HMS Holmes (K581)
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | unnamed (DE-572) |
| Builder: | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts |
| Laid down: | 27 October 1943[1] |
| Renamed: | USS Holmes (DE-572) 1943 |
| Namesake: | British name assigned in anticipation of transfer to United Kingdom |
| Launched: | 18 December 1943 |
| Completed: | 31 January 1944 |
| Commissioned: | never |
| Fate: | Transferred to United Kingdom 31 January 1944 |
| Acquired: | Returned by United Kingdom 3 December 1945[2] |
| Struck: | 7 February 1946 |
| Fate: | Sold October 1947 for scrapping |
 United Kingdom | |
| Class and type: | Captain-class frigate |
| Name: | HMS Holmes (K581) |
| Namesake: | Admiral Sir Robert Holmes (ca. 1622-1692), English naval officer who fought in the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars[3] |
| Acquired: | 31 January 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 31 January 1944[1] |
| Fate: | Returned to U.S. Navy 3 December 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: |
|
| 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: |
|
| Armament: |
|
| Notes: | Pennant number K581 |
HMS Holmes (K581) was a Captain-class frigate of the Buckley class of destroyer escort, originally intended for the United States Navy. Before she was finished in 1944, she was transferred to the Royal Navy under the terms of Lend-Lease, and was in commission from 1944 to 1945, seeing service during World War II.
Construction and transfer
The still-unnamed ship was laid down as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-572 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 27 October 1943.[1] Allocated to the United Kingdom, she received the British name Holmes and was launched on 18 December 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 31 January 1944.
Service history
Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as the frigate HMS Holmes (K581) on 31 January 1944 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on escort duty for the remainder of World War II. The Royal Navy returned her to the U.S. Navy on 3 December 1945.[2]
Disposal
The U.S. Navy struck Holmes from its Naval Vessel Register on 7 February 1946. She was sold to Walter H. Wilms and Company of Detroit, Michigan, in October 1947 for scrapping.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive DE-572 HMS Holmes (K-581)
- uboat.net HMS Holmes (K581)
- Destroyer Escort Sailors Association DEs for UK
