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 |
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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) |
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Crew: |
192 |
Range: |
5,500 NM @ 10 knots |
Armament as built
|
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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 |
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1 |
Hedgehog |
Combat Victories |
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Date
|
Name |
Type |
Tons |
Nationality |
Notes |
Feb. 20, 1945 |
U-1276 |
Submarine |
1,070 |
Germany |
Commanders
|
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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 |
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Nov. 1943: |
Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials. |
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 |
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 |
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Page published Oct. 5, 2007 |