HMS Tortola ( K595 ) HMS " Tortola " ( K595 ) was a Colony - class frigate of the United Kingdom that served during World War II . She originally was ordered by the United States Navy as the " Tacoma " - class patrol frigate USS " Peyton " ( PF - 91 ) and was transferred to the Royal Navy prior to completion . Construction and acquisition . The ship , originally designated a " patrol gunboat , " PG - 199 , was ordered by the United States Maritime Commission under a U . S . Navy contract as USS " Peyton " . She was reclassified as a " patrol frigate , " PF - 91 , on 15 April 1943 and laid down by the Walsh - Kaiser Company at Providence , Rhode Island , on 16 October 1943 . Intended for transfer to the United Kingdom , the ship was renamed " Tortola " by the British prior to launching and was launched on 16 November 1943 . She was completed on 15 May 1944 . Service history . " Tortola " was transferred to the United Kingdom under Lend - Lease simultaneously with her completion on 15 May 1944 , and the Royal Navy commissioned her on 16 May 1944 . She began acceptance trials and , upon completing them , steamed to Bermuda in June 1944 for shakedown , which lasted into July 1944 . In August 1944 she steamed to St . John ' s in the Dominion of Newfoundland , from which she departed on 11 September 1944 as part of Convoy HX 307 , a convoy of 73 ships bound for the United Kingdom . She left the convoy on 20 September and on 25 September began an overhaul to modify her for Royal Navy service . With her modifications complete , " Tortola " reported to the 20th Escort Group – which also included her sister ships , , , and and the frigate – on 3 October 1944 . Her first assignment was as an escort for Convoy KMF 35 , consisting of six merchant ships , which departed the River Clyde in Scotland on 20 October 1944 bound for Port Said , Egypt , via the Mediterranean Sea . She detached from the convoy on 25 October 1944 and proceeded to Marseilles , France , from which she departed on 28 October 1944 as escort for Convoy MKA 35A , consisting of a single ship carrying bullion to Liverpool . She returned to duty with the 20th Escort Group after arriving at the Clyde on 2 November 1944 . On 29 November 1944 , " Tortola " and the rest of the 20th Escort Group departed Loch Ewe , Scotland , as part of a strong escort provided for the large Arctic convoy JW 62 bound for the Kola Inlet in the Soviet Union . The convoy arrived safely at the Kola on 7 December 1944 . On 10 December 1944 , she departed the Kola with the other escorts to attack German submarine s assembling to interdict the return convoy RA 62 , then joined the convoy itself later in the day . German submarines and aircraft attacked the convoy on 11 and 12 December 1944 , badly damaging the British light cruiser . " Tortola " and the rest of the 20th Escort Group detached from the convoy on 19 December 1944 and returned to patrol and escort duties in the Western Approaches . After 1945 began , " Tortola " was assigned to duty escorting convoys between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar . On 5 January 1945 , she joined the escort of Convoy KMF 38 , which arrived at Gibraltar on 10 January 1945 ; she then departed Gibraltar on 21 January 1945 for the return voyage , escorting Convoy MKF 38 , which arrived at the River Clyde on 27 January 1945 . She quickly got back underway to join the escort of Convoy KMF 39 on 28 January 1945 for a voyage to Gibraltar which ended on 5 February 1945 . She then entered the dockyard there for repairs . With her repairs complete , " Tortola " departed Gibraltar on 20 February 1945 as part of the escort of Convoy MKF 39 bound for the United Kingdom , but on 21 February 1945 she ran aground near Gibraltar and suffered serious damage , losing her starboard bilge keel and opening her fuel tank to the sea . Detached from the convoy on 22 February 1945 , she proceeded independently to Plymouth Dockyard in England for repairs , which began on 26 February 1945 . " Tortola " s repairs were completed on 30 June 1945 , but she underwent additional repairs at Devonport Dockyard from 6 to 12 July 1945 . After these were finished , " Tortola " was selected to be placed in reserve . In August 1945 she proceeded to Derry – also called Londonderry – in Northern Ireland , where she was placed in reserve upon arrival . In January 1946 , the Royal Navy decided to return " Tortola " to the U . S . Navy . After making preparations for her voyage to the United States during February and March 1946 , she left Derry in April 1946 bound for the Boston Navy Yard in Boston , Massachusetts , where she arrived on 9 May 1946 . The Royal Navy formally returned her to the U . S . Navy on 22 May 1946 . Disposal . On 17 June 1946 , " Tortola " was transferred from the U . S . Navy to the U . S . Maritime Commission for disposal , and the U . S . Navy struck her from its Naval Vessel Register on 3 July 1946 . The Maritime Commission sold her on 17 January 1947 to the John J . Duane Company of Quincy , Massachusetts , for scrapping . She later was resold to the Washburn Wire Company of Phillipsdale , Rhode Island . She arrived at the shipbreaking yard on 10 September 1947 and was scrapped .