PBA Galleries

Hand written entries include: "July 18, 1944, Drafted to H.M.S. Keats Sub Chaser (U.S. Frigate) First night - o.k. July 19, Put to sea. 11 A.M. July 20, Morning watch 4 to 8. Tired. Bad fog. Sighted suspicious object on port side. Action stations. Proved to be Yanks adrift. Everything o.k. July 21, Action stations - twice. Man the Hedgehogs and depth charges dropped. Sub suspected. July 22, Wet & windy. Sea choppy. Feel very sick. Visibility bad. July 23, Morning watch. Sighted convoy in channel. Mine sighted. Guns fired to explode it. July 25, Action stations at night. Hedgehogs dropped. Suspected sub. July 27, Action stations. Depth charges dropped. 30 degree roll. July 28, Refueled at Portland. Stayed 4 hours. Divers inspected ship. Screws damaged. Dry dock. Hope to get leave. July 29, Heading to Belfast. Scilly Isles in sight. Hope to arrive tomorrow. I was writing all night."

"August 3, Ship in dry dock. Damage is slight. All hopes of leave gone. August 8, Test trials in Bangor Bay. Anchored for the night. Aug. 11, Heading for Scapa Flow. Stormy Sea. North Channel. Joined up with big convoy. In the Minch. Aug. 12, Arrived in Scapa. Lousey dump. Desolate. Aug. 16, Trial runs. Practice with Aircraft  Carriers. Big events expected. Good afternoon. Boat race. Aug. 18, Left Scapa Flow. Escorting 5 Aircraft Carriers. Heading towards Iceland. Rough seas in the North Atlantic. Hatches closed port side. Big breakers. Aug. 19, 600 miles from Scapa in the Arctic Ocean. Heading to North -  Norway. Rough seas. Feeling very bad. Received winter clothes. No action yet. Aug. 20, No action yet. Sickness nearly gone. Actions Stations. In danger zone. To remain fully clothed. Aug. 21, Big events expected today. Fleet together and a grand sight. 28 ships. All planes ready on A.C. Carriers. Very cold; snow at times; Arctic Ocean. We are after Tirpitz-German battleship. I think. Fueled at sea. Zero hour."

"Sept. 2, Gun exercises at Larne, Ireland. Busy day north coast of Ireland. Anchored at Larne. We are out again. Terrible wet day. 3 more watches. Very tired. Sept. 4, Very rough seas & wet. Heading north again. Atlantic patrol 3 more watches. Sept. 12. Terrible rough night. Man badly hurt. Steaming for Londonderry. We are back in the Atlantic. Only stayed in Londonderry 2 hrs & refuled. Sighted big mine on port bow. Hurricanes opened fire and sank it.""

"Sept. 7, Hectic night. Depth charges dropped & Hedgehogs. Possible sub sunk. Sighted massive convoy. Over 100 ships. We are still sweeping. Sept. 8, Atlantic very cold. Now coast of Iceland. Convoy escort. Tanker sunk. Possible sub again. Skippers warning. Sea now covered with oil. Storms. Rough seas. Action stations. Sub in vicinity. Patrolling around waiting. Depth charges being dropped everywhere. Sept. 10, Events expected tonight. Action stations. Sub sunk definitely. Still patrolling around for the other one. Another rough night expected. Sept. 11, Still patrolling around. Going in tonight I think. Everybody irritated. To action stations. Depth chargers still being dropped. Not going in yet. Sea is infested with subs. Running short of depth charges. Two groups on patrol. Just us & relief. Sept. 13, Rough seas again. Mess flooded; beds flooded. Action stations. Depth charges. Picked up big convoy. Escorting convoy. Still in Atlantic. Sept. 16, Now 15 days at sea. Still hoping to go in. Still escorting convoy. Sept. 17, Yes, we are going in. Land sighted. Arrived Belfast at 6 P.M." He then goes on leave for 7 days. "Sept. 30, Screws all cleared. Back out to sea. North coast of Scotland. Rough seas. Atlantic ocean. Horrible rough sea. Very cold & we are still heading north."

"Oct. 2, North Atlantic. Very cold. Mine sighted starboard side. Hurricanes opened fire & sank it. Oct. 3, Rough trip. 100 MPH gale. 30 feet waves. Impossible to walk on deck. Terrible. God save us. What a night. Worst ever. Oct. 4, Still terribly rough. 3 more mines sunk. Still patrolling in the North Atlantic. Oct. 5, Two more mines sunk. No action stations yet. Oct. 8, Now 10 days at sea. Sunk another mine. Action stations. Charges dropped. 6 pattern charges dropped. Still patrolling North Atlantic. Rough seas again. Rough night. Picked up convoy Very cold. Oct. 12, Action stations. Charges overboard. Horrible rough seas. Deck impossible. Still escorting convoy. Oct. 16, Heading north again. Patrolling between Iceland and the Faroes. Very cold & rough seas."

"Oct. 17, Skipper piped in: Corvette sunk. Sub No. 6 group operating NW. Star flares fired. Survivors picked up.(The Corvette was a British sub chaser.) We dropped charges. Coast of Iceland barely visible. Very cold. Rough seas. Gales. Oct. 19, North Atlantic. Action stations. Charges dropped. Big convoy sighted on the port bow. Fed up & worried. Oct. 22, 26th day of patrolling the rough seas. Oct. 26, Arrived in Belfast. Watch aboard. Overjoyed at plenty of mail. Worries gone for a while."

"Nov. 5, Left Belfast for Bangor. Awaiting orders. Going to Algiers or Naples. Nov. 9, Left Bangor Bay, 2 O'clock P.M. Picked up convoy in the Irish sea. Seen whirlwind. Rough seas. Heading south. Skippers lecture -  Going to Naples. Still proceeding south. Nov. 10, In Atlantic with convoy of troop ships. 2 Carriers; 1 Cruiser & 2 Merchants. Nov. 11, Bay of Biscay. Rough seas. Fast convoy at 14 knots. still heading south on the coast of Portugal." They continue to escort the convoy through Gibraltar; North coast of Africa; Algiers; Bizerte; Isle of Egadi; Naples; Isle of Capri; Saw German Hospital ship; Practice dive bombing; Many sunken damaged ships;, etc.

"Nov. 26, North coast of Africa in sight all the time. Sea choppy. Land on each side. More ships in the convoy. Tangiers all lit up. Atlantic is rough. More ships join convoy. Nov. 29, Off coast of Devon. Convoy splitting up. Dec. 9, Back from leave. 7 hours adrift. Too rough for the boat. Crowded with soldiers & air men that are sick everywhere. Dec. 13, Left Belfast to do submarine exercises at Larne. very busy. Dec. 16, Should be picking up convoy soon. Horrible rough seas. Irish Sea; I start watch-keeping tomorrow. Picked up convoy of troopers. Irish Sea. Atlantic Ocean. Rough seas; big breakers; no sleep for two nights. December 24, Left Gibraltar. 8 days patrol off coast of Spain. Suspected German subs in vicinity. Dec. 27, Action stations at 2 A.M. O'clock. Charges dropped. Land sighted. Coast of Spain. Endless trip & I am fed up. Dec. 30, Arrived back in Gibraltar. Christmas celebration. Good day & plenty big eats."

HMS Keats (K482) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Tisdale (DE-278), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 to 1946. The ship was ordered on 25 January 1942 and laid down by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 June 1943 as the U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Tisdale (DE-278), the first ship of the name. She was launched on 17 July 1943. The United States transferred the ship to the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease on 19 October 1943. The ship was commissioned into service in the Royal Navy as HMS Keats (K482) under the command of Temporary/Acting Lieutenant Commander Neil Frederick Israel, RNR, on 19 October 1943 simultaneously with her transfer. She served on patrol and escort duty. On 27 January 1945, Keats shared credit with the British frigates HMS Bligh and HMS Tyler for a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-1172 in the St George's Channel. On 15 April 1945, she joined the British frigate HMS Grindall in a depth-charge attack that sank the German submarine U-285 in the North Atlantic Ocean southwest of Ireland. The Royal Navy returned Keats to the U.S. Navy on 27 February 1946.