HMS Essington (K353)
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | unnamed (DE-67) |
| Ordered | 10 January 1942[1] |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 15 March 1943[2] |
| Launched | 19 June 1943[2] |
| Completed | 7 September 1943[2] |
| Commissioned | never |
| Fate | Transferred to United Kingdom 7 September 1943[2] |
| Acquired | Returned by United Kingdom 19 October 1945 |
| Stricken | 5 December 1945[2] |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping 22 December 1945 |
| History | |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Essington (K353) |
| Namesake | Rear Admiral Sir William Essington (1753-1816), British naval officer who commanded from his flagship HMS Triumph at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797[3] |
| Acquired | 7 September 1943[2] |
| Commissioned | 7 September 1943[1] |
| Decommissioned | 1945 |
| Fate | Returned to United States 19 October 1945[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1,400 tons |
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 36.75 ft (11.2 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) Two Foster-Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers GE 13,500 shp (10,070 kW) steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW) Electric motors for 12,000 shp (8,900 kW) Two shafts |
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h) |
| Range | 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 186 |
| Sensors and processing systems | list error: <br /> list (help) SA & SL type radars Type 144 series Asdic MF Direction Finding antenna HF Direction Finding Type FH 4 antenna |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 3 × 3 in (76 mm) /50 Mk.22 guns 1 x twin Bofors 40 mm mount Mk.I 7-16 x 20 mm Oerlikon guns Mark 10 Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar Depth charges QF 2 pounder naval gun |
| Notes | Pennant number K353 |
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.
Construction and transfer
The ship was laid down as a U.S. Navy destroyer escort designated DE-67 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 15 March 1943 and launched on 19 June 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 7 September 1943.[2]
Service history
Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy under the command of Acting Lieutenant Commander Wilfred Lambert, RNVR, as the frigate HMS Essington (K353) on 7 September 1943 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty. On 29 June 1944 she joined the British frigates HMS Cooke (K471), HMS Dornett (K473), and HMS Duckworth (K351) and a Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberator aircraft of No. 244 Squadron in sinking with depth charges the German submarine U-988 in the English Channel west of Guernsey at 49°37′00″N 003°41′00″W / 49.61667°N 3.68333°W. On 14 August 1944 she joined Duckworth and an RAF Liberator of No. 53 Squadron in a depth-charge attack which sank the German submarine U-618 in the Bay of Biscay west of St. Nazaire, France, at 47°22′00″N 004°39′00″W / 47.36667°N 4.65000°W.[4]
Although she underwent a refit for service with the East Indies Fleet as a Coastal Forces Control Ship, the war ended before Essington could take up such duties. The Royal Navy returned her along with the Captain-class frigate HMS Calder (K349) to the U.S. Navy on 19 October 1945.[2]
Disposal
The U.S. Navy struck Essington from its Naval Vessel Register on 5 December 1945. She was sold on 22 December 1945 for scrapping.[2]
References
- Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Essington (DE-67) HMS Essington (K-353)
- uboat.net HMS Essington (K 353)
- Destroyer Escort Sailors Association DEs for UK
- Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Essington K353 (DE 67)
External links
