Captain-class frigate

HMS Cosby, an example of the Buckley subclass.
Class overview
Builders
Operators Royal Navy
Subclasses
Built1941–1943
In service1943–1956
Completed78
Lost
General characteristics
TypeFrigate
Displacement
  • 1,140 long tons (1,158 t) (Evarts)
  • 1,400 long tons (1,422 t) (Buckley)
Length
  • 289 ft 6 in (88.24 m) (Evarts)
  • 306 ft (93 m) (Buckley)
Beam
  • 35 ft (11 m) (Evarts)
  • 36 ft 9 in (11.20 m) (Buckley)
Draft
  • 9 ft (2.7 m) (Evarts)
  • 11 ft (3.4 m) (Buckley)
Decks7
Installed power
  • 7,040 bhp (5,250 kW) (Evarts)
  • 13,500 shp (10,070 kW) (Buckley)
PropulsionSee text
Speed
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (Evarts)
  • 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (Buckley)
Range
  • 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) (Evarts)
  • 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) (Buckley)
Boats & landing
craft carried
Complement
  • 156 (Evarts)
  • 186 (Buckley)
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament

The Captain class was the designation given to 78 frigates of the Royal Navy, constructed in the United States, launched in 1942–1943 and delivered to the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement. They were drawn from two classes of the American destroyer escort (originally "British Destroyer Escort") classification: 32 of the GMT (Evarts) Type and 46 of the TE (Buckley) Type. Upon reaching the UK the ships were substantially modified by the Royal Navy, making them distinct from the US Navy destroyer escort ships.

Captain-class frigates acted in the roles of convoy escorts, anti-submarine warfare vessels, coastal forces control frigates and headquarters ships for the Normandy landings. During the course of World War II this class participated in the sinking of at least 34 German submarines and a number of other hostile craft; 15 of the 78 Captain-class frigates were either sunk or written off as a constructive total loss.

In the post-war period, all of the surviving Captain-class frigates except one (HMS Hotham which was used as a power station and for powerplant experiments) were returned to the US Navy before the end of 1947 in order to reduce the amount payable under the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement; the last Captain-class frigate was returned to United States custody in March 1956.