ARA Santísima Trinidad (1948)
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HMS ''Caicos'' was a of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
that served during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She was originally ordered by the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
as the patrol frigate USS ''Hannam'' and was transferred to the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
prior to completion. It was named after the
Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and nor ...
. After her return to U.S. Navy custody, she was sold to
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and served in the
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
(''Armada de la Republica Argentina'') as a frigate under the names ARA ''Trinidad'' (P-34) and ARA ''Santísima Trinidad'' (P-34) from 1948 to 1962. After a refit she then served as a
survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pu ...
as ARA ''Augusto Lasserre'' (Q-9) from 1963 to 1969.


Construction and acquisition

Originally designated a "patrol
gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...
", she was ordered by the
United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The co ...
under a U.S. Navy contract as Type S2-S2-AQ1 hull number 1659 and named USS ''Hannam''. She was reclassified as a "
patrol frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
", PF-77, on 15 April 1943 and
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
by the Walsh-Kaiser Company at
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
, on 23 April 1943. Intended for transfer to the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, the ship was renamed ''Caicos'' by the British before being launched on 6 September 1943.


Service history


Royal Navy, World War II, 1943–1945

Transferred to the United Kingdom under
Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...
on 31 December 1943,Ship building history Walsh-Kaiser Company, Inc.
/ref> the ship was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Caicos'' (K505) – sources claim that she was partially funded by the
Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
colony, after part of which she was named – on either 31 December 1943 or 2 January 1944. Uniquely among all World War II frigates, ''Caicos'' was fitted to perform aircraft direction duties. The Royal Navy originally intended to send her to the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
, but instead assigned her to duty in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
, where she attempted to detect German
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
s during their flights toward targets in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. Two members of her crew died during her war service.


Disposal and transfer to Argentina

The United Kingdom returned ''Caicos'' to the U.S. Navy on 12 December 1945. The U.S. Navy then transferred her for disposal to the U.S. Maritime Commission, which sold her in June 1946 to the N. B. Wolcott firm of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
for scrapping. However the plans to scrap her were cancelled and she was resold to
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
on 6 July 1947. Thus, although many ''Tacoma''-class patrol frigates served in foreign navies after completing their U.S. Navy service, ''Caicos'' became the only Colony-class frigate to serve in another navy after completing her British service.


Argentine Navy, 1947–1970


Frigate, 1948–1960

The ship was incorporated into the
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
on 4 August 1947, and assigned the name ARA ''Trinidad'' (P-34) in memory of ARA ''Santísima Trinidad'', an Argentine Navy
brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Ol ...
of 1815–1816 that saw action in the
Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...
. Commander (S) D. Rodolfo A. Muzzio initiated a campaign to assign the full name ''Santísima Trinidad'' to her, and she became ARA ''Santísima Trinidad'' (P-34) on 3 October 1950.Fragata ''Santisima Trinidad'' 1948
/ref> ''Santísima Trinidad'' served as part of the Frigate Force of the Sea Fleet from 1948 until 1960. During this time she operated in the
South Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
, participating in annual fleet exercises, especially the
antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...
exercises she was designed for. In 1948–1949 she participated in the 11th Antarctic Campaign. In 1959, she participated in Operation Neptune II, and received a battle honour''Pabellón de combate'' has been translated as "battle honour". from Vicario General Castrense and Cardenal D. Antonio Caggiano on 8 December 1960. She then went into
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...
from 1961 to 1962. According to ''
Janes Fighting Ships ''Janes Fighting Ships'' is an annual reference book of each country's navy and coast guard, along with their weapons and aircraft. Included are ship names, construction data, size, speed, range, complement, engineering, armament, and senso ...
'', her armament in Argentine service as ''Santísima Trinidad'' consisted of two 105 mm (4.1 in) guns, eight 40 mm antiaircraft guns, 1 Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar, and six
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
throwers. ''Conways'' states that she had four 47 mm antiaircraft guns instead of eight 40 mm antiaircraft guns.


Survey ship, 1963–1969

Starting in 1962,
Río Santiago Shipyard The Rio Santiago Shipyard is a shipyard located in the city of Ensenada, Buenos Aires Province at the shores of the Santiago River. Currently owned by the Government of Buenos Aires Province, it has been one of the major active and important ship ...
(AFNE) converted ''Santísima Trinidad'' into a
survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pu ...
.Historia y Arqueologia Marítima, ''Buque de Investigaciones A.R.A. "Comodoro Lasserre" 1963–1969 Q-9''
/ref> The conversion included disarming her, installing eight specialised cabinets, nine probe basins, and a
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
landing platform, as well as a general refit. She was reclassified as a survey vessel (in
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
''Buque de Investigacion'') and renamed ARA ''Comodoro Augusto Lasserre'' (Q-9),Page 7, ''Janes Fighting Ships 1963–64'' There was a spelling error in the original decree, which called her "Laserre" instead of "Lasserre"; this was corrected in 1964. She was recommissioned as a survey ship on 27 January 1964. She undertook
hydrographic survey Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore wind farms, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Surveys may als ...
s each year from 1964 to 1968. In 1968 she ran aground near Lion Island (Isla Leones) in the
Palmer Archipelago Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It extends from Tower Island in the north to Anvers ...
during a storm. After she was refloated, she was inspected at
Puerto Belgrano Port Belgrano Naval Base ( - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Belgrano'' (named after Manuel Belg ...
, and it was recommended that she be taken out of service. She was struck from the navy list on 20 February 1969. Her decommissioning ceremony was in March 1969, and she was sold for scrapping in 1971.Page 9, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995''.


References


External links


A photo of ''Comodoro Augusto Lasserre'' (Q-9) taken in 1965; it shows that she had been disarmed. Photographer: ''Robert Hirst''.
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caicos (K505) 1943 ships Ships built in Providence, Rhode Island Tacoma-class frigates Colony-class frigates World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States World War II frigates of the United Kingdom Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Argentine Navy Tacoma-class frigates of the Argentine Navy Research vessels of Argentina Survey ships Maritime incidents in 1968 Shipwrecks in the Southern Ocean