Dates: 1944 - 1947
H.M.S. Anguilla (K 500)
ex-Hallowell (PF 72)
ex-Machias
ex-PG-180
H.M.S. Anguilla was a Colony class frigate one of 21 Colony class frigates constructed in the United States by Walsh-Kaiser of Providence, Rhode Island for transfer under Lend-Lease to the Royal Navy in 1944. They were given the names of relatively minor colonies as names of large colonies had been used for the Crown Colony class cruisers.
H.M.S. Anguilla was laid down on 1st April, 1943, launched 14th July, 1943 and commissioned on the 15th October, 1943, she displaced 1,430 tons. Orignially she was known as the USS Hallowell PF-72 and was authorised as Patrol Gunboat, PG-180 while still being built she was redesignated a Patrol Frigate, PF-72, and named Machias.
On 5th May 1943 she was designated for transfer to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease Program 10th June 1943 and the name Machias cancelled; on the 11th June 1943 and reassigned to Patrol Frigate PF-53.
When she entered service with the Royal Navy she was named Hallowell and launched 14th July 1943 being transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned H.M.S. Anguilla (K 500), 15th October 1943.
After serving during the Second World War in the Royal Navy she was returned to U.S. custody 3rd May 1946, struck from the Naval Register and sold 13th June 1947 to Pro-Industry Products, New York, NY, who in turn resold to Sociedad de Navigacion Levante, S.A., Panama for scrapping.
Noteable events involving Anguilla include:
On 29th April, 1945 the German submarine U-286 was sunk in the Barents Sea north of Murmansk, Russia, in position 69?29’N, 33?37’E, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Loch Insh (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E.W.C. Dempster, DSC, RNVR), HMS Anguilla (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C. Morrison-Payne, RNVR) and HMS Cotton (Lt.Cdr. I.W.T. Beloe, RN)
The design Colony class frigate was based on that of the Tacoma class frigates used by the United States Navy (some sources state that these vessels were identical). That design was itself an adaptation of the Royal Navy River class frigate, with modifications made mainly to use materials and parts more readily available in the United States. For example, American 3-inch guns were used as the main surface armament in the Tacoma and Colony class frigates instead of the British 4-inch guns of the River class.
They were mass-produced to mercantile standards to enable their speedy construction in shipyards that did not normally build warships. Post-war, all were returned to the U.S. by the end of 1946 and most scrapped during 1947, as they were considered obsolescent even before the end of the war.
One ship, H.M.S. Caicos, was used as an aircraft detection frigate, stationed in the North Sea to detect V-1 flying bombs, targeted at Britain.
Below is a list showing the fate of all Colony class Frigates with the date returned to the US (unless otherwise stated). All scrapped 1947, unless stated.
H.M.S. Anguilla (K500): 31 May, 1946; scrapped 1949
H.M.S. Antigua (K501): 2 May, 1946
H.M.S. Ascension (K502): 31 May, 1946.
H.M.S. Bahamas (K503): 11 June, 1946.
H.M.S. Barbados (K504): 11 June, 1946.
H.M.S. Caicos (K505): 12 December 1945; sold to Argentina as Santisima Trinidad later Comodoro Augusto Lasserre, sold 1970 or 1971
H.M.S. Cayman (K506): 23 April, 1946
H.M.S. Dominica (K507): 23 April, 1946
H.M.S. Labuan (K584), (ex-H.M.S. Gold Coast): 18 May, 1948
H.M.S. Montserrat (K586): 11 June, 1946
H.M.S. Nyasaland (K587): 15 April, 1946
H.M.S. Papua (K588): 13 May, 1946; sold to Egypt and scuttled as a blockship in the Suez Canal, 1956
H.M.S. Perim (K593), (ex-H.M.S. Sierra Leone): 22 May 1946
H.M.S. Pitcairn (K589): 11 June, 1946
H.M.S. Sarawak (K591): 22 May 1946
H.M.S. Seychelles (K592): June 1946
H.M.S. Somaliland (K594): 22 May 1946
H.M.S. St Helena (K590): 8 April, 1946
H.M.S. Tobago (K585), (ex-H.M.S. Hong Kong): 13 May, 1946; sold to Egypt and scuttled as a blockship in the Suez Canal, 1956
H.M.S. Tortola (K595):<
