HMS Garlies

Christened on 13 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Frances Brown, the wife of J. Andrew Brown, the ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS Garlies (K475) the same day.[1] She served on patrol and escort duty in the North Atlantic Ocean.

On 29 February 1944, Garlies was operating as part of the First Escort Group when she and the British frigates Affleck, Gould, and Gore 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. Garlies and Gore 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 at position 45°46′00″N 023°16′00″W, but then was forced to surface after 38 hours submerged and was sunk by gunfire from Affleck at position 45°46′00″N 023°16′00″W.[1][4]

Garlies supported the invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944.

The Royal Navy returned Garlies to the U.S. Navy at Chatham Dockyard, England, on 20 August 1945.

The ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as USS Garlies (DE-271) on 20 August 1945 simultaneously with her return. She departed Chatham on 30 August 1945 bound for the United States, and arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 8 September 1945. She remained there until decommissioned on 10 October 1945.