HMS Archer (D78)

HMS Archer (D78) was a Long Island-class escort carrier built in the United States and transferred to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease agreement during World War II.

Commissioned in 1941, Archer served primarily as a training and ferry carrier. She was built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania as the Mormacland, a Type C3 merchant ship.

The ship's early career involved transporting aircraft and providing deck landing training for Fleet Air Arm pilots. She also served in an anti-submarine warfare role, though with limited success. Due to her relatively slow speed and other shortcomings inherent in her merchant ship origins, Archer was considered less effective than purpose-built escort carriers.

Notable events in her career include involvement in the sinking of the German submarine U-752 in May 1943. However, the submarine was initially credited to a different ship, and Archer's role was only clarified later.

Archer was decommissioned from Royal Navy service in 1944 and returned to the United States. She was subsequently converted back into a merchant ship and renamed Don Salvatore. She was later sold into Italian service.