CUS Colborne (DDE-1941)
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The Colborne class was the purpose built equivalents of the Belmont class conversions. They even used the armaments removed from the converted Belmonts to arm them. Once those armaments were used up then the class switched to the Maitland type. The first Colbornes had barely been completed when the CUA entered the war and the President told the world that the CUA in conjunction with the CSA would be the Armoury of the world. With this in mind orders for a further 100 Colbornes were placed over a six month period to be completed in the following 18-24 months. The race between escorts and subs was on. Protection of the convoys to get the men and munitions to England wich was to be used as the Allies springboard back into Europe.
The ships were a simple flushed deck design with good anti-submarine and anti-aircraft capabilities. A set of torpedos were included in the design as convoy escorts could be called upon at any time to have to make an attack on a Germanic States raider that was trying to intercept the convoy. Propulsion was kept to a size to produce 24 knots and the ships were large enough to have bunkers to carry the fuel required to cross the Atlantic with the convoys.
| Displacement | 1,300 tons std 1,650 tons full load |
| Length | 302 ft |
| Breadth | 35 ft |
| Draught | 11 ft |
| Machinery | 2 shaft turbo-electric drive, 12,000shp |
| Speed | 24 knots |
| Range | 10,000 miles at 12 knots |
| Armament | 2 x 4" (2x1) 2 x 40mm AA (1x2) 9 x 20mm (9x1) |
| Torpedoes | 3 x 21" (1x3) |
| Complement | 190-215 |
| Notes | CUS Colborne |
First of many - Colborne is launched late 1939. Stern of Colborne showing depth charge racks.