American - British

Destroyers For Bases Deal Of 1940

In exchange for 50 old World War I American destroyers which had in 1939 and 1940 had been recommissioned and were serving on Neutrality Patrol, Britain Gave Us 99 Year leases to establish Military Bases on British Possessions in the Western Hemisphere

The Bases


Antigua - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
British Guiana - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
Jamaica - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
St. Lucia - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
Bermuda - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
Newfoundland - Three Army Air Force Bases (Pepperell, Goose Bay and Stephenville), Naval Operating Base Argentia and numerous Marine and Army Bases and Detachments, 88 in total
Trinidad - Naval Operating Base, Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base, Lighter Than Air (Blimp) Base and Radio Station

The Destroyers


DD-131 USS Buchanan, DD-134 USS Crowninshield and DD-193 USS Abel P. Upshur at Halifax, Nova Scotia before being given to Britain as part of the Destroyers for Bases Deal
Click On Photo For A larger Image

DD - 132 Aaron Ward
Renamed HMS Castleton, Broken up in 1947
DD - 184 Abbot
Renamed HMS Charlestown, Broken up in 1947
DD - 193 Abel P Upshur
Renamed HMS Clare, Broken up in 1945
DD - 258 Aulick
Renamed HMS Burnham, Broken up in 1947
DD - 131 Buchanan
Most widely known of the 50, Renamed HMS Campbeltown she was chosen for the raid on St. Nazaire France. Packed with explosives she was rammed into the gate of the Normandie Dry Dock in St. Nazaire and when the charges went off the dry dock gate was blown off and the dock was rendered unusable to the Germans. The Normandie Dry Dock was the only dry dock outside of Germany that was large enough to accommodate the German Battleship Tirpitz, Keep her maintained and repaired for Atlantic Operations. As a result of the raid and destruction of the Campbeltown, the Tirpitz never left Norwegian waters and was never able to operate in the Atlantic. Campbeltown was destroyed in the raid on March 28 1942
DD - 269 Bailey
Renamed HMS Reading, Broken up in 1945
DD - 256 Bancroft
To Canada, renamed HMCS St. Francis. She was lost in 1945
DD - 197 Branch
Renamed HMS Beverley, She was lost in 1943
DD -140 Claxton
Renamed HMS Salisbury, Broken up in 1944
DD - 72 Conner
Renamed HMS Leeds, Broken up in 1947
DD - 167 Cowell
Renamed HMS Brighton, To Russia in July 1944, renamed Jarkyi. Returned to Britain in 1949 and broken up
DD - 70 Conway
renamed HMS Lewes, Scuttled October 12 1945
DD - 134 Crowninshield
Renamed HMS Chelsea, To Russia in July 1944. Renamed Derskyi, Broken up in 1949
DD - 185 Doran
Renamed HMS St. Marys, Broken up in 1945
DD - 265 Edwards
Renamed HMS Buxton, To Canada in 1943 as HMCS Buxton broken up in 1946
DD - 78 Evans
Renamed HMS Mansfield, Broken up in 1945
DD - 93 Fairfax
Renamed HMS Richmond, To Russia in July 1944. Renamed Jivodchyi, Broken up in 1949
DD - 169 Foote
Renamed HMS Roxborough, To Russia in August 1944. Renamed Zhostkyi, returned to Britain in February 1949. Broken up in 1952
DD - 133 Hale
Renamed HMS Caldwell, Broken up in 1944
DD - 183 Haraden
Renamed HMS Columbia, Broken up in 1945
DD - 198 Herndon
Renamed HMS Churchill, To Russia August 1944. Renamed Delatelnyi, sunk by U-286 January 16 1945
DD - 181 Hopewell
Renamed HMS Bath, Sunk August 19 1941 by U-204
DD - 194 Hunt
TO Canada, Renamed HMCS Broadway. Broken up in 1947
DD - 170 Kalk
To Canada, renamed HMCS Hamilton. Broken up in 1945
DD - 263 Laub
Renamed HMS Burwell, Broken up in 1947
DD - 175 Mackenzie
To Canada, Renamed HMCS Annapolis. Broken up in 1945
DD - 168 Maddox
Renamed HMS Georgetown, To Russia in August 1944. Renamed Doblesnyi, Broken up in 1949
DD - 191 Mason
Renamed HMS Broadwater, Sunk by U-101 October 18 1941
DD - 253 Mc Calla
Renamed HMS Stanley, Sunk by U-574 December 18 1941
DD - 252 Mc Cook
To Canada, renamed HMCS St. Croix. Sunk by U-952 September 20 1943
DD - 264 Mc Lanahan
Renamed HMS Bradford, Broken up in 1946
DD - 274 Meade
Renamed HMS Ramsey, Broken up in 1947
DD - 76 Philip
Renamed HMS Lancaster, Broken up in 1947
DD - 88 Robinson
Renamed HMS Newmarket, Broken up in 1945
DD - 254 Rodgers
Renamed HMS Sherwood, Sunk as target in 1945
DD - 89 Ringgold
Renamed HMS Newark, Broken up in 1947
DD - 190 Satterlee
Renamed HMS Belmont, Sunk by U-82 January 31 1942
DD - 268 Shubrick
Renamed HMS Ripley, Broken up in 1945
DD - 81 Sigourney
Renamed HMS Newport, Broken up in 1947
DD - 73 Stockton
Renamed HMS Ludlow, Broken up in 1945
DD - 273 Swasey
Renamed HMS Rockingham, Struck mine on September 27 1944, 30 miles southeast of Aberdeen and sunk while under tow
DD - 162 Thatcher
To Canada, renamed HMCS Niagara. Broken up on 1946
DD - 182 Thomas
Renamed HMS St. Albans, To Russia In August 1944. Renamed Dostoiny, Broken up in 1949
DD - 135 Tillman
Renamed HMS Wells, Broken up in 1945
DD - 127 Twiggs
Renamed HMS Leamington, To Russia in August 1944. Renamed Zhyachi, Broken up for scrap in 1951
DD - 195 Welborn C Wood
Renamed HMS Chesterfield, Broken up in 1947
DD - 257 Welles
Renamed HMS Cameron, Damaged beyond repair in air raid in Portsmouth Harbor December 15 1940
DD - 75 Wickes
Renamed HMS Montgomery, Broken up in 1945
DD - 108 Williams
To Canada, renamed HMCS St. Clair. Foundered in 1946
DD - 143 Yarnall
Renamed HMS Lincoln, To Canada in 1942 as HMCS Lincoln. To Russia In August 1944, Cannibalized to provide spare parts for 8 of her sisters already in Russian service. Hulk Broken up in 1952. This ship was named after my ancestor Lt. John Joliffe Yarnall 1786-1815

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