HMS ''Dacres'' (K472) was a , built in the United States as a , 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 ...

under the terms of

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, ...

, which served in

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 ...

. The ship was laid down as ''Duffy'' (DE-268) on 7 April 1943 by the Boston Navy Yard,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts, and launched on 19 May 1943. Transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as ''Dacres'' on 28 August 1943, the ship was named after Vice Admiral James Richard Dacres (1749–1810).

Service history

''Dacres'' was attached to the B4 Escort Group based at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, which comprised three destroyers and two Captain-class frigates ( and ), and carried out escort duties in the Atlantic. ''Dacres'' was one of three Captain-class ships (along with and ) selected for conversion to headquarters ships for use during "

Operation Neptune 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-Man ...

" – the invasion of France. Her aft three-inch (76 mm) gun and all the depth charge gear was removed and the superstructure extended to provide accommodation for extra staff officers; two deck houses were built for communications equipment and a small main mast added to support more aerials. Four more 20 mm Oerlikons were fitted, and a number of radar sets installed. For the invasion ''Dacres'' sailed from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, even though her forward motor room had flooded, which compelled her to sail on only one engine. However she could still make about 16 knots, which was enough for her to lead in her convoy of assault ships to her group position off

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

on schedule at daybreak on D-Day – 6 June 1944. As the Allied forces moved inland the staff officers were transferred ashore, and ''Dacres'' joined ''Kingsmill'' in patrolling the Normandy anchorage until August, when she sailed for Portsmouth, salvaging an abandoned Liberty ship on the way. At

Portsmouth dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

she was stripped of the additional superstructure and guns, and restored to working order, before returning to Belfast in early 1945 to join the 10th Escort Group. Although the group sank three

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s during February ''Dacres'' was not credited with helping in any of these kills. In April 1945 she was transferred to the 15th Escort Group until VE Day, after which she was put into reserve until returned to 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 ...

on 26 January 1946. ''Dacres'' was sold for scrapping on 14 December 1946.

References

The Captain Class Frigates Association
* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dacres (K472) Captain-class frigates Evarts-class destroyer escorts World War II frigates of the United Kingdom Ships built in Boston 1943 ships Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy

Service history

See also

References

External links