Banff class sloop

The "Banff" class sloops were a group of ten ships built as United States Coast Guard Lake class cutters. In 1941 these ships were loaned to the Royal Navy as anti-submarine warfare escorts. The transfers took place at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

hips

*USCGC "Chelan", originally cutter # 45. She was named for Lake Chelan, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 19 May 1928. She performed Bering Sea patrols, international ice patrols, and patrolled more regattas than other ships of the class. She became HMS "Lulworth" on 2 May 1941.Blair 1996 p.744] While escorting convoy OS-10 on 31 October 1941, "Lulworth" attacked "U-96". Lothar-Günther Buchheim, author of "Das Boot", was aboard "U-96" at the time. [Blair 1996 p.394] "Lulworth" sank the Italian submarine "Pietro Calvi" on 14 July 1942 while escorting convoy SL-115. [Blair 1996 pp.669-670] "Lulworth" was returned on 12 February 1946, used for spare parts and scrapped in 1947.

*USCGC "Ponchartrain", originally cutter # 46. She was named for Lake Ponchartrain, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 16 June 1928. She performed winter cruising for the Coast Guard, became HMS "Hartland" on 30 April 1941, and was lost on 8 November 1942 in Operation Reservist, an attack on Oran that formed part of Operation Torch.

*USCGC "Tahoe", originally cutter # 47. She was named for Lake Tahoe, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 12 June 1928. She did more Coast Guard boarding work and spent more time icebreaking than other ships of the class, became HMS "Fishguard" on 30 April 1941. She was returned on 27 March 1946, was used for spare parts and scrapped in 1947.

*USCGC "Champlain", originally cutter # 48. She was named for Lake Champlain, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 11 October 1928. She performed international ice patrols and became HMS "Sennen" on 12 May 1941. She escorted convoy OS-12, [Blair 1996 p.409] and was credited with sinking "U-954" while assigned to support group 1 defending convoy SC-130 on 19 May 1943. Admiral Karl Dönitz's son Peter Dönitz was among those lost aboard "U-954". [Blair 1998 pp.333-334] "Sennen" was returned on 27 March 1946, was redesignated USCGC "Champlain" and was scrapped in 1948.

*USCGC "Mendota", originally cutter # 49. She was named for Lake Mendota, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 27 November 1928. She performed Coast Guard anti-smuggling patrols and winter cruising, and became HMS "Culver" on 30 April 1941. She was torpedoed and sunk by "U-105" on 31 January 1942 while escorting convoy SL-98 south-west of Ireland. [Brown 1995 p.56] [Blair 1996 p.497]

*USCGC "Itasca", originally cutter # 50. She was named for Lake Itasca, built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California, and launched on 16 November 1929. She performed Bering Sea patrols, provided navigation assistance at Howland Island for Amelia Earhart's 1937 flight around the world, and became HMS "Gorleston" on 30 May 1941. She was uniquely armed with ten .50 caliber and two 20 mm machine guns in place of the 3"/50 and four 20 mm AA guns carried by the remainder of the class. She was the escort leader for convoy SL-87, [Blair 1996 pp.381-383] escorted convoy SL-118, [Blair 1996 p.672] and was returned on 23 April 1946, redesignated USCGC "Itasca" and was scrapped in 1950.

*USCGC "Sebago", originally cutter # 51. She was named for Sebago Lake, built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California, and launched on 10 February 1930. She destroyed more derelicts than other ships of the class, and became HMS "Walney" on 12 May 1941, named after Walney Island. She was lost on 8 November 1942 in Operation Reservist, an attack on Oran that formed part of Operation Torch.

*USCGC "Saranac", originally cutter # 52. She was named for the Saranac Lakes, built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California, and launched on 12 April 1930. She became HMS "Banff" on 30 April 1941, was returned on 27 February 1946 and recommissioned as USCGC "Tampa" on 27 May 1947. She was decommissioned on 10 August 1954 and was scrapped in 1959.

*USCGC "Shoshone", originally cutter # 53. She was named for Shoshone Lake at the headwaters of the Lewis River (Wyoming), built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California, and launched on 11 September 1930. She performed Bering Sea patrols and reported more navigation law infractions than other ships of the class. She became HMS "Landguard" on 20 May 1941, and escorted convoy SL-109. [Blair 1996 p.586] While patrolling the Bay of Biscay with the 40th support group, "Landguard" was damaged during the first successful Henschel Hs 293 glide bomb attack on 25 August 1943. [Blair 1998 p.405] "Landguard" was scrapped in Ceylon 1949.

*USCGC "Cayuga", originally cutter # 54. She was named for Cayuga Lake, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Staten Island, and launched on 7 October 1931. She performed Coast Guard anti-smuggling patrols and more United States Coast Guard Academy cadet practice cruises than other ships of the class, and became HMS "Totland" on 12 May 1941. She escorted convoy OS-12, [Blair 1996 pp.409] and sank "U-522" on 23 February 1943 while escorting the tanker convoy UC-1. [Blair 1998 p.197] She was returned in May 1946, was recommissioned as USCGC "Mocoma" on 20 March 1947, was decommissioned on 8 May 1950, and scrapped in 1955.

Notes

References

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*