HMS Gould (K476)
HMS Gould (K476) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Lovering (DE-272), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 until her sinking in 1944.
History | |
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Name: | USS Lovering (DE-272) |
Namesake: | U.S. Navy Ensign William Bacon Lovering (1913-1942), killed in action aboard the destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) during the Battle of Midway on 6 June 1942 |
Ordered: | 25 January 1942[1] |
Builder: | Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts |
Laid down: | 23 April 1943 |
Launched: | 4 June 1943 |
Sponsored by: | Mrs. Joseph S. Lovering |
Completed: | 18 September 1943 |
Commissioned: | never |
Fate: | Transferred to United Kingdom 18 September 1943 |
Class and type: | Captain class frigate |
Name: | HMS Gould (K476) |
Namesake: | Admiral Sir Davidge Gould (1758-1847), British naval officer who was commanding officer of HMS Audacious at the Battle of the Nile in 1798[2] |
Acquired: | 18 September 1943 |
Commissioned: | 18 September 1943[1] |
Fate: | Sunk 1 March 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement: | 1,140 tons |
Length: | 289.5 ft (88.2 m) |
Beam: | 35 ft (11 m) |
Draught: | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
Propulsion: |
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Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
Range: | 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
Complement: | 156 |
Sensors and processing systems: |
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Armament: |
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Notes: | Pennant number K476 |
Construction and transfer
The ship was ordered on 25 January 1942[1] and laid down as the destroyer escort USS Lovering (DE-272), the first ship of the name, by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 20 May 1943. She was launched on 8 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph S. Lovering, sister-in-law of the ship's namesake, the late Ensign William B. Lovering. The United States transferred the ship upon completion to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 18 September 1943.
Service history
The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as the frigate HMS Gould (K476) on 18 September 1943[1] simultaneously with her transfer. She served on convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic Ocean.
On 26 February 1944, Gould joined the British frigates HMS Affleck and HMS Gore in a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-91 in the North Atlantic at position 49°45′N 26°20′W.[1]
On 29 February 1944, Gould was operating as part of the First Escort Group when she, Affleck, Gore, and the British frigate HMS Garlies detected the German submarine U-358 in the North Atlantic north-northeast of the Azores and began a depth-charge attack which continued through the night and into 1 March 1944, the four frigates dropping a combined 104 depth charges. Gore and Garlies were forced to withdraw to Gibraltar to refuel on 1 March, but Affleck and Gould continued to attack U-358. During the afternoon of 1 March, U-358 succeeded in torpedoing and sinking Gould with a G7es – known to the Allies as "GNAT" – torpedo at position 45°46′N 23°16′W. Ungoed, six other officers, and 116 ratings died in the sinking, and only 14 of Gould's crew survived. U-358 was soon forced to surface after 38 hours submerged and was sunk by gunfire from Affleck at position 45°46′N 23°16′W.[1][3]
References
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Gould (K 476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
- Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Gould (K481)
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-boats: HMS Gould (K476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
External links
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Lovering (DE-272) - HMS Gould (K-476)
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Gould (K 476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-boats: HMS Gould (K 476)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
- Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Gould K476 (DE 272)