British Lend-Lease Warships 1940-45: The Royal Navy’s American-Built Destroyers and Frigates

48 pages

RAdm R G Melly

Whilst many readers will be aware of the agreement through which the Americans, in exchange for naval bases in the Caribbean, provided some 50 warships to bolster the British effort in the North Atlantic during WWII, they may well be unaware that this lend-lease agreement was actually significantly more far-reaching. This book sets out, briefly, to outline some of the ramifications of this game-changing arrangement.

The initial agreement was hugely beneficial to the Americans, but it is conceivable that, without these additional escorts, the Battle of the Atlantic might have had a different outcome.  Nevertheless, whilst the initial transfer of 49 Town-class destroyers undoubtedly had a utility in increasing the number of escorts, they were a mixed blessing. The ships required considerable modification to fit them for their role as escorts, and they were not popular with their crews.  Indeed, the living conditions in these WWI era ships were appalling in even mildly poor weather, the ship-handling was a considerable challenge, and, with obsolete machinery and numerous electrical and wiring defects, they were prone to breakdowns (one Captain described his ship as “the most dubious gift since the Trojan Horse”). However, subsequent deliveries of 78 new-build Captain-class frigates were welcomed by their crews, as the living conditions on board these useful little ships exceeded those of contemporary British-designed vessels.

Operationally, HMS Campbeltown can lay claim to being the most famous of the lend-lease ships, owing to the pivotal part that she played in the successful St Nazaire raid in 1942. However, this should not be allowed to downplay the central role that many of these ships played in hunting down U-boats, with examples of some of these actions provided.

Tables at the end of the book detail the names and specifications of all the American-build destroyers and frigates transferred, along with their fates.

Angus Konstam is an experienced and widely published historian who specialises in military and naval history. In writing this soft-backed book, he has produced a succinct and highly readable record of this particular aspect of the wider Lend-Lease agreement. The book is illustrated throughout with line drawings, artwork and numerous photographs.