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River class frigate

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Image:HMS Swale K217.jpg
HMS Swale K 217, a River class frigate, later transferred to the Royal South African Navy.
General Characteristics Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Displacement:
  • RN all groups - 1,370 tons; 1,830 tons full
  • RAN group I - 1,420 tons; 2,020 tons full
  • RAN group II - 1,545 tons; 2,185 tons full
  • RCN group - 1,445 tons; 2,110 tons full
Length: 283 ft (86.25 m) p/p ; 301.25 ft (91.82 m) o/a
Beam: 36.5 ft (11.1 m)
Draught: 9 ft (2.75 m); 13 ft (4 m) full load
Propulsion:

2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp
(except Cam, Chelmer, Ettrick, Halladale, Helmsdale, Tweed; Parsons Single reduction steam turbines, 6,500 shp

Speed: 20 kts (37km/h) (20.5 kts in turbine ships)
Range:
  • RN group I - 440 tons oil fuel; 7,200 nm (13,334 km) at 12 kts (22 km/h)
  • RAN all groups - 500 tons oil fuel; 5,180 nm (9,593 km) at 12 kts (22 km/h)
  • All other groups - 646 tons oil fuel; 7,500 nm (13,334 km) at 15 kts (28 km/h)
Complement:
  • RN all groups - 107
  • RAN group I - 140
  • RAN group II - 177
  • RCN group - 157
Armament:
RN all groups;

RCN group;

  • 2 x QF 4 in /45 Mk. XVI on 1 twin mount HA/LA Mk.XIX
  • 1 x QF 12 pdr /12 cwt Mk. V on mounting HA/LA Mk.IX (not all ships)
  • 8 x 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on 4 twin mounts Mk.V
  • 1 x Hedgehog 24 barrel A/S projector
  • up to 150 depth charges

RAN group I;

  • 2 x QF 4 in /45 Mk. XVI on single mounts HA/LA Mk.XX
  • 8 x 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on single mounts Mk.III, later replaced by;
    • 3 x 40 mm Bofors A/A on single mounts Mk.VII
    • 4 x 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on 2 twin mounts Mk.V
  • 1 x Hedgehog 24 barrel A/S projector
  • up to 50 depth charges

RAN group II;

  • 4 x QF 4 in /45 Mk. XVI on 2 twin mounts HA/LA Mk.XIX
  • 3 x 40 mm Bofors A/A on single mounts Mk.VII
  • 4 x 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on 2 twin mounts Mk.V
  • 1 x Hedgehog 24 barrel A/S projector
  • up to 50 depth charges

The River class frigates were a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic.

The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy, with the some serving in the other Allied navies; the Royal Australian Navy, the Free French Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy. Ten Canadian built ships were assigned to the United States Navy to cover for a shortage of suitable convoy escorts until American built ships became available. In the event, only two were transferred, the remaining eight were used by the Canadians.

After World War II they found employment in many other navies the world over, many Canadian ships were sunk as breakwaters.

Contents

[edit] Design

The Rivers were designed by naval engineer William Reed to have the endurance and anti-submarine capabilities of the Black Swan class sloops, while being quick and cheap to build in civil dockyards using the machinery (eg reciprocating steam engines instead of turbines) and construction techniques pioneered in the building of the Flower-class corvettes.

The River-class design was used as the basis for the United States Navys Tacoma class (known to the Royal navy as the Colony class frigate), and the hull design was later elaborated into the Loch class frigate, and subsequently the Bay class frigate

[edit] Ships

[edit] Royal Navy group I

[edit] Royal Navy group II

[edit] Royal Australian Navy group I

[edit] Royal Australian Navy group II

[edit] Royal Canadian Navy group

[edit] Rivers lost in action

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Bibliography

  • British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, H T Lenton, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-277-7
  • Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983, Leo Marriot, Ian Allan, 1983, ISBN 0-7110-1322-5

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/River_class_frigate"
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