HMS Drury was a Captain-class frigate, originally commissioned to be built for the United States Navy as an Evarts-class destroyer escort. Before she was finished in 1942, she was transferred to the Royal Navy under the terms of Lend-Lease, and saw service during the Second World War. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named Drury, after Captain Thomas Drury, commander of HMS Alfred in the West Indies in 1795.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Drury |
| Builder | Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down | 12 February 1942 |
| Launched | 24 July 1942 |
| Commissioned | 12 April 1943 |
| Renamed |
|
| Identification | Pennant number K316 |
| Fate | Returned to United States Navy on 20 August 1945 |
 United States | |
| Name | USS Drury |
| Commissioned | 20 August 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 22 October 1945 |
| Stricken | 16 November 1945 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping in June 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Captain-class frigate |
| Length | 289.5 ft (88.2 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,260 km; 5,750 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 156 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
Wartime career edit
She was originally to have been named HMS Cockburn, but the name was changed to HMS Drury prior to her launch on 24 July 1942 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 12 April 1943 and spent her wartime career on anti-submarine patrols and as a convoy escort. On 21 April 1945 Drury, Bazely and HMS Bentinck sank U-636 west of Ireland.
Post-War return to the United States edit
Drury was transferred back to the US Navy on 20 August 1945 at Chatham, England. She was commissioned the same day. She departed Chatham on 28 August, joined Task Group 21.3 off Dover, and the following day sailed for the States. Drury arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 8 September and remained there at the Philadelphia Navy Yard where she was decommissioned on 22 October 1945. She was scrapped in June 1946.
References edit
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Drury at Uboat.net
- Drury at Captain class frigate association
External links edit
- Photo gallery of Drury at NavSource Naval History