Destroyers-for-bases deal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Destroyers-for-bases deal

Leased destroyers sailing into British port, October 1940
Signed	2 September 1940
Signatories	Franklin Roosevelt Winston Churchill
Parties	United States  United Kingdom
Languages	English

The Destroyers-for-Bases Deal was an important agreement made on September 2, 1940. It was between the United States and the United Kingdom. In this deal, the US gave 50 old Navy ships, called destroyers, to the Royal Navy (Britain's navy). In return, Britain gave the US permission to build naval and air bases on some of its lands.

These destroyers were often called "four-pipers" because they had four tall funnels. They were renamed by the British and called the "Town" class, after towns found in both countries. US President Franklin Roosevelt made this deal using an executive agreement. This meant he didn't need the US Congress to approve it. However, some Americans who wanted to stay out of the war were upset. They felt the deal went against the Neutrality Acts, which said the US shouldn't sell weapons to countries at war.

Why the Deal Happened

Britain's Urgent Need for Ships

By the middle of 1940, Germany had taken over France. This left Britain, along with its Commonwealth countries, fighting alone against Germany and Italy. Britain's military leaders knew they needed a lot of help. They especially needed "full economic and financial support" from the United States to keep fighting successfully.

The US Stays Neutral

The US government felt bad for Britain. But most Americans wanted to stay out of "another European war." This idea was called isolationism. Because of this, the US Congress had passed the Neutrality Acts. These laws stopped the US from selling or shipping weapons to any country fighting in the war.

President Roosevelt also had to be careful. He was running for president again in 1940. His opponents tried to make him look like he wanted to join the war. Even so, the US Justice Department said the deal was legal.

The Royal Navy's Challenges

In May 1940, British forces had to escape from Dunkirk, France. This event, called Operation Dynamo, showed how badly the Royal Navy needed ships. German U-boats (submarines) were attacking British supply ships in the Battle of the Atlantic. These attacks threatened Britain's food and other important war supplies.

As German troops moved quickly into France, many in the US government thought Britain would soon be defeated. So, the US offered to lease airfields from Britain in Trinidad, Bermuda, and Newfoundland.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill first said no to this offer. He wanted something immediate in return. But on June 1, as France was about to fall, Roosevelt found a way around the Neutrality Act. He said that millions of rounds of US ammunition and old small arms were "surplus" (extra). This allowed him to send them to Britain. However, Roosevelt still refused Churchill's requests for destroyers.

By August, Britain was in a very tough spot. The US Ambassador in London, Joseph P. Kennedy, even thought Britain's surrender was "inevitable." Churchill tried to convince Roosevelt to send the destroyers. He warned that if Britain lost, its islands near America could fall into German hands. This would be a direct threat to the US.

The Historic Deal is Made

What Each Side Gained

President Roosevelt approved the deal on August 30, 1940. On September 2, 1940, as the Battle of Britain got more intense, the US agreed to transfer the warships. The next day, Admiral Harold Stark confirmed the destroyers were not vital for US security.

In exchange, the US got land in several British areas to build naval or air bases. These bases came with rent-free 99-year leases. The locations were:

• Newfoundland
• Eastern side of the Bahamas
• Southern coast of Jamaica
• Western coast of Saint Lucia
• West coast of Trinidad (Gulf of Paria)
• Antigua
• British Guiana (now Guyana) near Georgetown

The US also received air and naval base rights in:

• The Great Sound and Castle Harbour, Bermuda
• South and eastern coasts of Newfoundland

No destroyers were given for the bases in Bermuda and Newfoundland. These areas were very important for shipping and flying across the Atlantic. They were also key in the Battle of the Atlantic. Even though an enemy attack there was unlikely, Britain had to keep forces ready. The deal let Britain give much of Bermuda's defense to the US, which was still neutral. This freed up British forces for other war zones. It also allowed new important facilities to be built at US expense, which British forces could also use.

American and British sailors examine depth charges. In the background are US Wickes-class destroyers before their transfer.

The Ships Transferred

The US quickly transferred 50 destroyers. These ships were from the Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson classes. They were often called "flush-deckers" or "four-pipers" because of their design and four funnels.

Forty-three of these ships went to the British Royal Navy. Seven went to the Royal Canadian Navy. In the Commonwealth navies, these ships were renamed after towns. So, they became known as the "Town" class. Later, nine more also served with the Royal Canadian Navy. Five "Towns" were used by Royal Norwegian Navy crews. One, HMS Campbeltown, was used by Royal Netherlands Navy sailors before its famous mission in the St. Nazaire Raid. Nine other destroyers were later given to the Soviet Navy.

Sadly, six of the 50 destroyers were sunk by German U-boats. Three others, including Campbeltown, were destroyed in other ways.

Challenges with the Destroyers

Britain had to accept the deal, even though it seemed much better for the United States. Churchill's aide, John Colville, even compared it to how the Soviet Union dealt with Finland.

The destroyers had been in storage since World War I. Many needed a lot of repair because they hadn't been kept well. One British admiral even called them the "worst destroyers I had ever seen." By May 1941, only 30 of them were ready for service. Churchill also didn't like the deal much. But his advisors told him to simply tell Roosevelt: "We have so far only been able to bring a few of your fifty destroyers into action on account of the many defects which they naturally develop when exposed to Atlantic weather after having been laid up so long."

Roosevelt responded by sending ten Lake-class Coast Guard cutters to the Royal Navy in 1941. These US Coast Guard ships were ten years newer than the destroyers. They could travel farther, which made them better for protecting convoys from submarines.

This agreement was very important. It marked the beginning of the wartime partnership between Britain and America. Churchill told the British Parliament that "these two great organisations of the English-speaking democracies... will have to be somewhat mixed up together in some of their affairs for mutual and general advantage."

New Bases for the US

Newfoundland Bases

• Pepperrell Airfield (later an Air Force Base)
• Goose Bay Army Airfield (later an Air Force Base)
• Stephenville Army Airfield (later an Air Force Base)
• McAndrew Army Airfield (later an Air Force Base, then transferred to the US Navy)
• Naval Station Argentia (a Naval Air Station, where the Atlantic Charter was discussed in 1941)
• Coastal defense batteries: The Harbor Defenses of Argentia and St. John's
• Ground Radar stations: Allan's Island, Cape Spear, Elliston Ridge, Fogo Island, St. Bride's

British West Indies Bases

• Antigua
  • A Naval Air Station Crabbs at Crabbs Peninsula
  • An Army Air Force airfield (Coolidge Army Airfield)
• The Bahamas
  • Naval seaplane base on Exuma Island at George Town
• British Guiana
  • An Army Air Force airfield (Atkinson Aerodrome)
  • A Naval seaplane base near Suddie, NAF British Guiana
• Barbados
  • NAVFAC Harrison's Point, Saint Lucy
• Bermuda
  • The US Naval Operating Base (a flying boat base)
  • Kindley Field (an Army Air Force airfield, later an Air Force Base)
• Jamaica
  • An Army Air Force airfield (Vernam Army Airfield)
  • A Naval Air Station (Little Goat Island) and a Naval facility at Port Royal
• Saint Lucia
  • An Army Air Force airfield (Beane Army Airfield)
  • A Naval Air Station (Gros Islet Bay) NAF St. Lucia
• Trinidad
  • Naval Base Trinidad, a major base
  • Two Army Air Force airfields: Waller Army Airfield and Carlsen Army Airfield
  • An emergency airstrip (Camden Airstrip)
  • A Naval Operating Base, a Naval Air Station, blimp base, and a radio station

The Ships Transferred

A total of 50 ships were given to Britain and Canada. These included 3 Caldwell-class, 27 Wickes-class, and 20 Clemson-class destroyers.

See also

• Banff-class sloops similarly transferred to the Royal Navy in 1941.
• Tizard Mission
• Lend-Lease, a successor agreement loosely modelled on the Destroyers for Bases Agreement.
• Northeast Air Command for airfields in Newfoundland and Labrador