HMS Chieftain (R36)
HMS Chieftain was a C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that was in service from March 1946, and which was scrapped in 1961.
 HMS Chieftain on the River Clyde, 1 March 1946. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Chieftain |
| Ordered | 24 July 1942 |
| Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, (Greenock, Scotland) |
| Laid down | 27 June 1943 |
| Launched | 26 February 1945 |
| Commissioned | 7 March 1946 |
| Identification | Pennant number: R36 later changed to D36 |
| Fate | Scrapped at Sunderland on 20 Mar 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | C-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1710 tons[1] |
| Length | 362.75 ft (110.57 m)[1] |
| Beam | 35.66 ft (10.87 m)[1] |
| Draught | 10 ft (3.0 m) (mean), 16 ft (4.9 m) (max.)[1] |
| Installed power | 40,000 hp (30,000 kW) |
| Propulsion | Parsons geared turbines, 2 shafts; 2 Admiralty 3-drum type boilers[1] |
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h) |
| Complement | 186 |
| Armament |
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Construction
The Royal Navy ordered Chieftain on 24 July 1942, one of eight Ch subclass of the C-class "Intermediate" destroyers of the 1942 Programme. She was laid down at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock, Scotland, on 27 June 1943, and launched 26 February 1945.[1] She was commissioned on 7 March 1946, too late for World War II duty.[2]
Service
Chieftain was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Squadron based at Malta and served with the Royal Navy's 1945-8 Palestine Patrol, intercepting illegal immigration into Mandate Palestine.[3] In 1947 Chieftain intercepted three immigrant ships: a schooner, a former USCG cutter, and a former USN vessel. The ex-cutter Unalga renamed Chaim Arlosoroff got past the RN destroyer and managed to beach near Haifa: the other two were detained at sea.[4] She was given an interim modernization in 1954, which saw her 'X' turret at the rear of the ship replaced by two Squid anti-submarine mortars.[5] She saw duty during the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Decommissioning and disposal
Chieftain was decommissioned after the Suez Crisis and was scrapped in Sunderland on 20 March 1961.[6]
References
- "Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II 1946/7", Jane's Publishing Company, London, UK, 1946, reprinted by Crescent Books, Avenel, New Jersey, USA, 1995, ISBN 0-517-67963-9, page 52.
- "HMS Chieftain (R 36)". uboat.net. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- Stewart, Ninian (2002). The Royal Navy and the Palestine Patrol. Routledge.
- Palestine Patrol by the Royal Navy, article in Shipping - Today & Yesterday No. 203 January 2007 p.42, photograph p.38
- Marriott, Leo (1989). Royal Navy Destroyers Since 1945. Ian Allan Ltd. p. 64.
- Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. p. 98. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.
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.
- Marriott, Leo (1989). Royal Navy Destroyers Since 1945. Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1817-0.
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