HMS Trollope (K575) was a British Captain class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from January to July 1944, when she was lost.

HMS Trollope (K575)
HMS Trollope photographed during World War II by an aircraft operating from Royal Naval Air Station HMS Osprey, Dunoon, Scotland.
History
United States
Nameunnamed (DE-566)
BuilderBethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down29 September 1943
Launched20 November 1943
Completed10 January 1944
Commissionednever
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 10 January 1944
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 10 October 1944
Stricken13 November 1944
Fate
  • Sold 9 January 1947 for scrapping
  • Scrapped 1951
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Trollope (K575)
NamesakeAdmiral Sir Henry Trollope (1756-1839), British naval officer who was commanding officer of HMS Russell at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797
Acquired10 January 1944
Commissioned10 January 1944
Fate
General characteristics
Displacement1,400 long tons (1,422 t)
Length306 ft (93 m)
Beam36.75 ft (11.2 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion
  • Two Foster-Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers
  • GE 13,500 shp (10,070 kW) steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW)
  • Electric motors for 12,000 shp (8,900 kW)
  • Two shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h)
Range5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement186
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
NotesPennant number K575

Construction and transfer

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The ship was laid down as the unnamed U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-566 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 29 September 1943 and launched on 20 November 1943. She was transferred to the Royal Navy upon completion on 10 January 1944.

Service history

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Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy [1] as the frigate HMS Trollope (K575) on 10 January 1944 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty in the English Channel and supported the invasion of Normandy.

On 6 July 1944, Trollope either ran aground near Arromanches-les-Bains, France,[2] or was torpedoed by a German S-boat – known to the Allies as "E-boat" – motor torpedo boat off Cap d'Antifer, France,[1][3][4] according to different sources.

At approximately 01:30 on 6 July 1944, Trollope was struck by 3 torpedoes launched by a German E-boat, breaking the vessel in two. The front part of the vessel detached and drifted, presenting a risk to other Allied vessels in the area. This was sunk, tactically, by Allied forces. The rear of the vessel was towed towards Arromanches-les-Bains by a US tug boat, where it was run aground allowing servicemen still on board to be rescued. Source of this information was from one of those servicemen rescued.

Trollope was declared a constructive total loss. The Royal Navy returned her to the U.S. Navy on 10 October 1944.

Disposal

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The U.S. Navy struck Trollope from its Naval Vessel Register on 13 November 1944. She was sold on 9 January 1947 to John Lee of Belfast, Northern Ireland, for scrapping, and was scrapped in Scotland[4] in 1951.

Citations

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References

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