HMS Smiter (D55) was a Ruler-class escort aircraft carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the latter part of World War II. Originally laid down as USS Vermillion (CVE-52), a Bogue-class auxiliary aircraft carrier for the United States Navy, she was constructed by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship was laid down on 10 May 1943 and launched on 27 September 1943. She was redesignated as an escort carrier on 10 June 1943 and was transferred to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease agreement on 23 June 1943, before being accepted into Royal Navy service on 20 January 1944. Measuring an overall length of 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 meters), with a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 meters) and a draught of 25 feet 6 inches (7.8 meters), HMS Smiter was a sizable vessel with notable aircraft capacity. Propelled by a single shaft powered by two boilers and a steam turbine generating 9,350 shaft horsepower, she could reach speeds of up to 16.5 knots. Her flight deck was equipped with a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts (each 43 by 34 feet), one catapult, and nine arrestor wires, supporting her maximum complement of 24 aircraft, including fighters like the Hawker Sea Hurricane, and anti-submarine planes such as the Fairey Swordfish. Her armament included two dual-purpose 4"/50, 5"/38, or 5"/51 guns, sixteen twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, and twenty single 20mm Oerlikon cannons, providing a formidable defensive setup. With a crew of 646 personnel, HMS Smiter played a vital role in convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare during her service. After the war, she returned to the United States in March 1946, was struck from the Navy registry in May, and sold for conversion into mercantile service. Renamed SS Artillero and later President Garcia, she served commercially until her wreck off Guernsey in July 1967, after which she was scrapped in Hamburg. HMS Smiter remains a notable example of the large, capable escort carriers built during WWII, contributing significantly to Allied maritime efforts.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.