It was the intention of the Admiralty that these ships were to be named after captains that served with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar but as building continued, it became necessary to delve back further into history for names of admirals and captains of reputation.[1]
Sixty-six of the 78 frigates bear names that had not previously been allocated earlier Royal Navy ships. Lawford, Louis, Manners, Moorsom, Mounsey, Narborough, Pasley and Seymour had been previously used for destroyers during World War I.[1]Rupert was the fifth of that name since 1666.[1]Torrington was the fourth of that name since 1654.[1]Holmes had been used once before in 1671[1] and Fitzroy, after Robert FitzRoy, the pioneering meteorologist, had previously been used for a survey vessel in 1919.[1]
The Evarts subclass had diesel-electric machinery, based on an arrangement used for submarines.[2] There were two shafts.[2] Four Winton 278A 16-cylinder engines, with a combined rating of 7,040 bhp (5,250 kW), driving General Electric Company (GE) generators (4,800 kW) supplied power to two GE electric motors, with an output of 6,000 shp (4,500 kW), for 20 knots (37 km/h).[2] For this reason they were referred to as the GMT (General Motors Tandem) type. It had been intended to provide a further set of this machinery, for an output of 12,000 shp (8,900 kW) to make the design speed of 24 knots (44 km/h), but hull production greatly outstripped that of the machinery, therefore only one set of machinery was used per ship.[2] All the DE Captains were built by Boston Navy Yard. Except HMS Drury (K316) who appears to be the odd one out.
Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945,[6] sold for scrapping, 8 November 1946
Buckley group (turbo-electric machinery)
The Buckley subclass had turbo-electric machinery.[2] Because of this they were referred to as the TE type. Two Foster Wheeler[7] Express "D"-type water-tube boilers supplied steam to GE 13,500 shp (10,070 kW) steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW). Electric motors for 12,000 shp (8,900 kW)[7] drove the two shafts each fitted with a three-bladed propeller of solid manganese-bronze that was 8.5 feet (2.6 m) in diameter.[8] This all electric drive-train was considered particularly innovative at the time (although the Catherine-class minesweepers had a similar arrangement).
Hotham was returned on 25 April 1952 to the US Navy and simultaneously transferred back to the United Kingdom under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program.[20] The partially stripped vessel[20] was later returned to United States custody on 13 March 1956.[19]
^ abcde"Aylmer". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
^ abcde"Balfour". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
^ abcde"Bentinck". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 September 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
^ abcde"Bentley". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 September 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ abcd"Bickerton". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 July 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ abcde"Bligh". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ abcde"Braithwaite". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 July 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
^ abcde"Hotham". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The Naval Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 March 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
Sources
Franklin, Bruce Hampton (1999). The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts. Chatham Publishing. ISBN1-86176-118-X..
Collingwood, Donald (1998). The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War. Leo Cooper. ISBN0-85052-615-9..
Elliott, Peter "The Lend-Lease Captains". Warship International No.3 1972: N3/72:255. §N1/73:5.