HMIS Rajputana (J197)
| History | |
|---|---|
 India | |
| Name | Rajputana |
| Ordered | 24 August 1940 |
| Builder | Lobnitz & Co. |
| Laid down | 21 June 1941 |
| Launched | 31 December 1941[1] |
| Commissioned | 30 April 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 1961 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Bangor-class minesweeper |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 189 ft (58 m) o/a |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Draught | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 2,800 nmi (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 60 |
| Armament |
|
HMIS Rajputana (J197) was a Bangor-class minesweepers built for the Royal Navy, but transferred to the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War.
Design and description
The Bangor class was designed as a small minesweeper that could be easily built in large numbers by civilian shipyards; as
deep load. The ship had an overall length of 189 feet (57.6 m), a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m).[2] The ship's complement consisted of 60 officers and ratings.[3]
She was powered by two
Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 shaft horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). The ship carried a maximum of 160 long tons (163 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 2,800 nautical miles (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4]
The VTE-powered Bangors were armed with a
anti-aircraft gun and a single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun or a quadruple mount for the Vickers .50 machine gun. In some ships the 2-pounder was replaced a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun, while most ships were fitted with four additional single Oerlikon mounts over the course of the war.[4] For escort work, their minesweeping gear could be exchanged for around 40 depth charges.[3]
Construction and career
HMIS Rajputana was ordered from
Rangoon, in May 1945,[8] and in September 1945, carried out minesweeping operations off Singapore prior to the formal surrender of Japanese forces in South East Asia.[9]
Post-war service
In 1947, the Partition of India resulted in the Royal Indian Navy being split between India and Pakistan. Of eight Bangor-class minesweepers in the pre-partition navy, four were transferred to Pakistan, with Rajputana one of the ships that remained in the Royal Indian Navy, which was renamed the Indian Navy in 1950.[10]
References
- ^ Lenton and Colledge 1973, p. 203.
- ^ Lenton, pp. 253–54
- ^ a b Chesneau, p. 64
- ^ a b Lenton, p. 254
- ^ "HMS Lyme Regis (i) (J 197) of the Royal Navy - British Minesweeper of the Bangor class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "Eastern Fleet War Diary 1943". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "East Indies Fleet War Diary 1944". Naval-history.net. 30 December 1944. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ Collins 1964, p. 311.
- ^ Collins 1964, pp. 318–319.
- ^ Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 171.
Bibliography
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
References
- Collins, J.T.E. (1964). The Royal Indian Navy, 1939–1945. Official History of the Indian Armed Forces In the Second World War. New Delhi, India: Combined Inter-Services Historical Section (India & Pakistan).
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Lenton, H.T.; Colledge, J.J. (1973). Warships of World War II. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0403-X.