 HMS Lawford at Liverpool, 13 February 1944
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Lawford (DE-516) |
| Fate | Transferred to Royal Navy under Lend-Lease |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Lawford (K514) |
| Launched | 13 August 1943 |
| Fate | Sunk by Aerial attack during Normandy Landings, 8 June 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Evarts-class destroyer escort (modified to HQ vessel) |
| Displacement | 1,140 long tons (1,158 t) |
| Length | 289.5 ft (88.2 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Range | 5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 156 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
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HMS Lawford (K514) was a Royal Navy converted Captain class frigate (pennant DE-516), built in the US in 1944. She was converted into an HQ ship for the Normandy landings. On 8 June 1944, whilst operating off Juno Beach, she was hit by enemy fire during an air attack and sunk. Thirty-seven of her crew died. The Royal Navy's damage summary report[1] states that the ship was hit by an "aerial torpedo", which has been taken to mean a torpedo dropped from an aircraft. However, a survey of the ship undertaken as part of the Channel 4 TV series "Wreck Detectives"[2] found evidence that the vessel was broken up and sunk by an internal explosion, indicating a hit from one or more bombs or from an early guided missile such as an Hs-293 or (less likely) a Fritz X.
Further consideration suggests that the term "aerial torpedo" used in the RN damage summaries was actually intended to refer to guided missiles.[2]
The wreck lies in 21 meters of water at 49°25′43″N 00°23′47″W / 49.42861°N 0.39639°W.
