HMS Trouncer (D85)

The USS Perdido (CVE-47) (previously AVG-47, later ACV-47) was laid down as ACV-47 under Maritime Commission contract by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Washington, 1 February 1943; launched 16 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. H. M. Bemis, reclassified as CVE-47 on 15 July 1943; and completed at the Commercial Iron Works, Portland, Oregon.

Assigned to the United Kingdom under lend lease 23 June 1943, Perdido was taken over by the Royal Navy at Portland, 31 January 1944. During the remainder of World War II, she served the Royal Navy as HMS Trouncer (D85) and took part in convoy escort and ASW patrol operations. The escort carrier returned to Norfolk, Virginia, 21 February 1946. Perdido was returned to the U.S. Navy 3 March 1946, and on 25 March, the Secretary of the Navy authorized her for disposal. Her name was struck from the Naval Register 12 April 1946. She was sold to William B. St. John, delivered to her purchaser 6 March 1947 and pressed into merchant service as Greystroke Castle (renamed Gallic in 1954 and Berinnes in 1959). She was sold for scrap in Taiwan in 1973.

Design and description
These ships were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all the preceding American built escort carriers. They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not converted merchant ships. All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of 492 ft, a beam of 69 ft and a draught of 25 ft. Propulsion was provided a steam turbine, two boilers connected to one shaft giving 9,350 brake horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at 16.5 kn.

Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts 43 ft by 34 ft, one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the 260 ft by 62 ft hangar below the flight deck. Armament comprised: two 4 inch Dual Purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts. They had a maximum aircraft capacity of twenty-four aircraft which could be a mixture of Grumman Martlet, Vought F4U Corsair or Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft and Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger anti-submarine aircraft.