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USS Hunt (DD-194)
Encyclopedia
USS Hunt (DD-194) was a Clemson-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She served in the United States Coast Guard
, as USCGD Hunt (CG-18). She was later transferred to the Royal Navy
as HMS Broadway (H90).
William H. Hunt
(1823–1884), Hunt was launched
by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
, Newport News, Virginia
, 14 February 1920; sponsored by Miss Virginia Livingston Hunt; and commissioned
30 September 1920, Lieutenant Roswell H. Blair in command.
After shakedown, Hunt participated in training and readiness exercises with the Atlantic Fleet
and conducted torpedo
trials on the range out of Newport, Rhode Island
. She shifted her base of operations to Charleston, South Carolina
, 3 December 1920. Sailing from Charleston Harbor 29 May 1922, she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard 6 June and decommissioned there 11 August 1922.
From 13 September 1930 to 28 May 1934 the U.S. Coast Guard had custody of the ship. Hunt served as part of the Rum Patrol
.
After being recommissioned at Philadelphia, Hunt departed on 26 January 1940 for Neutrality patrol
in the Caribbean Sea
. She left Panama Canal
3 April to escort submarine
Searaven
to Cape Canaveral
and then engaged in gunnery practice in Cuba
n waters en route to Norfolk, Virginia
arriving 17 April 1940. The next few months were devoted to maneuvers in Chesapeake Bay
and training cruises down the eastern seaboard.
. She got underway from Newport 3 October 1940, and reached Halifax, Nova Scotia
on 5 October. The following day she embarked 100 British officers and sailors for training. On 8 October she decommissioned from the U.S. Navy and commissioned into the Royal Navy
as HMS Broadway (H90).
Broadway arrived at Belfast
on 24 October 1940, where she joined the 11th Escort Group, Western Approaches Command
, with whom she engaged in escorting numerous convoy
s. On 9 May, while escorting convoy OB 318
, she was involved, with the destroyer Bulldog
and the corvette
Aubrietia, in the capture of German
submarine U-110 between Iceland
and Greenland
. On the previous night, the U-boat had crept in to attack OB 318, but was prevented from surfacing by the strong destroyer escort. The submarine continued to shadow the Allied ships until early in the afternoon watch when she launched three torpedoes from periscope depth. Broadway and her fellow escorts promptly counterattacked and forced her to surface where she surrendered. Unfortunately the prize sank while in tow to port, but not before her captors had recovered documents of great value and importance to the Allies' cause - namely an intact Naval Enigma machine
. U-110 was commanded by Korvettenkapitän Fritz-Julius Lemp
who had made the first kill of the war by sinking the liner SS Athenia
on 3 September 1939, the day the United Kingdom declared war. Lemp was lost with 14 members of his crew when U-110 sank, but a war correspondent, 4 officers and 28 men were rescued.
Broadway was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and three of the triple torpedo
tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge
stowage and installation of hedgehog
. Broadway was assigned to Escort Group C-2 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
for convoys ON-119, SC-97, ON-139, SC-108, ON-149, SC-113, ON-179 and HX-237 during the winter of 1942-43 On 12 May 1943 she joined the frigate Lagan and aircraft from escort carrier
Biter
in destroying another German submarine, U-89, which was sunk northeast of the Azores
.
After refitting at Belfast in September 1943, Broadway became a target ship for aircraft and served as such at Rosyth
in Scotland
until the war ended in Europe
. In May 1945 she left Rosyth for Northern Norway
with occupation forces. At Narvik
, Norway, she took charge of a convoy of German submarines which was sailing for Trondheim
. In the reduction of the British Navy after the war, Hunt was scrapped.
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She served in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, as USCGD Hunt (CG-18). She was later transferred to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Broadway (H90).
History
The first Navy ship named for Secretary of the NavyUnited States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
William H. Hunt
William H. Hunt
William Henry Hunt was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President James Garfield and briefly under President Chester A. Arthur.-Biography:...
(1823–1884), Hunt was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, 14 February 1920; sponsored by Miss Virginia Livingston Hunt; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
30 September 1920, Lieutenant Roswell H. Blair in command.
After shakedown, Hunt participated in training and readiness exercises with the Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
and conducted torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
trials on the range out of Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. She shifted her base of operations to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, 3 December 1920. Sailing from Charleston Harbor 29 May 1922, she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard 6 June and decommissioned there 11 August 1922.
From 13 September 1930 to 28 May 1934 the U.S. Coast Guard had custody of the ship. Hunt served as part of the Rum Patrol
Rum Patrol
The Rum Patrol was an operation of the United States Coast Guard to interdict liquor smuggling vessels, known as "rum runners" in order to enforce prohibition in American waters. On 18 December 1917, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was submitted to the states by Congress...
.
After being recommissioned at Philadelphia, Hunt departed on 26 January 1940 for Neutrality patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. She left Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
3 April to escort submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
Searaven
USS Searaven (SS-196)
USS Searaven , a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sea raven, a sculpin of the northern Atlantic coast of America....
to Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
and then engaged in gunnery practice in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n waters en route to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
arriving 17 April 1940. The next few months were devoted to maneuvers in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
and training cruises down the eastern seaboard.
As HMS Broadway
Hunt was one of the 50 overage ships exchanged with the British in the Destroyers for Bases AgreementDestroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
. She got underway from Newport 3 October 1940, and reached Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
on 5 October. The following day she embarked 100 British officers and sailors for training. On 8 October she decommissioned from the U.S. Navy and commissioned into the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Broadway (H90).
Broadway arrived at Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 24 October 1940, where she joined the 11th Escort Group, Western Approaches Command
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in the Western...
, with whom she engaged in escorting numerous convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s. On 9 May, while escorting convoy OB 318
Convoy OB 318
OB 318 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It saw the capture of U-110 and a wealth of signals intelligence, which led to the Allied breakthough into cracking the German naval Enigma code.-Prelude:...
, she was involved, with the destroyer Bulldog
HMS Bulldog (1930)
HMS Bulldog was a of the British Royal Navy that saw service throughout World War II, seeing service on convoy duty in the Atlantic and Arctic...
and the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Aubrietia, in the capture of German
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
submarine U-110 between Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. On the previous night, the U-boat had crept in to attack OB 318, but was prevented from surfacing by the strong destroyer escort. The submarine continued to shadow the Allied ships until early in the afternoon watch when she launched three torpedoes from periscope depth. Broadway and her fellow escorts promptly counterattacked and forced her to surface where she surrendered. Unfortunately the prize sank while in tow to port, but not before her captors had recovered documents of great value and importance to the Allies' cause - namely an intact Naval Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
. U-110 was commanded by Korvettenkapitän Fritz-Julius Lemp
Fritz-Julius Lemp
Fritz-Julius Lemp was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and commander of , and . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
who had made the first kill of the war by sinking the liner SS Athenia
SS Athenia
The S.S. Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Nazi Germany in World War II.-Description:Athenia was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., and was launched at Govan, Scotland in 1923. She was built for Anchor-Donaldson Ltd.'s route between Britain and Canada...
on 3 September 1939, the day the United Kingdom declared war. Lemp was lost with 14 members of his crew when U-110 sank, but a war correspondent, 4 officers and 28 men were rescued.
Broadway was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and three of the triple torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
stowage and installation of hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
. Broadway was assigned to Escort Group C-2 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
for convoys ON-119, SC-97, ON-139, SC-108, ON-149, SC-113, ON-179 and HX-237 during the winter of 1942-43 On 12 May 1943 she joined the frigate Lagan and aircraft from escort carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
Biter
HMS Biter (D97)
HMS Biter was a Royal Navy escort carrier during the Second World War. She was laid down as a merchant ship at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard at Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on 28 December 1939, she was converted to an escort carrier and commissioned in the Royal Navy on 6 May...
in destroying another German submarine, U-89, which was sunk northeast of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
After refitting at Belfast in September 1943, Broadway became a target ship for aircraft and served as such at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
until the war ended in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In May 1945 she left Rosyth for Northern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
with occupation forces. At Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
, Norway, she took charge of a convoy of German submarines which was sailing for Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. In the reduction of the British Navy after the war, Hunt was scrapped.