HMS Byard (K315)

HMS Byard was a Buckley-class and Captain-class frigate during World War II. She was named for Sir Thomas Byard, who commanded HMS Bedford at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars.

HMS Byard K 315 sliding down the slipway on 6 March 1943 at Bethlehem-Hingham shipyard
History
Laid down: 15 October 1942
Launched: 6 March 1943
Commissioned: 18 June 1943
Decommissioned: Returned to US Navy on 12 December 1945
Fate: Sold for scrap in 1946
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,800 tons fully loaded
Length: 306 ft (93 m) overall
Beam: 36.5 ft (11.1 m)
Draught: 11 ft (3.4 m) fully loaded
Speed: 24 knots (44 km/h)
Endurance: 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: Typically between 170 & 180

Originally destined for the US Navy HMS Byard was provisionally given the name USS Donaldson (this name was reassigned to DE 44). However the ship was diverted to the Royal Navy before her launch.

Actions

HMS Byard served exclusively with the 4th Escort Group earning battle honours for service in the North Atlantic.

In 1943, HMS Byard's ship's company paraded in Boston, MA, in the American Day parade.

On 17 October 1943, HMS Byard was escorting an Atlantic convoy which was attacked by a wolf pack of 16 Uboats east of Cape Farewell, Greenland. During the ensuing battle HMS Byard sank the submarine U-841 at position 59°57′N 31°06′W, by the use of depth charges resulting in 27 dead and 27 survivors from U-841's crew. This action made HMS Byard the first Captain-class frigate to destroy a Kriegsmarine submarine.

General information
  • Pennant (UK): K 315
  • Pennant (US): DE 55
  • Built by: Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard Inc. (Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

References
  • The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War by Donald Collingwood. published by Leo Cooper (1998), ISBN 0-85052-615-9.
  • The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts by Bruce Hampton Franklin, published by Chatham Publishing (1999), ISBN 1-86176-118-X.
  • German U-Boat Losses During World War II by Axel Niestle, published by United States Naval Inst (1998), ISBN 1-55750-641-8.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be found here and here.



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