Pacific ships

RN · Acting Captain

Barry, Stephen

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SB

Ships

Stephen Barry had HMS Enterprise (D52) from 10 April 1945 into the middle of 1945, as an acting captain on the retired list. She was being refitted at Chatham for trooping, and the trooping voyages began in June.

Unithistories.com says he was the younger son of Charles Edward Barry, a solicitor, of Clifton, Bristol, who lived from 1859 to 1934, and of Florence Maud Low, who lived from 1867 to 1924. His brother was Admiral Sir Claud Barrington Barry. He married Agnes Elizabeth Johns, called Betty, in December 1932. The page prints the month as "(12?)." She lived from 11 January 1908 to June 1994. They had one son and one daughter. The marriage is placed in the Potterspury district. He was born on 18 November 1894 in the Axbridge district of Somerset and died on 12 December 1989 at Lydeard, in the Taunton Deane district. Uboat.net gives the same birth and death dates and no places.

He was educated at Cordwalles, Maidenhead, and at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth, and he entered the Navy on 15 September 1907. Unithistories lists midshipman on 15 May 1912, acting sub-lieutenant on 15 September 1914, sub-lieutenant on 15 March 1915, lieutenant with seniority of 15 September 1916, and lieutenant-commander on 15 September 1924. He retired on 1 October 1931 and was promoted commander on the retired list on 18 November 1934. The acting captain's date is printed on the page as "05.06.19422." The appointment under that rank is Tana, the base at Kilindini, from 5 June 1942 to 14 July 1942. He was dispersed on 10 October 1945, reverted to the retired list on 6 December 1945, and was granted the war-service rank of captain. He was mentioned in despatches on 14 November 1944 for Operation Neptune.

From 28 August 1939 to 4 June 1942 he was in the Naval Intelligence Division. The page says that in 1941 and 1942 he was a member of the Far East Combined Bureau in Singapore, and that he was evacuated on 5 January 1942 in the troopship Devonshire to Colombo. From 15 July 1942 to 17 March 1943 he was Chief of Intelligence Staff, Eastern Fleet, at Kilindini. He commanded the repair ship Albatross from 18 March to 5 November 1943, and the landing ship Glenroy from 8 December 1943 to 1 August 1944. He commanded Danae from 7 August to 4 October 1944. From 24 October 1944 to 9 April 1945 he was in the Personal Services Department of the Admiralty, for overseas transport of personnel.

Uboat.net then gives him Enterprise from 10 April 1945 to mid 1945. Unithistories gives 10 April 1945 through July 1945. Mason has the Chatham trooping refit running through April and May, with post-refit trials in May and the first trooping voyage, to Bombay, in June and July. The command line keeps uboat.net's "mid 1945," which is the phrase that hands her to George McCombe.

Unithistories lists him additional to Victory from 1945 until he was dispersed on 10 October 1945, with a note that he was not to join. He reverted to the retired list on 6 December 1945. He died on 12 December 1989 at Lydeard.