Naval History and Heritage Command

A British name.

Hotham (DE-574) was launched by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Mass., 21 December 1943. Designated for transfer to Great Britain under Lend-Lease, she was delivered to the Royal Navy and commissioned by them 8 February 1944. Hotham served through the remainder of the war as an escort vessel, and was retained by the British after 1945 for experiments with gas turbine propulsion. She was returned to the U.S. Government 25 April 1952 and simultaneously transferred to the British under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. The partially-stripped vessel was later returned to U.S. custody in February 1956, and her powerplant was sold to the Netherlands.