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Allied Warships

HMS Hertfordshire (FY 176)

ASW Trawler

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeASW Trawler
Class 
PennantFY 176 
Built bySmiths Dock Co., Ltd. (South Bank-on-Tees, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched6 Aug, 1936 
Commissioned, 1939 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryCompleted in September 1936.
Taken over by the Admiralty in 1939.
Displacement: 458 tons.
Armament: 1 4" gun.

In March 1942 she was lent to the U.S. Navy, but still manned by a British crew, to assist the American`s newly formed anti-submarine forces. In October 1942 she was returned to R.N. control and in December Hertfordshire was transferred to South African waters to combat the growing U-boat threat in this area.

From February 6-12th 1943 she was docked in the Selborne dry dock at simonstown, South Africa and spent the rest of the war escorting convoys around the South African coast.

In 1945 Hertfordshire returned to U.K. waters. She was sold later in 1945.
Renamed Northern Gift in 1951.
Renamed Wyre Gleaner in 1954.
Scrapped at Troon in 1963. 


Noteable events involving Hertfordshire include:

11 Aug, 1940
During a heavy air raid on Weymouth and Portland the ship was in Admiralty floating dock (AFD19) which was holed and strained. The Hertfordshire (Cdr. J.A. Shater, (retired), RN) suffered some splinter damage.

1 Apr, 1942
The British merchant Rio Blanco is torpedoed and sunk about 60 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras in position 35º16'N, 74º18'W by the German submarine U-160. HMT Hertfordshire (Cdr. J.A. Shater, (retired), RN) later picks up 12 survivors.

11 Apr, 1942
HMT Hertfordshire (Cdr. J.A. Shater, (retired), RN) picks up 24 survivors from the American tanker Harry F. Sinclair, Jr. that was torpedoed and damaged by the German submarine U-203 7 nautical miles south of Cape Lookout in position 34º25'N, 76º30'W.


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