On 2 September 1940, in response to two requests by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in May and June of that year, the Congress of the United States approved a deal brokered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to transfer 50 old destroyers to bolster British escort forces in the face of heavy destroyer losses suffered by the Royal Navy due to Dunkirk and other costly operations.  By the date the deal was approved, the RN had lost 33 destroyers of all types, the majority being modern, capable units.  As a result of this agreement, the US gained basing rights at such locations as Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, Bermuda Island and various Caribbean locations.

Following the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, the ability of the Danish government to conduct any kind of independent foreign policy was curtailed.  This was realized by the Danish ambassador in Washington, Mr. Kaufmann, who immediately declared himself independent from the Danish government.  In accordance with US wishes, he therefore took upon himself to conclude an agreement in April, 1941, by which the US agreed to defend Greenland and Iceland, thereby gaining bases in those places to support the convoy lanes to Britain.

Between 9 September and 5 December 1940, the USN transferred 3 Shaw, 23 Wickes and 18 Clemson Class destroyers to the RN and 4 Wickes and 2 Clemson Class destroyers to the Royal Canadian Navy.  The new HMS Hamilton (ex-USS Kalk) was damaged in a collision with the new HMS Georgetown and subsequently transferred from the RN to the RCN, becoming the HMCS Hamilton.  In 1941, ten US Coast Guard 250-foot cutters were also transferred to Britain.

The destroyers transferred to the RN were given town names common to both Britain and the United States, as was the HMCS Annapolis.  The other five ships transferred directly to the RCN were given the names of Canadian rivers.  The destroyers in British service were known as the “Town Class” and broken into the “Belmont,” “Lewes,” “Campbeltown,” and “Bath” groups.  The former Coast Guard cutters were known as the "Banff" class and were designated as Escort Sloops.

The Belmont Group comprised the Clemson Class ships and the Lewes Group the Shaw Class ships.  The Wickes Class ships were split between the Campbeltown Group with 75 tons more fuel and therefor greater range, and the Bath Group, comprising the remaining ships without increased bunkerage.

At the time of transfer, none of the US ships had been modified for anti-submarine warfare, much less received the “escort modification” later applied to a number of these ships remaining in USN service.  Some ships required as much as four months of yard work before being considered suitable for use by the British.  Royal Navy ship handlers complained about the ships’ excessive tactical diameter and their liveliness in North Atlantic seas due to their very fine hull dimensions.  Ratings found the ships’ layout, accommodations and appointments alien, but adapted readily.  During their service with the RN and RCN most of these ships lost two or three 4” SP guns, their antiquated 3” anti-aircraft gun and AA machine guns in favor of more modern RN weapons.  Torpedo armament was quickly halved and in some cases relocated to the centerline.  More depth charge stowage, K-gun and Y-gun depth charge projectors and eventually the Hedgehog ASW mortars were added.  Sensor upgrades included the addition of radar, high frequency direction finding (HF/DF or “Huff Duff”) equipment and improved ASDIC (“sonar” in US parlance).

Although some authors have made much of the contribution of these ships, even to the point of claiming they “saved the world,” their primary benefit was to provide the British and Canadians with a large number of escort platforms - although of no great technical capability - until those nations could get sufficient numbers of modern destroyers and smaller escorts afloat to replace them.  As new ships became available, the transferred vessels were rapidly withdrawn from escort duty and paid off or moved to such auxiliary roles as mobile aircraft target towing.  Some were transferred to yet other Allied navies, including the free Norwegian and free Polish Navies, as well as to the Soviet Navy.

Ten of the destroyers and three of the cutters transferred were lost, as detailed below.  One destroyer was rendered a constructive total loss (CTL) by bomb damage before it ever completed its initial yard work in Britain and was then used for testing and finally sold for scrap in 1944.  Another destroyer was mined.  Seven destroyers and one cutter fell to U-boat torpedoes.  In retaliation, these transferred ships destroyed or assisted in the destruction of ten German U-boats and one Italian submarine, while two assisted in the capture and salvage of another U-boat.  One of the ten U-boats sunk was the U-110, which was boarded and raided before it could founder, resulting in the capture of the Enigma coding machine, its coding wheels and cipher books.

One of the destroyers lost achieved unique fame; HMS Campbeltown being expended as a floating bomb in a daring commando attack in which it rammed the gates of the Normandie Lock at Saint-Nazaire, a French city on the Biscay Coast.  The ship was then blown up with a delay fuze to permit the crew time to escape.  The Campbeltown's explosive exploit ensured that the German battleship Tirpitz would find no repair base in the Atlantic should she break out of the Arctic, diminishing the raider threat and making Campbeltown the most famous of the transferred destroyers.
 

Destroyers transferred from the USN to the RN and RCN
 

USN Name	Date Transferred	New Name
Former Shaw Class
1. DD-70 USS Conway (ex-Craven)	23 Oct 40	HMS Lewes (2) (G68)
2. DD-72 USS Conner	23 Oct 40	HMS Leeds (2) (G27)
3. DD-73 USS Stockton	23 Oct 40	HMS Ludlow (2) (G57)
Former Wickes Class
4. DD-75 USS Wickes	23 Oct 40	HMS Montgomery (3) (G95)
5. DD-76 USS Philip	23 Oct 40	HMS Lancaster (3) (G05)
6. DD-78 USS Evans	23 Oct 40	HMS Mansfield (3) (G76)
7. DD-81 USS Sigourney	26 Nov 40	HMS Newport (4) (G54)
8. DD-88 USS Robinson	26 Nov 40	HMS Newmarket (4) (G47)
9. DD-89 USS Ringgold	26 Nov 40	HMS Newark (4) (G08)
10. DD-93 USS Fairfax	26 Nov 40	HMS Richmond (3) (G88)
11. DD-108 USS Williams	24 Sep 40	HMCS St. Clair (I65)
12. DD-127 USS Twiggs	23 Oct 40	HMS Leamington (3) (G19)
13. DD-131 USS Buchanan	9 Sep 40	HMS Campbeltown (3) (I42)
14. DD-132 USS Aaron Ward	9 Sep 40	HMS Castleton (3) (I23)
15. DD-133 USS Hale	9 Sep 40	HMS Caldwell (3) (I20)
16. DD-134 USS Crowninshield	9 Sep 40	HMS Chelsea (3) (I35)
17. DD-135 USS Tillman	26 Nov 40	HMS Wells (3) (I95)
18. DD-140 USS Claxton	5 Dec 40	HMS Salisbury (3) (I52)
19. DD-143 USS Yarnall	23 Oct 40	HMS Lincoln (3) (G42)
20. DD-162 USS Thatcher	24 Sep 40	HMCS Niagara (I57)
21. DD-167 USS Cowell	23 Sep 40	HMS Brighton (4) (I08)
22. DD-168 USS Maddox	23 Sep 40	HMS Georgetown (4) (I40)
23. DD-169 USS Foote	23 Sep 40	HMS Roxborough (4) (I07)
24. DD-170 USS Kalk	23 Sep 40	HMCS Hamilton (I24)
25. DD-175 USS Mackenzie	24 Sep 40	HMCS Annapolis (I04)
26. DD-181 USS Hopewell	23 Sep 40	HMS Bath (4) (I17)
27. DD-182 USS Thomas	23 Sep 40	HMS St. Albans (4) (I15)
28. DD-183 USS Haraden	24 Sep 40	HMCS Columbia (I49)
29. DD-184 USS Abbot	23 Sep 40	HMS Charlestown (4) (I21)
30. DD-185 USS Doran (ex-Bagley)	23 Sep 40	HMS St. Marys (4) (I12)
Former Clemson Class
31. DD-191 USS Mason	8 Oct 40	HMS Belmont (1) (H46)
32. DD-192 USS Graham	8 Oct 40	HMS Broadwater (1) (H81)
33. DD-193 USS Abel P. Upshur	9 Sep 40	HMS Clare (1) (I14)
34. DD-194 USS Hunt	8 Oct 40	HMS Broadway (1) (H90)
35. DD-195 USS Welborn C. Wood	9 Sep 40	HMS Chesterfield (1) (I28)
36. DD-197 USS Branch	8 Oct 40	HMS Beverly (1) (H64)
37. DD-198 USS Herndon	9 Sep 40	HMS Churchill (1) (I45)
38. DD-252 USS McCook	24 Sep 40	HMCS St. Croix (I81)
39. DD-253 USS McCalla	23 Oct 40	HMS Stanley (1) (I73)
40. DD-254 USS Rodgers	23 Oct 40	HMS Sherwood (1) (I80)
41. DD-256 USS Bancroft	24 Sep 40	HMCS St. Francis (I93)
42. DD-257 USS Welles	9 Sep 40	HMS Cameron (1) (I05)
43. DD-258 USS Aulick	8 Oct 40	HMS Burnham (1) (H82)
44. DD-263 USS Laub	8 Oct 40	HMS Burwell (1) (H94)
45. DD-264 USS McLanahan	8 Oct 40	HMS Bradford (1) (H72)
46. DD-265 USS Edwards	8 Oct 40	HMS Buxton (1) (H96)
47. DD-268 USS Shubrick	26 Nov 40	HMS Ripley (1) (G79)
48. DD-269 USS Bailey	26 Nov 40	HMS Reading (1) (G71)
49. DD-273 USS Swasey	26 Nov 40	HMS Rockingham (1) (G58)
50. DD-274 USS Meade	26 Nov 40	HMS Ramsey (1) (G60)

Notes:

(1) British “Town” Class, Belmont Group.
(2) British “Town” Class, Lewes Group.
(3) British “Town” Class, Campbeltown Group.
(4) British “Town” Class, Bath Group.
 

Coast Guard Cutters Transferred to the RN
 

USCG Name	Date Transferred	New Name
1. Chelan CGC-45	12 May 41	HMS Lulworth (Y.60)
2. Pontchartrain CGC-46	30 Apr 41	HMS Hartland (Y.00)
3. Tahoe CGC-47	30 Apr 41	HMS Fishguard (Y.59)
4. Champlain CGC-48	12 May 41	HMS Sennen (Y.21)
5. Mendota CGC-49	30 Apr 41	HMS Culver (Y.87)
6. Itasca CGC-50	30 May 41	HMS Gorelson (Y.92)
7. Sebago CGC-51	12 May 41	HMS Walney (Y.04)
8. Saranac CGC-52	30 Apr 41	HMS Banff (Y.43)
9. Shoshone CGC-53	20 May 41	HMS Languard (Y.56)
10. Cayuga CGC-54	12 May 41	HMS Totland (Y.88)

.
Destroyers transferred from the RN to non-Commonwealth Allied navies
 

Name	Service Dates	Navy	New Name
HMS Mansfield	Dec 40 - Mar 42	Norway	Mansfield
HMS Newport	Mar 42 - Jun 42	Norway	Newport
HMS Richmond	16 Jul 44	USSR	Zhivuchi
HMS Leamington	Jul 44 - 1950	USSR	Zhguchi ("Fiery")
HMS Campbeltown	Jan - Sept 1941	Netherlands *	Campeltown
HMS Chelsea	Jul 44 - 1949	USSR	Dyerzki
HMS Lincoln	Feb 42 - Aug 44  Aug 44 - 1952	Norway  USSR	Lincoln  Druzni
HMS Brighton	Jul 44 - 1949	USSR	Zharki ("Ardent")
HMS Georgetown	Aug 44 - 1952	USSR	Zhostki ("Enterprising")
HMS Roxborough	Aug 44 - 1949	USSR	Doblestni ("Valiant")
HMS St. Albans	Apr 41 - Aug 44  Aug 44 - 1949	Norway  USSR	St. Albans  Dostoini ("Worthy")
HMS Churchill	Jul 44 - Jan 45	USSR	Deiatelnyi

* In January 1941 HMS Campeltown (ex-USS Buchanan) was provisionally allocated to the Royal Netherlands Navy, but she reverted back to the Royal Navy in September 1941.

War Losses
 

Name	Date	Cause
Destroyers
HMS Campbeltown	28 Mar 42	Expended in raid on St. Nazaire dry-dock
HMS Bath	19 Aug 41	Torpedoed by U-204
HMS Belmont	31 Jan 42	Torpedoed by U-82
HMS Broadwater	18 Oct 41	Torpedoed by U-101
HMS Beverly	11 Apr 43	Torpedoed by U-188
USSR Deiatelnyi	16 Jan 45	Torpedoed by U-956
HMCS St. Croix	20 Sep 43	Torpedoed by U-305
HMS Stanley	19 Dec 41	Torpedoed by U-574
HMS Cameron	5 Dec 40	CTL after air-raid, sold for scrap Nov 44
HMS Rockingham	27 Sep 44	Mined off Aberdeen, Scotland
Cutters
HMS Hartland	8 Nov 42	Sunk by gunfire off Oran  Salved and scuttled 16 Oct 49
HMS Walney	8 Nov 42	Sunk by gunfire off Oran
HMS Culver	31 Jan 42	Torpedoed by U-105

.
U-boat Kills

U-87 in part by HMCS St. Croix assisted by HMCS Shediac of Escort Group C-1 defending convoy KMS-10.  4 March 1943.
U-89 in part by HMS Broadway assisted by HMS Lagan of Escort Group C-2 defending convoy Halifax-237.  12 May 1943.
U-90 by HMCS St. Croix of Escort Group C-1 defending convoy Outbound North-113; HMS Burnham also pursued a different U-boat on this occasion.  24 July 1942.
U-110 in part by HMS Broadway assisting HMS Bulldog and HMS Aubrieta of Escort Group 7, defending Outbound 318. U-boat boarded and Enigma code books and machine seized, but vessel sank under tow.  9 May 1941.
U-131 in part by HMS Stanley, assisting HMS Penstemon, HMS Exmoor II, HMS Stork, HMS Blankney and an HMS Audacity F4F-4 of Johnny Walker’s Escort Group 36, defending convoy Homebound Gibraltar 76.  17 December 1941.
U-187 in part by HMS Beverly, assisting HMS Vimy of Escort Group B-2, defending convoy SC-118.  4 February 1943.
U-207 by HMS Leamington and HMS Veteran of Escort Group 2, defending Slow Convoy 42.  11 September 1941.
U-401 by HMS St. Albans, HMS Wanderer and HMS Hydrangea defending convoy Sierra Leone 81.  3 August 1941.
U-434 by HMS Stanley and HMS Blankney assisted by HMS Exmoor II and HMS Deptford, of Johnny Walker’s Escort Group 36, defending convoy Homebound Gibraltar 76.  18 December 1941.
U-587 by HMS Leamington, HMS Grove, HMS Aldenham and HMS Volunteer of Escort Group 2, defending troop convoy Winston Special 17 after DF fix by HMS Keppel.  27 March 1942.

Italian Submarine Kill

Pietro Calvi by HMS Lulworth, escort for Convoy S.4.  Depth charged and rammed.  During this battle, the German U.130 attempted to torpedo Lulworth but missed.  In return, Lulworth fired on U.130 but also missed. 14 July 1942.

U-boat Captures

U-570 blown to the surface by Iceland based 269 Squadron Hudson’s depth bombs defending convoys Halifax 144, Slow Convoy 40 and Halifax 145. Enigma and coding papers thrown overboard.  Intercepted and boarded in part by HMCS Niagara and HMS Burwell assisting trawlers HMS Northern Chief, HMS Kingston Agathe, HMS Wastwater and HMS Windermere.  Towed to Iceland, repaired, thoroughly evaluated and commissioned into RN as HMS Graph. 27 August 1941.

Friendly-fire Incidents

Trawler Minesweeper HMS Alberic sunk by collision with HMS St. Albans off Scapa.  3 May 1941.
Polish submarine Jastrzab ("Hawk", ex-USS S-25) sunk in part by HNoMS St. Albans off Norway.  5 May 1942.

Note

U-960 is mistakenly credited to HMS Ludlow by some sources.  This submarine was actually destroyed in part by the American destroyer USS Ludlow (DD-438) of the Livermore Class.

Bibiliography

“Hitler’s U-boat War, Volumes One and Two” by Clay Blair.

“Destroyers of the World, An International Encyclopedia” by M.J. Whitley.

“U.S. Destroyers, An Illustrated Design History” by Norman Friedman.

"Warships of World War II" by H.T. Lenton & J.J. Colledge

"US Warships of World War II" by Paul Silverstone

Ken Laesser's Coast Guard page at http://www.laesser.org

HyperWar Website at http://metalab.unc.edu/hyperwar/

"The History of Denmark, Volume II" by John Danstrup, 1946

"Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two" by Jurgen Rohwer

"Italian Submarines in World War Two" at http://www.regiamarina.net/subs/index.htm

Special thanks to Johan Lupander, George Duffy and Bogdan Zemanek.

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