HMS Barbados (K504)

HMS Barbados was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigate USS Halsted (PF-76) – sometimes spelled Halstead – and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Halsted.

History
United States
Name:	USS Halsted (PG-184)
Namesake:	Royal Navy Captain Sir Lawrence Halsted (1764-1841), commanding officer of HMS Namur at the Battle of Cape Ortegal in 1805 (British name assigned in anticipation of ship's transfer to United Kingdom)
Reclassified:	Patrol frigate, PF-76, 15 April 1943
Builder:	Walsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island
Laid down:	11 May 1943[1]
Renamed:	Barbados, 1943
Namesake:	Barbados (British name assigned in anticipation of ship's transfer to United Kingdom)
Launched:	27 August 1943
Sponsored by:	Miss Anna M. Pacheco
Commissioned:	never
Fate:	Transferred to United Kingdom 18 December 1943
Acquired:	Returned by United Kingdom 15 April 1946
Fate:	Sold for scrapping 30 October 1947
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Barbados
Namesake:	Barbados
Acquired:	18 December 1943
Commissioned:	18 December 1943[1]
Identification:	Pennant number: K504
Fate:	Returned to United States, 15 April 1946
General characteristics
Class and type:	Colony-class frigate/Tacoma-class patrol frigate
Displacement:	1,264 long tons (1,284 t)
Length:	303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam:	37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft:	13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion:	3 × boilers 2 × turbines, 5,500 shp (4,100 kW) each 2 shafts
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	190
Armament:	3 × single 3 inch/50 AA guns 2 × twin 40 mm guns 9 × single 20 mm 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 8 × Y-gun depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge racks

Construction and acquisition

The ship, originally designated a "patrol gunboat," PG-184, was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission under a United States Navy contract as USS Halsted. She was reclassified as a "patrol frigate," PF-76, on 15 April 1943 and laid down by the Walsh-Kaiser Company at Providence, Rhode Island, on 11 May 1943.[1] Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom, the ship was renamed Barbados by the British prior to launching and was launched on 27 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Anna M. Pacheco.

Service history

Transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 18 December 1943, the ship served in the Royal Navy as HMS Barbados (K504) on patrol and escort duty.

Disposal

The United Kingdom returned Barbados to the U.S. Navy on 15 April 1946. She was sold to the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Chester, Pennsylvania,on 30 October 1947 for scrapping.

References

Notes

1. uboat.net HMS Barbados (K 504)

Bibliography

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Navsource Online: Frigate Photo Archive HMS Barbados (K 504) ex-Halstead ex-PF-76 ex-PG-184