HMS Lawson

History
United States
Name	unnamed (DE-518)
Builder	Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts
Laid down	9 July 1943
Launched	13 August 1943
Completed	15 November 1943
Commissioned	never
Fate	Transferred to United Kingdom, 15 November 1943
Acquired	Returned by United Kingdom, 20 March 1946
Fate	Sold for scrap, 31 January 1947
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Lawson (K516)
Namesake	Sir John Lawson
Acquired	15 November 1943
Commissioned	15 November 1943
Identification	Pennant number: K516
Fate	Returned to United States, 20 March 1946
General characteristics
Class & type	Captain-class frigate
Displacement	1,190 long tons (1,210  t) (standard)
Length	289 ft 5 in (88.2 m)
Beam	35 ft 2 in (10.7 m)
Draught	10 ft 1 in (3.1 m)
Installed power	6,000  shp (4,500  kW) electric motors
Propulsion	2 shafts; 4 diesel engines
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range	6,000  nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	198
Sensors & processing systems	SA & SL type radars Type 144 series Asdic MF Direction Finding HF Direction Finding
Armament	3 × single 3 in (76 mm)/50 Mk 22 guns 1 × twin Bofors 40 mm 9 × single 20 mm Oerlikon guns 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 2 × Depth charge rails and four throwers

HMS Lawson (K516) 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-518, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1946.

Description

The Evarts-class ships had an overall length of 289 feet 5 inches (88.2 m), a beam of 35 feet 2 inches (10.7 m), and a draught of 10 feet 1 inch (3.1 m) at full load. They displaced 1,190 long tons (1,210  t ) at (standard) and 1,416 long tons (1,439 t) at full load. ^[1] The ships had a diesel–electric powertrain derived from a submarine propulsion system ^[2] with four General Motors 16-cylinder diesel engines providing power to four General Electric electric generators which sent electricity to four 1,500- shaft-horsepower (1,100  kW ) General Electric electric motors which drove the two propeller shafts. The destroyer escorts had enough power give them a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) and enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000  km ; 6,900  mi ) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). Their crew consisted of 198 officers and ratings. ^[3]

The armament of the Evarts-class ships in British service consisted of three single mounts for 50-caliber 3-inch (76 mm)/50 Mk 22 dual-purpose guns; one superfiring pair forward of the bridge and the third gun aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft defence was intended to consisted of a twin-gun mount for 40-millimetre (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) guns atop the rear superstructure with nine 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns located on the superstructure, but production shortages meant that that not all guns were fitted, or that additional Oerlikons replaced the Bofors guns. A Mark 10 Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar was positioned just behind the forward gun. The ships were also equipped with two depth charge rails at the stern and four "K-gun" depth charge throwers. ^[4]

Construction and career

The ship was laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1943 as the unnamed U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-518 and launched on 13 August 1943. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 15 November 1943. The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS Lawson (K516) on 15 November 1943 simultaneously with her transfer. She served on patrol and escort duty in the North Atlantic Ocean for the remainder of World War II, and also supported the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. ^[5]

After the conclusion of the war, the Royal Navy steamed Lawson to the United States, bringing her into port at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 12 March 1946. The United Kingdom officially returned her to United States custody on 20 March 1946. The United States sold Lawson for scrap on 31 January 1947. ^[5]

Citations

1. Whitley, p. 152
2. Friedman, p. 143
3. Lenton, pp. 199–200
4. Friedman, p. 478
5. "Lawson (DE-518)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 8 July 2025.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5267-9327-0.
• Friedman, Norman (2005). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-55750-442-3.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-55750-048-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Cassell & Co. ISBN   1-85409-521-8.

External links

• HMS Lawson at uboat.net
• Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Lawson K516 (DE 518)