HMS Finisterre (D55)
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Finisterre |
| Builder: | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Launched: | 22 June 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 11 September 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 1965 |
| Fate: | Broken up 1967 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Battle class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,325 tons standard 3,430 tons full load |
| Length: | 379 ft (116 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12.2 m) |
| Draught: | 15.3 ft (4.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 steam turbines, 2 shafts, 2 boilers, 50,000 shp (37 MW) |
| Speed: | 35.75 knots (66 km/h) |
| Range: | 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 268 |
| Armament: | 2 × dual 4.5-inch (114 mm) gun 1 × single 4-inch (102 mm) gun 14 × Bofors 40 mm gun 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 1 × Squid mortar |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: | 1st Destroyer Squadron |
HMS Finisterre (D55) was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy (RN). She was named after one of the battles of Cape Finisterre.
Finisterre was built by Fairfields of Govan on the Clyde. She was launched on the 22 June 1944 and commissioned on 11 September 1945.
Operational service
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Finnisterre first joined the Home Fleet upon her commissioning. After being in the Far East for some time, in which she performed a variety of duties there, Finisterre returned to the UK via the Mediterranean. In January 1950, Finisterre took part in the rescue attempt of the submarine HMS Truculent, which had sunk after colliding with a Swedish merchant ship Divina in the Thames Estuary.[1] The collision had resulted in the loss of 64 of those on board. The following year Finisterre became the Gunnery Training Ship, based at Whale Island, Portsmouth as part of HMS Excellent.[2]
In 1953, Finisterre took part in the 1953 Coronation Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The Finisterre was positioned adjacent to her sister-ship HMS St. James.[3]
The following year Finisterre was placed in Reserve. After her sister-ship HMS Hogue collided with an Indian cruiser in 1959, Finisterre replaced her in the 1st Destroyer Squadron, based in the Far East.[4] She didn't reach the region until 1960. Finisterre, as part of that squadron, subsequently saw service with the Home and Mediterranean Fleets. She was one of a number of Royal Navy ships stationed off Kuwait to keep the peace as the country gained its independence in 1961.[5]
Decommissioning and disposal
She was sold for scrap in 1965, being broken-up two years later at W.H.Arnott Young Co. Ltd of Dalmuir.
Commanding officers
| From | To | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 1946 | Lieutenant-Commander Vere Alison Wight-Boycott OBE RN |
| 1953 | 1953 | Lieutenant-Commander F C Boys RN |
| 1955 | 1956 | |
References
- ↑ The Times (London), Friday, 13 January 1950, p.4
- ↑ Marriott, Leo, Royal Navy Destroyers Since 1945. Ian Allen Ltd, 1989. pp71-75
- ↑ The Times (London), Monday, 15 June 1953, p.15
- ↑ Critchley, Mike, "British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers", Maritime Books: Liskeard, UK, 1982. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2, page 106-7
- ↑ The Times (London), Saturday, 29 July 1961, p.7
Publications
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
- Hodges, Peter (1971). Battle Class Destroyers. London: Almark Publishing. ISBN 0-85524-012-1.
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