HMS Amethyst U-16 / F-116

Type:
Sloop (reclassified as Frigate in 1947)
Class:
Modified Black Swan
Builder:
Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd.
Glasgow, Scotland
Hull Number:
U-16
F-116 (1947)
Ordered:
December 18, 1941
Commissioned:
November 2, 1943
Keel Laid:
March 25, 1942
Decommissioned:
N/A
Launched:
May 7, 1943
Stricken:


N/A
Fate:
Sold Jan. 18, 1957 to Demmelweek & Redding, Plymouth, England and scrapped.


Dimensions, machinery and performance
Length:
299' 6"
Engines:
2 Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
Beam:
38' 6"
Boilers:
2 Admiralty three drum type (oil fired)
Draft:
9' 6" std. / 12' 6" max.
Shafts:
2
Displacement:
1,475 std. / 1,925 full
HP:
4,300
Speed:
19.7 knots (18.5 knots full)
Crew:
192
Range:
5,500 NM @ 10 knots


Armament as built
Number Carried
Type
Arrangement
Maximum Range / Ceiling
6
4"/45 (102mm)
3 twin turrets
19,850 yards @ 45° )11.2 miles)
AA ceiling 39,000' @ 80°
35lb. HE shell
Rate of fire 15-20 RPM

12
.79"/70 (20mm)
four twin mounts
four single mounts
4,800 yards @ 45° (2.7 miles)
AA ceiling 10,000' @ 80°
.271 lb. HE shell
Rate of fire 250-320 RPM

8
Depth charge launchers
110 depth charges carried
2
Depth charge rails
1
Hedgehog


Combat Victories
Date
Name
Type
Tons
Nationality
Notes
Feb. 20, 1945
U-1276
Submarine
1,070
Germany


Commanders
From
To
Name
June 1943
June 1944
Lt. Commander S. C. Tuke, DSO, RN
June 1944
Nov. 1944
Lt. Commander B. Pengelly, RN
Nov. 1944
Jan. 1947
Lt. Commander N. Scott Elliot, DSC, RN
Jan. 1947
Sept. 1948
Lt. Commander R. G. Griffiths, DSC, RN
Sept. 1948
Apr. 1949
Lt. Commander B. M. Skinner, RN (posthumous mention in dispatches)
Apr. 1949
Apr. 1949
Lieutenant G. L. Weston, DSC & Bar, RN (acting commander for 2 days)
Apr. 1949
Nov. 1949
Lt. Commander J. S. Kerans, DSO, RN (promoted to Cmdr. in Aug. 1949)
Nov. 1949
Mar. 1950
Lieutenant G. L. Weston, DSC & Bar, RN
Apr. 1950
Dec. 1952
Commander P. E. Fanshawe, CBE, DSC, RN
Dec. 1952
Jan. 1953
Commander A. R. L. Bultlar, RN
Jan. 1953
Paid off
Lt. Commander J. H. Harvey Jones, RN
Commanders list provided by Lt. Commander K. Stewart Hett, MBE, RN (ret.)


Timeline
Nov. 1943:

Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials.
Passage to Tobermory on completion of trials and storing. Worked up at Tobermory
for convoy defense.

Dec. 1943:
Joined 47th Escort Group at Greenock, Scotland for Atlantic convoy escort duty.
Jan. 15, 1944:
Escorted convoy KMF-28 from Greenock to Gibraltar, detached Jan. 26.
Jan. 28, 1944:
Escorted convoy MKF-28 out of Gibraltar, detached Jan. 29.
Feb. 1944:

Nominated for duty in Mediterranean and took passage to Gibraltar. Joined 37th Escort
Group on arrival.

Feb. 10, 1944:
Escorted convoy MKS-40 Port Said, Egypt to Gibraltar, arrived Feb. 21.
Feb. 25, 1944:
Escorted convoy KMS-42 out of Gibraltar to Port Said, arrived Mar. 6.
Mar. 25, 1944:
Escorted convoy GUS-34 out of Port Said, detached Mar. 26.
Mar. 30, 1944:
Joined with convoy UGS-36 for Port Said, detached Apr. 9.
Apr. 14, 1944:
Escorted convoy GUS-37 out of Port Said, detached Apr. 21.
Apr. 23, 1944:
Joined with convoy UGS-38 for Port Said, detached Apr. 29.
May 14, 1944:
Escorted convoy GUS-40 out of Port Said, detached May 22.
May 25, 1944:
Joined with convoy UGS-41 for Port Said, detached May 28.
June 2, 1944:
Joined with convoy UGS-42 for Port Said, convoy KMS-51 joined on June 3,
detached June 9.

June 19, 1944:
Joined with convoy MKS-53 out of Port Said, arrived Gibraltar June 29.
July 4, 1944:
Escorted convoy KMS-55 from Gibraltar to Port Said, arrived July 14.
July 25, 1944:
Joined with convoy GUS-47 out of Port Said, detached July 31.
Aug. 2, 1944:
Joined with convoy UGS-48 for Port Said, detached Aug. 7.
Aug. 18, 1944:
Joined with convoy MKS-59 out of Port Said, arrived at Gibraltar Aug. 28.
Sept. 4, 1944:
Escorted convoy KMS-61 out of Gibraltar, arrived Port Said Sept. 14.
Nov. 15, 1944:
Arrived at Devonport Dockyard for refit which lasted until early Jan. 1945.
Jan. 1945:
Assigned to 22nd Escort Group at Liverpool.
Jan. 13, 1945:
Joined with convoy ONS-40 out of Liverpool, detached Jan. 14.
Jan. 16, 1945:
In company with HMS Peacock U-96, HMS Hart U-58, HMS Starling U-66 and
HMS Loch Craggie K-609 reported attacking the U-482 17 miles ESE of the Mull of Oa
at position 55.30N - 05.53W, however this boat was sunk Nov. 25, 1944 by
HMS Ascension K-502 114 miles north of Cape Wrath, Scotland at position
60.18N - 04.52W. The reported attack was apparently against a non-submarine target.

Jan. 29, 1945:
Joined with convoy SC-165 for Liverpool, detached same day.
Feb. 20, 1945:
While escorting convoy HX-337 sank U-1276 in the Celtic Sea 23 miles SSW of
Hook Head, Ireland at position 51.48N - 07.07W.
(Some sources state the U-1208 was sunk in this attack but this is incorrect, U-1208
was sunk Feb. 27, 1945 by HMS Duckworth K-351 and HMS Rowley K-560 in the
English Channel 22 miles SW of Land's End at position 49.51N - 06.06W)

Feb. 22, 1945:
Joined with convoy ON-286 out of Liverpool, detached same day.
Mar. 10, 1945:
Joined with convoy OS-115 and KMS-89 out of Downs, detached Mar. 11.
Mar. 12, 1945:
Joined with convoy MKS-87G for Liverpool, detached Mar. 14.
May 1945:
Nominated for service in Far East.
May 9, 1945:
Accepted the surrender of U-249 off Portland, England.
May 15, 1945:
Arrived at Devonport Dockyard for a refit.
July 1945:
Joined British Pacific Fleet at Manus, deployed as escort for British Fleet Train with
US 3rd Fleet.

Aug. 1945:
Fleet train escort duty.
Aug. 14, 1945:
Reverted to RN control and assigned to the 32nd Escort Group, Pacific Fleet.
She was deployed for patrol and support of repatriation and occupation operations.

Sept. 6, 1945:
Present at Rabaul for the surrender of Japanese forces in the Bismarck Islands.
Followed by a refit period in New Zealand.

Early 1946:
Rejoined the Pacific Fleet at Hong Kong.
Apr. 20, 1949:
The Yangtze Incident, shelled by Chinese Communist Forces on the Yangtze River and grounded on Rose Island, 21 crewmen were killed. Ship stranded until July 30, 1949 when the crew made a daring escape to rejoin the British Pacific Fleet.

July 30, 1949:
Escaped down the Yangtze River to rejoin the fleet. Made for Hong Kong where the
ship was repaired.

Sept. 9, 1949:
Departed Hong Kong to return to the U.K.
Nov. 1, 1949:
Arrived at Plymouth, England.
1950:
Refit in U.K.
1950-1952:
Continued duty in the Far East.
1952:
Paid off into reserve. She was placed on the Disposal List but before being broken up at
Plymouth and was used for the making of the film Yangtze Incident to record her famous escape. However during filming she was holed by an explosive charge and had to be withdrawn from use.

Jan. 18, 1957:
Sold for scrap.
Jan. 19, 1957:
Arrived at Demmelweek & Redding, Plymouth, England and was scrapped.
Additional information for the timeline of the Amethyst was provided by:
Lt. Commander Geoffrey B. Mason, RN (Ret.)
Lt. Commander Arnold Hague, RN (Ret.)
Don Kindell and Gordon Smith.


Builder's Data
Page published Oct. 5, 2007