HMS ''Labuan'' (K584), ex-''Gold Coast'', 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

which served in the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was originally ordered by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as the ''Tacoma''-class patrol frigate USS ''Harvey'' (PF-80) and briefly renamed ''Gold Coast'' before she was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

Construction and acquisition

The ship, 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 ...

," PG-188, was ordered by the

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under a

contract as USS ''Harvey''. 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 somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

," PF-80, 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 o ...

by the

Walsh-Kaiser Company Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc. was a shipyard in both Cranston, Rhode Island, Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island. It was built during World War II and financed by the Maritime Commission as part of the country's Emergency Shipbuilding Program. It was ori ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

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, on 7 August 1943. Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom, the ship was renamed ''Gold Coast'' and then again renamed ''Labuan'' by the British prior to launching. She was launched on 21 September 1943.

Service history

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 (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

on 5 February 1944, the ship served in the

as HMS ''Labuan'' (pennant K584) on patrol and escort duty in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

. On 27 February 1945, she shared credit with the British frigate and the British

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

for the sinking with

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s of the

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submarine in the western part of the English Channel at . The United Kingdom returned ''Labuan'' to the U.S. Navy on 13 May 1946. She was sold to the

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of Dorchester,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, on 9 July 1957 for scrapping.

References

*
NavSource Online: Frigate Photo Archive: HMS Labuan (K 584) ex-Gold Coast ex-Harvey ex-PF-80 ex-PG-187
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labuan (K584) Tacoma-class frigates Ships built in Providence, Rhode Island 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Colony-class frigates World War II frigates of the United Kingdom