Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States
and the United Kingdom
, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyer
s from the United States Navy
in exchange for land rights on British possessions. The destroyers became the Town-class
, and were named for cities common to both the United States and Great Britain.
, France
and the Low Countries
were quickly overrun by the Nazi German Blitzkrieg
in the Battle of France
in May 1940. This left the United Kingdom and Empire
fighting alone (or almost alone after the Italian attack on Greece that autumn) against Germany.
Although the United States government was sympathetic to Britain's plight, American public opinion at the time overwhelmingly supported isolationism
to avoid U.S. involvement in "another European war". Reflecting this sentiment, Congress had passed the Neutrality Acts three years previously, which banned the shipment of arms from the U.S. to any combatant nation, unless paid for in cash. Additionally, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
was further constrained by the upcoming 1940 Presidential election
, as his critics sought to portray him as being pro-war.
By late May, following the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk, France, in Operation Dynamo
, the Royal Navy
was in immediate need of ships, especially as they were now facing the Battle of the Atlantic in which German U-boats threatened Britain's supplies of food and other resources essential to the war effort.
With German troops advancing rapidly into France and many in the U.S. Government convinced that the defeat of France and Britain was imminent, the United States sent a proposal to the United Kingdom through the British Ambassador, the Marquess of Lothian
, for an American lease of airfields on Trinidad, Bermuda, and Newfoundland. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
initially rejected the offer on May 27 unless Britain received something immediate in return. On June 1, as the defeat of France loomed, President Roosevelt bypassed the Neutrality Act by declaring as "surplus" many millions of rounds of American ammunition and guns, and authorizing their shipment to the United Kingdom. But Roosevelt rejected Churchill's pleas for destroyer
s for the Royal Navy
.
By August, while Britain and the Empire stood alone against Germany, the American Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy reported from London that a British surrender was "inevitable". Seeking to persuade Roosevelt to send the destroyers, Churchill warned Roosevelt ominously that if Britain were vanquished, its colonial islands close to American shores could become a direct threat to America if they fell into German hands.
intensified, United States Secretary of State
Cordell Hull
signaled agreement to the transfer of the warships to the Royal Navy. In exchange, the U.S. was granted land in various British possessions for the establishment of naval or air bases, on ninety-nine-year rent-free leases, on:
The agreement also granted the US air and naval base rights in:
No destroyers were received in exchange for the bases in Bermuda and Newfoundland. Both territories were vital to trans-Atlantic shipping, aviation, and to the Battle of the Atlantic
. Although enemy attack on either was unlikely, it could not be discounted, and Britain had been forced to wastefully maintain defensive forces, including the Bermuda Garrison
. The deal allowed Britain to hand much of the defence of Bermuda over to the still-neutral US, freeing British forces for redeployment to more active theatres. It also enabled the development of strategic facilities at US expense which British forces would also utilise.
The Royal Air Force
and the Fleet Air Arm
(FAA) each maintained air stations in Bermuda at the start of the war, but these only served flying boats. The RAF station
on Darrell's Island
served as a staging point for trans-Atlantic flights by RAF Transport Command
and RAF Ferry Command
, BOAC
, and Pan-Am, as well as hosting the Bermuda Flying School
, but did not operate maritime patrols. The FAA station on Boaz Island
existed to service aircraft based on vessels operating from or through the Royal Naval Dockyard
, but attempted to maintain maritime patrols using pilots from naval ships, RAF Darrell's Island, and the Bermuda Flying School.
The agreement for bases in Bermuda stipulated that the US would, at its own expense, build an airfield, capable of handling large landplanes, which would be operated jointly by the US Army Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The airfield was named Kindley Field (after Field Kindley, an American aviator who fought for Britain during the First World War). RAF Transport Command relocated its operations to the airfield when it was completed in 1943, though RAF Ferry Command remained at Darrell's Island. Prior to those, the US Navy had established the Naval Operating Base at Bermuda's West End. This was a flying boat station, from which maritime patrols were operated for the remainder of the war (the US Navy had actually begun operating such patrols from RAF Darrell's Island, using floatplanes, while waiting for their own base to become operational). The RAF and FAA facilities were closed after the war, leaving only the US air bases in Bermuda. The Naval Operating Base ceased to be an air station in 1965, when its flying boats were replaced by Neptune landplanes, operating from the Kindley Air Force Base
(as the former US Army airfield had become). These US air bases were in fact only two of several US military facilities that operated in Bermuda during the Twentieth Century. The United States abandoned many of these bases in 1949 and the remaining few were closed in 1995. The US does retain the right to base military forces at Bermuda and Newfoundland.
The US accepted the "generous action… to enhance the national security of the United States" and immediately transferred in return 50 U.S. Navy destroyer
s "generally referred to as the twelve hundred-ton type" (also known in references as "flush-deck" destroyers, or "four-pipers" after their four funnel
s). Forty-three destroyers initially went to the British Royal Navy
and seven to the Royal Canadian Navy
. In the Commonwealth
navies the ships were re-named after towns, and were therefore known as the Town class
, although they had originally belonged to three ship class
es (Caldwell
, the Wickes
, and Clemson
). Before the end of the war, nine others also served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Five Towns were manned by crews of the Royal Norwegian Navy
, with the survivors later returned to the British Royal Navy. was manned by Royal Netherlands Navy
sailors before her assignment to ram the drydock gates and sacrifice herself in the St. Nazaire Raid
. Nine other destroyers were eventually transferred to the Soviet Navy
. Six of the 50 destroyers were lost to U-boat
s, and three others, including the Campbeltown, were destroyed in other circumstances.
Britain had no choice but to accept the deal, but it was so much more advantageous to America than Britain that Churchill's aide John Colville
compared it to the USSR's relationship with Finland
. The destroyers were in reserve
from the massive U.S. World War I shipbuilding program, and many of the vessels required extensive overhaul due to the fact that many were not preserved properly when inactivated; one British admiral called them the "worst destroyers I had ever seen". Churchill also disliked the deal, but his advisers persuaded the prime minister to merely tell Roosevelt that
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in exchange for land rights on British possessions. The destroyers became the Town-class
Town class destroyer
The Town class destroyers were warships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for military bases in the Bahamas and elsewhere, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940...
, and were named for cities common to both the United States and Great Britain.
Background
The Second World War started in September 1939. After the brief interlude of the Phony WarPhony War
The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II – in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940 – that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies against the German Reich...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
were quickly overrun by the Nazi German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in May 1940. This left the United Kingdom and Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
fighting alone (or almost alone after the Italian attack on Greece that autumn) against Germany.
Although the United States government was sympathetic to Britain's plight, American public opinion at the time overwhelmingly supported isolationism
United States non-interventionism
Non-interventionism, the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense, has had a long history in the United States...
to avoid U.S. involvement in "another European war". Reflecting this sentiment, Congress had passed the Neutrality Acts three years previously, which banned the shipment of arms from the U.S. to any combatant nation, unless paid for in cash. Additionally, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
was further constrained by the upcoming 1940 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 1940
The United States presidential election of 1940 was fought in the shadow of World War II as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt , a Democrat, broke with tradition and ran for a third term, which became a major issue...
, as his critics sought to portray him as being pro-war.
By late May, following the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk, France, in Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
, the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
was in immediate need of ships, especially as they were now facing the Battle of the Atlantic in which German U-boats threatened Britain's supplies of food and other resources essential to the war effort.
With German troops advancing rapidly into France and many in the U.S. Government convinced that the defeat of France and Britain was imminent, the United States sent a proposal to the United Kingdom through the British Ambassador, the Marquess of Lothian
Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian
Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian KT CH PC was a British politician and diplomat.Philip Kerr was the son of Lord Ralph Drury Kerr, the third son of John Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian...
, for an American lease of airfields on Trinidad, Bermuda, and Newfoundland. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
initially rejected the offer on May 27 unless Britain received something immediate in return. On June 1, as the defeat of France loomed, President Roosevelt bypassed the Neutrality Act by declaring as "surplus" many millions of rounds of American ammunition and guns, and authorizing their shipment to the United Kingdom. But Roosevelt rejected Churchill's pleas for destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
By August, while Britain and the Empire stood alone against Germany, the American Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy reported from London that a British surrender was "inevitable". Seeking to persuade Roosevelt to send the destroyers, Churchill warned Roosevelt ominously that if Britain were vanquished, its colonial islands close to American shores could become a direct threat to America if they fell into German hands.
The deal
On September 2, 1940, as the Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
intensified, United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
signaled agreement to the transfer of the warships to the Royal Navy. In exchange, the U.S. was granted land in various British possessions for the establishment of naval or air bases, on ninety-nine-year rent-free leases, on:
- Newfoundland (today part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
). - Eastern side of the Bahamas
- Southern coast of JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
- Western coast of St. LuciaSaint LuciaSaint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, - West coast of TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
(Gulf of PariaGulf of PariaThe Gulf of Paria is a shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad and the east coast of Venezuela. This sheltered body of water is considered to be one of the best natural harbours on the Atlantic coast of the Americas...
) - AntiguaAntiguaAntigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
- British GuianaBritish GuianaBritish Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
(present day GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
) within fifty miles of GeorgetownGeorgetown, GuyanaGeorgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
.
The agreement also granted the US air and naval base rights in:
- The Great SoundGreat Sound, BermudaThe Great Sound is a body of water shaped by the islands of Bermuda. It dominates the southwest of the island chain, and forms a natural harbour. It is surrounded on all sides by the islands, except for the northeast, where it is open to the Atlantic Ocean....
and Castle HarbourCastle Harbour, BermudaCastle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called Southampton Port, it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early decades of the Seventeenth century.-Geography:A gem of...
, BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida... - South and eastern coasts of Newfoundland
No destroyers were received in exchange for the bases in Bermuda and Newfoundland. Both territories were vital to trans-Atlantic shipping, aviation, and to the Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic may refer to either of two naval campaigns:* The Atlantic U-boat Campaign during the First World War * The Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War...
. Although enemy attack on either was unlikely, it could not be discounted, and Britain had been forced to wastefully maintain defensive forces, including the Bermuda Garrison
Bermuda Garrison
The Bermuda Garrison was the military establishment maintained on the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda by the regular British Army, and its local militia and voluntary reserves from 1701 to 1957. The Garrison existed primarily to defend the Royal Naval Dockyard and other facilities in Bermuda...
. The deal allowed Britain to hand much of the defence of Bermuda over to the still-neutral US, freeing British forces for redeployment to more active theatres. It also enabled the development of strategic facilities at US expense which British forces would also utilise.
The Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
(FAA) each maintained air stations in Bermuda at the start of the war, but these only served flying boats. The RAF station
Royal Air Force, Bermuda, 1939-1945
The Royal Air Force operated from two locations in Bermuda during the Second World War. Bermuda's location had made it an important naval station since US independence, and, with the advent of the aeroplane, had made it as important to trans-Atlantic aviation in the decades before the Jet Age...
on Darrell's Island
Darrell's Island, Bermuda
Darrell's Island is a small island within the Great Sound of Bermuda. It lies in the southeast of the sound, and is in the north of Warwick Parish. it is owned by the Bermuda Government....
served as a staging point for trans-Atlantic flights by RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command
RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
and RAF Ferry Command
RAF Ferry Command
The RAF Ferry Command had a short life, but it spawned, in part, an organisation that lasted well beyond the war years during which it was formed.-History:...
, BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
, and Pan-Am, as well as hosting the Bermuda Flying School
Bermuda Flying School
The Bermuda Flying School operated on Darrell's Island from 1940 to 1942. It trained Bermudian volunteers as pilots for the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm....
, but did not operate maritime patrols. The FAA station on Boaz Island
Boaz Island, Bermuda
Boaz Island, formerly known as Gate's Island or Yates Island, is one of the six main islands of Bermuda. It is part of a chain of islands in the west of the country that make up Sandys Parish, lying between the larger Ireland Island and Somerset Island, and is connected to both by bridges. Its east...
existed to service aircraft based on vessels operating from or through the Royal Naval Dockyard
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
HMD Bermuda was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride the homeward leg taken by many European vessels from the New World since before its settlement by England in 1609...
, but attempted to maintain maritime patrols using pilots from naval ships, RAF Darrell's Island, and the Bermuda Flying School.
The agreement for bases in Bermuda stipulated that the US would, at its own expense, build an airfield, capable of handling large landplanes, which would be operated jointly by the US Army Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The airfield was named Kindley Field (after Field Kindley, an American aviator who fought for Britain during the First World War). RAF Transport Command relocated its operations to the airfield when it was completed in 1943, though RAF Ferry Command remained at Darrell's Island. Prior to those, the US Navy had established the Naval Operating Base at Bermuda's West End. This was a flying boat station, from which maritime patrols were operated for the remainder of the war (the US Navy had actually begun operating such patrols from RAF Darrell's Island, using floatplanes, while waiting for their own base to become operational). The RAF and FAA facilities were closed after the war, leaving only the US air bases in Bermuda. The Naval Operating Base ceased to be an air station in 1965, when its flying boats were replaced by Neptune landplanes, operating from the Kindley Air Force Base
Kindley Air Force Base
Kindley Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Bermuda from 1948–1970, having been operated from 1943 to 1948 by the United States Army Air Force as Kindley Field.-World War II:...
(as the former US Army airfield had become). These US air bases were in fact only two of several US military facilities that operated in Bermuda during the Twentieth Century. The United States abandoned many of these bases in 1949 and the remaining few were closed in 1995. The US does retain the right to base military forces at Bermuda and Newfoundland.
The US accepted the "generous action… to enhance the national security of the United States" and immediately transferred in return 50 U.S. Navy destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s "generally referred to as the twelve hundred-ton type" (also known in references as "flush-deck" destroyers, or "four-pipers" after their four funnel
Funnel (ship)
A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They can also be known in as stacks.-Purpose:...
s). Forty-three destroyers initially went to the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and seven to the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
. In the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
navies the ships were re-named after towns, and were therefore known as the Town class
Town class destroyer
The Town class destroyers were warships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for military bases in the Bahamas and elsewhere, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940...
, although they had originally belonged to three ship class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
es (Caldwell
Caldwell class destroyer
The Caldwell class of destroyers served in the United States Navy near the end of World War I.Built in 1917 and 1918, the 6 ships of the Caldwell class were flush-decked to remove the fo'c'sle break weakness of the preceding Tucker class. The forward sheer of the Caldwell class was improved to...
, the Wickes
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
, and Clemson
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
). Before the end of the war, nine others also served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Five Towns were manned by crews of the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
, with the survivors later returned to the British Royal Navy. was manned by Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
sailors before her assignment to ram the drydock gates and sacrifice herself in the St. Nazaire Raid
St. Nazaire Raid
The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined...
. Nine other destroyers were eventually transferred to the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
. Six of the 50 destroyers were lost to U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s, and three others, including the Campbeltown, were destroyed in other circumstances.
Britain had no choice but to accept the deal, but it was so much more advantageous to America than Britain that Churchill's aide John Colville
John Colville (civil servant)
Sir John Rupert "Jock" Colville, CB, CVO , was a British civil servant. He is best known for his diaries, which provide an intimate view of number 10 Downing Street during the wartime Prime Ministership of Winston Churchill....
compared it to the USSR's relationship with Finland
Finlandization
Finlandization is a term used to describe the influence that one powerful country may have on the policies of a smaller neighboring country.It is generally considered to be pejorative, originating in West German political debate of the late 1960s and 1970s...
. The destroyers were in reserve
United States Navy reserve fleets
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an...
from the massive U.S. World War I shipbuilding program, and many of the vessels required extensive overhaul due to the fact that many were not preserved properly when inactivated; one British admiral called them the "worst destroyers I had ever seen". Churchill also disliked the deal, but his advisers persuaded the prime minister to merely tell Roosevelt that
The bases
- AntiguaAntiguaAntigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, British West IndiesBritish West IndiesThe British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
- A Naval Air Station at Crabbs Peninsula
- An Army Air Force airfield (Coolidge Army Airfield (later AFB)VC Bird International AirportV. C. Bird International Airport is located on the island of Antigua, northeast of St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.- History :...
) (closed 1949)
- British GuianaBritish GuianaBritish Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
- An Army Air Force airfield (Atkinson Aerodrome (later AFB)Cheddi Jagan International AirportCheddi Jagan International Airport , formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown.-History:...
) (closed 1949) - A Naval seaplane base near SuddieSuddieSuddie is a community in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region of Guyana, located on the Atlantic Ocean coast at , 1 mile north of Onderneeming.Suddie Hospital is a small hospital. Rural outreach clinics are sent into the interior and along the Essequibo River from Suddie Hospital. Suddie also has a...
.
- JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
- An Army Air Force airfield (Vernam Army Airfield (later AFB)Vernam Air Force BaseVernam Field is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield located in Clarendon Parish, west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica...
) (closed 1949) - A Naval Air Station (Little Goat Island) and a Naval facility at Port RoyalPort RoyalPort Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
- Saint LuciaSaint LuciaSaint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, British West IndiesBritish West IndiesThe British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
- An Army Air Force airfield (Beane Army Airfield (later AFB)Hewanorra International AirportHewanorra International Airport , near Vieux Fort Quarter, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, is the larger of the country's two airports and is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority ....
) (closed 1949) - A Naval Air Station (Gros Islet Bay)
- BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
- Not actually part of the exchange, but the US received base rights here for free, in addition to those that were part of the exchange. The US Naval Operating Base was established in 1940, operating as a flying boat base 'til 1965 (when the US Navy switched to using landplanes from Kindley Air Force Base). The base continued in use for other purposes as the US Naval Annex until 1995. Construction began at the same time of a US Army Air Force airfield, Kindley FieldKindley Air Force BaseKindley Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Bermuda from 1948–1970, having been operated from 1943 to 1948 by the United States Army Air Force as Kindley Field.-World War II:...
, attached to Fort Bell, and which later became Kindley AFB. Transferred to U.S. Navy in 1970, it operated as NAS Bermuda until it was closed in 1995)
- Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
- Several Army Air Force airfields
- Pepperrell Airfield (later AFB) (closed August 1961)
- Goose Bay Army Airfield (later AFB)CFB Goose BayCanadian Forces Base Goose Bay , is a Canadian Forces Base located in the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador....
(turned over to Canadian Forces, July 1976) - Stephenville Army Airfield (later AFB)Ernest Harmon Air Force BaseErnest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom....
(closed December 1966) - McAndrew Airfield (later AFB) (transferred to U.S. Navy, 1955)
- A Naval Air Station
- Naval Station ArgentiaNaval Station ArgentiaNaval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
(closed 1994)
- Naval Station Argentia
- Multiple Marine and Army Bases and detachments in support of the above.
- TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, British West IndiesBritish West IndiesThe British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
- Two Army Air Force airfields
- Waller Army Airfield (later AFB)Waller Air Force BaseWaller Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway.-History:...
(closed 1949) - Carlsen Army Airfield (later AFB)Carlsen Air Force BaseCarlsen Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II airbase on Trinidad, consisting of two landing strips, "Edinburgh" and "Xeres"...
(closed 1949)
- Waller Army Airfield (later AFB)
- A Naval Operating Base, a Naval Air Station, blimpBlimpA blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
base, and a radio station
The ships
| No | Name | Class | Service history |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | USS Craven (DD-70) USS Craven (DD-70) USS Craven , a , served in the United States Navy, and later in the Royal Navy as HMS Lewes.The second US Navy ship named for Commander Tunis Craven , Craven was launched on 29 June 1918 by Norfolk Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. F. Learned, daughter of Commander Craven, and commissioned on 19 October... |
Caldwell | To Britain. Renamed HMS Lewes. Scuttled on October 12, 1945 |
| 02 | USS Conner (DD-72) USS Conner (DD-72) USS Conner , a Caldwell-class destroyer, served in the United States Navy, and later in the Royal Navy as HMS Leeds.-Construction:... |
Caldwell | To Britain. Renamed HMS Leeds. Broken up in 1947 |
| 03 | USS Stockton (DD-73) USS Stockton (DD-73) USS Stockton , a , served in the United States Navy, and later in the Royal Navy as HMS Ludlow.The second US Navy ship named for Captain Robert F... |
Caldwell | To Britain. Renamed HMS Ludlow. Sunk as Target in 1945 |
| 04 | USS Wickes (DD-75) USS Wickes (DD-75) The first USS Wickes was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Montgomery... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Montgomery. Broken up in 1945 |
| 05 | USS Philip (DD-76) USS Philip (DD-76) The first USS Philip was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Lancaster. She was named for John Woodward Philip.-As USS Philip:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Lancaster. Broken up in 1947 |
| 06 | USS Evans (DD-78) USS Evans (DD-78) The first USS Evans was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Mansfield.-As USS Evans:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Mansfield. Broken up in 1945 |
| 07 | USS Sigourney (DD-81) USS Sigourney (DD-81) USS Sigourney was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I. She was the first ship named for James Butler Sigourney.... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Newport. Broken up in 1947 |
| 08 | USS Robinson (DD-88) USS Robinson (DD-88) USS Robinson was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, later transferred to the Royal Navy, as HMS Newmarket... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Newmarket. Broken up in 1945 |
| 09 | USS Ringgold (DD-89) USS Ringgold (DD-89) USS Ringgold was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as a Town class destroyer named HMS Newark.... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Newark. Broken up in 1947 |
| 10 | USS Fairfax (DD-93) USS Fairfax (DD-93) USS Fairfax was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Richmond , as a Town class destroyer.-USS Fairfax:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Richmond. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Zhivuchiy. Broken up in 1949 |
| 11 | USS Williams (DD-108) USS Williams (DD-108) The second USS Williams was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS St... |
Wickes | To Canada. Renamed HMCS St. Clair. Foundered in 1946 |
| 12 | USS Twiggs (DD-127) USS Twiggs (DD-127) The first USS Twiggs was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was named for Major Levi Twiggs. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy, as HMS Leamington and to the Soviet Navy as Zhguchiy, before returning to Britain to star in the film The Gift Horse,... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Leamington. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Zhguchiy. Broken up in 1951 |
| 13 | USS Buchanan (DD-131) USS Buchanan (DD-131) USS Buchanan , named for Franklin Buchanan, was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy.Buchanan was transferred to the United Kingdom under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement in 1940 and served as HMS Campbeltown . She was destroyed during the St... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Campbeltown HMS Campbeltown (I42) HMS Campbeltown was a "Town"-class destroyer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was originally an American destroyer , and, like many other obsolescent U.S. Navy destroyers, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. Campbeltown... . Destroyed in the St. Nazaire Raid St. Nazaire Raid The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a successful British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined... on March 28, 1942 |
| 14 | USS Aaron Ward (DD-132) USS Aaron Ward (DD-132) The first ship named in honor of Rear Admiral Aaron Ward, USS Aaron Ward was a Wickes-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy. In 1940, she was transferred to the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Castleton.... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Castleton. Broken up in 1947 |
| 15 | USS Hale (DD-133) USS Hale (DD-133) The first USS Hale was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Caldwell ... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Caldwell. Broken up in 1944 |
| 16 | USS Crowninshield (DD-134) USS Crowninshield (DD-134) USS Crowninshield was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy between World War I and World War II. She was named for Benjamin Williams Crowninshield... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Chelsea. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Derzkiy. Broken up in 1949 |
| 17 | USS Tillman (DD-135) USS Tillman (DD-135) The first USS Tillman was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Senator Benjamin Tillman.-United States Navy:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Wells. Broken up in 1945 |
| 18 | USS Claxton (DD-140) USS Claxton (DD-140) USS Claxton , named for Thomas Claxton, was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy.The ship was launched 14 January 1919 by Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. F. W. Kellogg; and commissioned 13 September 1919, Lieutenant Commander F. T... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Salisbury. Broken up in 1944 |
| 19 | USS Yarnall (DD-143) USS Yarnall (DD-143) The first USS Yarnall was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Lincoln, to the Royal Norwegian Navy as HNoMS Lincoln, to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Lincoln, and subsequently to the Soviet Navy as Druzhny.-As USS... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Lincoln. To Canada in 1942. Renamed HMCS Lincoln. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Druzhny. Broken up in 1952. |
| 20 | USS Thatcher (DD-162) USS Thatcher (DD-162) The first USS Thatcher was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy, later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Niagara .-As USS Thatcher:Named for Admiral Henry K... |
Wickes | To Canada. Renamed HMCS Niagara. Broken up on 1946 |
| 21 | USS Cowell (DD-167) USS Cowell (DD-167) The first USS Cowell was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Brighton, and later to the Soviet Navy as Zharkiy.-As USS Cowell:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Brighton. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Zharkiy. Returned to Britain in 1949 and broken up. |
| 22 | USS Maddox (DD-168) USS Maddox (DD-168) USS Maddox was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Georgetown , to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Georgetown, and then to the Soviet Navy as Doblestny .-History:Named for William A. T... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Georgetown. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Doblestny. Broken up in 1949 |
| 23 | USS Foote (DD-169) USS Foote (DD-169) The second USS Foote was a in the United States Navy following World War I. She was transferred to the Royal Navy as and later to the Soviet Navy as Zhyostky.-As USS Foote:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Roxborough. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Zhostkiy. Returned to Britain in 1949 and broken up in 1952 |
| 24 | USS Kalk (DD-170) USS Kalk (DD-170) The first USS Kalk was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Hamilton and then into the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Hamilton .... |
Wickes | To Canada. Renamed HMCS Hamilton. Broken up in 1945 |
| 25 | USS Mackenzie (DD-175) USS MacKenzie (DD-175) USS MacKenzie was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I, later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Annapolis .- History :... |
Wickes | To Canada. Renamed HMCS Annapolis. Broken up in 1945 |
| 26 | USS Hopewell (DD-181) USS Hopewell (DD-181) The first USS Hopewell was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Bath , a "Town"-class destroyer.-As USS Hopewell:... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Bath. Sunk on August 19, 1941 by U-204 |
| 27 | USS Thomas (DD-182) USS Thomas (DD-182) The first USS Thomas was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS St Albans , as a Town class destroyer, but spent most of the war in the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy, before transferred to the Soviet Navy as... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS St. Albans. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Dostoyny. Broken up in 1949 |
| 28 | USS Haraden (DD-183) USS Haraden (DD-183) The first USS Haraden was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Columbia , as a Town class destroyer.-History:... |
Wickes | Initially to Britain and then on to Canada. Renamed HMS Columbia then HMCS Columbia. Broken up in 1945 |
| 29 | USS Abbot (DD-184) USS Abbot (DD-184) The first USS Abbot was a Wickes-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy until traded to Britain at the beginning of World War II... |
Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS Charlestown. Broken up in 1947 |
| 30 | USS Doran (DD-185) | Wickes | To Britain. Renamed HMS St. Marys. Broken up in 1945 |
| 31 | USS Satterlee (DD-190) USS Satterlee (DD-190) USS Satterlee was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Belmont.-As USS Satterlee:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Belmont. Sunk by U-82 German submarine U-82 (1941) German submarine U-82 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.Her keel was laid down on 15 May 1940 by Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft of Bremen. She was commissioned on 14 May 1941 with Oberleutnant Siegfried Rollmann in command. U-82 conducted three patrols, sinking... on January 31, 1942 |
| 32 | USS Mason (DD-191) USS Mason (DD-191) USS Mason was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Broadwater .-As USS Mason:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Broadwater. Sunk by U-101 on October 18, 1941 |
| 33 | USS Abel P Upshur (DD-193) USS Abel P. Upshur (DD-193) USS Abel P. Upshur was a Clemson-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy until traded to Britain at the beginning of World War II where she served as HMS Clare.-As USS Abel P... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Clare. Broken up in 1945 |
| 34 | USS Hunt (DD-194) USS Hunt (DD-194) USS Hunt was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the United States Coast Guard, as USCGD Hunt . She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Broadway .... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Broadway. Broken up in 1947 |
| 35 | USS Welborn C Wood (DD-195) USS Welborn C. Wood (DD-195) USS Welborn C. Wood was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She served with the United States Coast Guard as USCGD Wood. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Chesterfield.... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Chesterfield. Broken up in 1947 |
| 36 | USS Branch (DD-197) USS Branch (DD-197) USS Branch was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Beverley to serve during World War II.-As USS Branch:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Beverley. Sunk by U-188 on April 11, 1943 |
| 37 | USS Herndon (DD-198) USS Herndon (DD-198) USS Herndon was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Herndon served in the United States Coast Guard as CG-17... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Churchill. To USSR in 1944. Renamed Deyatelny. Sunk on January 16, 1945 in uncertain circumstances |
| 38 | USS McCook (DD-252) USS McCook (DD-252) The first USS McCook was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She transferred to the Royal Navy and then to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS St. Croix during World War II.- As USS McCook :... |
Clemson | To Canada. Renamed HMCS St. Croix. Sunk by U-952 on September 20, 1943 |
| 39 | USS McCalla (DD-253) USS McCalla (DD-253) The first USS McCalla was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Stanley during World War II.-As USS McCalla:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Stanley. Sunk by U-574 on December 18, 1941 |
| 40 | USS Rodgers (DD-254) USS Rodgers (DD-254) The third USS Rodgers was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, transferred to the Royal Navy and served as HMS Sherwood during World War II.-As USS John Rodgers:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Sherwood. Sunk as target in 1945 |
| 41 | USS Bancroft (DD-256) USS Bancroft (DD-256) The second USS Bancroft was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, and transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, where she served as HMCS St. Francis during World War II.-As USS Bancroft:... |
Clemson | To Canada. Renamed HMCS St. Francis. Foundered in 1945 while en route to scrap yard. |
| 42 | USS Welles (DD-257) USS Welles (DD-257) The first USS Welles was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Cameron during World War II.-As USS Welles:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Cameron. Damaged beyond repair in air raid at Portsmouth on December 5, 1940 |
| 43 | USS Aulick (DD-258) USS Aulick (DD-258) The second USS Aulick was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Burnham during World War II.-History:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Burnham. Broken up in 1947 |
| 44 | USS Laub (DD-263) USS Laub (DD-263) The first USS Laub was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Burwell during World War II... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Burwell. Broken up in 1947 |
| 45 | USS McLanahan (DD-264) USS McLanahan (DD-264) The first USS McLanahan was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Bradford during World War II.-As USS McLanahan:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Bradford. Broken up in 1946 |
| 46 | USS Edwards (DD-265) USS Edwards (DD-265) USS Edwards was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Buxton and later in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.-As USS Edwards:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Buxton. To Canada in 1943. Renamed HMCS Buxton. Broken up in 1946 |
| 47 | USS Shubrick (DD-268) USS Shubrick (DD-268) The third USS Shubrick was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy, where she served as HMS Ripley during World War II.-As USS Shubrick:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Ripley. Broken up in 1945 |
| 48 | USS Bailey (DD-269) USS Bailey (DD-269) The second USS Bailey was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Reading during World War II.-As USS Bailey:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Reading. Broken up in 1945 |
| 49 | USS Swasey (DD-273) USS Swasey (DD-273) The first USS Swasey was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Rockingham .-USS Swasey:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Rockingham. Struck mine on September 27, 1944, and sunk while under tow |
| 50 | USS Meade (DD-274) USS Meade (DD-274) The first USS Meade was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Ramsey .-As USS Meade:... |
Clemson | To Britain. Renamed HMS Ramsey. Broken up in 1947 |
See also
- Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
, a successor agreement loosely modeled on the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. - Northeast Air CommandNortheast Air CommandThe Northeast Air Command was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United States established during World War II in Northeast Canada,...
for airfields in Newfoundland and LabradorLabradorLabrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
Further reading
- STRATEGY: Bases Chosen December 1940 TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article about the bases. - Naval Bases constructed after the deal