HMS Cranstoun

Last updated

History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Cranstoun
Builder Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard
Laid down9 June 1943
Launched28 August 1943
Commissioned13 November 1943
Decommissioned3 December 1945
Stricken7 February 1946
Honours and
awards
  • English Channel
  • North Foreland [1]
FateSold for scrapping, 20 November 1947
General characteristics
Class and type Captain-class frigate
Displacement
  • 1,400 long tons (1,422 t) standard
  • 1,740 long tons (1,768 t) full
Length
  • 306 ft (93 m) o/a
  • 300 ft (91 m) w/l
Beam36 ft 9 in (11.20 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Foster Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers
  • GE 13,500 shp (10,067 kW) steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW)
  • Electric motors 12,000 shp (8,948 kW)
  • 2 shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Range5,500 nmi (10,200 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement186
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Service record
Commanders:
  • Lt. Eric W. Rainey, RN
  • (23 November 1943 – 23 June 1945)
  • A/Lt.Cdr. Alfred S. Miller, DSC, RNZNVR
  • (23 JuneSeptember 1945)
  • A/Lt.Cdr. John P. Kilbee, RNR
  • (SeptemberOctober 1945) [2]
Victories: U-1063 (15 April 1945)

HMS Cranstoun (K511) was a Captain-class frigate of the British Royal Navy that served in the last two years of 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-82, and launched on 28 August 1943. The ship was transferred to the UK under Lend-Lease on 13 November 1943, [3] and named after Captain James Cranstoun, an officer who served in the American Revolutionary and French Revolutionary Wars.

Service history

Cranstoun served as a convoy escort, and was attached to the Nore Command, and then the 19th Escort Group. [4]

At 21:14 on the evening of 15 April 1945 Cranstoun and Loch Killin, while part of the escort to Convoy TBC 128, detected the U-1063 in Bigbury Bay, Devon. The two ships mounted a coordinated attack, with Loch Killin using her Squid anti-submarine mortar three times and Cranstoun her Hedgehog mortar once, to force the U-boat to the surface. Burges then also joined the attack, as the U-boat was illuminated by the ship's searchlights and fired on with 20 mm and 40 mm guns. U-1063 attempted to escape, but Loch Killin attacked with depth charges and sank her. Only 17 of the crew survived. [5]

Cranstoun was returned to the U.S. Navy on 3 December 1945, struck from the Navy List on 7 February 1946, and sold for scrapping on 20 November 1947. [3]

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Loch Killin</i> (K391) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Loch Killin was a Loch-class frigate of the Royal Navy, named after Loch Killin in Scotland. The ship was laid down at Burntisland Shipbuilding Company's yard in Fife on 2 June 1943, and launched on 29 November 1943. She was one of the first vessels armed with the brand new Squid anti-submarine mortar. Decommissioned in September 1945, the ship was put into Reserve, and finally scrapped on 24 August 1960.

HMS <i>Byard</i> (K315) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Byard was a Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy during World War II. She was named for Sir Thomas Byard, who commanded HMS Bedford at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars.

HMS <i>Bickerton</i> (K466) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Bickerton was a Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the World War II as a convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare vessel in the Battle of the Atlantic and was an effective U-boat killer, being credited with the destruction of two U-boats during a service career of just 10 months. Bickerton was lost in action on 22 August 1944.

HMS <i>Balfour</i> (K464) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Balfour was a Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy which served during World War II. She was built as a TE (Buckley) type destroyer escort in the United States and delivered to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease arrangement.

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

HMS Conn was a TE ("Buckley") Type Captain class frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during World War II as a convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare vessel in the Battle of the Atlantic and was credited with the destruction of two U-boats during the conflict.

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 <i>Curzon</i> (K513) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Curzon (K513) 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 23 June 1943, with the hull number DE-84, and launched on 18 September 1943. The ship was transferred to the UK under Lend-Lease on 20 November 1943, and named after either Captain Henry Curzon, who commanded Pallas at the First Battle of Groix (1795), or Captain Edward Curzon who commanded Asia at the Battle of Navarino (1827). There is official uncertainty about which is correct.

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> (K552) 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.

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.

HMS <i>Rutherford</i> (K558) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Rutherford (K558) 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 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>Spragge</i> (K572) Frigate of the Royal Navy

The fourth HMS Spragge (K572) and third ship of the name 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 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>Torrington</i> (K577) Frigate of the Royal Navy

The fourth HMS Torrington (K577) 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 1946.

HMS Goodall (K479) 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 Reybold (DE-275), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 until her sinking in 1945.

HMS Gould (K476) 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 Lovering (DE-272), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 until her sinking in 1944.

References

  1. Tynan, Roy (2006). "Captain Class Frigate - Battle Honours". captainclassfrigates.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur (2011). "Allied Warships of WWII : HMS Cranstoun". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 Smolinski, Mike (2010). "Destroyer Escort Photo Index - HMS Cranstoun (K511)". navsource.org. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  4. Collingwood, Donald (1998). The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War. Barnsley: Leo Cooper. ISBN   0-85052-615-9.
  5. Phillips, Stephen (2003). "Into the Lion's Den: The Loss of U-1063". ubootwaffe.net. Archived from the original on 30 July 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2011.