The first USS ''Meade'' (DD-274) was a in 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 ...

and transferred 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 F ...

as HMS ''Ramsey'' (G60).

Service history

As USS ''Meade''

Named for brothers Richard Worsam Meade and

Robert Leamy Meade Robert Leamy Meade (December 25, 1842 – February 11, 1910) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War, Spanish–American War and Boxer Rebellion. He was the nephew of Major General George G. Meade. Early ...

, she was

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 ...

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation 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 ...

, Squantum, Massachusetts, on 23 September 1918; launched on 24 May 1919; sponsored by Miss Annie Paulding Meade; and commissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 September 1919. After shakedown along the east coast, ''Meade'' was assigned to duty with the Pacific Fleet. For more than two years afterward, she operated out of west coast ports including

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

and

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

while participating in fleet and squadron maneuvers. After duty with several destroyer divisions, she decommissioned at San Diego on 25 May 1922 and was placed in reserve. ''Meade'' recommissioned at San Diego on 18 December 1939. After returning to the east coast in 1940, she served with ships of Destroyer Squadron 9 (DesRon 9) of the

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ...

As HMS ''Ramsey''

In accordance with provisions of the

Destroyers for Bases Agreement The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, according to which 50 , , and US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights ...

of September 1940, ''Meade'' was designated one of the 50 destroyers to be transferred to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. She was decommissioned from the USN and turned over to the British on 26 November 1940. Renamed HMS ''Ramsey'' (G60), she served the

in the North Atlantic and later performed duty as an aircraft training ship. She completed her service on 30 June 1945 and was scrapped in July 1947 at

Bo'ness Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...

, Scotland.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at navsource.org

at Naval Historical Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Meade (Dd-274) Clemson-class destroyers Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1919 ships Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy Town-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Town-class destroyers converted from Clemson-class destroyers World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom