ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY K
2)KILDWICK (PATROL VESSEL)
Image by A. I.
Completed: 1943
Displacement: 640 tons
Length 180' 6" ft
Beam: 33' ft
Draught: 9' 8" ft
Propulsion: Two 1,800bhp General Motors 12-567A diesel engines, Falk single reduction gear,
two shafts.
Armament: One 3"/50 dual purpose mount, three 40mm mounts, five 20mm mounts, two dct, four dcp, two dcp (hh)
Speed: 15 kts
Complement: 100
Returned U.S.N. in December 1946.
During World War II, the Kil-class patrol vessel HMS Kildwick (Z06)—originally built as an American Patrol Craft Escort (USS PCE-832) before being transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease—served a vital frontline role at Freetown, Sierra Leone, as part of the West Africa Command's anti-submarine and convoy infrastructure.
Key Roles and Operations at Freetown
Mid-Atlantic Escort Convergence: Freetown acted as the primary African terminal for the Allied convoy system. HMS Kildwick regularly escorted merchant ships transiting the dangerous waters of the South and Mid-Atlantic. For instance, in mid-February 1944, she successfully brought in split segments from Convoy OS 66 and Convoy SL 149 directly into Freetown harbor.
The Rescue of the SS Silvermaple Survivors: On 26 February 1944, while operating on a critical defensive screening operation out of the Freetown network, HMS Kildwick responded to a torpedo emergency about 130 miles west of Takoradi. The British merchant vessel Silvermaple had been ambushed and sunk by German U-boat U-66. HMS Kildwick successfully rescued 57 survivors directly from the ocean, providing immediate medical care and transporting them safely back within the regional command lines.
Anti-Submarine Coastal Screening: Equipped with advanced specialized sonar and deep depth-charge racks, the vessel spent her deployment conducting defensive sweeps outside Freetown's estuary to prevent German U-boats from mining or ambushing ships right at the bottleneck entrance of the harbor.
Former USS PCE 832, HMS Kildwick Z 07, was transferred to Great Britian 27 September 1943.Between February 5th and December 17th 1944, HMS Kildwick provided escort support for 13 convoys, between Freetown (Sierra Leone) and the UK and on the Freetown – Takoradi (Ghana) – Lagos (Nigeria) West African triangular route.
British Silvermaple. Photo. www.wrecksite.eu
