 HMSHotham in February 1944, photographed by an aircraft operating fromRoyal Naval Air Station HMSOsprey,Dunoon,Scotland. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | unnamed (DE-574) |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard,Hingham,Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 5 November 1943[1] |
| Renamed | USSHotham (DE-574) 1943 |
| Namesake | British name assigned in anticipation of transfer toUnited Kingdom |
| Launched | 21 December 1943 |
| Completed | 8 February 1944 |
| Fate | Transferred to United Kingdom 8 February 1944 |
| Acquired | Nominally returned by United Kingdom 25 April 1952 underLend-Lease |
| Fate | Transferred back to United Kingdom 25 April 1952 underMutual Defense Assistance Program |
| Acquired | Returned to U.S. custody 13 March 1956 |
| Fate | Sold 1 November 1956 for scrapping |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSHotham (K583) |
| Namesake | SirWilliam Hotham[2] |
| Acquired | 8 February 1944 |
| Commissioned | 8 February 1944 |
| Identification | Pennant number K583 |
| Fate | Nominally returned to United States 25 April 1952 under Lend-Lease |
| Acquired | Transferred back from United States 25 April 1952 under Mutual Defense Assistance Program |
| Fate | Returned to U.S. custody 13 March 1956[1][2][3] |
| 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 |
|
HMSHotham (K583) was aCaptain-classfrigate of theBuckley class ofdestroyer escort, originally intended for theUnited States Navy. Before she was finished in 1944, she was transferred to theRoyal Navy under the terms ofLend-Lease, and was in commission from 1944 to 1956, including service duringWorld War II.
The still-unnamed ship waslaid down as the U.S. Navydestroyer escortDE-574 byBethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., inHingham,Massachusetts, on 5 November 1943.[1] Allocated to the United Kingdom, she received the British nameHotham and waslaunched on 21 December 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 8 February 1944.
Commissioned into service in theRoyal Navy as the frigate HMSHotham (K583) on 8 February 1944 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on escort duty for the rest of World War II. On 28 June 1944, she joined theescort destroyerHMS Eglinton (L87) in picking up survivors from themerchant ship SSMaid of Orleans southeast ofSt. Catherine's Point,Isle of Wight, at50°06′00″N000°41′00″W / 50.10000°N 0.68333°W /50.10000; -0.68333.[3]
Unlike the other Captain-class frigates,Hotham was retained by the Royal Navy after the war, and was disarmed and sent toSingapore in 1945 for use as a floatingpower station, moving later in the year toHong Kong for use as astation ship. She returned to the United Kingdom in 1947, and in 1948 was atMalta to serve as afloating power station.[1] The Royal Navy later used her for experiments withgas turbine propulsion.[1][2][3]
The Royal Navy nominally returnedHotham to theUnited States Government on 25 April 1952 under the terms of Lend-Lease, but the United States simultaneously transferred her back to the United Kingdom under the terms of theMutual Defense Assistance Program.
The Royal Navy returnedHotham to U.S. custody for the final time on 13 March 1956, and she was sold for scrapping in theNetherlands on 1 November 1956.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
