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The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy The destroyers became the Town class. Ships by United States Navy class ''Caldwell''-class destroyers USS ''Conner'' became HMS ''Leeds'' on 23 October

Contents

Background

The Second World War started in September 1939. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the brief interlude of the Phony War, the Battle of France saw France and the Low Countries quickly overrun by the Nazi German Blitzkrieg in May 1940. The Phoney War, also called the Twilight War by Winston Churchill, der Sitzkrieg in German ("the sitting war" a In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial This left the United Kingdom and her Empire standing alone (or almost alone after the Italian attack on Greece that autumn) against Hitler. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power.

Although the United States government was sympathetic to Britain's plight, American public opinion at the time overwhelmingly supported isolationism to avoid U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Isolationism is a Foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of Economic nationalism ( Protectionism S. involvement in "another European war". Reflecting this sentiment, Congress had passed the Neutrality Act three years previously, which banned the shipment of arms from the U. The Neutrality Acts were a series of laws that were passed by the United States Congress in the 1930s in response to the growing turmoil in Europe and Asia S. to any combatant nation, unless paid for in cash. Additionally, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was further constrained by the upcoming 1940 Presidential election, as his critics sought to portray him as being pro-war.

By late May, following the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk, France, in Operation Dynamo, the Royal Navy was in immediate need of ships, especially as they were now facing the Battle of the Atlantic in which German U-boats threatened Britain's supplies of food and other resources essential to the war effort. Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque, dœ̃kɛʀk or; Dutch:; is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British was the Evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous Military campaign of World War II, (though some say it was a series of naval Military campaigns U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers

With German troops advancing rapidly into France and many in the U. S. Government convinced that the defeat of France and Britain was imminent, the U. S. sent a proposal to the United Kingdom through the British Ambassador, the Marquess of Lothian, for a U. Philip Henry Kerr 11th Marquess of Lothian KT CH PC (1882&ndash1940 was a British politician and diplomat S. lease of airfields in Trinidad, Bermuda, and Newfoundland. [1] British Prime Minister Winston Churchill initially rejected the offer on May 27 unless Britain received something in return. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed On June 1, as the defeat of France loomed, Roosevelt bypassed the Neutrality Act by declaring "surplus" many millions of rounds of U. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected S. ammunition and guns, authorizing their shipment to England. But Roosevelt rejected Churchill's pleas for destroyers.

By August, as Britain stood alone against the Nazis, U. S. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy reported from London that a British surrender was "inevitable". Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Sr (September 6 1888 &ndash November 18 1969 was a prominent American businessman and political figure and the father of U Seeking to persuade Roosevelt to send the destroyers, Churchill warned Roosevelt ominously that if Britain were vanquished, its colonial islands close to American shores could become a direct threat to the U. S. if they fell into German hands.

The deal

Finally on September 2, 1940, as the Battle of Britain intensified and the Luftwaffe and RAF fought in the skies over England, United States Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, signaled agreement to the transfer of the destroyers to the Royal Navy. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Cordell Hull ( October 2, 1871 &ndash July 23, 1955) was an American politician from the U

In exchange, the US was granted land in various British possessions for the establishment of naval or air bases, on ninety-nine-year rent-free leases, on:

The agreement also stipulated Britain's acceptance of the US proposal for air and naval bases rights in:

The US accepted the "generous action… to enhance the national security of the United States" and immediately transferred fifty United States Navy destroyers "generally referred to as the twelve hundred-ton type" (also known in references as "flush-deck" destroyers, or "four-pipers" after their four funnels). The Great Sound is a body of water shaped by the islands of Bermuda. Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of A chimney is a system for venting hot Flue gases or Smoke from a Boiler, Stove, Furnace or Fireplace to the outside Forty-three initially went to the Royal Navy and seven to the Royal Canadian Navy. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) For the history of Canada's naval forces after 1968 see Canadian Forces Maritime Command The Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN) was the In the Commonwealth navies the ships were named after towns, and were therefore known as the Town class, although they had originally belonged to three ship classes (the Caldwell, Wickes , and Clemson classes). Ships by United States Navy class ''Caldwell''-class destroyers USS ''Conner'' became HMS ''Leeds'' on 23 October A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design This is distinct from a ship-type which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use Sources Fitzsimons Bernard General Editor The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Volume 5 pp Background With World War I now in its 2nd year and tensions between the United States of America and Germany increasing the U History Fourteen ships of the class were involved in the Honda Point Disaster in 1923 of which seven were lost Before the end of the war, nine others served with the RCN.

Five of the Town class destroyers were manned by crews of the Royal Norwegian Navy, with the survivors later returned to the RN. The Royal Norwegian Navy (often abbreviated as RNoN) is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations HMS Campbeltown was crewed by Royal Netherlands Navy before her assignment to carry commandos on the St. Nazaire Raid. As USS Buchanan See also USS Buchanan (DD-131, L1=USS Buchanan USS Buchanan was a ''Wickes'' class destroyer ordered The Koninklijke Marine ( Royal Netherlands Navy) is the Navy of the Netherlands. In Military science, the term commando can refer to an individual a Military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. The St Nazaire Raid (also called Operation Chariot) was a successful British seaborne attack on the heavily defended docks of St Nine others were transferred to the Soviet Navy. The Soviet Navy ( Russian: Военно-морской флот СССР Voyenno-morskoy flot SSSR, literally "Naval military forces of the USSR" was

Six of the 50 were lost when torpedoed by U-boats and three others, including Campbeltown, were lost in other circumstances. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers

The Bases

Antigua

A Naval Air Station at Crabbs Peninsular and an Army Air Force Base at Coolidge (Coolidge AFB).

British Guiana

Army Air Force Base Atkinson Aerodrome now Cheddi Jagan International Airport and a seaplane base near Suddie. Atkinson Aerodrome, Guyana 's first airport was named after Major Eric Atkinson, the commander of the air-base facilities which the American government developed at Cheddi Jagan International Airport is the national airport of Guyana Suddie is a community in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region of Guyana, located on the Atlantic Ocean coast at, 1 mile north of Onderneeming.

Jamaica

Army Air Force Base (Vernam AFB), Naval Air Station (Little Goat Island), Naval facility at Port Royal

St. Port Royal, Jamaica was the centre of Shipping Commerce in the Islands of the Greater Antilles which make up the northeastern Lucia

Army Air Force Base (Beane AFB), Naval Air Station (Gros Islet Bay)

Bermuda

Fort Bell Army Airfield known as Kindley Field (became L.F. Wade International Airport)

Newfoundland

Three Army Air Force Bases (Pepperrell AFB, Goose Bay AFB and Stephenville AFB), Naval Station Argentia also multiple Marine and Army Bases and Detachments in support of the above. USAAF Fort Bell and Kindley Field was a USAAF airfield in Bermuda from 1941 to 1948 LF Wade International Airport, formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole Airport serving Bermuda, a British overseas territory Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, was a former United States Military base located in St Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville Newfoundland and Labrador. Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994

Trinidad

Waller AFB, Carlsen AFB, Naval Operating Base, Naval Air Station, Blimp Base and Radio Station

See also

References

  1. ^ Martin Gilbert, Churchill and America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

External links

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