The Captain class was a designation given to 78 frigates of the Royal Navy, constructed in the United States, launched in 1942–1943 and delivered to the United Kingdom under the provisions of the Lend-Lease agreement (the program under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom and other Allied nations with materials between 1941 and 1945), they were drawn from two subclasses of the American destroyer escort (originally British destroyer escort) classification; 32 from the GMT type Evarts subclass and 46 from the TE type Buckley subclass.

Naming It was the intention of the Admiralty that these ships were to be named after captains that served with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar but as building continued, it became necessary to delve back further into history for names of admirals and captains of reputation.

Sixty-six of the 78 frigates bear names that had not previously been allocated earlier Royal Navy ships. Lawford, Louis, Manners, Moorsom, Mounsey, Narborough, Pasley and Seymour had been previously used for destroyers during World War I. was the fifth of that name since 1666. Torrington was the fourth of that name since 1654. Holmes had been used once before in 1671 and Fitzroy, after Robert FitzRoy, the pioneering meteorologist, had previously been used for a survey vessel in 1919.

Ships

Evarts group (diesel-electric machinery) The Evarts subclass had diesel-electric machinery, based on an arrangement used for submarines. There were two shafts. Four Winton 278A 16-cylinder engines, with a combined rating of , driving General Electric Company (GE) generators (4,800 kW) supplied power to two GE electric motors, with an output of , for . For this reason they were referred to as the GMT (General Motors Tandem) type. It had been intended to provide a further set of this machinery, for an output of to make the design speed of , but hull production greatly outstripped that of the machinery, therefore only one set of machinery was used per ship. All the DE Captains were built by Boston Navy Yard. Except who appears to be the odd one out. Ship Pennant U.S. hull no. NamesakeLaid downLaunchedCommissioned Fate K310(B)DE-1Henry William BayntunServed at Battle of Trafalgar under Nelson5 April 194227 June 194213 February 1943 Returned to US Navy 22 August 1945, sold for scrapping, 17 June 1947K311(B)DE-2John Bazely5 April 1942 27 June 194218 February 1943 Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, scrapped, 1946 K312(B)DE-3Edward Berry22 September 1942 23 November 1942 15 February 1943Returned to US Navy 15 February 1946, sold for scrapping, 9 November 1946 K313(B)DE-4Henry Blackwood22 September 1942 23 November 1942 27 March 1943 Torpedoed on 15 June 1944 and foundered the next day K347(B)DE-12Richard Rundle Burges8 December 1942 26 January 1943 2 June 1943 Returned to US Navy 27 February 1946, sold for scrapping, 14 November 1946K470DE-266Thomas Bladen Capel11 March 194322 April 194316 August 1943Sunk on 26 December 1944 K471DE-267John Cooke11 March 1943 22 April 1943 30 August 1943 Returned to US Navy 5 March 1946, sold, 1947 K472DE-268James Richard Dacres7 April 194319 May 1943 28 August 1943 Returned to US Navy 26 January 1946, sold for scrapping, 14 December 1946 K473DE-269William Domett7 April 194319 May 1943 3 September 1943 Returned to US Navy 5 March 1946, sold, 3 June 1947 K316(B)DE-46Thomas Drury12 February 1942 24 July 1942 12 April 1943 Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, scrapped, June 1946K474DE-270Thomas Foley7 April 1943 19 May 1943 8 September 1943Returned to US Navy 22 August 1945, scrapped, June 1946 K478DE-274Arthur GardinerFRIGATES IN MIXED ESCORT GROUPS20 May 19438 July 194328 September 1943Returned to US Navy 12 February 1946, scrapped, June 1947K475DE-271George Stewart, Viscount Garlies7 April 1943 19 May 1943 13 September 1943 Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, sold for scrapping, 18 July 1947 K479DE-275Samuel Goodall20 May 1943 8 July 1943 4 October 1943 Torpedoed on 29 April 1945; sunk by gunfire from 30 April 1945uboat.net Ships hit by U-boats HMS Goodall (K 479) K480DE-276William Goodsonn20 May 1943 8 July 1943 9 October 1943 Damaged on 26 June 1944 and declared a Constructive Total Loss, returned to US Navy in January 1947 K481DE-277John Gore20 May 1943 8 July 1943 14 October 1943 Returned to US Navy 2 May 1946, sold for scrapping, 10 June 1947 K476DE-272Davidge GouldWas one of Nelson's band of brothers at the Battle of the Nile23 April 19434 June 194318 September 1943Sunk on 1 March 1944 K477DE-273Richard Grindall23 April 19434 June 194323 September 1943Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, sold for scrapping, May 1946 K566DE-521William Hoste14 August 194324 September 19433 December 1943Returned to US Navy 22 August 1945, sold for scrapping, May 1946 K570DE-525Charles Inglis25 September 1943 2 November 1943 12 January 1944 Returned to US Navy 20 March 1946, sold for scrapping, September 1947 K571DE-526Henry Inman25 September 1943 2 November 1943 13 January 1944 Returned to US Navy 1 March 1946, sold for scrapping K482DE-278Richard Goodwin Keats5 June 1943 17 July 1943 19 October 1943 Returned to US Navy 27 February 1946, sold for scrapping, 19 November 1946 K483DE-279John Kempthorne5 June 194317 July 194323 October 1943Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, sold for scrapping, May 1946 K484DE-280Robert Kingsmill9 July 194313 August 194323 October 1943Returned to US Navy 22 August 1945, sold for scrapping, 17 February 1947 K514DE-516John Lawford9 July 194313 August 19433 November 1943Sunk on 8 June 1944 K516DE-518John Lawson15 July 194313 August 194325 November 1943Returned to US Navy 20 March 1946, sold for scrapping, 31 January 1947K565DE-520John Wentworth Loring18 July 194313 August 194315 November 1943Returned to US Navy 7 January 1947, sold for scrapping, 25 March 1947 K515DE-517Thomas Louis9 July 194313 August 19439 November 1943Returned to US Navy 20 March 1946, sold to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 17 June 1946 K568DE-523Robert Manners14 August 194324 September 194316 December 1943Damaged on 26 January 1945, declared a Constructive Total Loss and returned to US Navy 8 November 1945, scrapped 1947K567DE-522Robert Moorsom14 August 194324 September 194310 December 1943Returned to US Navy 25 October 1945, sold for scrapping, July 1946 K569DE-524William Mounsey14 August 194324 September 194323 December 1943Returned to US Navy 27 February 1945, sold for scrapping, 8 November 1946 K564DE-519Thomas Pasley18 July 194330 August 194315 November 1943Returned to US Navy 20 August 1945, sold for scrapping, 8 November 1946

Buckley group (turbo-electric machinery) The Buckley subclass had turbo-electric machinery. Because of this they were referred to as the TE type. Two Foster Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers supplied steam to GE steam turbines and generators (9,200 kW). Electric motors for drove the two shafts each fitted with a three-bladed propeller of solid manganese-bronze that was in diameter. This all electric drive-train was considered particularly innovative at the time (although the Catherine-class minesweepers had a similar arrangement).

All the electric drive Captains were built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation.