HMS Gould

HMS Gould (K476) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Lovering (DE-272), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 until her sinking in 1944.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Lovering.

History
United States
NameUSS Lovering (DE-272)
NamesakeU.S. Navy Ensign William Bacon Lovering (1913-1942), killed in action aboard the destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) during the Battle of Midway on 6 June 1942
Ordered25 January 1942[1]
BuilderBoston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts
Laid down23 April 1943
Launched4 June 1943
Sponsored byMrs. Joseph S. Lovering
Completed18 September 1943
Commissionednever
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 18 September 1943
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Gould (K476)
NamesakeAdmiral Sir Davidge Gould (1758-1847), British naval officer who was commanding officer of HMS Audacious at the Battle of the Nile in 1798[2]
Acquired18 September 1943
Commissioned18 September 1943[1]
FateSunk by U-358, 1 March 1944
General characteristics
Displacement1,140 long tons (1,158 t)
Length289.5 ft (88.2 m)
Beam35 ft (11 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion
  • Four General Motors 278A 16-cylinder engines
  • GE 7,040 bhp (5,250 kW) generators (4,800 kW)
  • GE electric motors for 6,000 shp (4,500 kW)
  • Two shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement156
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
NotesPennant number K476

Construction and transfer

The ship was ordered on 25 January 1942[1] and laid down as the destroyer escort USS Lovering (DE-272), the first ship of the name, by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 20 May 1943. She was launched on 8 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph S. Lovering, sister-in-law of the ship's namesake, the late Ensign William B. Lovering. The United States transferred the ship upon completion to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 18 September 1943.

Service history

The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as the frigate HMS Gould (K476) on 18 September 1943[1] simultaneously with her transfer. She served on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic Ocean.

On 26 February 1944, Gould joined the British frigates HMS Affleck and HMS Gore in a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-91 in the North Atlantic at position 49°45′N 26°20′W.[1]

On 29 February 1944, Gould was operating as part of the First Escort Group when she, Affleck, Gore, and the British frigate HMS Garlies detected the German submarine U-358 in the North Atlantic north-northeast of the Azores and began a depth-charge attack which continued through the night and into 1 March 1944, the four frigates dropping a combined 104 depth charges. Gore and Garlies were forced to withdraw to Gibraltar to refuel on 1 March, but Affleck and Gould continued to attack U-358. During the afternoon of 1 March, U-358 succeeded in torpedoing and sinking Gould with a G7es – known to the Allies as "GNAT" – torpedo at position 45°46′N 23°16′W. Ungoed, six other officers, and 116 ratings died in the sinking, and only 14 of Gould's crew survived. U-358 was soon forced to surface after 38 hours submerged and was sunk by gunfire from Affleck at position 45°46′N 23°16′W.[1][3]

References
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Gould (K 476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
  2. Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Gould (K481)
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-boats: HMS Gould (K476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
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