HMS Leeds Castle (K384)

Leeds Castle in April 1944
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Leeds Castle
BuilderWilliam Pickersgill & Sons Ltd
Launched12 October 1943
CommissionedFebruary 1944
DecommissionedNovember 1956
IdentificationPennant number: K384 & F384
FateScrapped 1958
General characteristics
Class and typeCastle-class corvette

HMS Leeds Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Navy, originally with pennant number K384.

She was built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd. in Sunderland, launched on 12 October 1943 and completed in February 1944.

In World War II she served in the B3 Escort Group, protecting Atlantic convoys until the end of the war in 1945. She then joined the Anti-Submarine Training Squadron at the Portland, United Kingdom, and continued in this role until she was paid off at Chatham, England, United Kingdom in November 1956, after serving a total of 12 and a half years. As with other surviving Castle-class corvettes, she had been redesigned as a frigate in 1948 and her pennant number accordingly changed to F384. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[1]

She was scrapped in 1958.

She was used to portray a German anti-submarine vessel in the 1955 film The Cockleshell Heroes, as was HMS Flint Castle.

  1. ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden