In exchange for 50 old World War I American destroyers which had in 1939 and 1940 had been recommissioned and were serving on Neutrality Patrol, Britain offered 99 Year leases to establish Military Bases on British Possessions in the Western Hemisphere.

The Bases

• Antigua - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
• British Guiana - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
• Jamaica - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
• St. Lucia - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
• Bermuda - Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base
• Newfoundland - Three Army Air Force Bases (Pepperell, Goose Bay and Stephenville), Naval Operating Base Argentia and numerous Marine and Army Bases and Detachments, 88 in total
• Trinidad - Naval Operating Base, Naval Air Station, Sea Plane Base, Lighter Than Air (Blimp) Base and Radio Station

The Destroyers

The 50 destroyers that were exchanged for bases in Canada and the Caribbean consisted of three classes: Wickes, Clemson, and Caldwell. There were 28 Wickes-class, 19 Clemson-class, and 3 Caldwell-class.

DD-132 USS Aaron Ward

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Castleton, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-184 USS Abbot

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Charlestown, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-193 USS Abel P Upshur

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Clare, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-258 USS Aulick

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Burnham, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-131 USS Buchanan

Wickes-class. Most widely known of the 50, Renamed HMS Campbeltown she was chosen for the raid on St. Nazaire France. Packed with explosives she was rammed into the gate of the Normandie Dry Dock in St. Nazaire and when the charges went off the dry dock gate was blown off and the dock was rendered unusable to the Germans. The Normandie Dry Dock was the only dry dock outside of Germany that was large enough to accommodate the German Battleship Tirpitz, Keep her maintained and repaired for Atlantic Operations. As a result of the raid and destruction of the Campbeltown, the Tirpitz never left Norwegian waters and was never able to operate in the Atlantic. Campbeltown was destroyed in the raid on March 28 1942. Wikipedia

DD-269 USS Bailey

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Reading, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-256 USS Bancroft

Clemson-class. Transferred to Canada and renamed HMCS St. Francis. Lost in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-197 USS Branch

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Beverley, Lost in 1943. Wikipedia

DD-140 USS Claxton

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Salisbury, Scrapped in 1944. Wikipedia

DD-72 USS Conner

Caldwell-class. Renamed HMS Leeds, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-167 USS Cowell

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Brighton. To Russia in July 1944, renamed Jarkyi. Returned to Britain in 1949 and broken up. Wikipedia

DD-70 USS Conway

Caldwell-class. Originally named USS Craven. Renamed USS Conway in 1938. Renamed HMS Lewes by the British. Scuttled in the Tasman Sea on May 25, 1946. Wikipedia

DD-134 USS Crowninshield

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Chelsea. Transferred to Russia in July 1944 and renamed Derskyi. The Russian Navy previously had a ship named the Derskyi that was scrapped in 1924. Scrapped in 1949. Wikipedia

DD-185 USS Doran

Wickes-class. Originally named USS Bagley. Renamed USS Doran in 1939. Renamed HMS St. Marys. Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-265 USS Edwards

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Buxton, To Canada in 1943 as HMCS Buxton scrapped in 1946. Wikipedia

DD-78 USS Evans

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Mansfield, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-93 USS Fairfax

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Richmond, To Russia in July 1944. Renamed Jivodchyi (Живучий). Scrapped in 1949. Wikipedia

DD-169 USS Foote

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Roxborough, To Russia in August 1944. Renamed Zhostkyi, returned to Britain in February 1949. Scrapped in 1952. Wikipedia

DD-133 USS Hale

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Caldwell, Scrapped in 1944. Wikipedia

DD-183 USS Haraden

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Columbia, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-198 USS Herndon

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Churchill. To Russia August 1944. Renamed Delatelnyi ( Деятельный). Either sunk by U-286 or by accidental detonation of its own depth charges on January 16, 1945. Wikipedia

DD-181 USS Hopewell

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Bath. Sunk August 19, 1941 by U-204. Wikipedia

DD-194 USS Hunt

Clemson-class. Transferred to Canada, and renamed HMCS Broadway. Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-170 USS Kalk

Wickes-class. Trandferred to Canada, and renamed HMCS Hamilton. Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-263 USS Laub

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Burwell, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-175 USS Mackenzie

Wickes-class. Transferred to Canada, and renamed HMCS Annapolis. Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-168 USS Maddox

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Georgetown. Transferred to Russia in August 1944 and renamed Doblesnyi (), Scrapped in 1949. Wikipedia

DD-191 USS Mason

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Broadwater, Sunk by U-101 October 18, 1941. Wikipedia

DD-253 USS Mc Calla

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Stanley, Sunk by U-574 December 18, 1941. Wikipedia

DD-252 USS Mc Cook

Clemson-class. Transferred to Canada, and renamed HMCS St. Croix. Sunk by U-952 September 20, 1943. Wikipedia

DD-264 USS Mc Lanahan

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Bradford, Scrapped in 1946. Wikipedia

DD-274 USS Meade

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Ramsey, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-76 USS Philip

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Lancaster, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-88 USS Robinson

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Newmarket, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-254 USS Rodgers

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Sherwood, Sunk as target in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-89 USS Ringgold

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Newark, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-190 USS Satterlee

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Belmont, Sunk by U-82 January 31, 1942. Wikipedia

DD-268 USS Shubrick

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Ripley, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-81 USS Sigourney

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Newport, Scrapped in 1947. Wikipedia

DD-73 USS Stockton

Caldwell-class. Renamed HMS Ludlow, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-273 USS Swasey

Clemson-class. Renamed HMS Rockingham, Struck mine on September 27 1944, 30 miles southeast of Aberdeen and sunk while under tow. Wikipedia

DD-162 USS Thatcher

Wickes-class. Transferred to Canada, and renamed HMCS Niagara. Scrapped on 1946. Wikipedia

DD-182 USS Thomas

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS St. Albans, To Russia In August 1944. Renamed Dostoiny, Scrapped in 1949. Wikipedia

DD-135 USS Tillman

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Wells, Scrapped in 1945. Wikipedia

DD-127 USS Twiggs

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Leamington, To Russia in August 1944. Renamed Zhyachi, Scrapped in 1951. Wikipedia

DD-195 USS Welborn C Wood

Clemson-class. Transferred to the UK in September 1940, and renamed HMS Chesterfield. Scrapped in 1947 or 1948. Wikipedia

DD-257 USS Welles

Clemson-class. Transferred to the UK in September 1940, and renamed HMS Cameron. Damaged beyond repair in air raid in Portsmouth Harbor on December 15, 1940. Scrapped in November 1944. Wikipedia

DD-75 USS Wickes

Wickes-class. Transferred to Britain in October 1940, and renamed HMS Montgomery. Scrapped in the Spring of 1945. Wikipedia

DD-108 USS Williams

Wickes-class. Transferred to Canada in September 1940, and renamed HMCS St. Clair. Scrappeded in 1946. Wikipedia

DD-143 USS Yarnall

Wickes-class. Renamed HMS Lincoln, To Canada in 1942 as HMCS Lincoln. To Russia In August 1944, Cannibalized to provide spare parts for 8 of her sisters already in Russian service. Hulk Scrapped in 1952. This ship was named after Lt. John Joliffe Yarnall 1786-1815. Wikipedia