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The Secretary of State (Hull) to the British Ambassador
(Lothian)
Department of State
Washington
September 2, 1940.
Excellency:
I have received your note of September 2, 1940, of which the text is as
follows:
I have the honour under instructions from His Majesty's Principal
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform you that in view of the
friendly and sympathetic interest of His Majesty's Government in the
United Kingdom in the national security of the United States and their
desire to strengthen the ability of the United States to cooperate
effectively with the other nations of the Americas in the defence of the
Western Hemisphere, His Majesty's Government will secure the grant to
the Government of the United States, freely and without consideration,
of the lease for immediate Establishment and use of naval and air bases
and facilities for entrance thereto and the operation and protection
thereof, on the Avalon Peninsula and on the southern coast of
Newfoundland, and on the east coast and on the Great Bay of Bermuda.
Furthermore, in view of the above and in view of the desire of the
United States to acquire additional air and naval bases in the Caribbean
and in British Guiana, and without endeavouring to place a monetary or
commercial value upon the many tangible and intangible rights and
properties involved, His Majesty's Government will make available to the
United States for immediate establishment and use naval and air bases
and facilities for entrance thereto and the operation and protection
thereof, on the eastern side of the Bahamas, the southern coast of
Jamaica, the western coast of St. Lucia, the west coast of Trinidad in
the Gulf of Paria, in the island of Antigua and in British Guiana within
fifty miles of Georgetown, in exchange for naval and military equipment
and material which the United States Government will transfer to His
Majesty's Government.
All the bases and facilities referred to in the preceding paragraphs
will be leased to the United States for a period of ninety- nine years,
free from all rent and charges other than such compensation to be
mutually agreed on to be paid by the United States in order to
compensate the owners of private property for loss by expropriation or
damage arising out of the establishment of the bases and facilities in
question.
His Majesty's Government, in the leases to be agreed upon, will grant to
the United States for the period of the leases all the rights, power,
and authority within the bases leased, and within the limits of the
territorial waters and air spaces adjacent to or in the vicinity of such
bases, necessary to provide access to and defence of such bases, and
appropriate provisions for their control.
Without prejudice to the above-mentioned rights of the United States
authorities and their jurisdiction within the leased areas, the
adjustment and reconciliation between the jurisdiction of the
authorities of the United States within these areas and the jurisdiction
of the authorities of the territories in which these areas are situated,
shall be determined by common agreement.
The exact location and bounds of the aforesaid bases, the necessary
seaward, coast and anti-aircraft defences, the location of sufficient
military garrisons, stores and other necessary auxiliary facilities
shall be determined by common agreement. His Majesty's Government are
prepared to designate immediately experts to meet with experts of the
United States for these purposes. Should these experts be unable to
agree in any particular situation, except in the case of Newfoundland
and Bermuda, the matter shall be settled by the Secretary of State of
the United States and His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.
I am directed by the President to reply to your note as follows: The
Government of the United States appreciates the declarations and the
generous action of His Majesty's Government as contained in your
communication which are destined to enhance the national security of the
United States and greatly to strengthen its ability to cooperate
effectively with the other nations of the Americas in the defense of the
Western Hemisphere. It therefore gladly accepts the proposals.
The Government of the United States will immediately designate experts
to meet with experts designated by His Majesty's Government to determine
upon the exact location of the naval and air bases mentioned in your
communication under acknowledgment.
In consideration of the declarations above quoted, the Government of the
United States will immediately transfer to His Majesty's Government
fifty United States Navy' destroyers generally referred to as the twelve
hundred-ton type.
Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.
Cordell Hull
His
Excellency
The Right Honorable The Marquess of Lothian, C. H.,
British Ambassador.
Destroyers Transferred to Great Britain as a Result of
the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers
Transferred to Great Britain as a Result of the Destroyers for Bases
Agreement: The 50 Ships Including their Royal Navy Names, Pennant
Numbers and Subsequent Disposition.
USS Aaron Ward (DD-132), commissioned as HMS Castleton
(I-23) on 9 Sep. 1940; scrapped 2 Jan. 1948.
USS Abbot (DD-184), commissioned as HMS Charlestown (I-21)
on 23 Sep. 1940; scrapped 3 Dec. 1948.
USS Aulick (DD-258), commissioned as HMS Burnham (H-82) on
8 Oct. 1940; scrapped 2 Dec. 1948.
USS Bailey (DD-269), commissioned as HMS Reading (G-71) on
26 Nov. 1940, scrapped 24
Jul. 1945.
USS Bancroft (DD-256), commissioned as HMCS St Francis
(I-93) on 24 Sep. 1940; wrecked while being towed for scrapping on 14
Jul. 1945.
USS Branch (DD-197), commissioned as HMS Beverley (H-64)
on 8 Oct. 1940; attacked and sank U-187 on 4 Feb. 1942;
Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 on 11 Apr. 1943 and was sunk
with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152.
USS Buchanan (DD-131), commissioned as HMS Campbeltown
(I-42) on 9 Sep. 1940; fitted with a large demolition charge,
Campbeltown rammed the Normandie Lock in St. Nazaire, France to
destroy the only drydock on the Atlantic coast capable of accepting the
German battleship Tirpitz; the charge detonated on 29 Mar. 1942,
breaching the drydock and destroying Campbeltown.
USS Claxton (DD-140), commissioned as HMS Salisbury (I-52)
on 5 Dec. 1940; employed as a special escort for specific convoys,
including escorting USS Wasp during the supply of Spitfires to
Malta; scrapped in the US in Apr. 1945.
USS Conner (DD-72), commissioned as HMS Leeds (G-27) on 23
Oct. 1940; scrapped 19 Jan. 1949.
USS Conway (DD-70), commissioned as HMS Lewes (G-68) on 23
Oct. 1940; outlived all of her
sisters in British service; stripped of valuable scrap and scuttled off
Sydney, Australia 25 May 1946.
USS Crowninshield (DD-134), commissioned as HMS Chelsea
(I-35) on 9 Sep. 1940; transferred to Russia as Dzerki on 16 Jul.
1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 24 Jun. 1949; scrapped 27 Jul. 1949.
USS Cowell (DD-167), commissioned as HMS Brighton (I-08)
on 23 Sept. 1940; transferred to Russia as Zharki on 16 Jul.
1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 4 Mar. 1949; scrapped 18 May 1949.
USS Doran (DD-185), commissioned as HMS St Marys (I-12) on
23 Sep. 1940; scrapped in Dec. 1945.
USS Edwards (DD-265), commissioned as HMS Buxton (H-96) on
8 Oct. 1940; scrapped 21 Mar. 1946.
USS Evans (DD-78), commissioned as HMS Mansfield (G-76) on
23 Oct. 1940; heavily involved in the critical convoy actions of Mar.
1943 with convoy HS229, landing survivors in the United Kingdom; sold 24
Oct. 1944 for scrapping.
USS Fairfax (D-93), commissioned as HMS Richmond (G-88) on
26 Nov. 1940; transferred to Russia as Zhivuchi on 16 Jun. 1944;
returned to the Royal Navy on 26 Jun. 1949; scrapped 29 Jun. 1949.
USS Foote (DD-169), commissioned as HMS Roxborough (I-07)
on 23 Sep. 1940; while with convoy HX222 Roxborough met with such
heavy weather that the entire bridge structure was crushed, with eleven
dead, including the Commanding Officer and 1st Lieutenant; the sole
surviving executive officer managed to regain control of the ship, and
under hand steering from aft, she made St. Johns, Newfoundland; was
transferred to Russia as Doblestnyi on 10 Aug. 1944; returned to
the Royal Navy on 7 Feb. 1949; scrapped 14 May 1949.
USS Hale (DD-133), commissioned as HMS Caldwell (I-20) on
9 Sep. 1940; scrapped 7 Jun. 1945.
USS Haraden (DD-183), commissioned as HMCS Columbia (I-49)
on 24 Sep. 1940; scrapped 7 Aug. 1945.
USS Herndon (DD-198), commissioned as HMS Churchill (I-45)
on 9 Sep. 1940; transferred to Russia as Dyatelnyi on 30 May
1944; torpedoed and sunk by U-956 on 16 Jan. 1945 while escorting
a White Sea convoy; the last war loss of the class and the only one of
the destroyers transferred to Russia to be lost.
USS Hopewell (DD-181), commissioned as HMS Bath (I-17) on
23 Sep. 1940; while escorting her sixth convoy (OG71) between Liverpool
and Gibraltar, Bath was torpedoed by U-204 on 19 Aug. 1941
and sank rapidly.
USS Hunt (DD-194), commissioned as HMS Broadway (H-90) on
8 Oct. 1940; while escorting convoy OB318, Broadway took part in
the attack on U-110 on 9 May 1941; abandoned by its crew,
U-110 was boarded and taken in tow. Escorting convoy HX 237,
Broadway located and sank U-89 in the North Atlantic on 14
May 1943; allocated for scrapping in Mar. 1948.
USS Kalk (DD-170), commissioned as HMCS Hamilton (I-24) on
23 Sep. 1940. Hamilton was apparently lost while being towed to
Boston for scrapping in 1945.
USS Laub (DD-263), commissioned as HMS Burwell (H-94) on 8
Oct. 1940; one of the ships involved in the recovery of U-570
after its surrender to an RAF aircraft; consigned for scrapping in Mar.
1947.
USS Mackenzie (DD-175), commissioned as HMCS Annapolis
(I-04) on 29 Sep. 1940; towed to Boston for scrapping on 22 Jun. 1945.
USS Maddox (DD-168), commissioned as HMS Georgetown (I-40)
on 23 Sep. 1940; transferred to Russia as Zhostki in Aug. 1944;
returned to the Royal Navy on 9 Sep. 1952; scrapped on 16 Sep. 1952.
USS Mason (DD-191), commissioned as HMS Broadwater (H-81)
on 2 Oct. 1940; escorting convoy SC48 between St. John's Newfoundland
and Iceland, Broadwater was torpedoed by U- 101 and sunk
on 19 Oct. 1941.
USS McCalla (DD-253), commissioned as HMS Stanley (I-73)
on 23 Oct. 1940; escorting convoy HG76 from Gibraltar, Stanley
and accompanying vessels sank U-131 on 17 Dec. 1941 and U-434
on the following day; Stanley was sunk by U-574 on 19 Dec.
with the loss of all but 25 of her crew.
USS McCook (DD-252), commissioned as HMCS St Croix (I-81)
on 24 Sep. 1940; escorting convoy ON113 she attacked and sank U-90
on 27 Jul. 1942; escorting convoy KMS10, St Croix and Shediac
sank U-87; while escorting the combined convoys ON202 and ONS18,
St Croix was twice torpedoed by U-305 and sunk on 20 Sep.
1940; survivors were taken aboard the frigate Itchen, which was
sunk on 22 Sep. with very heavy loss of life; only one of St Croix's
crew of 147 survived.
USS McLanahan (DD-264), commissioned as HMS Bradford
(H-72) on 8 Oct. 1940; consigned for scrapping in Aug. 1946.
USS Meade (DD-274), commissioned as HMS Ramsey (G-60) on
26 Nov. 1940; scrapped Jul. 1947.
USS Philip (DD-76), commissioned as HMS Lancaster (G-05)
on 23 Oct. 1940; scrapped 30 May 1947.
USS Ringgold (DD-89), commissioned as HMS Newark (G-08) on
5 Dec. 1940; consigned for scrapping 18 Feb. 1947.
USS Robinson (DD-88), commissioned as HMS Newmarket (G47)
on 5 Dec. 1940; scrapped 21 Sep. 1945.
USS Rodgers (DD-254), commissioned as HMS Sherwood (I-80)
on 23 Oct. 1940; stripped of usable parts, Sherwood was beached
on 3 Oct. 1943 as a target for RAF rocket-equipped Beaufighters.
USS Satterlee (DD-190), commissioned as HMS Belmont (H-46)
on 8 Oct. 1940; while escorting troop convoy NA2 from St, John's,
Newfoundland, Belmont was torpedoed by U-81 on 31 Jan.
1942 and sank with the loss of her entire ship's company.
USS Shubriak (DD-268), commissioned as HMS Ripley (G-79)
on 26 Nov. 1940; consigned for scrapping 10 Mar. 1945.
USS Sigourney (DD-81), commissioned as HMS Newport (G-54)
on 5 Dec. 1940; scrapped 18 Feb. 1947.
USS Stockton (DD-73), commissioned as HMS Ludlow (G-57) on
23 Oct. 1940; stripped and beached as a target for rocket firing
aircraft off Fidra Island, United Kingdom.
USS Swasey (DD-273), commissioned as HMS Rockingham (G-58)
on 26 Nov. 1940; while returning to Aberdeen on 27 Sep. 1944, poor
navigation brought her into the defensive minefields off the east coast
of the United Kingdom, and after striking a mine Rockingham was
abandoned and sank with the loss of one life.
USS Thatcher (DD-162), commissioned as HMCS Niagara (I-57)
on 26 Sep. 1940; on 28 Aug. 1941 Niagara was involved in the
capture of U-570, which had surrendered to an RAF Hudson the
previous day; scrapped by the end of 1947.
USS Thomas (DD-182), commissioned as HMS St Albans (I-15)
on 23 Sep. 1940; while with convoy SCL81, St Albans took part in
the sinking of U-401 on 3 Aug. 1941; encountered the Polish
submarine Jastrzab, and in company with Seagull, attacked
and sank it in early 1942; transferred to Russia as Dostoinyi on
16 Jul. 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 28 Feb. 1949; towed for
scrapping 18 May 1949.
USS Tillman (DD-135), commissioned HMS Wells (I-95) on 5
Dec. 1940; scrapped Feb. 1946.
USS Twiggs (DD-127), commissioned as HMS Leamington (G-19)
on 23 Oct. 1940; during the fighting around convoy SC42 in the North
Atlantic Leamington shared in the sinking of U-207 on 11
Sep. 1941; while covering convoy WS17 in the UK approaches, sank
U-587 on 27 Mar. 1942; transferred to Russia as Zhguchi on 17
Jul. 1944; returned on 15 Nov. 1950; hired for the film The Gifthorse,
the last Town class destroyer at sea under her own power; scrapped 3
Dec. 1951,
USS Abel P. Upshur (DD-193), commissioned as HMS Clare
(I-14) on 9 Sep. 1940; scrapped 18 Feb. 1947.
USS Welles (DD-257), commissioned as HMS Cameron (I-05) on
9 Sep. 1940; Cameron never reached operational service; hit and
set on fire by an air raid in Portsmouth on 5 Dec. 1940, she was
considered by the U.S. Navy as the worst damaged but surviving destroyer
available and was extensively studied for explosive effects and damage
control; consigned for scrapping 1 Dec. 1944.
USS Welborn C. Wood (DD-195), commissioned as HMS Chesterfield
(I-28) on 9 Sep. 1940; scrapped 3 Dec. 1948.
USS Wickes (DD-75), commissioned as HMS Montgomery (G-95)
on 25 Oct. 1940; on convoy escort Montgomery rescued the
survivors of Scottish Standard on 21 Feb. 1941 and sank the
Italian submarine Marcello the next day; scrapped 10 Apr. 1945.
USS Williams (DD-108), commissioned as HMCS St Clair
(I-65) on 29 Sep. 1940; scrapped 5 Mar. 1946.
USS Yarnell (DD-143), commissioned as HMS Lincoln (G-42)
on 23 Oct. 1940; transferred to Russia as Druzhny on 26 Aug.
1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 24 Aug. 1952; scrapped 3 Sep. 1952.
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