HMS Kempthorne (K483) was a of the Royal Navy and named after Captain (later Admiral Sir) John Kempthorne of in 1669. Construction and commissioning Kempthorne was ordered from the Boston Navy Yard on 18 January 1942 as the Trumpeter (DE-279). She was not commissioned into the US Navy but was instead transferred to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease agreement and commissioned on 31 October 1943. Royal Navy service Initial training and refitting After commissioning Kempthorne carried out training exercise in the Boston area in November before taking passage to Bermuda. Throughout December she carried out further exercises and shore training, after which she sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia to join convoy HX 274 bound for the UK. Also sailing to the UK as part of this convoy were her sister corvettes , and , which had also been at Bermuda taking part in exercises. They sailed on 6 January as members of the convoy rather than as escorts as they lacked the necessary equipment and were not properly trained. On arrival in British waters on 21 January they were detached and sailed to Belfast. Here they underwent a refit to replace unsatisfactory US Navy equipment. The ships were fitted with an Admiralty design gyro compass and depth charge arrangements, as well as receiving the latest sonar systems and a Royal Navy design radio direction finding outfit. The refit lasted until late February, and on its completion on 28 February Kempthorne was nominated to deploy with the 5th Escort Group in the Western Approaches Command. Further sea trials were carried out in March, followed by a period of work-up at Tobermory. She then joined the Group at Belfast in April, serving alongside her sisters , , , , , and Goodson. The senior officer of the group was Commander Donald MacIntyre, who had already achieved renown as the commander of the 2nd Escort Group. Deployed in the Atlantic Kempthorne first deployed with the group on 21 April, helping to escort the westbound convoy ONS-233 in appalling weather. They were then detached from the convoy on 26 April to join the aircraft carrier and the ships of the 9th Escort Group deploying to defend convoys under threat of attack from German U-boats. They made contact with Vindex and the group on 2 May. They refuelled from Vindex, whilst the ships of the 9th Group returned to Canada to refuel. Kempthorne, Goodson