HMS Berry (K312)
Encyclopedia
HMS Berry (K312) was a , built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a , and transferred to 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...
under the terms of Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-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...
, which served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named after Rear Admiral Sir Edward Berry
Edward Berry
Rear Admiral Sir Edward Berry, 1st Baronet, KCB was an officer in Britain's Royal Navy primarily known for his role as flag captain of Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson's ship HMS Vanguard at the Battle of the Nile, prior to his knighthood in 1798...
(1768-1831).
The name Berry was originally assigned to the Evarts-class destroyer escort, BDE-14, laid down on 28 February 1942. When that ship was retained by the United States Navy and renamed , the name was transferred to another ship.
The new Berry (BDE-3) was laid down on 22 September 1942 by the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
, launched on 23 November 1942, and commissioned into 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...
on 15 March 1943.
Service history
During World War II, HMS Berry operated in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay in 1943 and 1944. After the war, Berry was returned to the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval ShipyardPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
on 2 February 1946. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 12 March 1946, and she was sold to the North American Smelting Co., of Philadelphia. That firm took possession of her on 9 November 1946 and completed her scrapping on 4 November 1948.