Destroyer-by-Base Agreement

The " Destroyer Deal " known as the Destroyers for Bases Agreement (German: "Destroyer for Base Agreement") of September 2, 1940 was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom during World War II . For the provision of bases for a period of 99 years in the Bahamas , Bermuda , Jamaica , St. Lucia , Trinidad , Antigua as well as in Newfoundland and in British Guiana , the USA handed over 43 ships to the Royal Navy of Great Britain and the Royal Canadian Navy the time of the First World War .

history

The isolationist attitude of the American public towards participating in a war in Europe found expression in the Neutrality Act , which only allowed arms delivery to a belligerent state against immediate payment. In addition, with a view to the upcoming presidential elections in 1940 , President Roosevelt was careful not to criticize this arrangement, which hindered further aid for the beleaguered Great Britain.

In late May 1940, after the evacuation of the Allied troops from Dunkirk , the Royal Navy urgently needed ships, also to protect the shipments of war important goods across the Atlantic threatened by German submarines. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill rejected the US request to lease air bases in Trinidad , Bermuda and Newfoundland without any further consideration . Churchill's request at the end of July regarding the urgent release of ships for convoy security was again rejected by Roosevelt.

In the summer of 1940, after the defeat of France , Great Britain faced Hitler's Germany alone. On August 13, Roosevelt therefore proposed the release of destroyers against territory. The conclusion of the so-called "Destroyer Deal" was announced on August 30th. The agreement was finally signed on September 2, 1940.

The USA then received several pieces of land for bases free of charge for 99 years. In return, the Royal Navy received 50 destroyers of various classes, all of them designs from the time of the First World War.

Legal classification

According to Article 8 of the Hague Convention of 1907, this process was incompatible with the USA's status as a neutral state. The German side could have used this as a casus belli to declare war.

Bases on the ceded territories

Antigua

Naval Air Station at Crabbs Peninsular
Army Air Force Base at Coolidge (Coolidge AFB), now VC Bird International Airport

British Guiana

Army Air Force Base Atkinson Aerodrome (now Cheddi Jagan International Airport ) and a seaplane base near Suddie .

Jamaica

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

St. Lucia

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

Bermuda

Fort Bell Army Airfield known as Kindley Field ( LF Wade International Airport )

Newfoundland

Army Air Force Bases ( Pepperrell AFB , Goose Bay AFB , Stephenville AFB )
Naval Station Argentia
further facilities to support the other bases

Trinidad

Waller AFB, Carlsen AFB

Surrendered destroyers

Destroyer of Wickes class are inspected before being surrendered

The ships handed over were grouped together as the town class . As a sign of the solidarity of the English-speaking nations, they carried all place names that can be found in the USA as well as in Great Britain or Canada.

The first group of vehicles was brought together in Canada on September 28, 1940. The destroyers were fully equipped and handed over ready for use. Despite their old age, they are said to have been in good shape, which surprised skeptical British teams. Due to the relatively short period of service with the US Navy, these ships had not left much. The greatest shortcoming from the point of view of the British sailors became apparent on the first night, when many crews lay sleepless in their bunks and wondered why the US Navy had abolished the hammocks.

The Royal Navy took over 43 destroyers. Of these, Manfield was handed over to Norway in 1940 , followed by Bath , Newport and St. Albans in 1941 . The Soviet Union received nine destroyers in 1944 as temporary replacements for the Italian ships the Soviet Union was entitled to as spoils of war.

The Royal Canadian Navy received seven destroyers.

Web links

Destroyers for Bases Agreement, September 2, 1940 (full text) ( Memento from January 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
List of Destroyers transferred to Great Britain under this agreement ( Memento from October 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Harald Fock: Z-before! International development and war missions of destroyers and torpedo boats. Vol. 2. During World War II: 1940–1945. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0762-9 , p. 301.
↑ Harald Fock: Z-before! International development and war missions of destroyers and torpedo boats. Vol. 2. During World War II: 1940–1945. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0762-9 , p. 129.

[FockSeite301-1] Harald Fock: Z-before! International development and war missions of destroyers and torpedo boats. Vol. 2. During World War II: 1940–1945. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0762-9 , p. 301.

[2] Harald Fock: Z-before! International development and war missions of destroyers and torpedo boats. Vol. 2. During World War II: 1940–1945. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0762-9 , p. 129.