The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic.
The majority served with the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other Allied navies; the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Free French Navy (FFN), the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy (SAN). Ten ships built in Canada were assigned to the United States Navy (USN) to cover for a shortage of suitable convoy escorts until American-built ships became available. In the event, only two were commissioned in the USN, the remaining eight were commissioned in the RN and RCN. Twelve River class frigates were built in Australia for the RAN (four to a modified design), the last of which is HMAS Diamantina, preserved as a museum ship at the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane, Australia.
After World War II they found employment in many other navies the world over; several RCN ships were sunk as breakwaters. One, HMCS Stormont, was purchased by Aristotle Onasis and converted into the luxury yacht Christina O.
Read more about River Class Frigate: Design, Ships in Class, Vessels Lost in Action
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