History
United States
NameUSS Lamons (DE-64)
NamesakeBoatswain's Mate Second Class Kenneth Tafe Lamons, who performed heroically during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 before dying of wounds[2]
BuilderBethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down22 February 1943[1]
Launched22 May 1943[1]
Completed23 August 1943[1]
Commissionednever
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 23 August 1943[1]
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 28 August 1945[3]
Stricken17 September 1945[1]
FateSold May 1947 for scrapping[1]
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Duff (K352)
NamesakeCaptain George Duff (1764-1805), British naval officer who was killed in action as commanding officer of HMS Mars at the Battle of Trafalgar[4]
Acquired23 August 1943[1]
Commissioned23 August 1943[3]
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 K352

HMS Duff (K352) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy that served during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort USS Lamons (DE-64), she was transferred to the Royal Navy before she was completed.

Construction and transfer

The ship was laid down as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Lamons (DE-64) by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 22 February 1943 and launched on 22 May 1943. Lamons was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 23 August 1943.[1]

Service history

Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as the frigate HMS Duff (K352) on 23 August 1943 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty. At 0745 on 30 November 1944, she struck a mine in the North Sea off Ostend, Belgium, suffering three dead. Although badly damaged, she managed to limp back to port at Harwich, England.[1][3]

Damaged beyond economical repair, Duff was declared a constructive total loss.[3] The Royal Navy returned her to the U.S. Navy on 28 August 1945.[1]

Disposal

The U.S. Navy struck Duff from its Naval Vessel Register on 17 September 1945. She was sold in May 1947 for scrapping in the Netherlands.[1]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Lamons (DE-64) HMS Duff (K-352)
  2. ^ "Lamons (DE-743)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
  3. ^ a b c d e uboat.net HMS Duff (K 352)
  4. ^ Captain Class Frigate Association: HMS Duff K352 (DE 64)

References


Categories