HMS Ekins (K552)

HMS Ekins (K352) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy that served during World War II. Originally constructed as a United States Navy Buckley class destroyer escort, she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1945.

Construction and transfer
The ship was laid down as a U.S. Navy destroyer escort designated "DE-87" by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., in Hingham, Massachusetts, on 5 July 1943 and launched on 2 October 1943. She was transferred to the United Kingdom upon completion on 29 November 1943.

Service history
Commissioned into service in the Royal Navy under the command of Temporary Lieutenant George Graham Bonner-Davis, RNVR, as the frigate HMS Ekins (K552) on 29 November 1943 simultaneously with her transfer, the ship served on patrol and escort duty. On 21 July 1944 she joined the British frigate HMS Curzon (K513) in sinking with depth charges the German submarine U-212 in the English Channel south of Brighton, England, at 50.45°N, -0.21667°W.

On 16 April 1945, Ekins struck a mine in the North Sea 13 nautical miles (24 km) northwest of Ostend, Belgium. Although severely damaged, she managed to limp back to port. Damaged beyond economical repair, she was declared a constructive total loss and was decommissioned later in 1945.

Disposal
The Royal Navy nominally returned Ekins to the U.S. Navy in June 1945. The U.S. Navy struck her from its Naval Vessel Register on 25 June 1945. She was sold in March 1947 for scrapping in the Netherlands, and she was scrapped at Dordrecht later that year.