USS Croatan (CVE-14)
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| Career | Missing image USN-Jack.png United States Navy Jack 
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| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 5 September 1941 |
| Launched: | 4 April 1942 |
| Commissioned (USN): | 27 February 1943 |
| Decommissioned (USN): | |
| Commissioned (RN): | 27 February 1943 |
| Decommissioned (RN): | 21 December 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold as a merchant ship |
| Struck: | 28 January 1947 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 14,400 tons |
| Length: | 491 ft 6 in (150 mm) |
| Beam: | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Draught: | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam turbines, 1 shaft, 8,500 shp (6.3 MW) |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 646 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | 2 x 4 in (102 mm), 8 x 40 mm, 20 x 20 mm guns |
| Aircraft: | 20 |
| Motto: | |
The USS Croatan (CVE-14) (originally AVG-14 then ACV-14) was transferred to the United Kingdom 27 February 1943 under lend-lease where she served as the HMS Fencer. As an anti-submarine warfare carrier, the Fencer escorted Atlantic, Russian and African convoys, even participating in a strike on the Tirpitz before being transferred to the Pacific. Following the war, she returned to the United States 21 December 1946, stricken for disposal on 28 January 1947 and sold into merchant service 30 December as Sydney.
The ship went through a series of renamings, first to Roma in 1967, then Galaxy Queen in 1970, Lady Dina in 1972 and finally Caribia in 1973 before being scrapped in Spezia in September 1975.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
| Bogue-class escort carrier |
| Royal Navy |
| Battler | Attacker | Hunter | Chaser | Fencer | Stalker | Pursuer | Striker | Searcher | Ravager | Tracker | Slinger | Atheling | Emperor | Ameer | Begum | Trumpeter | Empress | Khedive | Speaker | Nabob | Premier | Shaha | Patroller | Rajah | Ranee | Trouncer | Thane | Queen | Ruler | Arbiter | Smiter | Puncher | Reaper |
| United States Navy |
| Bogue | Card | Copahee | Core | Nassau | Altamaha | Barnes | Block Island | Breton | Croatan | Prince William |
| List of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy |
| List of escort aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy |