Banff-class sloop

United States Coast Guard Cutter 50 Itasca pre-war
Class overview
Operators:	Coast Guard  Royal Navy
In commission:	5 September 1928 – 10 August 1954
Completed:	10
Lost:	3
General characteristics (Banff-class sloop)
Type:	sloop
Displacement:	1,546 long tons (1,571 t; 1,732 short tons)
Length:	250 ft (76.20 m)o/a
Beam:	42 ft (12.80 m)
Draught:	16 ft (4.88 m)
Propulsion:	two oil-fueled Babcock & Wilcox boilers Curtis turbine generator single shaft electric motor 3,200 ihp (2,400 kW)
Speed:	16 knots (29.6 km/h)
Range:	7,542 nautical miles (13,968 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement:	97 USCG – 200 RN
Armament:	as built 1 × 5"/51 caliber gun 1 × 3"/50 caliber gun 2 × 6-pounder (57 mm) as Lake class cutter 2 × 5"/51 caliber guns 3 × 3"/50 caliber guns 2 × 6-pounder (57 mm) as Banff class sloop 1 × 5"/51 caliber gun 2 × 3"/50 caliber guns 4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 4 × .303" (twin)

The Banff-class sloops were a group of ten ships of the Royal Navy. Built as United States Coast Guard Lake-class cutters, in 1941 these ships were loaned to the Royal Navy as anti-submarine warfare escorts. The transfers took place at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where HMS Malaya was under repair after being torpedoed by U-106. The sloops were manned for transport to England by personnel from the damaged battleship. The sloops were initially used to escort SL convoys between England and Sierra Leone, and one was sunk while so employed. The nine surviving sloops were assigned to Operation Torch where two were destroyed attacking Oran in Operation Reservist. The remaining seven escorted Mediterranean convoys in support of the North African invasion and saw varied employment in the Atlantic until assigned to the Kilindini Escort Force in late 1943 and early 1944. They stayed in the Indian Ocean for the remainder of the war escorting trade convoys in the Arabian Sea, and five served in the Bay of Bengal supporting Operation Dracula and Operation Zipper in the last months of conflict with Japan. Six were returned to the United States after the conclusion of hostilities; and one, disabled by mechanical failure, was scrapped overseas.

Originally cutter # 45. She was named for Lake Chelan, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 19 May 1928. She performed Bering Sea patrols, international ice patrols, and patrolled more regattas than other ships of the class. She became HMS Lulworth on 2 May 1941 and sailed to England with convoy SC 31. After refit at Cardiff, Lulworth escorted convoys OS 4, SL 87, OS 10 and SL 93. While escorting convoy OS 10 on 31 October 1941, Lulworth attacked U-96. Lothar-Günther Buchheim, author of Das Boot, was aboard U-96 at the time. Following installation of HF/DF in December 1941, Lulworth escorted convoys OS 15, SL 98, OS 20, SL 103, OS 25, SL 109, OS 31 and SL 115. Lulworth was assigned to Operation Torch following repair of damage sustained while ramming and sinking the Italian submarine Pietro Calvi on 14 July 1942 while defending convoy SL 115.Lulworth then escorted convoys KMS 8G, MKS 7, HX229A, ONS 3, SC 128, ONS 9, SC 132, ON 189 and HX 244 with the 40th Escort Group. After refit at Cardiff, Lulworth went to the Indian Ocean and unsuccessfully depth charged Japanese submarine I-37 on 16 March 1944 while escorting trade convoys with the Kilindini Escort Force. After refit at Durban, Lulworth escorted invasion convoys for Operation Dracula at Rangoon and Operation Zipper. Lulworth was returned to the United States on 12 February 1946, used for spare parts and scrapped in 1947.