 HMSCaicos on 27 March 1945. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSHannam |
| Namesake | British name assigned in anticipation of ship's transfer toUnited Kingdom |
| Reclassified | Patrol frigate, PF-77, 15 April 1943 |
| Builder | Walsh-Kaiser Company,Providence,Rhode Island |
| Laid down | 23 April 1943[1] |
| Renamed | Caicos, 1943 |
| Namesake | TheCaicos Islands |
| Launched | 6 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | never |
| Identification | PG-185 |
| Fate | Transferred to United Kingdom 31 December 1943 |
| Acquired | Returned by United Kingdom 12 December 1945 |
| Fate |
|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSCaicos |
| Namesake | TheCaicos Islands |
| Acquired | 31 December 1943 |
| Commissioned | 31 December 1943[1] or 2 January 1944[2] |
| Decommissioned | 1945[3] |
| Identification | K505 |
| Fate | Returned to United States 12 December 1945 |
 Argentina | |
| Name | ARATrinidad |
| Namesake | ARASantísima Trinidad, an Argentinebrigantine which saw prominent action in 1815–1816 during theArgentine War of Independence.[4] |
| Acquired | 6 July 1947 |
| Commissioned | 1948 |
| Identification | P-34 |
| Renamed | ARASantísima Trinidad (P-34) 3 October 1950 |
| Namesake | ARASantísima Trinidad of 1815–1816 |
| Decommissioned | Placed in reserve 1961–1962 |
| Honours & awards | Battle honor, 8 December 1960 |
| Renamed | Comodoro Augusto Laserre (Q-9) 1963 |
| Namesake | Augusto Lasserre (1826–1906), Argentine Navy officer |
| Reclassified | Buque de Investigacion (survey vessel) 1963 |
| Recommissioned | 27 January 1964 |
| Renamed | Comodoro Augusto Lasserre (Q-9) 1964 |
| Namesake | Corrected spelling of "Augusto Lasserre" |
| Stricken | 20 February 1969 |
| Decommissioned | March 1969 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Colony-class frigate |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 37.5 ft (11.4 m) |
| Draught | 13.75 ft (4.19 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion, 2 × 3-drum type boilers, 2 shafts5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement |
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| Armament |
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HMSCaicos was aColony-classfrigate of theUnited Kingdom that served duringWorld War II. She was originally ordered by theUnited States Navy as theTacoma-class patrol frigate USSHannam and was transferred to theRoyal Navy prior to completion. It was named after theCaicos Islands.
After her return to U.S. Navy custody, she was sold toArgentina and served in theArgentine Navy (Armada de la Republica Argentina) as a frigate under the namesARATrinidad (P-34) andARASantísima Trinidad (P-34) from 1948 to 1962. After a refit she then served as asurvey ship asARAAugusto Lasserre (Q-9) from 1963 to 1969.
Originally designated a "patrolgunboat", she was ordered by theUnited States Maritime Commission under a U.S. Navy contract as Type S2-S2-AQ1 hull number 1659 and named USSHannam. She was reclassified as a "patrol frigate", PF-77, on 15 April 1943 andlaid down by theWalsh-Kaiser Company[5] atProvidence,Rhode Island, on 23 April 1943.[1] Intended for transfer to theRoyal Navy, the ship was renamedCaicos by the British before beinglaunched on 6 September 1943.[citation needed]
Transferred to the United Kingdom underLend-Lease on 31 December 1943,[5] the ship was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMSCaicos (K505) – sources claim that she was partially funded by theTurks and Caicos Islands colony, after part of which she was named[2] – on either 31 December 1943[1] or 2 January 1944.[2]
Uniquely among all World War II frigates,[1]Caicos wasfitted to perform aircraft direction duties. The Royal Navy originally intended to send her to theIndian Ocean, but instead assigned her to duty in theNorth Sea, where she attempted to detect GermanV-1 flying bombs during their flights toward targets inGreat Britain.[1][6] Two members of her crew died during her war service.[7]
The United Kingdom returnedCaicos to the U.S. Navy on 12 December 1945.[8] The U.S. Navy then transferred her for disposal to the U.S. Maritime Commission, which sold her in June 1946 to the N. B. Wolcott firm ofNew York City for scrapping. However the plans to scrap her were cancelled and she was resold toArgentina on 6 July 1947. Thus, although manyTacoma-class patrol frigates served in foreign navies after completing their U.S. Navy service,Caicos became the only Colony-class frigate to serve in another navy after completing her British service.[9]
The ship was incorporated into theArgentine Navy on 4 August 1947, and assigned the name ARATrinidad (P-34) in memory of ARASantísima Trinidad, an Argentine Navybrigantine of 1815–1816 that saw action in theArgentine War of Independence. Commander (S)[10] D. Rodolfo A. Muzzio initiated a campaign to assign the full nameSantísima Trinidad to her, and she became ARASantísima Trinidad (P-34) on 3 October 1950.[11]
Santísima Trinidad served as part of the Frigate Force of the Sea Fleet from 1948 until 1960. During this time she operated in theSouth Atlantic Ocean, participating in annual fleet exercises, especially theantisubmarine warfare exercises she was designed for. In 1948–1949 she participated in the11th Antarctic Campaign. In 1959, she participated inOperation Neptune II, and received a battle honour[12] from Vicario General Castrense and Cardenal D. Antonio Caggiano on 8 December 1960.[why?] She then went intoreserve from 1961 to 1962.[11]
According toJanes Fighting Ships, her armament in Argentine service asSantísima Trinidad consisted of two 105 mm (4.1 in) guns, eight 40 mm antiaircraft guns, 1Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar, and sixdepth charge throwers.[8]Conway's states that she had four 47 mm antiaircraft guns instead of eight 40 mm antiaircraft guns.[13]
Starting in 1962,Río Santiago Shipyard (AFNE) convertedSantísima Trinidad into asurvey ship.[14] The conversion included disarming her, installing eight specialised cabinets, nine probe basins, and ahelicopter landing platform, as well as a general refit.[14] She was reclassified as a survey vessel (inSpanishBuque de Investigacion) and renamed ARAComodoro Augusto Lasserre (Q-9),[8][14] There was a spelling error in the original decree, which called her "Laserre" instead of "Lasserre"; this was corrected in 1964.[14]
She was recommissioned as a survey ship on 27 January 1964.[14] She undertookhydrographic surveys each year from 1964 to 1968. In 1968 she ran aground nearLion Island (Isla Leones) in thePalmer Archipelago during a storm. After she was refloated, she was inspected atPuerto Belgrano, and it was recommended that she be taken out of service. She was struck from the navy list on 20 February 1969. Her decommissioning ceremony was in March 1969,[14] and she was sold for scrapping in 1971.[11][13][14]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1968 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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