from New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia to off Newfoundland, where the convoys were handed over to the Mid-Ocean Escort Force. She experienced extremely bad weather, with extensive icing conditions, while operating in the North Atlantic in late 1942 and early 1943. At one point, the ship reached Halifax after a severe gale on 22 January 1943, coated from bridge to forecastle deck with ice varying from thick. In April 1943, Leamington collided with the American minesweeper and was under repair at Halifax until 3 June. Later that month, she collided with the merchant ship Mortimer and was repaired at Norfolk, Virginia with work continuing until October 1943. Soviet Navy service Departing Halifax on 22 December, Leamington returned to the British Isles and reverted to Royal Navy control. After a period of service based at Rosyth, Scotland, Leamington was placed in reserve at the Tyne. However, on 16 June 1944, the British loaned the ship to the Russians, who renamed her Zhguchy (rus. Жгучий, "Fiery"). She served under the Russian flag through 1949 and was returned to Great Britain in 1950, when she starred in the Trevor Howard film Gift Horse as the fictional "HMS Ballantrae", (ex- "USS Whittier") which depicted the St Nazaire Raid. She was subsequently sold to John Cashmore Ltd and broken up for scrap at Newport, Wales on 26 July 1951. References Notes Citations Sources External links NavSource Photos SovietNavy-WW2: Таун ("Town") class U-boat.net: Zguchij Wickes-class destroyers Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation 1918 ships Town-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Town-class destroyers converted from Wickes-class destroyers World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Town-class destroyers of the Soviet Navy World War II destroyers of the Soviet Union