hutchins School and at the University of Tasmania, graduating as a Bachelor of Engineering in 1929.

His Naval career began in 1921 when he became an R.A.N.R. Cadet. On the outbreak of war in September, 1939, he was mobilised in Sydney and under-went an anti-submarine course at H.M.A.S. RUSHCUTTER. In August, 1940, Lieut. Cdr. Darling went to England on loan to the Royal Navy. Here he served in command of anti-submarine vessels varying from trawlers to frigates -on convoy escort and A/S patrols in most areas of the Atlantic, including Gibraltar, the Faroes, coastal waters. the Caribbean Sea and West Africa. In command of H.M.S. LOCH KILLIN, one of the first of a new class of frigate equipped with a new A/S weapon he joined the Second Escort Group in June, 1944, on A/S patrol in the South Western Approaches and the English Channel in support of the Normandy landings. In this phase LOCH KILLIN detected and sank two U-boats and assisted in the sinking of two others in a single patrol. LOCH KILLIN was again successful in locating and sinking a U-boat in the English Channel in April, 1945. Promoted in the same year, Commander Darling took H.M.S. LOCH LOMOND to South East Asian waters and operated there until the surrender of Japan. On returning to Australia he resumed training in the R.A.N.R. and was promoted Captain in 1953. Awarded the O.B.E. in 1960, he retired in 1961, completing a distinguished Naval career extending over 40 years.

After the war Darling became a keen yachtsman and became the first person to sail 25 Sydney to Hobart yacht races. He died in Sydney on 18 November 2002 aged 95.

Events related to this officer

Frigate HMS Loch Killin (K 391)


31 Jul 1944 (position 49.39, -7.28)
German U-boat U-333 was sunk in the North Atlantic west of the Scilly Isles, in position 49°39'N, 07°28'W, by depth charges from the British sloop HMS Starling (Cdr. N.W. Duck, DSC, RNR) and the British frigate HMS Loch Killin (Lt.Cdr. S. Darling, RANVR).

6 Aug 1944 (position 47.19, -4.16)
German U-boat U-736 was sunk in the Bay of Biscay south-west of Lorient, France, in position 47°19'N, 04°16'W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Loch Killin (Lt.Cdr. S. Darling, RANVR).

15 Apr 1945 (position 50.09, -3.53)
German U-boat U-1063 was sunk in the English Channel west of Land?s End, in position 50°08'54"N, 03°53'24"W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Loch Killin (Lt.Cdr. S. Darling, DSC and Bar, RANVR).

Sources

  1. 1944-08-21 ? Must be 1945


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