HMS Dakins

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HMS Dakins (K550) was a Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in World War II. She was built as Buckley-class destroyer escort DE-85 for the United States Navy but was transferred to Britain in 1943 under Lend-Lease and renamed Dakins in anticipation of the transfer, named after Captain George Dakins.

Construction and transfer
The ship was laid down on 23 June 1943 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham, Massachusetts. She was launched on 18 September 1943 and completed on 23 November 1943, at which time she was transferred to the United Kingdom and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Dakins (pennant number K550) on the same day.

Service and later fate
Dakins served on patrol and escort duties during the war. On 25 December 1944, she struck a mine in the North Sea about 14 nautical miles northwest of Ostend, Belgium. Although heavily damaged, she made it back to Harwich on the English coast. After partial repairs, she sailed to Antwerp with a skeleton crew for assessment, but no further repairs were begun, in part due to disruptions from German V-1 and V-2 attacks. After Victory in Europe Day, she returned to Harwich and was used as a depot ship for smaller craft. Dakins was declared a constructive total loss and was sold for scrapping on 9 January 1947. The U.S. Navy struck her from the Naval Vessel Register on 7 February 1947.

General characteristics
Dakins displaced about 1,400 tons, was roughly 306 feet long, and had a top speed of about 24 knots. She was powered by two boilers and steam turbines, with electric motors for propulsion, and carried a crew of around 186. Her armament included 3-inch guns, a twin 40 mm Bofors mount, multiple 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar, depth charges, and other anti-submarine weapons.