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One of Britain's last U-boat hunters celebrates 104th birthday
11 March 2026
Serving and veteran sailors joined WW2 hero Jim Collorick as one of the last sailors to sink a U-boat in action celebrated his 104th birthday.
On Boxing Day 1942, destroyer HMS Hesperus rammed U-357, carving the boat in two and sending her to the bottom of the Atlantic some 350 northwest of the coast of Northern Ireland in a joint action with HMS Vanessa.
Nearly 85 years later Jim vividly recounted the action as he celebrated his birthday at a care home in Macclesfield, surrounded by family, friends and veterans.
“We finished up on December 26, 1942 by having a battle for several hours with a U-boat,” he said.
“At eight o’clock at night it was pitch black. We got him in front of us and deliberately rammed him – we cut him in two.”
Just six Germans were plucked from the water; 36 men went down with the submarine, while Hesperus returned home to Liverpool a few days later with a bashed bow as proof of her success – a picture Jim proudly displays to this day.
“In 1942 the U-boats were all over the place and we were always target number one. We were never hit – we were very lucky,” he added.
He served as a radio operator/telegraphist and is rightly proud of the role he and his shipmates played in the key battle of WW2 – though he plays down his own part in it.
“We depended on the Atlantic lifeline for food and fuel, which the German U-boats very nearly cut,” said Jim.
“Winston Churchill said in his memoirs that the only thing that really worried him during the war was the U-boat peril in 1942.”
He added: “I didn’t do anything special, but I am proud to have served. The great thing was the comradeship during the war, particularly in the dark days when there was plenty of action.”
Thanking Jim for his service – and lavishing him with gifts – were Lieutenant Antonio Valente from the RNHQ Northern England and Isle of Man at HMS Eaglet.
Deputy Mayor Cheshire East Cllr Judy Snowball, Honorary Treasurer of Macclesfield Royal British Legion Peter Lake, alongside Jim’s son David, fellow armed forces veterans, residents and staff from the care home.
“Listening to Jim speak about his medals, the missions he completed during the Battle of the Atlantic, and his service in the Royal Navy was incredibly inspiring. I felt genuinely humbled to be in the presence of such a remarkable man,” said Lt Valente.
“What struck me most was how young Jim looked – if I hadn’t known his age, I would have bet my mortgage he was in his early eighties. When I asked him what his secret was, he smiled and said, ‘Sea air and rum, my good man.’
“Jim completely lit up the room, and I feel privileged to have met such a wonderful human being.”