HMS Torrington (K577)

Frigate of the Royal Navy

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Torrington.

HMS Torrington off Dunoon, Scotland, in February 1944.[1]

History
United States
Name| unnamed (DE-568)
Builder| Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down| 22 September 1943
Launched| 27 November 1943
Completed| 18 January 1944
Commissioned| never
Fate| Transferred to United Kingdom 18 January 1944
Acquired| Returned by United Kingdom 11 June 1946
Stricken| 15 October 1946
Fate| Sold 26 September 1947 for scrapping
United Kingdom
Name| HMS Torrington (K577)
Namesake| Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington (1663–1733), commander of the British fleet at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718
Acquired| 18 January 1944
Commissioned| 18 January 1944
Fate| Returned to United States 11 June 1946
General characteristics
Displacement| 1,400 long tons (1,422 t)
Length| 306 ft (93 m)
Beam| 36.75 ft (11.2 m)
Draught| 9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion|

* 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|

* SA & SL type radars
* Type 144 series Asdic
* MF Direction Finding antenna
* HF Direction Finding Type FH 4 antenna

Armament|

* 3 × 3 in (76 mm) /50 Mk.22 guns
* 1 × twin Bofors 40 mm mount Mk.I
* 7–16 × 20 mm Oerlikon guns
* Mark 10 Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar
* Depth charges
* QF 2-pounder naval gun

Notes| Pennant number K562

The fourth HMS Torrington (K577) 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 1944 to 1946.

## Construction and transfer[edit]

The ship was laid down as the unnamed U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-568 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 22 September 1943 and launched on 27 November 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 18 January 1944.

## Service history[edit]

The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy [2] as the frigate HMS Torrington (K577) on 18 January 1944 simultaneously with her transfer. After shakedown in Casco Bay, Maine, and off Bermuda, she steamed to St. John's and Naval Station Argentia in the Dominion of Newfoundland before proceeding to England. Arriving there on 20 April 1944, she began patrol and escort duty in the English Channel, North Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean.

On 21 July 1944, Torrington saw her first combat, joining the escort destroyer HMS Melbreak (L73) in action against a German destroyer and four German S-boat - known to the Allies as "E-boat" - motor torpedo boats off Cap d'Antifer, France, preventing them from interfering with the flow of Allied supplies supporting the invasion of Normandy. On 11 March 1945, she sank a German Seehund ("Seal") Type XXVII midget submarine off Ramsgate, England. On 13 March 1945, she sank a second Seehund off Dunkirk, France, in a determined depth charge attack.

The Royal Navy returned Torrington to the U.S. Navy on 11 June 1946.

## Disposal[edit]

The U.S. Navy struck Torrington from its Naval Vessel Register on 15 October 1946. She was sold on 26 September 1947 for scrapping.

## Citations[edit]

1. ^ Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Torrington (DE-568) HMS Torrington (K-577)
2. ^ uboat.net HMS Torrington (K 577)

## References[edit]

* 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 Torrington (DE-568) HMS Torrington (K-577)
* uboat.net HMS Torrington (K 577)
* Destroyer Escort Sailors Association DEs for UK
* Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Torrington K577 (DE 568)

## External links[edit]

* Photo gallery of HMS Torrington (K577)

* v
* t
* e

Captain-class frigates

Ex-Evarts class
(diesel-electric (GMT) type)|

* Bayntun
* Bazely
* Berry
* Blackwood
* Burges
* Capel
* Cockburn / Drury
* Cooke
* Dacres
* Domett
* Foley
* Gardiner
* Garlies
* Gould
* Goodall
* Goodson
* Gore
* Grindall
* Inglis
* Inman
* Keats
* Kempthorne
* Kingsmill
* Lawford
* Louis
* Lawson
* Lindsay / Pasley
* Loring
* Mitchell / Hoste
* Moorsom
* Manners
* Mounsey

Ex-Buckley class
(turbo-electric (TE) type)|

* Affleck
* Aylmer
* Balfour
* Bentinck
* Bentley
* Bickerton
* Bligh
* Braithwaite
* Bullen
* Byard
* Byron
* Calder
* Conn
* Cosby
* Cotton
* Cranstoun
* Cubitt
* Curzon
* Dakins
* Deane
* Duckworth
* Duff
* Ekins
* Essington
* Fitzroy
* Russell / Halsted
* Hargood
* Holmes
* Hotham
* Narborough
* Redmill
* Retalick
* Riou
* Rutherford
* Rowley
* Rupert
* Stockham
* Seymour
* Spragge
* Stayner
* Thornborough
* Torrington
* Trollope
* Tyler
* Waldegrave
* Whitaker

* Preceded by: Colony class
* Followed by: Loch class

* List of frigates of the Royal Navy

* v
* t
* e

Buckley-class destroyer escorts

United States Navy|

* Buckley
* Bull (DE-52)
* Charles Lawrence
* Daniel T. Griffin
* Donaldson
* Donnell
* Fogg
* Formoe
* Foss
* Gantner
* Gary
* George W. Ingram
* Ira Jeffery
* Lamons
* Lee Fox
* Amesbury
* DE-67 (Unnamed)
* Bates
* Blessman
* Joseph E. Campbell
* Oswald
* Harmon (DE-72)
* McAnn
* Ebert
* Eisele
* Liddle (DE-76)
* Straub
* DE-78 — DE-90 (Unnamed)
* Reynolds
* DE-92 (Unnamed)
* DE-93 (Unnamed)
* Reeves
* DE-95 — DE-98 (Unnamed)
* Reuben James
* Sims
* Hopping
* Reeves (DE-156)
* Fechteler
* Chase
* Laning
* Loy
* Barber
* Lovelace
* Manning
* Neuendorf
* James E. Craig
* Eichenberger
* Thomason
* Jordan
* Newman
* Liddle (DE-206)
* Kephart
* Cofer
* Lloyd
* Otter
* Hubbard
* Hayter
* William T. Powell
* Scott
* Burke
* Enright
* Coolbaugh
* Darby
* J. Douglas Blackwood
* Francis M. Robinson
* Solar
* Fowler
* Spangenberg
* DE-563 — DE-574 (Unnamed)
* Ahrens
* Barr
* Alexander J. Luke
* Robert I. Paine
* Foreman
* Whitehurst
* England
* Witter
* Bowers
* Willmarth
* Gendreau
* Fieberling
* William C. Cole
* Paul G. Baker
* Damon M. Cummings
* Vammen
* Jenks
* Durik
* Wiseman
* Yokes
* Pavlic
* Odum
* Jack C. Robinson
* Bassett
* John P. Gray
* Weber
* Schmitt
* Frament
* Harmon (DE-678)
* Greenwood
* Loeser
* Gillette
* Underhill
* Henry R. Kenyon
* Bull (DE-693)
* Bunch
* Rich
* Spangler
* George
* Raby
* Marsh
* Currier
* Osmus
* Earl V. Johnson
* Holton
* Cronin
* Frybarger
* Tatum
* Borum
* Maloy
* Haines
* Runels
* Hollis
* Gunason
* Major
* Weeden
* Varian
* Scroggins
* Jack W. Wilke

Royal Navy
Part of Captain class|

* Affleck (ex-Oswald)
* Aylmer (ex-Harmon (DE-72))
* Balfour (ex-McAnn)
* Bentinck (ex-Bull (DE-52))
* Bentley (ex-Ebert)
* Bickerton (ex-Eisele)
* Bligh (ex-Liddle (DE-76))
* Braithwaite (ex-Straub)
* Bullen (ex-DE-78)
* Byard (ex-Donaldson)
* Byron (ex-DE-79)
* Calder (ex-Formoe)
* Conn (ex-DE-80)
* Cosby (ex-Reeves (DE-94))
* Cotton (ex-DE-81)
* Cranstoun (ex-DE-82)
* Cubitt (ex-DE-83)
* Curzon (ex-DE-84)
* Dakins (ex-DE-85)
* Deane (ex-DE-86)
* Duff (ex-Lamons)
* Duckworth (ex-Gary)
* Ekins (ex-DE-87)
* Essington (ex-DE-67)
* Fitzroy (ex-DE-88)
* Hargood (ex-DE-573)
* Holmes (ex-DE-572)
* Hotham (ex-DE-574)
* Narborough (ex-DE-569)
* Redmill (ex-DE-89)
* Retalick (ex-DE-90)
* Riou (ex-DE-92)
* Rowley (ex-DE-95)
* Rupert (ex-DE-96)
* Russell / Halsted (ex-Reynolds)
* Rutherford (ex-DE-93)
* Seymour (ex-DE-98)
* Spragge (ex-DE-563)
* Stayner (ex-DE-564)
* Stockham (ex-DE-97)
* Thornborough (ex-DE-565)
* Torrington (ex-DE-568)
* Trollope (ex-DE-566)
* Tyler (ex-DE-567)
* Waldegrave (ex-DE-570)
* Whitaker (ex-DE-571)

Post-World War II operators

Chilean Navy|

* Serrano (ex-Odum)
* Orella (ex-Jack C. Robinson)
* Riquelme (ex-Joseph E. Campbell)
* Virgilio Uribe (ex-Daniel T. Griffin)

Republic of China Navy|

* Wen Shan (ex-Gantner)
* Lu Shan (ex-Bull (DE-693))
* Chung Shan (ex-Blessman)
* Kang Shan (ex-George W. Ingram)
* Lung Shan (ex-Schmitt)

Colombian National Navy|

* Almirante Tono (ex-Bassett)
* Almirante Brión (ex-Burke)

Ecuadorian Navy|

* 25 de Julio / Morán Valverde (ex-Enright)

Republic of Korea Navy|

* Jon Nam (ex-Hayter)
* Kyong Puk (ex-Kephart)

Mexican Navy|

* Coahuila / Vincente Guerrero (ex-Barber)

Philippine Navy|

* Rajah Soliman (ex-Bowers)

* Preceded by: Evarts class
* Followed by: Cannon class

* List of destroyer escorts of the United States Navy
* List of frigates of the Royal Navy

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