HMS Tracker (D24)

HMS Tracker (BACV-6/D24) was an that was built in the United States, but served in the Royal Navy during World War II.

Design and description

All the ships had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . Propulsion was provided by two boilers connected to a steam turbine, which drove one shaft giving . This arrangement could propel the ship at .

History

Tracker was laid down 3 November 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 233, by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding in Tacoma, Washington. She was originally intended to be the 2nd replacement merchant ship Mormacmail for Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., however, before completion, the vessel was purchased by the US Navy. In 1942, she was given the designation BACV-6 and converted into an escort carrier at Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland, Oregon. She was launched on 7 March 1942, and commissioned 31 January 1943; she was transferred to the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Tracker.