HMS Blackwood (K313)

HMS Blackwood was a Captain-class frigate originally constructed as a Evarts-class destroyer escort ordered for the United States Navy. Before construction was finished in 1942, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Navy under the terms of Lend-Lease, and saw service during the Second World War.

The Evarts-class ships had an overall length of 289 feet 5 inches (88.2 m), a beam of 35 feet 2 inches (10.7 m), and a draught of 10 feet 1 inch (3.1 m) at full load. They displaced 1,190 long tons (1,210 t) at (standard) and 1,416 long tons (1,439 t) at full load.^[1] The ships had a diesel–electric powertrain derived from a submarine propulsion system^[2] with four General Motors 16-cylinder diesel engines providing power to four General Electric electric generators which sent electricity to four 1,500-shaft-horsepower (1,100 kW) General Electric electric motors which drove the two propeller shafts. The destroyer escorts had enough power give them a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) and enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). Their crew consisted of 198 officers and ratings.^[3]

The armament of the Evarts-class ships in British service consisted of three single mounts for 50-caliber 3-inch (76 mm)/50 Mk 22 dual-purpose guns; one superfiring pair forward of the bridge and the third gun aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft defence was intended to consisted of a twin-gun mount for 40-millimetre (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft (AA) guns atop the rear superstructure with nine 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns located on the superstructure, but production shortages meant that that not all guns were fitted, or that additional Oerlikons replaced the Bofors guns. A Mark 10 Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar was positioned just behind the forward gun. The ships were also equipped with two depth charge rails at the stern and four "K-gun" depth charge throwers.^[4]

Blackwood was built by Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 27 March 1943. She saw service on anti-submarine patrols and as a convoy escort. On 25 November HMS Bazely and Blackwood sank the German submarine U-600 north of Punta Delgada. Blackwood was part of the 4th Escort Group and was on patrol in the western approaches to the English Channel on 15 June 1944, covering ships bound for the Allied invasion of Normandy when she was sighted by U-764, which fired a "Gnat" torpedo at her. Blackwood was hit and damaged, killing 57 of the crew. She was taken under tow, but foundered off Portland Bill the following day. The wreck lies in position 50°07′00″N 02°01′06″W / 50.11667°N 2.01833°W / 50.11667; -2.01833 in 60 metres (200 ft) of water.^[5]

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
• Friedman, Norman (2005). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-442-3.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

• HMS Blackwood at Captain-class frigate association