Destroyers for Bases Agreement

Background

The United States was sympathetic to the British cause, though they officially following the policy of isolationism, and were constrained by elections. The British were in immediate need of ships; they took long to build and were now facing the Second Battle of the Atlantic in which German U-boats threatened Britain's supplies of food and other resources.

The deal

In exchange for "naval and military equipment and material" the US was granted land for the establishment of naval or air bases, on 99-year rent-free leases, on:

• Avalon Peninsula
• South and eastern coasts of Newfoundland
• Great Bay of Bermuda
• Eastern side of the Bahamas
• Southern coast of Jamaica
• Western coast of St. Lucia,
• West coast of Trinidad
• Gulf of Paria,
• Antigua — Antigua Air Station
• British Guiana within fifty miles of Georgetown.

The US accepted the "generous action… to enhance the national security of the United States" and immediately transferred fifty United States Navy destroyers "generally referred to as the twelve hundred-ton type." Forty-three went to the Royal Navy and seven to the Royal Canadian Navy. Ships were transferred on from the Royal Navy to the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy and the Soviet Navy.

In the Commonwealth navies the ships were named after towns, and were therefore known as the Town class, although they had originally belonged to three ship classes (the Caldwell, Clemson, and Wickes classes).

The move was seen as the selling of part of the Empire, and some in the United States were particularly worried about overseas imperialism.

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