HMS Grindall (K477) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Sanders (DE-273), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945 and then in the U.S. Navy as USS Grindall (DE-273) from August to October 1945.

HMS Grindall (K477)
HMS Grindall on 12 April 1944.
History
United States
NameUSS Sanders (DE-273)
NamesakeEugene Thomas Sanders
Ordered25 January 1942[1]
BuilderBoston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts
Laid down23 April 1943
Launched4 June 1943
Sponsored byMrs. Eugene Thomas Sanders
Completed23 September 1943
FateTransferred to United Kingdom 23 September 1943[2][3]
AcquiredReturned by United Kingdom 20 August 1945
NameUSS Grindall (DE-273)
NamesakeBritish name retained
Commissioned20 August 1945[2]
Decommissioned19 October 1945[2]
Stricken1 November 1945[2]
FateScrapping completed 28 May 1946
United Kingdom
NameHMS Grindall (K477)
NamesakeVice Admiral Richard Grindall (1750-1820), British naval officer who was commanding officer of HMS Prince at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805[4]
Acquired23 September 1943[2][3]
Commissioned23 September 1943[1]
Decommissioned1945
IdentificationPennant number K477
FateReturned to United States 20 August 1945
General characteristics
Class and typeCaptain class frigate
Displacement1,140 long tons (1,158 t)
Length289.5 ft (88.2 m)
Beam35 ft (11 m)
Draught9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion
  • Four General Motors 278A 16-cylinder engines
  • GE 7,040 bhp (5,250 kW) generators (4,800 kW)
  • GE electric motors for 6,000 shp (4,500 kW)
  • Two shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement156
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament

Construction and transfer

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The ship was ordered on 25 January 1942[1] as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort DE-273 and named USS Sanders on 23 February 1943, the first ship of the name after Ensign Eugene Thomas Sanders, who was killed in action aboard the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.[5] She was laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 23 April 1943 and launched on 4 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Eugene Thomas Sanders. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 23 September 1943.[2][3]

Service history

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Royal Navy, 1943-1945

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The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS Grindall (K477) on 23 September 1943[1] simultaneously with her transfer. She served on patrol and escort duty. On 15 April 1945, she joined the British frigate HMS Keats (K482) in a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-285 in the North Atlantic Ocean southwest of Ireland at position 50°13′00″N 012°48′00″W / 50.21667°N 12.80000°W / 50.21667; -12.80000 (U-258 sunk).[1]

The Royal Navy returned Grindall to the U.S. Navy on 20 August 1945 at Chatham Dockyard in England.[2]

U.S. Navy, 1945

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The ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as USS Grindall (DE-273) on 20 August 1945 simultaneously with her return. She soon steamed to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she remained until she was decommissioned on 19 October 1945.

Disposal

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The U.S. Navy struck Grindall from its Naval Vessel Register on 1 November 1945 and scrapped her at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where her scrapping was completed on 28 May 1946.[2]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e uboat.net HMS Grindall (K 477)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive Sanders (DE-273)/HMS Grindall (K-477)
  3. ^ a b c The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Sanders entry says the ship was transferred on 30 September 1943, but this does not match her commissioning date.
  4. ^ Captain Class Frigate Association HMS Grindall K477 (DE 273)
  5. ^ "SANDERS, Eugene Thomas - ENS USN - New York - 75th Anniversary - USS Arizona BB-39 and Pearl Harbor Memorial".

References

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