HMS Foley (K474)

The second HMS Foley (K474) 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 Gillette (DE-270), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945 and in the U.S. Navy as USS Foley (DE-270) from August to October 1945.

HMS Foley (K474)
HMS Foley during World War II.
History
United States
NameUSS Gillette (DE-270)
NamesakeU.S. Navy Lieutenant, junior grade Douglas Wiley Gillette (1918-1942), killed in action aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in 1942
Ordered25 January 1942[1]
BuilderBoston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts
Laid down7 April 1943[2]
Launched19 May 1943
Sponsored byMrs. Thomas O'Dea
Completed8 September 1943
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 8 September 1943
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 22 August 1945[2]
NameUSS Foley (DE-270)
NamesakeBritish name retained
Commissioned22 August 1945
Decommissioned19 October 1945
Stricken1 November 1945[2]
FateSold 19 June 1946 for scrapping[2]
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Foley (K474)
NamesakeAdmiral Sir Thomas Foley (1757-1833), British naval officer
Acquired8 September 1943[2]
Commissioned8 September 1943[1]
FateReturned to United States 22 August 1945
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 K474

Construction and transfer

The ship was ordered as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-270 on 25 January 1942[1][2] and assigned the name USS Gillette, the first ship of the name, on 23 February 1943. She was laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 7 April 1943[2] and launched on 19 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Thomas O'Dea. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease upon completion on 8 September 1943.[2]

Service history

Royal Navy, 1943-1945

Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS Foley (K474) on 8 September 1943[1] simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty. On 21 November 1943 she joined the British sloop HMS Crane (U23) in a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-538 in the North Atlantic Ocean southwest of Ireland at position 45°40′00″N 019°35′00″W.[1]

The Royal Navy returned Foley to the U.S. Navy at Harwich, England, on 22 August 1945.[2]

U.S. Navy, 1945

The ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as USS Foley (DE-270) on 22 August 1945 simultaneously with her return . She moved to Trinity Bay on 28 August 1945, and on 29 August 1945 departed Trinity Bay as a part of Task Group 21.3. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean, called briefly at Naval Station Argentia in the Dominion of Newfoundland, and arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 10 September 1945. She remained there until decommissioned on 19 October 1945.

Disposal

The U.S. Navy struck Foley from its Naval Vessel Register on 1 November 1945. She was sold on 19 June 1946 for scrapping.

Citations

References


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