Hunt I DD- 194

Hunt I

(DD-194: dp. 1,215 1. 314'5", b. 31'9", dr. 9'4", s. 35 k.
cpl. 101; a. 4 4 ', 1 3", 12 21" tt., cl. Clemson)

The first Hunt (DD-194) was launched by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., 14 February 1920; sponsored by Miss Virginia Livingston Hunt; and commissioned 30 September 1920, Lt. Rosvvell H. Blair in command.

After shakedown, Hunt participated in training and readiness exercises with the Atlantic Fleet and conducted torpedo trials on the range out of Newport, R.I. She shifted her base of operations to Charleston, S.C., 3 December 1920. Sailing from Charleston Harbor 2g May l922 she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard 6 June and decommissioned there 11 August 1922. From 13 September 1930 to 28 May 1934 the U.S. Coast Guard had custody of the ship.

Hunt recommissioned at Philadelphia and cleared that port 26 ;January 1940 tor neutrality patrol in the Caribbean Sea. She departed Panama Canal 3 April to escort submarine Searaven to Cape Ganaveral and then engaged in gunnery practice in Cuban waters en route to Norfolk arriving 17 April 1940. The next few months were devoted to maneuvers in Chesapeake Bay and training cruises down the eastern seaboard.

Hunt was l of the 50 "overage fourstacker destroyers" exchanged with the British for American bases in British West Indies. She got underway from Newport 3 October 1940, and reached Halifax, Nova Scotia 5 October. The following day she embarked 100 English officers and bluejackets tor instructions in ship handling. On 8 October she decommissioned from the U.S. Navy and commissioned in the British Navy as HMS Broadway.

Broadway arrived at Beltast 24 October 1940, where she joined the 11th Escort Group, Western Approaches Command, with whom she engaged in escorting numerous convoys. On 9 May, with the help of destroyer Bulldop and corvette Aubrietia, she captured German submarine U-110 between Iceland and Greenland. On the previous night, the U-boat had crept in to attack Broaday's convoy but was prevented from surfacing by the strong destroyer escort. She continued to shadow the Allied ships until early in the afternoon watch when she launched three torpedoes from periscope depth. Broadway and her fellow escorts promptly counterattacked and forced her to surface where she surrendered. Unfortunately the prize sank while in tow to port but only after her captors had recovered documents of great value and importance This victory was especially sweet since U-110 was commanded by Korvetten-Kapitan Lemp who had made the first kill of the war by sinking liner Athenia 3 September 1939, the day England declared war. Lemp was; lost with 14 mem bers of his crew, but a war correspondent, 4 officers and 28 men were rescued.

During 1942 and 1943 Broadway continued to escort Atlantic convoys. On 12 May 1943 she joined frigate Lagan and aircraft from escort carrier Biter in destroying another German submarine, U-89, which was sunk northeast of the Azores.

After refitting at Belfast in September 1943, Broadway became a target ship for aircraft and served as such at Rosyth in Scotland until the war ended in Europe. In May 1945 she left Rosyth for Northern Norway with one of the ocenpation force~s. At Narvik, Norway, she took charge of a convoy of German submarines which was sailing tor Trondheim. In the reduction of the British Navy after the war, Hunt was scrapped.