HMS Ulster (R83)
HMS Ulster on the River Tyne, 26 June 1943
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Ulster |
Builder | Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom[1] |
Laid down | 12 November 1941 |
Launched | 9 November 1942 |
Commissioned | 30 June 1943 |
Decommissioned | 1977 |
Identification | Pennant number R83 |
Fate | Withdrawn from service 1977; Broken up 1980 |
General characteristics V-class destroyer | |
Class and type | V-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length | 363 ft (111 m) |
Beam | 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m) |
Draught | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 37 knots (43 mph; 69 km/h) |
Range | 4,860 nmi (9,000 km) at 29 kn (54 km/h) |
Complement | 180 (225 in flotilla leader) |
Armament |
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General characteristics Type 15 frigate | |
Class and type | Type 15 frigate |
Displacement | 2,300 long tons (2,337 t) standard |
Length | 358 ft (109 m) o/a |
Beam | 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) |
Draught | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 31 knots (36 mph; 57 km/h) (full load) |
Complement | 174 |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
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HMS Ulster was a U-class destroyer of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom that saw service during World War II.[2] She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F83. Ulster was the second vessel in Royal Navy history to have that name.
With funds gathered through a Naval Savings Campaign in 1942 known as Warship Week, the ship was adopted by the civil community of Ulster's County Down.
Specifications
Ulster was one of eight U-class destroyers ordered as the 7th Emergency Flotilla on 12 June 1941.[3] The U-class were War Emergency Programme destroyers, intended for general duties, including use as anti-submarine escort, and were to be suitable for mass-production. They were based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J-class destroyers, but with a lighter armament (effectively whatever armament was available) in order to speed production.[4][5] The U-class were almost identical to the S-class ordered as the 5th Emergency Flotilla and the R-class ordered as the 6th Emergency Flotilla earlier in the year, but were not fitted for operations in Arctic waters.[6]
The U-class were 362 feet 9 inches (110.57 m)
The ship had a main gun armament of four
Service history
Second World War service
In June 1943 construction was completed and Ulster went into duty in the
At the beginning of 1945 Ulster was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet with the pendant "D", in keeping with the American system.[11]
Pacific
Ulster, while serving with the British Pacific Fleet, had a near miss by a Japanese kamikaze and a 500 lb bomb during Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa. Ulster had her machinery spaces blown in and had to be lashed to the side of the Australian corvette HMAS "Kalgoorlie to prevent roll over to be taken to Leyte for temporary repairs, whence it sailed for Australia. Two sailors died and one was seriously injured in the attack the Kaloorlie conveyed the bodies and their burial party out to the deepest entrance to Leyte Gulf where the funeral was conducted. Nearly six months after the attack in October 1945 Ulster made it back to HM Dockyard, Chatham in England to undergo full repairs.[11]
Post-War
After the Second World War Ulster was mostly used as a training vessel and for reserve purposes. Between 1953 and 1956 she underwent a full conversion to a Type 15 frigate at Chatham Dockyard.[12] In 1957 she joined the 8th Frigate Squadron.[13] Soon she was on duty in Iceland, Azores, and assigned to the North America and West Indies Station, based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda, cruising to the West Indies and visiting the United States. In 1958 Ulster helped to restore power ashore in Nassau, Bahamas.[14]
In 1964 she was again put into reserve in Plymouth. A year later in 1965, Ulster was re-commissioned in the 2nd Frigate Squadron, but then in 1967 was withdrawn from operational service.
In 1966, whilst coming out of dry dock in Plymouth failure of her telegraphs meant Ulster having rung on full stern rammed the jetty. The heavily damaged stern was replaced with that of HMS Urchin.[15]
During the late 1960s, Ulster was used by naval ratings from HMS Vernon for seagoing training in the Sonar Control Room (SCR). In 1970 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days; at the time she was the Navy's Navigational Training Ship.[16] The destroyer was used as a training hulk at HMS Raleigh between 1974 and 1980.[12] Finally in 1980 Ulster was bought by Thos. W. Ward and broken up.[11]
References
- ^ "HMS Ulster (R83)". hmscavalier.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ "HMS Ulster". navalhistory.flixco.info. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 90–91, 328
- ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 53–55, 86–87
- ^ Whitley 2000, pp. 124–127
- ^ a b Whitley 2000, p. 132
- ^ a b c d e Lenton 1970, p. 27
- ^ Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, pp. 42–43
- ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 94–95
- ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 98–99
- ^ a b c d "HMS Ulster History From Launch To Scrap". candoo.com. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ^ a b Marriott 1983, p. 38
- ^ Critchley 1982, p. 64
- ^ Mason, Geoffrey B. (2007). "Chronology, Part 2 – 1951-60". naval-history.net. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to HMS Ulster! 1957". www.candoo.com.
- ^ Programme, Navy Days Portsmouth, 29–31 August 1970, p19.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.
- Donald, William (1956). Stand by for Action: the Memoirs of a Small Ship Commander. London UK: William Kimber & Co. ltd. ISBN 978-1-84832-016-1.
- Friedman, Norman (2008). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Lenton, H. T. (1970). Navies of the Second World War: British Fleet & Escort Destroyers Volume Two. London: Macdonald & Co. ISBN 0-356-03122-5.
- Marriott, Leo (1983). Royal Navy Frigates 1945–1983. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1322-5.
- Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN 0-85680-010-4.
- Richardson, Ian (August 2021). Osborne, Richard (ed.). "Type 15 Frigates, Part 2: Ship Histories". Warships: Marine News Supplement. 75 (8): 381–391. ISSN 0966-6958.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
- Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War 2: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
Further reading
- Whitby, Michael (2022). "The Challenges of Operation 'Tunnel', September 1943 — April 1944". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2022. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 29–46. ISBN 978-1-4728-4781-2.