Colony-class frigate

Last updated

HMS Dominica (K507) IWM A 25639.jpg
HMS Dominica in February 1944
Class overview
Operators
Built1943–1945
In commission
  • 1943–1946 (Royal Navy)
  • 1947–1969 (Argentine Navy)
Completed21
Retired21
General characteristics
Type Frigate
Displacement1,264 long tons (1,284 t)
Length303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion
  • 3 × boilers
  • 2 × turbines, 5,500 SHP each
  • 2 shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement190
Armament

The Colony-class frigates were a series of 21 frigates constructed in the United States by the Walsh-Kaiser Company of Providence, Rhode Island, for transfer under Lend-Lease to the Royal Navy in 1944. Each was named after a relatively minor Crown colony or other constituent territory of the British Commonwealth and Empire. [lower-alpha 1] Names of large British colonies had been used for the Crown Colony-class cruisers.

Contents

History

The ships were built as United States Navy Tacoma-class patrol frigates, a design that was an adaptation of the Royal Navy River-class frigate design built in UK, Canada and Australia, with modifications made mainly to use materials and parts more readily available in the United States. For example, American 3-inch (76 mm) guns were used as the main surface armament in the Tacoma- and Colony-class frigates instead of the British QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XIX guns of the River-class. They were mass-produced to mercantile standards to enable their speedy construction in shipyards that did not normally build warships. They were built more quickly than British shipyards could build the Rivers, but the quicker build required more man-hours and sterling cost was about twice that of a River. [1] Upon transfer to the Royal Navy, each ship underwent modifications to bring her in line with Royal Navy requirements.

Uniquely among the Colony-class frigates, and indeed among all World War II frigates, HMS Caicos was fitted and used as an aircraft detection frigate, stationed in the North Sea to detect V-1 flying bombs targeted against Great Britain. The other 20 ships served on patrol and convoy escort duties during the latter part of World War II. The ships are mentioned in HM Frigate by Nicholas Monsarrat, a very slim volume published under wartime censorship rules.

Post-war, the Royal Navy returned one of the ships to the U.S. Navy in 1945 and the rest during 1946. None saw U.S. Navy service. Two of the ships were sold into mercantile service in Egypt, surviving until 1956, and Caicos was sold to Argentina in 1947 and served in the Argentine Navy until 1969. The United States scrapped the rest between 1947 and 1949, as they were considered inferior to destroyer escorts, which the U.S. Navy had in ample numbers, in every aspect except range.

List of ships

With date returned to the United States (unless otherwise stated). Almost all were scrapped by 1946 or 1947, unless stated.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ For example, Zanzibar was a British protectorate and not a colony.

Related Research Articles

<i>Tacoma</i>-class frigate Frigate class of ships of the United States Navy

The Tacoma class of patrol frigates served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Originally classified as gunboats (PG), they were reclassified as patrol frigates (PF) on 15 April 1943. The class is named for its lead ship, Tacoma, a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) S2-S2-AQ1 design, which in turn was named for the city of Tacoma, Washington. Twenty-one ships were transferred to the British Royal Navy, in which they were known as Colony-class frigates, and twenty-eight ships were transferred under Lend-Lease to the Soviet Navy, where they were designated as storozhevoi korabl, during World War II. All Tacoma-class ships in US service during World War II were manned by United States Coast Guard crews. Tacoma-class ships were transferred to the United States Coast Guard and various navies post-World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsh-Kaiser Company</span> American shipyard during World War II

Walsh-Kaiser Company was a shipyard along the Providence River on the border of Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island. It was built during World War II and financed by the Maritime Commission as part of the country's Emergency Shipbuilding Program. It was originally operated by Rheem Manufacturing, a company with no previous shipbuilding expertise. When Rheem had difficulty managing the yard, Kaiser Shipyards was retained to manage the operation.

HMS <i>Dominica</i> (K507) Colony-class frigate

The fourth HMS Dominica (K507) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom which served in the Royal Navy during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Harman (PF-79) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Antigua has been the name of four ships of the Royal Navy, named after the Caribbean island of Antigua:

HMS <i>Caicos</i> Colony-class frigate

HMS Caicos was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She was originally ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigate USS Hannam and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion. It was named after the Caicos Islands.

Four vessels of Britain's Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Dominica, named for the island of Dominica.

HMS Zanzibar (K596) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Prowse (PF-92) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS <i>Ascension</i> Colony-class frigate

HMS Ascension (K502) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served in the Royal Navy during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class frigateUSS Hargood (PF-74) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS <i>Anguilla</i> Colony-class frigate for United States

HMS Anguilla (K500) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom in commission from 1943 to 1946 that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Hallowell (PF-72), later renamed USS Machias (PF-72), and was transferred prior to completion.

HMS <i>Antigua</i> (K501) Colony-class frigate

HMS Antigua (K501) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom in commission from 1943 to 1945 that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Hamond (PF-73) and was transferred prior to completion.

HMS Cayman (K506) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Harland (PF-78) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Labuan (K584), ex-Gold Coast, was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom which served in the Royal Navy during World War II. She was originally ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Harvey (PF-80) and briefly renamed Gold Coast before she was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Montserrat (K586) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Hornby (PF-82) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

The fourth HMS Tobago (K585), ex-Hong Kong, was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom which served in the Royal Navy during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Holmes (PF-81) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Papua (K588) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Howett (PF-84) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Perim (K593), ex-Sierra Leone, was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Phillimore (PF-89) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS St. Helena (K590) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Pasley (PF-86) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion. After the British returned her to the United States in 1946, she briefly carried the name USS St. Helena (PF-86).

HMS <i>Tortola</i> Colony-class frigate

HMS Tortola (K595) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Peyton (PF-91) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Pitcairn (K589) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Pilford (PF-85) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS <i>Somaliland</i> Colony-class frigate

HMS Somaliland (K594) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigateUSS Popham (PF-90) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, DK Nelson to Vanguard
  2. ↑ Page 7, Janes Fighting Ships 1963–64
    Page 9, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.