HMS Pitcairn

HMS Pitcairn (K589) was a Colony-class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II. She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the Tacoma-class patrol frigate USS Pilford (PF-85) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion.

History
United States
Name	USS Piflord
Namesake	British name assigned in anticipation of ship's transfer to United Kingdom
Reclassified	Patrol frigate, PF-85, 15 April 1943
Builder	Walsh-Kaiser Company, Providence, Rhode Island
Laid down	14 September 1943
Renamed	Pitcairn, 1943
Namesake	The Pitcairn Islands
Launched	15 October 1943
Commissioned	never
Identification	PG-193
Fate	Transferred to United Kingdom 6 July 1944
Acquired	Returned by United Kingdom 11 June 1946
Stricken	3 July 1946
Fate	Sold for scrapping 5 November 1947
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Pitcairn
Namesake	Pitcairn Island
Acquired	6 July 1944
Commissioned	7 July 1944
Identification	Pennant number: K589
Fate	Returned to United States 11 June 1946
General characteristics
Class and type	Colony/Tacoma-class patrol frigate
Displacement	1,264 long tons (1,284 t)
Length	303 ft 11 in (92.63 m)
Beam	37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Draft	13 ft 8 in (4.17 m)
Propulsion	3 × boilers 2 × turbines, 5,500 shp (4,100 kW) each 2 shafts
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	190
Armament	3 × single 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal. AA guns 2 × twin 40 mm guns 9 × single 20 mm 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar 8 × Y-gun depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge racks

Construction and acquisition

The ship, originally designated a "patrol gunboat," PG-193, was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission under a U.S. Navy contract as USS Pilford. She was reclassified as a "patrol frigate," PF-85, on 15 April 1943 and laid down by the Walsh-Kaiser Company at Providence, Rhode Island, on 14 September 1943. Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom, the ship was renamed Pitcairn by the British prior to launching and was launched on 15 October 1943.

Service history

Transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 6 July 1944, the ship was commissioned by the Royal Navy on 7 July 1944 as HMS Pitcairn (K589). She served on patrol and escort duty.

Disposal

The United Kingdom returned Pitcairn to the U.S. Navy on 11 June 1946. She was stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register on 3 July 1946 and transferred for disposal to the U.S. Maritime Commission, which sold her to the John J. Duane Company of Quincy, Massachusetts, on 5 November 1947 for scrapping.

References

Bibliography

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Navsource Online: Frigate Photo Archive HMS Pitcairn (K 589) ex-Pilford ex-PF-85 ex-PG-193

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Pilford and HMS Pitcairn