View source for HMS Lowestoft (U59)

{{other ships|HMS Lowestoft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
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|Ship image=HMS Lowestoft 1943 IWM FL 11988.jpg
|Ship caption=''Lowestoft'' in March 1943
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=[[United Kingdom]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Lowestoft''
|Ship ordered=1 November 1932
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]]
|Ship laid down=28 August 1933
|Ship launched=11 April 1934
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|Ship completed=22 November 1934
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|Ship decommissioned=June 1945
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|Ship fate=Sold for mercantile service 4 October 1946, scrapped 1955
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship class={{sclass|Grimsby|sloop|0}} [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|990|LT|t|abbr=on}} standard
|Ship length={{convert|266|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam={{convert|36|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|9|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} (full load)
|Ship propulsion=*Two Admiralty 3-drum [[water-tube boiler]]s
*[[Parsons Marine Steam Turbines|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s
*Two shafts
*{{convert|2,000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|16.5|kn||abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|6000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|abbr=on}}
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|Ship complement=100
|Ship time to activate=
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|Ship armament=*2 × [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX & XII|4.7 in (120 mm) Mark IX guns]]
*1 × [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt]] anti-aircraft gun
*4 × [[Ordnance QF 3-pounder Vickers|3-pounder guns]]
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'''HMS ''Lowestoft''''' was a {{sclass|Grimsby|sloop|0}} [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. Built at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]] in the 1930s, ''Lowestoft'' was launched in 1934 and commissioned later that year. She served on the [[China Station]], based at [[Hong Kong]] until the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. ''Lowestoft'' served as a convoy escort during the war, both in the North Atlantic and off the west coast of Africa.

==Construction and design==
On 1 May 1933, the [[British Admiralty]] ordered two {{sclass|Grimsby|sloop|1}}s, ''Lowestoft'' and {{HMS|Wellington|U65|2}} to be built at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Naval Dockyard]] as part of the 1932 construction programme. Two ''Grimsby''-class sloops had been ordered as part of the previous year's pattern, and two more would be ordered in both 1934 and 1935, giving a total of eight ''Grimsby''-class ships built for the Royal Navy.<ref name="sloops p6">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=6}}</ref><ref name="fried p332">{{harvnb|Friedman|2008|p=332}}</ref> Four more were built for Australia and one for India.<ref name="fried p332"/>  The ''Grimsby'' class, while based on the previous {{sclass|Shoreham|sloop|4}}, was intended to be a more capable escort vessel than previous sloops, and carried a more powerful armament.<ref name="sloops p13-4">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|pp=13–14}}</ref><ref name="fried p62">{{harvnb|Friedman|2008|p=62}}</ref>

''Lowestoft'' was {{convert|266|ft|3|in|m}} [[length overall|long overall]], with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|36|ft|m|2}} and a [[Draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|9|ft|6|in|m}} at deep load. [[Displacement (ship)|Displacement]] was {{convert|990|LT|t}} [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]],<ref name="sloops p42">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=42}}</ref> and {{convert|1355|LT|t}} full load.<ref name="fried p320-1"/> The ship was powered by two geared [[steam turbine]]s driving two shafts, fed by two Admiralty 3-drum boilers. This machinery produced {{convert|2000|shp|kW|lk=in}} and could propel the ship to a speed of {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name="conways22 p56">{{harvnb|Campbell|1980|p=56}}</ref> The ship had a range of {{convert|6000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}.<ref name="fried p320-1"/>

Two [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX & XII|4.7 in (120 mm) Mark IX]] guns were mounted fore and aft on the ship's centreline. As the 4.7 inch guns were low-angle guns, not suited to anti-aircraft use, a single [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt]] anti-aircraft gun{{#tag:ref|"Cwt" is the abbreviation for [[hundredweight]], 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.|group=lower-alpha}} was mounted in "B" position. Four 3-pounder saluting guns and eight machine guns completed the ship's gun armament.<ref name="fried p320-1">{{harvnb|Friedman|2008|pp=320–321}}</ref><ref name="conways22 p56"/><ref name="sloops p13">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|page=13}}</ref> The initial anti-submarine armament was small, with a design loadout of four [[depth charge]]s.<ref name="fried p320-1"/>  The ship could be fitted for minesweeping or minelaying (for which the aft 4.7 inch gun was removed, allowing 40 mines to be loaded) as well as escort duties.<ref name="fried p62"/><ref name="sloops p48-9">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|pp=48–49}}</ref> The ship had a crew of 103 officers and men.<ref name="fried p320-1"/>

''Lowestoft'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 21 August 1933 and was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 11 April 1934.<ref name="sloops p42"/> She was formally commissioned on 20 November 1934, completing construction on 22 November.<ref name="navhist">{{cite web|last=Mason|first= Geoffrey B.|title=HMS Lowestoft (L59) — Grimsby-class Sloop|year=2003|work=Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2|publisher=Naval-History.net|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-18SL-HMS_Lowestoft.htm|access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref>

===Modifications===
''Lowestoft'' underwent a major refit in 1939, which replaced the 4.7-inch and 3-inch guns with 2 twin [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|QF 4 inch (102 mm) Mk XVI]] anti-aircraft guns. A quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|Vickers .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun]] mount provided close-in anti-aircraft armament. Anti-aircraft armament was further increased by the addition of a second quadruple .50 inch Vickers machine gun mount and two [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]] in 1941,<ref name="sloops p42"/> together with a single [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2-pounder (40-mm) "pom-pom"]],<ref name="sloops p52"/> with the machine guns removed to allow a further four Oerlikon cannon to be fitted in 1942.<ref name="sloops p42"/> Anti-submarine armament gradually increased throughout the ship's career. The number of depth charges carried increased first to 40, matching that carried by the last two ships of the ''Grimsby''-class,<ref name="sloops p21">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=21}}</ref> and later to 60.<ref name="conways22 p56"/><ref name="sloops p22">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=22}}.</ref> A [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] anti-submarine mortar was fitted in 1943.<ref name="sloops p42"/>

[[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 286|Type 286]] [[radar]] was fitted during 1941,<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p52">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=52}}</ref> later supplemented by [[Type 271 radar|Type 271]] and [[Type 291 radar|Type 291]], while [[High-frequency direction finding|HF/DF]] radio direction-finding gear was also fitted.<ref name="sloops p42"/>

==Service==
Following commissioning, ''Lowestoft'' joined the [[China Station]], reaching [[Hong Kong]] on 15 February 1935. She had suffered boiler problems on the passage from England, and was under repair from arrival at Hong Kong until May 1935. ''Lowestoft''{{'}}s duties included patrols along the coast of China and regular port visits. In April 1937, ''Lowestoft'' exchanged her crew with a fresh crew sent out from the United Kingdom, recommissioning at Singapore before returning to Hong Kong commanded by [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]] [[Sidney Boucher]].<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p52"/> In January 1938, ''Lowestoft'' landed sailors at Chefoo (now known as [[Yantai]]) to protect Western interests during a [[National Revolutionary Army|Chinese]] offensive in the region with the aim of retaking [[Hangzhou]] during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Chinese Attacking: Japanese Rush Reinforcements|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29194230|access-date=12 April 2015|work=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]]|date=19 January 1938|location=Hobart, Australia|page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Chínese Terms for Peace Talks: Fighting Must Cease First: Japanese Offensive North of Nanking: Chinese Attack on Hangchow|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2450519|access-date=12 April 2015|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=19 January 1938|page=1}}</ref>  Between September and November 1938, ''Lowestoft'' was refitted at Singapore.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p52"/> In June 1939, Japan [[Tientsin incident|blockaded]] the British [[Concessions in Tianjin|concession]] in Tientsin (now known as [[Tianjin]]) when four Chinese wanted by the Japanese occupation forces took refuge in the British concession. ''Lowestoft'' stood by at Tientsin during the stand-off, ready to evacuate British residents if the situation further deteriorated.<ref>{{cite news|title=Scenes in British Concession at Tientsin|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17615727|access-date=12 April 2015|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=17 June 1939|page=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mobilisation Preparations at Tientsin|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145372863|access-date=12 April 2015|work=[[The Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga)|The Daily Advertiser]]|date=22 June 1939|location=Wagga Wagga, Australia|page=1}}</ref> In July 1939, ''Lowestoft'' was refitted at Hong Kong, and was re-armed with 4-inch guns to increase its anti-aircraft capability.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p52"/>

On completion of this refit in December 1939, ''Lowestoft'' sailed for [[Gibraltar]], and from there to the United Kingdom, being based at [[Rosyth]] as part of the Rosyth Escort Force. Initially she escorted convoys between the [[Firth of Forth]] and [[Moray Firth]], where shipping was vulnerable to attack by German long-range aircraft,<ref name="sloops p52"/> before transferring to more general convoy escort duties along the East coast of the United Kingdom and in the [[Western Approaches]].<ref name="navhist"/> On 2 September 1940, ''Lowestoft'', along with the sloop {{HMS|Scarborough|L25|2}}, the destroyers {{HMCS|Skeena|D59|2}} and {{HMS|Westcott|D47|2}} and the corvette {{HMS|Periwinkle|K55|2}}, joined inbound Atlantic convoy SC.2 as escort. Over the next few days, the convoy was subject to a series of attacks by German [[U-boat]]s which sank five of the 53 merchant ships of the convoy (four of them by {{GS|U-47|1938|2}}, commanded by [[Günther Prien]]). This was the first successful [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|Wolfpack]] attack of the Second World War.<ref name="Rohwer p33">{{harvnb|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1992|p=33}}</ref><ref name="Blairv1 p182-3">{{harvnb|Blair|2000|pp=182–183}}</ref> On 9 September 1940, [[Convoy HX 72]] left [[Halifax (former city)|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], bound for the UK. The convoy was escorted most of the way across the Atlantic by the [[armed merchant cruiser]] {{HMS|Jervis Bay||2}}, with an escort of destroyers and corvettes to protect the convoy for the dangerous final stages through the [[Western Approaches]]. ''Jervis Bay'' left the convoy on 20 September, before the escort group had rendezvoused with the convoy. ''U-47'' spotted the unescorted convoy shortly after ''Jervis Bay'' had left, and shadowed the convoy allowing more U-boats to be directed in attacks against the convoy. U-boats sank four merchant ships before the escort group, consisting of ''Lowestoft'', the corvettes {{HMS|Calendula|K28|2}}, {{HMS|Heartsease|K15|2}} and {{HMS|La Malouine|K46|2}} and the destroyer {{HMS|Shikari|1919|2}} arrived.  Attacks on the convoy continued, with seven ships being sunk by [[German submarine U-100 (1940)|''U-100'']], commanded by [[Joachim Schepke]], on the night of 21/22 September. The escort was further reinforced by the destroyers {{HMS|Skate|1917|2}} and {{HMS|Scimitar|1918|2}} on the next morning, and the two destroyers together with ''Lowestoft'' drove off a surface attack by the submarine {{GS|U-32|1937|2}}.<ref name="Rohwer p34">{{harvnb|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1992|p=34}}</ref>

On 18 November, ''Lowestoft'' was escorting Convoy FN336 off the East coast of England, near her [[Lowestoft|namesake town]], when she shot down an attacking German aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kindell|first=Don|title=Naval Events, November 1940 (Part 2 of 2): Friday 15th – Saturday 30th|work=British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day |publisher=Naval-History.net|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4011-24NOV02.htm|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> On 5 January, ''Lowestoft'' was badly damaged when she struck a [[Naval mine|mine]] in the [[Thames Estuary]] while escorting a convoy. She was under repair at [[Chatham Dockyard]] until October that year, with the opportunity taken to fit radar and two Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm cannon.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p52"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Kindell|first=Don|title=Naval Events, January 1941 (Part 1 of 2): Wednesday 1st – Tuesday 14th|work=British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day |publisher=Naval-History.net|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-28JAN01.htm|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> She returned to the Rosyth Escort Force, remaining as a part of that formation until April 1942 when she joined the [[Londonderry Port|Londonderry]]-based 45th Escort Group, mainly escorting convoys to and from [[Freetown]], [[Sierra Leone]], West Africa.<ref name="sloops p53">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=53}}</ref>

On 12 July 1942, ''Lowestoft'' collided with the {{ship|French destroyer|Léopard||6}}. While the work of repairing ''Lowestoft'' was initially assigned to [[Gibdock|Gibraltar Dockyard]], work was slowed by shortages of manpower and material at Gibraltar together with the need to prepare for [[Operation Torch]], the upcoming allied invasion of French North Africa, so in November, she transferred to [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] for completion of repair and upgrade work, which continued until April 1943.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p53"/> On completion of this work, ''Lowestoft'' joined the 42nd Escort Group, also based at Londonderry, escorting convoys to Gibraltar and Freetown. In August, ''Lowestoft'' transferred to the Western African Command, based at Freetown, escorting convoys along the coast of West Africa.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p53"/> In August 1943, Portugal and Britain signed an agreement allowing the Allies to use airbases in the [[Azores]]. In order to prepare to use these bases, in early October 1943 the British carried out Operation Alacrity, with a convoy being run to [[Terceira Island|Terceira]] and [[Faial Island|Faial]] islands, carrying stores and personnel to allow the use of these bases for Very Long Range (VLR) maritime patrol aircraft in order to help close the [[Mid-Atlantic gap]], with ''Lowestoft'' forming part of the powerful escort for this convoy (including an Escort carrier, nine destroyers and three corvettes).<ref name="Rohwer p227,38">{{harvnb|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1992|pp=227, 238}}</ref>

In June 1944, ''Lowestoft'' returned to the United Kingdom for a refit at [[Dunbeg|Dunstaffnage]], near [[Oban]] in Western Scotland. This refit lasted until October 1944, when she returned to Freetown, joining the 57th Escort Group. In January 1945, the Group, including ''Lowestoft'', transferred to Gibraltar, escorting convoys between Britain and Gibraltar until the end of the war in Europe. ''Lowestoft'' returned to Britain in June 1945 and was laid off into reserve at [[Milford Haven]] in July.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p53"/>

On 4 October 1946, ''Lowestoft'' was sold, becoming the merchant ship ''Miraflores''. She continued in merchant service until being scrapped in Belgium from 5 August 1955.<ref name="navhist"/><ref name="sloops p53"/>

==Pennant numbers==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Pennant number<ref name="sloops p118">{{harvnb|Hague|1993|p=118}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Although allocated to the ships, [[Pennant number]]s were not normally painted on the sides of sloops until September 1939.<ref name="sloops p118"/>|group=lower-alpha}}||From||To
|-
|L59||1934||April 1940
|-
|U59||April 1940||Retirement
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Blair|first=Clay|title=Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942|year=2000|publisher=Cassell & Co|location=London|isbn=0-304-35260-8}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK |year=1980 |isbn=0-85177-146-7 |chapter=Great Britain (including Empire Forces)|author-first=N. J. M. |author-last=Campbell |pages=2–85}}
*{{cite book |last1=Colledge |first1=J. J. |title=Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present |date=2020 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-5267-9327-0 |edition=5th revised and updated|first2=Ben|last2=Warlow|first3=Steve|last3=Bush|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After|year=2008|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-015-4 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite book|last=Hague|first=Arnold|title=Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946|year=1993|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Kendal, UK|isbn=0-905617-67-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rohwer|first1=Jürgen|last2=Hümmelchen|first2=Gerhard|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945|year=1992|publisher=Greenhill Books|location=London|isbn=1-85367-117-7}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998 |isbn=1-55750-048-7 |author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised |isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}

{{Grimsby class sloop}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowestoft}}
[[Category:Grimsby-class sloops]]
[[Category:World War II sloops of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1934 ships]]