HMS Fitzroy (K553)

Last updated

HMS Fitzroy 1944 IWM FL 13142.jpg
HMS Fitzroy on 25 April 1944
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
Nameunnamed (DE-88)
Ordered10 January 1942 [1]
Builder Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down24 August 1943 [2]
Launched1 September 1943 [2]
Completed16 October 1943 [2]
Commissionednever
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 16 October 1943 [1]
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 5 January 1946 [2]
Stricken7 February 1946 [2]
FateSold for scrapping 23 May 1946 [2]
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameHMS Fitzroy (K553)
Namesake Vice Admiral Sir Robert FitzRoy (1805–1865), British naval officer who was commanding officer of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's voyage of 1831–1836 [3]
Acquired16 October 1943 [1]
Commissioned16 October 1943 [1]
Decommissioned1945 [4]
FateReturned to United States 5 January 1946 [2]
General characteristics
Displacement1,400 long tons (1,422 t)
Length306 ft (93 m)
Beam36.75 ft (11.2 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion
  • Two Foster-Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers
  • GE 13,500 shp (10,070 kW) steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW)
  • Electric motors for 12,000 shp (8,900 kW)
  • Two shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h)
Range5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement186
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Notes Pennant number K553

The second HMS Fitzroy (K553) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

Contents

Construction and transfer

The ship was laid down as the unnamed U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-88 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 24 August 1943 and launched on 1 September 1943. [2] She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 16 October 1943. [2]

Service history

Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as the frigate HMS Fitzroy (K553) on 16 October 1943 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty. On 27 March 1945 she joined the British frigates HMS Byron (K508) and HMS Redmill (K554) in sinking with depth charges the German submarine U-722 in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Hebrides at 57°09′00″N006°55′00″W / 57.15000°N 6.91667°W / 57.15000; -6.91667 (U-722 sunk) . On 8 April 1945 she joined Byron in a depth-charge attack which sank the German submarine U-1001 in the North Atlantic south-west of Land's End, England, at 49°19′00″N010°23′00″W / 49.31667°N 10.38333°W / 49.31667; -10.38333 (U-1001 sunk) . [1]

The Royal Navy decommissioned Fitzroy later in 1945 and returned her to the U.S. Navy on 5 January 1946. [2]

Disposal

The U.S. Navy struck Fitzroy from its Naval Vessel Register on 7 February 1946. She was sold on 23 May 1946 for scrapping. [2]

Related Research Articles

Lieutenant Commander Orme G. Stuart, DSC was a businessperson and officer with the Royal Canadian Navy.

HMS <i>Byron</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Byron was a US-built Captain class frigate of the Royal Navy during World War II. Named after Vice Admiral The Honourable John Byron whose frequent encounters with bad weather in ensuing years won him the sobriquet, "Foul Weather Jack". Originally laid down as DE-79, a turbo-electric (TE) type Buckley-class destroyer escort, she was diverted to the Royal Navy and named HMS Byron before the launch.

HMS Cotton (K510) was a Captain-class frigate of the British Royal Navy that served in World War II. The ship was laid down as a Buckley-class destroyer escort at the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard at Hingham, Massachusetts on 2 June 1943, with the hull number DE-81, and launched on 21 August 1943. The ship was transferred to the UK under Lend-Lease on 8 November 1943, and named after Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, an officer who served in the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

HMS Cubitt (K512) was a Captain-class frigate of the British Royal Navy that served during World War II. The ship was laid down as a Buckley-class destroyer escort at the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard at Hingham, Massachusetts on 9 June 1943, with the hull number DE-83, and launched on 11 September 1943. The ship was transferred to the UK under Lend-Lease on 17 November 1943, and named after Captain J. Cubitt, a Navy officer who commanded the frigate Mary Rose in 1661.

HMS Hargood (K582) was a Captain-class frigate which served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Laid down as a Buckley class destroyer escort originally intended for the United States Navy, she was transferred to the United Kingdom under the terms of Lend-Lease before she was finished in 1944, serving in the Royal Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was returned to the U.S. Navy in 1946 and sold for scrapping in 1947.

HMS <i>Ekins</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Ekins (K552) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy that served during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS <i>Essington</i> (K353) Frigate of the Royal Navy

The second HMS Essington (K353), and the first ship of the name to see service, was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

The second HMS Redmill (K554), and first ship to see service under the name, was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS <i>Retalick</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Retalick (K555) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS <i>Riou</i> WWII frigate

HMS Riou (K557) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS Rowley was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

The fourth HMS Rupert (K561) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1946.

The second HMS Seymour (K563) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1946.

HMS <i>Stayner</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Stayner was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS <i>Thornborough</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Thornborough (K574), sometimes spelled Thornbrough, was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, the ship served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS Tyler (K576) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1944 to 1945.

The second HMS Whitaker (K580), and the first to enter service, was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1944 to 1945.

HMS <i>Grindall</i> Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Grindall (K477) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Sanders (DE-273), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945 and then in the U.S. Navy as USS Grindall (DE-273) from August to October 1945.

The second HMS Manners (K568) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort DE-523, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

HMS <i>Vesper</i> Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Vesper was a V-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I and World War II.

References

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.