USS Surprise (PG-63)
Encyclopedia
USS Surprise (PG-63), the fourth American naval ship of the name, was the British
Flower-class
corvette HMS Heliotrope loaned to and operated by the United States Navy
from 1942-1945 as a Temptress-class patrol gunboat
. After World War II she was sold as a merchant vessel and ended her life in the communist Chinese navy as Lin I.
, and launched on 5 June 1940.
She was transferred to the U.S. Navy at Hull
, England, on 24 March 1942, one of a group of corvettes transferred to the U.S. Navy under reverse Lend-Lease
. She was commissioned
as USS Surprise the same day, Lieutenant R. C. D. Hunt, Jr., in command. She was delivered with British radar
s and armament installed, and over the course of her U.S. Navy service was gradually converted to U.S. standards. The 4 in (101.6 mm) gun was mounted forward, the 3 in (76.2 mm) gun aft.
Surprise sailed from Derry
, Northern Ireland
on 24 April 1942 to escort a convoy
to Boston, Massachusetts
. After an overhaul, she proceeded south and for the remainder of 1942 escorted Caribbean
convoys, principally between Trinidad
and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
. In January 1943, she extended her range into the South Atlantic and, into 1944, performed escort runs between Trinidad and Recife, Brazil
.
Surprise then returned to the United States
. In May 1944, she returned to the North Atlantic and, until after the end of World War II
in Europe
in May 1945, rotated between Newfoundland, Greenland
, and Iceland
convoy runs and weather patrol duty.
Surprise was decommissioned
on 20 August 1945 at Chatham
, England, returned to the Royal Navy on 26 August, and struck from the Navy List
on 17 September.
as Lin I.
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...
Flower-class
Flower class corvette
The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
corvette HMS Heliotrope loaned to and operated by 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...
from 1942-1945 as a Temptress-class patrol gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
. After World War II she was sold as a merchant vessel and ended her life in the communist Chinese navy as Lin I.
Service history
HMS Heliotrope was built by John Crown and Sons Ltd, Sunderland, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and launched on 5 June 1940.
She was transferred to the U.S. Navy at Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England, on 24 March 1942, one of a group of corvettes transferred to the U.S. Navy under reverse 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...
. She was commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
as USS Surprise the same day, Lieutenant R. C. D. Hunt, Jr., in command. She was delivered with British radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
s and armament installed, and over the course of her U.S. Navy service was gradually converted to U.S. standards. The 4 in (101.6 mm) gun was mounted forward, the 3 in (76.2 mm) gun aft.
Surprise sailed from Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
on 24 April 1942 to escort a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
to Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. After an overhaul, she proceeded south and for the remainder of 1942 escorted Caribbean
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
convoys, principally between Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad 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...
and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In January 1943, she extended her range into the South Atlantic and, into 1944, performed escort runs between Trinidad and Recife, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Surprise then returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In May 1944, she returned to the North Atlantic and, until after the end of 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...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in May 1945, rotated between Newfoundland, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
convoy runs and weather patrol duty.
Surprise was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 20 August 1945 at Chatham
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
, England, returned to the Royal Navy on 26 August, and struck from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 17 September.
Fate
She was transferred to Nationalist China in 1947, and, after a period of mercantile service, she was taken into the Communist Chinese NavyPeople's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
as Lin I.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org