HMS Egret (L75)

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HMS Egret (L75) was a sloop-of-war of the British Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class. She was built by J. S. White and Company at Cowes and was launched on May 31, 1938.

Egret has the dubious distinction of being the first ship to be sunk by a guided missile. The Germans had used the Henschel Hs 293 glider bomb for the first time on August 25, 1943 against the 40th Support Group in the Bay of Biscay. Landguard and Bideford were hit and damaged, with one sailor killed.

On 27 August 1943 the 40th Support Group was relieved by the 1st Support Group, consisting of Egret together with the sloop Pelican and the frigates Jed, Rother, Spey and Evenlode. The group was attacked by a squadron of 18 Dornier Do 217 carrying Henschel glider bombs. The covering destroyer Athabaskan was heavily damaged by a bomb and Egret was sunk with the loss of 194 of her crew.

Egret's sinking led to the anti-U-boat patrols in the Bay of Biscay to being suspended.