HMS Stockham (K562) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1946.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | unnamed (DE-97) |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 25 August 1943 |
| Launched | 31 October 1943 |
| Completed | 28 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | never |
| Fate | Transferred to United Kingdom 28 December 1943 |
| Acquired | Returned by United Kingdom 31 January 1946 |
| Stricken | 12 March 1946 |
| Fate | Scrapping completed 15 June 1948 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Stockham (K572) |
| Namesake | Captain John Stockham (1765–1814), British naval officer who was the commanding officer of HMS Thunderer at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 |
| Acquired | 28 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 28 December 1943 |
| Fate | Returned to United States 31 January 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1,400 long tons (1,422 t) |
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 36.75 ft (11.2 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h) |
| Range | 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 186 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Pennant number K562 |
Construction and transfer
editThe ship was laid down as the unnamed U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-97 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 25 August 1943 and launched on 31 October 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 28 December 1943.
Service history
editCommissioned into service in the Royal Navy [1] as the frigate HMS Stockham (K562) on 28 December 1943 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty in the English Channel for the remainder of World War II. She also participated in the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
The Royal Navy returned Stockham to the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 31 January 1946.
Disposal
editThe U.S. Navy received authorization on 21 February 1946 to dispose of Stockham and struck her from its Naval Vessel Register on 12 March 1946. She was sold to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia, for scrapping, which was completed on 15 June 1948.
Citations
editReferences
edit- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here. (see DE-97 section at bottom of page)
- Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Stockham (DE-97) HMS Stockham (K-562)
- uboat.net HMS Stockham (K 562)
- Destroyer Escort Sailors Association DEs for UK