The ''Banff''-class sloop was a group of ten
warship
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster ...
s of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. Built as
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
Lake-class cutters, in 1941 these ships were loaned to the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
as
antisubmarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in 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 are ty ...
escort ships. The transfers took place at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
; the sloops were manned for transport to Britain by personnel from the damaged battleship
''Malaya'' which was under repair there.
The sloops were initially part of
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
command used to escort convoys such as
SL convoys from
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, and one, HMS ''Culver'', was sunk by a German submarine in the Atlantic while so employed January 1942.
In 1943, the nine surviving sloops were assigned to
Operation Torch - the Allied invasion of
French North Africa
French North Africa (french: Afrique du Nord française, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is the term often applied to the territories controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. I ...
. Two—''Walney'' and ''Hartland''—were destroyed in
Operation Reservist
Operation Reservist was an Allied military operation during the Second World War. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of North Africa), it was an attempted landing of troops directly into the harbour at Oran in Algeria.
Background
The ...
in the assault to capture
Oran harbor. The remaining seven escorted
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
convoys in support of the North African invasion and saw varied employment in the Atlantic until assigned to the
Kilindini
Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...
Escort Force in late 1943 and early 1944. They stayed in the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
for the remainder of the war escorting trade convoys in the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
, and five served in the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
supporting
Operation Dracula
Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign.
The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccu ...
and
Operation Zipper in the last months of conflict with Japan. Six were returned to the United States after the conclusion of hostilities; and one, disabled by mechanical failure, was scrapped overseas.
Ships
''Lulworth'' (ex-''Chelan'')
Originally cutter #45, she was named for
Lake Chelan
Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Before 1927, it was the largest natural lake in the state by any measure. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake w ...
,
built by
Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
,
and launched on 19 May 1928.
She became HMS ''Lulworth'' on 2 May 1941 and sailed to England with convoy SC 31.
[Blair 1996 p.744] After refit at
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, ''Lulworth'' escorted convoys OS 4, SL 87, OS 10, and SL 93. While escorting convoy OS 10 on 31 October 1941, ''Lulworth'' attacked
''U-96''.
Lothar-Günther Buchheim, author of 1973 book ''Das Boot'' (later made into
a film by the same name), was aboard ''U-96'' at the time. Following installation of
HF/DF
High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF or nickname huff-duff, is a type of radio direction finder (RDF) introduced in World War II. High frequency (HF) refers to a radio band that can effectively communicate ov ...
in December 1941, ''Lulworth'' escorted convoys OS 15, SL 98, OS 20, SL 103, OS 25, SL 109, OS 31, and SL 115. ''Lulworth'' was assigned to
Operation Torch following repair of damage sustained while ramming and sinking the on 14 July 1942 while defending convoy SL 115. ''Lulworth'' then escorted convoys KMS 8G, MKS 7, HX229A, ONS 3, SC 128, ONS 9, SC 132, ON 189, and HX 244 with the
40th Escort Group. After refit at Cardiff, ''Lulworth'' went to the Indian Ocean and unsuccessfully
depth charged
Japanese submarine ''I-37'' on 16 March 1944 while escorting trade convoys with the Kilindini Escort Force. After refit at
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, ''Lulworth'' escorted invasion convoys for
Operation Dracula
Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign.
The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccu ...
at
Rangoon and
Operation Zipper. ''Lulworth'' was returned to the United States on 12 February 1946, used for spare parts and scrapped in 1947.
''Hartland'' (ex-''Pontchartrain'')
Originally cutter #46, she was named for
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...
,
built by
Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co ...
in
Quincy, Massachusetts,
and launched on 16 June 1928.
She became HMS ''Hartland'' on 30 April 1941.
Following installation of
Type 271 Radar
The Type 271 was a surface search radar used by the Royal Navy and allies during World War II. The first widely used naval microwave-frequency system, it was equipped with an antenna small enough to allow it to be mounted on small ships like ...
, ''Hartland'' escorted convoys OS 5, SL 88, OS 11, SL 94, OS 17, SL 99, OS 21, SL 104, OS 26, SL 110, OS 38, and SL 122. ''Hartland'' sailed with
Operation Torch invasion convoy KMF 1. She was abandoned and sank on 8 November 1942 following a magazine explosion after sustaining heavy damage from
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...
and the French destroyer
''Typhon'' during the
Operation Reservist
Operation Reservist was an Allied military operation during the Second World War. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of North Africa), it was an attempted landing of troops directly into the harbour at Oran in Algeria.
Background
The ...
attack on Oran harbour.
''Fishguard'' (ex-''Tahoe'')
Originally cutter #47, she was named for
Lake Tahoe,
built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding in Massachusetts,
and launched on 12 June 1928. She became HMS ''Fishguard'', named after the Welsh town of
Fishguard
Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two p ...
, on 30 April 1941 and sailed to England with convoy HX 125.
After refit in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, ''Fishguard'' was assigned to the 44th Escort Group. ''Fishguard'' escorted convoys OS 3, SL 86, OS 9, SL 92, OS 14, and SL 97 before HF/DF was installed in early 1942, and then escorted convoys OS 19, SL 102, OS 24, SL 108, OS 30, SL 114, OS 36, and SL 120. Refit at
Falmouth included installation of Type 271 Radar and replacement of the American 5-inch/51 caliber gun by a Royal Navy 4-inch gun. ''Fishguard'' continued service with the 44th Escort Group on convoys KMF 6, MKF 6, KMF 8, MKF 8, KMF 10A, MKF 10A, KMS 12G, MKS 11, ON 182, and HX 240. ''Fishguard'' was then assigned to the convoys for the invasion of Sicily
Operation Husky
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
followed by a trip to
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
with convoys
GUS 10X and UT 1 prior to refit. ''Fishguard'' went to the Indian Ocean after refit at
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, spent 1944 with the Kilindini Escort Force, and finished the war assigned to Operation Zipper after refit at
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
from November 1944 through March 1945. She was returned to the United States on 27 March 1946, used for spare parts, and scrapped in 1947.
''Sennen'' (ex-''Champlain'')
Originally cutter #48, she was named for
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec.
The New York portion of t ...
,
built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding in Massachusetts,
and launched on 11 October 1928.
She became HMS ''Sennen'' on 12 May 1941.
She sailed to England with convoy HX 128 and was assigned to the
42nd Escort Group after refit on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
. She escorted convoys WS 11, SL 89, OS 12, SL 95, OS 17, SL 100, OS 22, and SL 106 prior to installation of
Type 271 Radar
The Type 271 was a surface search radar used by the Royal Navy and allies during World War II. The first widely used naval microwave-frequency system, it was equipped with an antenna small enough to allow it to be mounted on small ships like ...
during refit on the
River Hull. ''Sennen'' escorted convoys OS 39 and SL 123 with the 45th Escort Group before assignment to Operation Torch. After the invasion of North Africa, ''Sennen'' escorted convoys OS 43 and SL 127 prior to assignment to the 1st Support Group during the battles for convoys ONS 4,
ONS 5, and
SC 130. ''Sennen'' was credited with sinking
''U-954'' while defending the latter convoy on 19 May 1943.
Admiral
Karl Dönitz's son Peter Dönitz was among those lost aboard ''U-954''. After refit at
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
, ''Sennen'' sailed with convoy KMS 26 to join the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...
Kilindini Escort Force from 26 October 1943 until refit at Durban in November 1944. Following completion of refit in March 1945, ''Sennen'' was assigned to Operation Zipper for the remainder of the war and returned to the United States on 27 March 1946. She was redesignated
USCGC ''Champlain'' until scrapped in 1948.
''Culver'' (ex-''Mendota'')
Originally cutter #49, she was named for
Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bl ...
,
built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding in Massachusetts,
and launched on 27 November 1928.
She became HMS ''Culver'' on 30 April 1941.
''Culver'' sailed to England with convoy HX 125 and was assigned to the 40th Escort Group. She escorted convoys OB 346 and SL 83 prior to installation of HF/DF and Type 271 Radar during refit at
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...
. ''Culver'' escorted convoys OS 10, SL 93, OS 15, and SL 98 after refit. While escorting the latter convoy, she was hit by two torpedoes fired by
''U-105'' on 31 January 1942 and sank southwest of Ireland following a magazine explosion. Only twelve of the crew survived.
''Gorleston'' (ex-''Itasca'')
Originally cutter #50, she was named for
Lake Itasca
Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately in area. Located in southeastern Clearwater County, in the Headwaters area of north central Minnesota, it is notable for being the headwater of the Mississippi River. The lake is in Itasca Sta ...
,
built by
General Engineering and Drydock at
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
,
and launched on 16 November 1929.
On transfer to the RN she became HMS ''Gorleston'' after the
East Anglian
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
port of
Gorleston
Gorleston-on-Sea (), known colloquially as Gorleston, is a town in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, England, to the south of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the River Yare it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Bo ...
on 30 May 1941.
She was uniquely armed with ten .50 caliber and two 20 mm machine guns in place of the 3"/50 and four 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns carried by the remainder of the class.
Her career was mostly spent on convoy escorts from West Africa and India. She was the escort leader for convoy SL 87, and escorted convoy SL 118. She was returned on 23 April 1946, redesignated USCGC ''Itasca'' and scrapped in 1950.
''Walney'' (ex ''Sebago'')
Originally cutter #51, she was named for
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second-largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of . It is possible that Sebago is the deepest lake wholly contained within the entire New England region, ...
,
built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California,
and launched on 10 February 1930.
She destroyed more derelicts than other ships of the class. She transferred to the RN and became HMS ''Walney'' on 12 May 1941,
named after
Walney Island
Walney Island, also known as the Isle of Walney, is an island off the west coast of England, at the western end of Morecambe Bay in the Irish Sea. It is part of Barrow-in-Furness, separated from the mainland by Walney Channel, which is spanned b ...
. After service as a convoy escort she was prepared for
Operation Reservist
Operation Reservist was an Allied military operation during the Second World War. Part of Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of North Africa), it was an attempted landing of troops directly into the harbour at Oran in Algeria.
Background
The ...
, an attack on
Oran harbour that formed part of
Operation Torch. After she was lost on 8 November 1942 in the assault, her captain was awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
for his part in pressing on.
''Banff'' (ex-''Saranac'')
Originally cutter #52, she was named for the
Saranac Lakes,
built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California,
and launched on 12 April 1930.
She became HMS ''Banff'' on 30 April 1941
and sailed to England with convoy HX 125. After refit on the River Thames, ''Banff'' escorted convoys OS 3, SL 86, OS 9, SL 92, OS 14, and SL 97 prior to installation of HF/DF. ''Banff'' then escorted convoys OS 19, SL102, OS 30, SL 114, OS 36, and SL 120 prior to assignment to Operation Torch.
Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
was installed during refit at
Immingham following escort of North African invasion convoys. ''Banff'' then escorted convoys ON 182 and HX 240 prior to return to the Mediterranean for Operation Husky. After a trip to Chesapeake Bay escorting convoys GUS 10X and UT 1, ''Banff'' completed refit at
HMNB Devonport and joined the Kilindini Escort Force in November 1943. After spending the remainder of the war escorting Indian Ocean convoys, she was returned to the United States on 27 February 1946 and recommissioned as
USCGC ''Tampa'' in 1947. She was decommissioned in 1954 and was scrapped in 1959.
''Landguard'' (ex-''Shoshone'')
Originally cutter #53, she was named for
Shoshone Lake
Shoshone Lake is a U.S. backcountry lake with the area of elevated at in the southwest section of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It lies at the headwaters of the Lewis River a tributary of the Snake River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser ...
,
built by General Engineering and Drydock at Oakland, California,
and launched on 11 September 1930.
She performed
Bering Sea patrols and reported more navigation law infractions than other ships of the class. She became HMS ''Landguard'' on 20 May 1941,
and was assigned to the 40th Escort Group. ''Landguard'' escorted convoys OB 346 and SL 83 prior to refit on the River Thames, and convoys OS 10, SL 93, OS 15, SL 98, OS 20, SL 103, OS 25, and SL 109 prior to refit at Grimsby. She then escorted convoys OS 37 and SL 121 prior to assignment to Operation Torch. After escorting North African invasion convoys to the Mediterranean, ''Landguard'' escorted convoys HX 229A, ONS 3, SC 128, and ON 192 with the 40th Escort Group prior to being damaged while patrolling the
Bay of Biscay on 25 August 1943 by near misses during the first successful
Henschel Hs 293 glide bomb
A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target r ...
attack by
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bombe ...
bombers. When the damage was repaired, ''Landguard'' sailed with convoy KMS 26 to join the Kilindini Escort Force in September 1943. She escorted Indian Ocean convoys until disabled by a machinery failure at
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
in March 1945. She served as a depot ship at Colombo until February 1946 and was sold there by the United States government in 1947 to be scrapped in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in 1949.
''Totland'' (ex ''Cayuga'')
Originally cutter #54, she was named for
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake (,,) is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area (marginally smaller than Seneca Lake) and second largest in volume. It is just under long. Its average width is , and it is ...
,
built by
United Shipyards
The Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company was a major late 19th/early 20th century ship repair and conversion facility located in New York City. Begun in the 1880s as a small shipsmithing business known as the Morse Iron Works, the company grew to ...
in
Mariners Harbor, Staten Island Mariners Harbor is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of New York City's borough of Staten Island. It is bordered by Lake Avenue to the east, Forest Avenue to the south, Richmond Terrace to the north, and Holland Avenue to the west. The ...
,
and launched on 7 October 1931.
She became HMS ''Totland'' on 12 May 1941,
and sailed to England with convoy HX 128. After refit on the River Thames, ''Totland'' escorted convoys OS 4, SL 89, OS 12, SL 95, OS 17, SL 100, OS 22, SL 106, OS 28, SL 112, OS 40, and SL 124 with the 42nd Escort Group before being assigned to Operation Torch. After escorting convoys KMF 3, MKF 3, KMF 5, MKF 5, KMF 7, and MKF 7 in support of the North African invasion, ''Totland'' sank the German submarine
''U-522'' on 23 February 1943 while escorting the
tanker convoys UC 1 and CU 1. ''Totland'' then escorted convoys between
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...
and
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
via
Sekondi-Takoradi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...
until transferred to the
Kilindini
Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...
Escort Force in July 1944. ''Totland'' began a prolonged refit in October 1944 until the decision to retire her in May 1945. She was returned to the United States in May 1946, recommissioned as
USCGC ''Mocoma'' in 1947, decommissioned in 1950, and scrapped in 1955.
Notes
References
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banff-class sloop
Battle of the Atlantic
North Atlantic convoys of World War II
Ship classes of the Royal Navy
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy
Sloops of the Royal Navy