HMS Antigua in 1944.
History
United States
NameUSS Hamond[1]
NamesakeBritish name assigned in anticipation of ship's transfer to United Kingdom
BuilderWalsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island
Laid down3 April 1943[2]
ReclassifiedPatrol frigate, PF-73, 15 April 1943
RenamedAntigua, 1943
NamesakeAntigua
Launched26 July 1943
Sponsored byMrs. Louise M. Reddick
Commissionednever
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 4 November 1943
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 2 May 1946
FateSold for scrapping
United Kingdom
NameHMS Antigua (K501)
NamesakeAntigua
Acquired4 November 1943
Commissioned4 November 1943[2]
Decommissioned1945[3]
FateReturned to United States, 2 May 1946
General characteristics
Class and typeColony-class frigate/Tacoma-class patrol frigate
Displacement1,264 long tons (1,284 t)
Length303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion
  • 3 × boilers
  • 2 × turbines, 5,500 shp (4,100 kW) each
  • 2 shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement190
Armament

HMS Antigua (K501) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom in commission from 1943 to 1945 [3] that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigate USS Hamond (PF-73)[1] and was transferred prior to completion.

Construction and acquisition

The ship, originally designated a "patrol gunboat," PG-181, was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission under a United States Navy contract as USS Hamond.[1] Laid down by the Walsh-Kaiser Company at Providence, Rhode Island, on 3 April 1943,[2] she was reclassified as a "patrol frigate," PF-73, on 15 April 1943. Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom, the ship was renamed Antigua by the British prior to launching and was launched on 26 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Louise M. Reddick .

Service history

Transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 4 November 1943, the ship served in the Royal Navy as HMS Antigua (K501) on patrol and escort duty until 1945.[3]

Disposal

The United Kingdom returned Antigua to the United States on 2 May 1946. She soon was sold to the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Chester, Pennsylvania, for scrapping.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 Sources differ on the spelling of the ship's name, with the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Hamond article spelling it Hamond and Navsource Online: Frigate Photo Archive HMS Antigua (K 501) ex-Hamond ex-PF-73 ex-PG-181 repeating it; other sources (e.g., uboat.net HMS Antigua (K 501)) spell it Hammond.
  2. 1 2 3 uboat.net HMS Antigua (K 501)
  3. 1 2 3 According to uboat.net HMS Antigua (K 501), Antigua is not listed as an active unit on the October 1945 Navy List, strongly implying that the Royal Navy decommissioned her sometime earlier that year.
Bibliography
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