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Colony-class frigate

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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
TypeFrigate
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 Walsh-Kaiser of Providence, Rhode Island for transfer under Lend-Lease to the Royal Navy in 1944. They were given the names of relatively minor colonies as names of large colonies had been used for the Crown Colony-class cruisers.

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.

Discover more about Colony-class frigate related topics

Frigate

Frigate

A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States, was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, China, and other Allied nations with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and 1945. The aid was given for free on the basis that such help was essential for the defense of the United States.

Crown colony

Crown colony

A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by the Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council. In some cases, this Council was split into two: an Executive Council and a Legislative Council, and was similar to the Privy Council that advises the Monarch. Members of Executive Councils were appointed by the Governors, and British citizens resident in Crown colonies either had no representation in local government, or limited representation. In several Crown colonies, this limited representation grew over time. As the House of Commons of the British Parliament has never included seats for any of the colonies, there was no direct representation in the sovereign government for British subjects or citizens residing in Crown colonies.

Cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.

Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is dominated by a maritime climate with narrow temperature differences between seasons. The 60% smaller island of Ireland is to the west—these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands and named substantial rocks, form the British Isles archipelago.

Convoy

Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.

Censorship

Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments, private institutions and other controlling bodies.

Merchant ship

Merchant ship

A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are used for military purposes.

Egypt

Egypt

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the second-largest city, is an important industrial and tourist hub at the Mediterranean coast. At approximately 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the 14th-most populated country in the world.

Argentina

Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world. It shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a part of Antarctica.

Argentine Navy

Argentine Navy

The Argentine Navy is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force.

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort

Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a 20-knot warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships.

List of ships

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

Discover more about List of ships related topics

HMS Antigua (K501)

HMS Antigua (K501)

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 frigate USS Hamond (PF-73) and was transferred prior to completion.

HMS Barbados (K504)

HMS Barbados (K504)

HMS Barbados 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 frigate USS Halsted (PF-76) – sometimes spelled Halstead – and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Caicos (K505)

HMS Caicos (K505)

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.

HMS Cayman (K506)

HMS Cayman (K506)

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 frigate USS Harland (PF-78) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Dominica (K507)

HMS Dominica (K507)

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 frigate USS Harman (PF-79) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Labuan (K584)

HMS Labuan (K584)

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 frigate USS Harvey (PF-80) and briefly renamed Gold Coast before she was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Montserrat (K586)

HMS Montserrat (K586)

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 frigate USS Hornby (PF-82) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Nyasaland (K587)

HMS Nyasaland (K587)

HMS Nyasaland (K587) 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 frigate USS Hoste (PF-83) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Papua (K588)

HMS Papua (K588)

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 frigate USS Howett (PF-84) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

Gulf of Suez

Gulf of Suez

The Gulf of Suez is a gulf at the northern end of the Red Sea, to the west of the Sinai Peninsula. Situated to the east of the Sinai Peninsula is the smaller Gulf of Aqaba. The gulf was formed within a relatively young but now inactive Gulf of Suez Rift rift basin, dating back about 26 million years. It stretches some 300 kilometres (190 mi) north by northwest, terminating at the Egyptian city of Suez and the entrance to the Suez Canal. Along the mid-line of the gulf is the boundary between Africa and Asia. The entrance of the gulf lies atop the mature Gemsa oil and gas field. The gulf is considered one of the world's important maritime zones due to being an entrance to the Suez Canal.

HMS Perim (K593)

HMS Perim (K593)

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 frigate USS Phillimore (PF-89) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Pitcairn (K589)

HMS Pitcairn (K589)

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 frigate USS Pilford (PF-85) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

Gallery

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HMS Antigua (K501)

HMS Antigua (K501)

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 frigate USS Hamond (PF-73) and was transferred prior to completion.

HMS Caicos (K505)

HMS Caicos (K505)

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.

HMS Dominica (K507)

HMS Dominica (K507)

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 frigate USS Harman (PF-79) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Somaliland (K594)

HMS Somaliland (K594)

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 frigate USS Popham (PF-90) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

HMS Tortola (K595)

HMS Tortola (K595)

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 frigate USS Peyton (PF-91) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

Source: "Colony-class frigate", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, March 12th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony-class_frigate.

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Notes
  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
References
External links

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