Captain Harry Charles Birnie, (1 October 1882 – 9 March 1943) was a Scottish

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

and naval officer. His peacetime seafaring career was spent with the

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

. He also served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in both World Wars, being killed in action while in command of a merchant convoy in the North Atlantic in 1943.

Early life

Birnie was the son of Reverend C. Birnie, MA, and Katherine Birnie, of

New Aberdour New Aberdour is a small planned village in the Aberdour parish of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated south of Aberdour Bay on the Moray Firth. It lies west of Fraserburgh. One of the earliest churches in Scotland is said to have been founded here ...

, in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Cunard service

Birnie served as a junior officer on , under Sir Arthur Henry Rostron. On 26 April 1907, Rostron and Birnie are said to have observed a sea monster. Rostron wrote about the episode in his autobiography, while Birnie confirmed the account several years later. During the inter-war years, Birnie returned to the Cunard Line, eventually reaching the rank of captain at a young age. He made numerous Atlantic crossings in command of the , and .

Naval service

World War I

While employed by the Cunard Line, Birnie was also a member of the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

, having been commissioned as a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in 1904, and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 12 December 1907. During World War I, Birnie served in the Royal Navy, commanding HM Torpedo Boat 82 in 1915, and the destroyer in the North Sea in 1916–1917. On 18 November 1917, while in command of the patrol boat HMS ''P-57'', Lieutenant-Commander Birnie sank a German submarine, , off

Flamborough Head Flamborough Head () is a promontory, long on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, with sheer white cliffs. The cliff top has two standing lighthouse towers, the olde ...

, Yorkshire, initially by ramming it at near full-speed, then dropping depth charges. He received the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

for this exploit in February 1918, while the Admiralty awarded a "kill" bonus of £1,000 to be shared by the crew of HMS ''P-57''.

World War II

During World War II, Birnie served from 1940 onwards, holding the rank of

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

- commodore (2nd class) and attached to . He commanded several convoys, carrying men and materiel across the Atlantic; including Convoys ON 50, UR 32, ON 162, and SC 121. In December 1942, Birnie was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

: "For outstanding devotion to duty during two years' arduous service as commodore of convoys."

Death

In February and March 1943, Birnie was in command of

Convoy SC 121 Convoy SC 121 was the 121st of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City 23 February 1943; and were met by the Mid-Ocean Escort Force Grou ...

from New York to Liverpool, sailing in the Norwegian merchant ship ''Bonneville''. On 9 March 1943, the ''Bonneville'' was struck by a torpedo, apparently fired by the . Birnie was amongst those lost. He initially stayed on ''Bonneville'' after she was hit, but eventually he and one of his staff jumped overboard from the after end of the ship. Some other survivors on a raft saw them in the water but were unable to maneuver the raft to them. It was reported that this convoy was to be his last. He is memorialised on the Liverpool Naval Memorial for sailors of the Royal Navy Reserve who were lost at sea during World War II. There is also a headstone commemorating him at the New Aberdour Old Churchyard.

Trinity House

Birnie was an Elder Brother of Trinity House, a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of n ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

responsible for maritime safety. As part of his functions, he served as a nautical

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in the British courts, including in the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birnie, Harry Charles 1880s births 1943 deaths Military personnel from Aberdeenshire Scottish military personnel killed in action Ship captains of the Cunard Line Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy personnel killed in World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Members of Trinity House British Merchant Navy officers Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I Royal Naval Reserve personnel Scottish naval personnel Royal Navy officers Convoy commodores Royal Navy captains