HMS Balfour

The Buckley class was one of six classes of destroyer escorts built for the US Navy to meet the massive demand for escort vessels following the United States's entry into World War Two. While basically similar, the different classes were fitted with different propulsion gear and armament. The Buckleys had a turbo-electric drive, and a main gun armament of 3-inch guns.[1][2]

The Buckley- (or TE) class ships were 306 feet (93.27 m) long overall and 300 feet (91.44 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 37 feet (11.28 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 m). Displacement was 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) standard and 1,823 long tons (1,852 t) full load. Two boilers fed steam to steam turbines which drove electrical generators, with in turn powered electric motors that propelled the ship. The machinery was rated at 12,000 shaft horsepower (8,900 kW), giving a speed of 23 knots (26 mph; 43 km/h). 359 long tons (365 t) of oil was carried, giving a range of 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 mi; 11,000 km) at 12 knots (14 mph; 22 km/h).[3]

The ship's main gun armament consisted of three 3-inch (76 mm) 50 caliber dual-purpose (i.e. anti-surface and anti-aircraft) guns, two forward and one aft, in open mounts. Close in armament consisted of two 40 mm Bofors guns, backed up by eight single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. A triple mount of 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes provided a capability against larger ships, while anti-submarine armament consisted of a Hedgehog forward-firing anti-submarine mortar and four depth charge throwers and two depth charge rails.[3][4] Crew was 200 officers and other ranks.[3]

The ship, which was originally planned to become USS McAnn with the hull number DE-73, was laid down on 19 April 1943 at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Hingham Shipyard, in Hingham, Massachusetts.[5] DE-73 was re-allocated to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease programme on 10 June 1943.[6] The ship was launched on 10 July 1943, with the name HMS Balfour[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] and commissioned on 7 October 1943, with the pennant number K464.[5]

Commanding Officers were Lt Cdr C D B Coventry RN on commissioning with Cdr C Gwinner RN (Senior Officer 1st Escort Group) taking over after the loss of HMS Affleck on 26 December 1944 when HMS Balfour became the lead ship for the 1st Escort Group.

HMS Balfour served with both the 1st Escort Group and 18th Escort Group earning battle honours for service in the North Atlantic, off Normandy and in the English Channel.

In February 1944, Balfour was part of the 1st Support Group, supporting convoys to the west of Ireland.[8] In June 1944, the Allies invaded Normandy, and the 1st Escort Group, including Balfour, was one of six Escort Groups deployed to form a barrier about 130 miles west of Lands End to prevent German U-boats based in the French Atlantic ports from interfering with the landings.[9][10] These Escort Groups were later moved into the Channel, and on 25 June 1944 the 1st Escort Group was searching south east of Torquay for a submarine that had torpedoed the frigate Goodson when Balfour detected a sonar contact. Balfour attacked with Hedgehog, which resulted in several explosions and a slick of oil. Balfour and sister ship Affleck then followed up with depth charges. At the time, the two frigates were credited with sinking U-1191 with the loss of all hands.[11][12] The Kriegsmarine had U-1191 listed as missing (no radio contact) since 12 June 1944.[13] The Admiralty later withdrew the credit for sinking U-1191, declaring that the cause of that submarine's loss was unknown.[12] Other sources indicate that Balfour and Affleck had attacked the wreck of the submarine U-269, sank earlier the same day, and that U-1191 was sunk by British destroyers and frigates on 3 July.[14]

On the afternoon of 18 July 1944, Balfour attacked the submarine U-672 with depth charges.[lower-alpha 3] Although U-672 managed to slip away from Balfour, she was badly damaged, and early on 19 July, the submarine surfaced and was scuttled by its commanding officer. All hands (52 crew and officers) were rescued and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war. This action took place in the English Channel north of Guernsey at position 50°03′N 02°30′W.[16][15][13]

In December 1944, Balfour was Senior Officer's ship in the 18th Escort Group, operating out of Greenock.[17] By March–April 1945, Balfour had returned to the 1st Escort Group, operating out of Portsmouth against German submarines in the Channel.[18]

Following the end of the war, Balfour was returned to the United States, transferring back to the US Navy at New York on 25 October 1945, and keeping the name Balfour.[6] She was sold on 28 October 1946.[19]

• Blair, Clay (2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted, 1942–1945. New York: Modern Library. ISBN 0-679-64033-9.
• Collingwood, Donald (1998). The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-615-9.
• Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-08401-9.
• Franklin, Bruce Hampton (1999). The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-118-X.
• Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-733-X.
• Kemp, Paul (1997). U-boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-321-5.
• Manning, T. D.; Walker, C. F. (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam.
• Niestle, Axel (1998). German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 1-55750-641-8.
• Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-117-7.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be found here and here.

• Uboat.net page for HMS Balfour
• Uboat.net page for U-672
• Uboat.net page for U-1191
• captainclassfrigates.co.uk