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USS ''Croatan'' (CVE-14) (originally AVG-14 then ACV-14) was transferred to the United Kingdom on 20 February 1943 under lend-lease where she served as HMS ''Fencer'' (D64). As an anti-submarine warfare carrier, ''Fencer'' escorted Atlantic, Russian and African convoys, even participating in a strike on the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' before being transferred to the Pacific. Following World War II, she returned to the United States 21 December 1946, stricken for disposal on 28 January 1947 and sold into merchant service 30 December as ''Sydney''. The ship went through a series of renamings, first to ''Roma'' in 1967, then ''Galaxy Queen'' in 1970, ''Lady Dina'' in 1972 and finally ''Caribia'' in 1973 before being scrapped in Spezia in September 1975. ==Design and description== There were eight Attacker class escort carriers in service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. They were built between 1941 and 1942 by Ingalls Shipbuilding and Western Pipe & Steel shipyards in the United States, both building four ships each.〔Cocker (2008), p.79.〕 The ships had a complement of 646 men and crew accommodation was different from the normal Royal Navy's arrangements. The separate messes no longer had to prepare their own food, as everything was cooked in the galley and served cafeteria style in a central dining area. They were also equipped with a modern laundry and a barber shop. The traditional hammocks were replaced by three tier bunk beds, eighteen to a cabin which were hinged and could be tied up to provide extra space when not in use.〔Poolman (1972), pp.74–75.〕 The ships dimensions were; an overall length of , a beam of and a height of . They had a displacement of at deep load.〔Cocker (2008), p.80.〕 Propulsion was provided by four diesel engines connected to one shaft giving 8,500 brake horsepower (BHP), which could propel the ship at .〔Cocker (2008), pp.80–81.〕 Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side and above the x flight deck,〔Poolman (1972), p.57.〕 two aircraft lifts by , and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the by hangar below the flight deck.〔 Armament comprised two 4 inch DP,AA guns in single mounts, eight 40 mm anti-aircraft gun in twin mounts and twenty-one 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons in single or twin mounts.〔 They had the capacity for up to eighteen aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet, Hawker Sea Hurricane, Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger anti-submarine aircraft.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMS Fencer (D64)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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